By Jim Bell

Foundational issues are things that have the power to greatly increase or decrease our chances for success and fulfillment, personally and regionally, now and for future generations.

Foundational issues are things that have the power to greatly increase or decrease our chances for success and fulfillment, personally and as the human family, now and for future generations.

Foundational issues include:

1. ENERGY, WATER AND FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY + As your Mayor my primary goal will be to make our city and region energy, water and food self-sufficient as soon as possible.

Why?

Because whatever other problems we have, they will surely get worse if there is any serious disruption in the supply or increase in the price of the energy, water and food we now import.

Our situation is that we are 6 million people living in the San Diego/Tijuana region, sustaining ourselves by importing 98 percent of our energy and 90 percent of our water and food.

Clearly, this is not a secure position to be in, given the uncertanties of today's world.

Additionally, becoming energy, water and food self-sufficient will greatly strengthen our local economy because of the new jobs and business opportunities it will create.

If we were energy, water and food self-sufficient today, the $20 billion a year we now "export" to pay for imported energy, water and food, would be circulating locally, stimulating business and job creation on all fronts, increasing everyone's bottom line.

Additionally, the skills we learn in the process of becoming self-sufficient will position us to take world leadership in a new essential industry --- the industry of helping regions and nations around the world become energy, water and food self-sufficient and help them develop their own sustainable economies.

2. ELIMINATE OBVIOUS TERRORIST TARGETS + Currently we have a number of attractive terrorist targets in our region. Some of these targets could also be set off by accidents and by natural phenomena like earthquakes and severe weather.

If any one of these targets was successfully attacked, or unleashed by an accident, earthquake, etc. the consequences to our city and region would be catastrophic.

I won't talk specifics because I don't want to give anyone ideas. But as Mayor of San Diego, I will do everything within my power to identify such targets and eliminate the threat they pose.

3. LAND USE PLANNING + Life support sustaining land use planning is essential to creating a sustainable economy and way of life in our region. This given, I will implement a land use plan that will:

A. Protect and strengthen watershed and habitat health. When watershed and their habitats are healthy they reduce erosion and flooding and maximize groundwater recharge.

B. Protect our best agricultural soils from development and other misuses. World and local population is still increasing and the acreages and fertility of our agricultural soils, locally and world wide are declining.

Protecting our local agricultural soils for farming is our insurance policy for food security if imported food becomes too costly and if supplies are restricted or cut-off.

C. Create developable land certainty. We need development, and plenty of it, but not in floodplains, essential wildlife habitats or on our best agricultural soils.

I'll also create development standards to ensure that development methods and materials used in our city and region are health and environment benign and fire resistent.

In one important way we are lucky. The San Diego/Tijuana Region has some of the most skilled and intelligent developers and contractors in the world. With good leadership, there is no doubt in my mind that they can build the sustainable economy we and our descendants need.

Fundamental to living sustainably on our planet is how we use and choose not to use our land. If we choose well, our future and the future of our descendants will be bright indeed. If we choose poorly, sadness, suffering and regret will follow.