Candidate for
City Council; City of San Diego; District 7

As a candidate for San Diego City Council, Deanna Spehn offers both the commitment demonstrated by more than 25 years of community service, and the experience gained as a staff professional in both the City Council and the Mayor's Office. Deanna will provide an effective voice at City Hall on issues of concern to 7th District residents.

For more than two years, Deanna has served as Assistant to the Mayor, handling education issues and implementing special projects such as the Multiple Species Conservation Program and the 6- to-6 Program for City schools. Deanna also serves as the City Council's Rules Committee Consultant, and in that capacity controls the docket for City Council meetings.

Prior to her work in the Mayor's Office, Deanna spent four years in the District 7 Council Office, working for Councilmember Judy McCarty, where she was responsible for budget and environmental issues, among others.

In 1977, Deanna co-founded the Tierra Times community newspaper, which reaches tens of thousands of District 7 residents. As the owner and operator of a small business, she has first-hand experience with the challenges faced by businesses seeking to comply with government regulations and tax policies. She has also held leadership positions in numerous community-based organizations in District 7.

In addition to Deanna's extensive experience in government and the community, she also understands the importance of the knowledge-based, high-tech economy that will drive San Diego in the next century. Her husband, Richard, is a senior research engineer at Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC), a high-tech start-up that has become a home-grown San Diego success story.

Among Deanna's priorities as a Council Member will be maintaining our quality of life as the key to continued economic vitality. Traffic is a significant problem throughout San Diego. Left unresolved, it will choke the future health of our community. Housing prices are spiraling out of control, forcing many of our children to abandon hopes of home ownership. Decisions made by the next Council on these and other issues will determine San Diego's course for the next fifty years.

Deanna holds a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of California Irvine, and has completed requirements for a secondary teaching credential. She and her husband have resided in Tierrasanta since 1972. They have a daughter, Michaela. Deanna has served on the Board of Directors of Social Advocates for Youth (SAY San Diego), Tierrasanta Little League, San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, Tierrasanta Community Council, and the 9th District PTA.

The 7th Council District includes the communities of Allied Gardens, Chollas Creek, City Heights, Colina del Sol, the College Area, Darnall, Del Cerro, El Cerrito Heights, Fox Canyon, Grantville, Islenair, Murphy Canyon, Rolando, Rolando Park, San Carlos and Tierrasanta. The current Council Member, Judy McCarty, is prohibited from seeking re-election because of term limits.