Before the 2016 presidential election, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer had some choice words for then presidential candidate Donald Trump. In a May interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, Faulconer said, “I’m not endorsing Donald Trump. He hasn’t earned my vote.”
Now, about a year and a half later, political expediency could be changing for Faulconer, and so his tone towards the president could be softening. Here was Faulconer’s announcement on his twitter feed:
Now, about a year and a half later, political expediency could be changing for Faulconer, and so his tone towards the president could be softening.
Faulconer’s spokesman Craig Gustafson said of the annual U.S. Conference of Mayor’s annual winter meeting, “Mayor Faulconer joined a bipartisan group of roughly 100 mayors today for a forum and panel discussion in the East Room at the White House hosted by the Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.”
Mayors of Los Angeles, New York and other cities boycotted the meeting due to the ongoing battle of “sanctuary city” status.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti said, “Each one of the mayors up here cares more about the public safety of our people than anybody living outside of our cities. There is not a single mayor in this country who says please, if you’re a criminal, come on over. And if you’re undocumented, bonus points. This is a myth, and it’s pure politics. Let’s be clear about what this is, it’s the politics of distraction and destruction,” he said.
Faulconer also reportedly met with transportation officials about infrastructure funding for cities and also met with staffers for the House Ways & Means Committee regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement. Faulconer also co-chaired a panel on homeless issues, with a specific focus on veteran homelessness.
The City of San Diego made international headlines following a Hepatitis A outbreak that killed 20 people and hospitalized several hundred. Most of those impacted were members of the homeless community.