Susan Guinn launches bid for San Diego County Clerk
Photo credit: Ken Williams/SDGLN
Susan Guinn
SAN DIEGO — Susan Guinn kicked off her campaign for election as the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, hosting a fundraiser Wednesday night at Urbn Coal Fired Pizza in North Park.
Dozens of well-known San Diego area Democrats attended the function, including County Supervisor Dave Roberts, San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald and San Diego school board president Kevin Beiser. A number of LGBT figures also were in attendance, including Robert Gleason of Evans Hotels, David Warmouth of San Diego Democrats for Equality, and Jess Durfee of the local Democratic Party.
Guinn introduced her wife and their two sons, as well as her mother. Guinn promised to bring integrity to the key county office, which handles more than a billion dollars in revenue annually. She vowed to end the backlog in tax bills, assessments and appeals.
A longtime advocate for taxpayers also known for helping those in need, Guinn seeks to oust embattled incumbent, Ernest Dronenburg. The Democrat accused her Republican opponent of expanding his staff and his budget while reducing his work hours. She also called out Dronenburg for putting his personal beliefs — opposing marriage equality, for one — ahead of his duties to represent all residents of San Diego County.
Dronenburg refused to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in San Diego for days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed a district court ruling stand that California’s Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. He and notorious anti-gay attorney Charles LiMandri tried unsuccessfully, and without the knowledge of the Board of Supervisors, to get the California Supreme Court to issue a stay to halt marriages statewide. The Board of Supervisors were furious with Dronenburg, and Supervisor Ron Roberts refuted him in a Facebook posting. Supervisor Dave Roberts, the openly gay Democrat on the board, also called out Dronenburg.
And Wednesday night, Supervisor Dave Roberts lavished praise on Guinn during a brief speech and endorsed her candidacy.
This is Guinn’s first run at public office. According to her Facebook page dedicated to her campaign, she writes:
Susan Guinn is the taxpayer advocate we need for the Assessor’s office. She has protected taxpayers from fraudulent taxes and fees, and fought for families and businesses to collect from insurance companies after catastrophic losses. Her firm worked tirelessly to win a $3.3 billion dollar settlement for county government. She is passionate about consumer rights and has a proven track record of results. As a consumer attorney for over twenty years, she has spent her career fighting for people to make sure they get a fair deal.
We need an advocate who won’t play favorites in the assessor’s office – that’s why she is running. The backlog in the assessor’s office is costing hardworking San Diego County families and businesses money. That’s just not right. She will simplify processes and eliminate the backlog, making sure that we aren’t needlessly overpaying.
Old systems and outdated practices cause inefficiencies that cost taxpayers. She will modernize the office, ensuring taxpayers aren’t stuck paying more than their fair share.
She will be an advocate for all taxpayers, working to empower families and businesses through community outreach and educational programs.
As our Assessor/Recorder/Clerk, Susan Guinn will continue to stand-up for San Diego County families and businesses to ensure everyone is treated fairly and equitably and not overtaxed, giving us the consumer and taxpayer advocate we need to protect our pocketbooks. Susan Guinn has the experience to make this office work for all of us.
Susan Guinn is not a career politician. She is a successful business woman and community volunteer. She has been a Board Member of the Consumer Attorneys of California; Equality California; the St. Paul’s Foundation; and, is a Co-Founder along with her son Max of KidsEcoClub. She is also Chair of the San Diego Unified School District’s Environmental Sustainability Committee.
The details
According to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, the race for San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk features:
* Ernest Dronenburg, incumbent
* Jonathan Gordon, financial analyst/businessowner
* Susan Guinn, businesswoman/consumer advocate
* George Mantor, author/educator/businessperson
The gubernatorial primary election is June 3.
