Endorsed by the Democratic Party.

Born at Mercy Hospital,
Raised in East County,
Uni High School and Harvard Graduate

Current Councilmember
Continued Leadership to Sustain Our City

Endorsements

Endorsed by the Democratic Party and Local Leaders We Trust

THE OFFICIALLY ENDORSED CANDIDATE FOR DISTRICT 7 OF THE

Organizations

Elected Leaders

Priorities

To Continue Supporting Our Neighborhoods, Fighting for Infrastructure, and Promoting Public Safety

San Diegans work hard; they deserve a government that delivers results now and plans for the future. ​The primary role of any city councilmember is to listen to every voice in the community​ to solve problems, ensure a safer neighborhood, and deliver public services promptly—and that is why my door has been, and will remain open to all District 7 residents throughout my time in office to hear your ideas, your concerns, and field your questions about my plan to keep San Diego strong, vibrant, safe, and prosperous. I am a strong advocate for investing in our neighborhoods, providing the infrastructure necessary to strengthen our communities, and promoting public safety. This means believing in critical services like our libraries and parks, our firefighters and lifeguards, and of course our police force, who are in dire need of additional funding to mitigate the staffing shortage. Believing in critical services means wisely investing our precious taxpayer dollars in them, and that’s a solemn responsibility I am proud to bear as your Councilmember. Rest assured that in me, the residents of District 7 have an advocate and representative who is truly concerned for your well-being, and someone who will work tirelessly to address your concerns and make your community a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

We worked hard in 2021 and 2022. We will keep working hard for years to come. Here are the priorities and successes that I will continue to build upon in a second term as your councilmember:

Secure Infrastructure Funding:

Authored and passed a ballot initiative, Measure D: Safeguard San Diego, to protect millions of dollars of state infrastructure dollars from being diverted from San Diego due to an outdated and harmful previous City policy.

Secured millions of dollars for streetlights, sidewalks, storm drains, and major road repairs in our district.

Secured millions of dollars for Linda Vista Library and San Carlos Library renovations and expansions.

Secured state and local funding to support construction and preservation of a new river crossing bridge in Mission Trails Regional Park, the Old Mission Dam, and acquisition of close to 25 acres of land for preservation and trails.

Keep Our Neighborhoods Safe:

Fully funded our police department, fire department, and expanding our lifeguard corps.

Opened the first satellite SDPD office in over a decade within the Navajo community to reduce response times to the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, San Carlos, and Del Cerro.

Expanded the funding for the anti-street racing team and homeless outreach team.

Voted to fund millions of dollars of fire prevention throughout Navajo Canyon, Adobe Falls, and Ruffin Canyon.

Promoted fire safety by securing key agreements from SDGE to protect fire-prone areas near open space.

Held a gun buy-back event with San Diego Police Department that ended up with over 400 firearms turned in by the public.

Voted for significant investments in traffic calming measures to reduce car accidents and promote safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Righting the Ship on Homelessness:

Expanded the safe parking program in Mission Valley to reduce cars and RVs parked in residential neighborhoods and offer our unhoused neighbors a safe place to park for the night.

Championed the Housing Stability Fund to give small subsidies to families who are on the verge of homelessness, allowing them to pay their rent and stay housed.

Voted in favor of creating over 1200 affordable housing units to mitigate the homelessness and housing affordability crises.

Fight for Small Businesses and Non-Profits:

Capped app-based delivery giants’ commission fees to 15% to help mom and pop shops keep more of the profit from their own hard-earned sales.

Voted to allocate millions of dollars for small business and non-profit grants over multiple budget years.

Supported deeper investments into our tourism industry and the Convention Center to promote our rebounding hospitality and restaurant industries that employ thousands of workers.

Championed the development of our City’s first Economic Development Strategy since 2015, to help small businesses obtain resources, information, and support from city staff.

My Story

Faith and Family in San Diego

As a great-grandson of immigrants and native-born San Diegan, I am running for City Council in District 7 knowing I have a legacy to live up to, a community to faithfully represent, and major challenges to solve. I graduated from University of San Diego High School in Linda Vista where I learned that the true measure of faith is service to one’s community. Thanks to the support of my teachers and family, I attended Harvard University where I studied government and volunteered for numerous campaigns, including President Obama’s 2008 victory.

Hearing the call to public service, I became a fifth-grade public school teacher in a low-income neighborhood of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was there that I learned that many children weren’t just falling behind in school, but often were coming to school undernourished, from unstable home environments, and with little trust in government institutions. This experience taught me that complex problems require comprehensive solutions to ensure the community and our children have a chance to reach their potential. Inspired by my colleagues and students, I decided to attend Harvard Law School and commit myself to the higher purpose of including everyone in the building of our society.

In 2014, I joined the international law firm O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles where I worked on complex litigation and investigations of several Fortune 500 companies in the health care, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries. Most gratifying though was my pro bono work on behalf of immigrants and survivors of domestic violence.

In 2016, I moved to Brooklyn and joined Hillary for America National Headquarters to fight for an inclusive and effective government. Though we came up short, ​I returned to California knowing the right place to fight for my values and commit myself to public service was right here at home.

In 2018, I began serving the City at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, prosecuting all manner of crimes as well as recovering restitution for victims of crime. I saw firsthand in our courts the drastic effects of the housing crisis as well as what does and does not work in solving our most pressing challenges. I also worked for a year with San Diego’s nationally-renowned Gun Violence Restraining Order team, removing firearms from dangerous individuals who were a threat to themselves or their community.

I was truly honored to be elected by the voters of the 7th District in November 2020. Since that time, I’ve served on and chaired key city council committees to promote public safety, protect parks and libraries, strengthen our budget process, and as Chair of the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, I’ve worked hard to support small businesses through the pandemic, to expand worker protections throughout the city, to fight against inflation and for good wages and good jobs, and to expand access to and affordability of child care.

Currently, I live with my wife, Nadia Farjood, our baby son Rafael, and our Miniature Schnauzer Jojo in our home in Del Cerro. We love to hike in Mission Trails Regional Park and around Lake Murray, and we regularly adventure through Ruffin Canyon, Tecolote Canyon, and along the San Diego River.

​I humbly ask for your vote​ and your voice to serve you for a second term, as we work together to build upon our successes and invest in the communities of District 7.

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