Dane White

Candidate for Mayor, Escondido

Dane White is a fifth-generation Escondido resident who attended Escondido High School and Escondido Charter, and pursued a trades career rather than college, working his way from construction worker to project manager. He has said that as a young person he struggled with poor decision-making, spent time in the foster-care system, and experienced periods of homelessness. He now owns and operates WhiteWerks Flooring LLC, a hard-surface flooring company serving San Diego County, and has worked as a resident manager operating a residence for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and mental-health conditions. He was elected to the Escondido Union High School Board in 2016 and served as board president during the COVID-19 pandemic, winning re-election in 2020 with the Escondido Secondary Teachers Association's endorsement, before leaving the board in 2022. He is also active in his church, where he helps lead addiction-recovery and youth programs. He was elected mayor of Escondido in 2022, unseating the incumbent.

White's campaign site lists five issue areas in this order: homelessness, public safety, affordability, small business, and roads and infrastructure. On homelessness, his record as mayor includes increased encampment enforcement and pursuing alternative funding sources for a new local shelter; local reporting has credited these efforts with a measured drop in unsheltered homelessness. On the economy, he has also explored allowing recreational cannabis sales in the city as a potential new source of revenue.

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