Gerardo Ramirez
Candidate for City Council Member, San Diego, District 8
Gerardo Ramirez grew up in San Ysidro, raised by a single mother who worked three cleaning jobs and had not completed high school; as a child he began working as a farmworker harvesting nopales. He graduated from San Ysidro High School and San Diego State University, becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree. Ramirez has spent nearly a decade working in the District 8 council office, starting as a City Hall intern and advancing through roles as community representative, policy advisor, and deputy chief of staff before becoming chief of staff to Councilmember Vivian Moreno, reportedly the youngest chief of staff on the San Diego City Council.
Positions in brief
Ramirez's platform centers on housing affordability through expedited permitting, opposing new sales taxes to close the city's budget shortfall, and creating a public-private philanthropic fund to support city priorities.
On housing, Ramirez says regulatory barriers are the core driver of higher costs and delays, and wants to expand access to expedited permitting programs, reduce approval timelines, and create a dedicated funding source for first-time homebuyer programs. On the city's roughly $150 million budget shortfall, he opposes raising sales taxes and instead calls for cutting costly middle-management positions that he says have grown without delivering vital community services. He has also proposed a public-private philanthropic partnership to direct charitable giving toward city priorities, arguing the city is leaving hundreds of millions in potential charitable dollars untapped.
On the issues
Wants to expand expedited permitting programs and reduce approval timelines, and create a dedicated funding source for first-time homebuyer programs.
Source →Opposes raising sales taxes to close the city's budget shortfall and instead wants to cut administrative costs.
“cut expensive middle managers who have increased the budget without actually delivering the vital community services”
Source →Wants to create a public-private philanthropic partnership to direct charitable giving toward city priorities and reduce reliance on taxes and fees.
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