A Nurse’s Diagnosis of District 4
THE DIAGNOSIS: Systemic Inequality
As a registered nurse with years of experience in our community, Martha has learned that you cannot heal a patient by treating only the symptoms. You must address the underlying conditions. Health problems are usually caused by larger societal problems. District 4 faces a crisis not of individual failure, but of systemic disinvestment.
Everyday, as a community member with a holistic perspective, Martha sees the consequences of system inequality:
- The diabetic grandmother trying to manage her blood sugar in Lincoln Park where not a single grocery store meets standards for healthy, fresh food.
- The child with severe asthma because they live next to a freeway with no pollution buffers or green space.
- The family in Mountain View whose home flooded with five feet of water in January 2024 because the city hadn't maintained the storm drains for years despite community outcry.
- The child in Encanto whose neighborhood school is under-resourced and low performing, that families feel forced to wake up earlier and drive several miles each morning just to access the quality education that should be available in every community.
These are not isolated cases. They are patterns. And in medicine, when we see patterns, you look for the root cause.
For decades, city policy has concentrated resources in wealthy neighborhoods while abandoning communities of color. The results are what public health professionals call social determinants of health, conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that shape their health outcomes. This all stems from not having an advocate at the table that understand how every desicion impacts our wellbeing.
The same neighborhoods that experience the highest rates of chronic disease, asthma, diabetes, and shorter life expectancy are the neighborhoods with the least access to parks, fresh food, quality healthcare, proper infrastructure, quality air, and economic opportunity. This is not a coincidence. It is the direct result of decades of policy choices that concentrated resources in wealthy areas while abandoning communities of color.
Commitments
Access to Housing Opportunities
Redlining ended on paper. We are still living the consequences. Zoning regulations and city policy perpetuates housing segregation while stripping away power over neighborhood character.
- Reform policies that limit opportunity and propose policies that preserve affordable housing, tenant protections, and create access to safe, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods.
- Fair share of affordable housing across all districts
- Protecting single family housing in low resource areas to prevent displacement
- Responsible development with infrastructure and resources to match
- Protect communities from displacement and systemic inequities
Access to Parks & Enviromental Justice
Children in District 4 have higher rates of asthma because our district is surrounded with freeways with no pollution buffers. Park deficient communities are not an accident, they are the result of decades of disinvestment. Clean air and green space should not stop at the district line.
- Hold the city accountable to park promises made to low resources neighborhoods
- Protect the Climate Equity Fund from budget raids, as happened in FY 2025, 2026, 2027. These funds must be transferred into community control if not utilized within the appropriate time frame.
- The City of San Diego's Climate Equity Fund has spent only 17% of the $23 million collected. The city needs a public dashboard so residents can track progress, transparency, and hold officials accountable.
- Community-Led Process: Apply California's Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program model to empower communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to create climate resilience in their neighborhoods.
- Oppose projects that eliminate proposed park sites in exchange for more density
- Invest in tree canopy, bioswales, and green infrastructure to combat heat and flooding
Access to Infrastructre and Dignity
The January 2024 floods were not a natural disaster in District 4, they were a man made one. The city knew the stormwater infrastructure in District 4 was failing. It chose not to act. Crumbling roads, illegal dumping, broken sidewalks, unlit streets, unsafe streets are no accidents, they are what neglect looks like over decades. It’s a political choice. We are changing that.
- Prioritize stormwater infrastructure repair in historically underserved neighborhoods
- Demand accountability and fix our streets
- Ensure ADA compliance, working streetlights, and maintained roads
- Traffic calming infrastructure in neighborhoods to reduce traffic speed and provide pedestrian safety
- Advocate for services to combat illegal dumping and abatement
Access to Economic Opportunity
The median income in District 4 is half the regional average. That's not a coincidence. It is decades of disinvestment made visible. Hard work should be enough to build a life here.
- Cultivate strategic alliances, through public private partnerships, that foster economic development, create jobs, and bring new opportunities and investment to the community.
- Bring fresh food markets and healthcare facilities to food and healthcare deserts
- Support small business corridors
- Connect District 4 residents to city contracts, workforce training, and living wage jobs.
- Empowering our local business ecosystem to grow alongside new enterprises.
