Candidate for
Supervisor; County of San Diego; Supervisorial District 4

Supervisor Ron Roberts is creating a better, healthier San Diego for all of us

Cleaner air, greener jobs, healthier communities, alternative energy, safe neighborhoods and a major bayfront park: these are the accomplishments and priorities of Supervisor Ron Roberts, a long-time advocate for San Diego's neighborhoods.

Ron considers our schools, hospitals, employers and, of course, our people to be part of his extended family. And family means a lot to Ron.

When his family arrived here from Massachusetts more than a half century ago, and his dad was out of work, it was the Garcia family of Logan Heights that housed them those first few weeks. Later, the Roberts moved into public housing in Linda Vista. It was there Ron gained early exposure to the diversity, and families, that make San Diego the great place it is today.

Ron and his wife, Helene, a former school teacher and director of community relations for UCSD Medical Center, are parents to three grown daughters. Of the trio, Christine is a corporate executive, Andrea is an emergency room doctor, and Deborah is a medical child life specialist. Grandchildren, at two and counting, are the latest blessing to this multi-generational family.

A Public Education

A product of public schools, Ron worked his way through college as a supermarket clerk. After earning an undergraduate degree from San Diego State University, he went on to secure a master's degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

After Berkeley, Ron embarked on a 20-year career in architecture, spending most of that time as managing partner of a San Diego-based firm with offices here and in San Francisco. Soon his design savvy, business skills and commitment to community led to numerous volunteer civic positions, including as chairman of the Planning Commission for the city of San Diego.

Inspired by what he learned at the commission and the challenges facing our city, Ron left his practice to launch a campaign for a seat on the San Diego City Council. He was triumphant.

After serving two terms, Ron was selected by voters in November 1994 to represent the diverse Fourth District as one of five members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

Passing A Serious Financial Test

Ron and his new colleagues were immediately faced with a test of the highest order + rescuing a County government teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Through disciplined decision-making and with a fresh private-sector approach, they engineered a phenomenal turnaround, taking the County from the brink of financial disaster to one lauded as among the best-managed counties in America.

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association would go on to hail the Board of Supervisors as "the model of creative and innovative government leadership," and "the poster child of good fiscal governance." Washington, D.C.-based Governing Magazine has labeled the County of San Diego as one of the three best-run counties in the nation.

Ron's long-standing commitment to fiscal discipline will serve San Diego County taxpayers well in the next few years as the impact of the worst recession in a generation, and a raid on local funds by a nearly bankrupt state government, put a premium on innovative leadership. Managing through this financial turmoil while still providing critical services to those most in need will challenge local leaders well into the next decade.

Unafraid To Go To Bat for Us

Throughout his career, Ron has worked diligently to make San Diego a better place for all of us. His reputation and record is that of a forward-thinking civic leader who's not afraid to speak out on the issues of the day. Ron has earned the respect of a great many San Diegans, from blue-collar workers to blue-chip CEOs.

A long-time resident who is deeply passionate about preserving our region's beauty and charm for the next generation, Ron truly represents San Diego's past, present and, most important, its future.