Longtime La Mesa City Councilmember Dave Allan, a one-time San Diego area Republican local elected official of the year and more recently a registered Democrat, confirmed tonight that he will run for the 2nd district seat on the County board of supervisors in 2012. It is anticipated that incumbent Supervisor Dianne Jacob will seek a sixth term that year.
Jim Sills broke the story on San Diego Rostra tonight that a David M. Allan of La Mesa had filed the candidate intention paperwork (Form 501) necessary to begin fundraising for the seat. Councilman Allan confirmed with me a short time later that he is indeed running.
"It shouldn’t be news to anyone that the number one priority to me is fire protection in San Diego County," said Allan, a retired San Miguel firefighter. "I don’t think the county supervisors have prioritized that issue the way they should."
Referring to the budget impacts being faced by local government and the potential of firefighting jobs being lost, he further said that "the supervisors’ lack of focus on fire protection is now catching up to them."
"This is about lives. It’s unacceptable," he said.
I placed a follow-up call to Supervisor Jacob’s office for a possible comment, which will be posted here if one is made.
Asked about any identified groups or individuals that may be in support of his candidacy at this early stage, Allan indicated his campaign effort is just starting. Given his change in party registration within the last couple of years and his one-time position as a union firefighter leader, it will be interesting to see whether he garners support from the Democratic Party and labor groups.
Allan was first elected to the La Mesa City Council in 2000, and unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Art Madrid for mayor two years later. In my personal experience serving with him for six years on the council, Allan is fairly independent, something of a philosophical dichotomy (either as a Democrat or Republican), a social conservative, yet a fiscal moderate and strong union supporter.
He was once touted by some in the GOP as a potential 77th District State Assembly candidate in 2006 for a termed-out Jay La Suer seat. In more recent years Allan switched party registrations, disenchanted with the Republican Party for reasons not-completely-understood-by-me, perhaps some of it based on his lack of comfort with the GOP on labor issues.
In the future I’ll analyze what all this means for his prospects in conservative East County. For the time being, it’s completely safe to say that any candidate challenging Supervisor Jacob will have a long, uphill battle against a formidable fundraiser and deft politician with significant name recognition and historical polling numbers through the roof. Allan likely understands that reality.
Attached below is Allan’s Candidate Intention Statement.
October 31st, 2009 at 12:00 am
If Dave is a Democrat as stated, I wonder if SEIU, the Union that represents most County employees, convinced him to run?
If that is the case, let us all remember that SEIU is pushing for term limits for the Board of Supervisors, but doesn’t believe in term limits for its own elected Union officers. Don’t you love this double standard?
Which then leads me to the question, if a Democrat and a pro SEIU person is elected to the BOS, will SEIU try to get the term limits restriction, if passed by voters, removed?
October 31st, 2009 at 12:00 am
Remember, Dave Allan was one of the La Mesa city council critters who supported raising the city sales tax so that the unions could continue riding their pension gravy train.
The average 30 year La Mesa non-safety worker can retire at 30 years with a total pension (including the city’s social security program) that usually exceeds 130% of their highest pay. And up until this year they didn’t pay a dime for their city pension.
Allan supported using well over $100,000 of La Mesa taxpayer money to pass the measure. This blatant misuse of public funds is a reprehensible act that SHOULD be illegal, but so far the courts let politicians get away with it.
I’m no Dianne Jacob fan, but this labor union hack is NOT the replacement needed in her seat.