Kevin Faulconer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Faulconer
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Faulconer in 2019
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| 36th Mayor of San Diego | |
| In office March 3, 2014 – December 10, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Todd Gloria (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Todd Gloria |
| Member of the San Diego City Council from the 2nd district |
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| In office January 10, 2006 – March 3, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Zucchet |
| Succeeded by | Ed Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kevin Lee Faulconer
January 24, 1967 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Katherine Stuart
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | San Diego State University (BA) |
| Website | https://www.kevinfaulconer.com/ |
Kevin Lee Faulconer (born January 24, 1967) is an American politician. He was the 36th mayor of San Diego from 2014 to 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming mayor, Faulconer served on the San Diego City Council for District 2 from 2006 to 2014.
Faulconer was born in San Jose, California, and grew up in Oxnard. He started working in politics in the 1990s. He helped with campaigns for Governor Pete Wilson. In the early 2000s, he began running for the San Diego City Council. He won a special election in 2005 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010.
In 2013, he decided to run for mayor of San Diego and won. He became mayor on March 3, 2014. He was re-elected in 2016. He could not run in the 2020 election because of term limits. Faulconer is known as a moderate Republican. This means he often has conservative views on money matters and liberal views on social issues. In 2021, he ran for governor of California in a special recall election.
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Early Life and Education
Kevin Faulconer was born in San Jose, California. His parents were Jim and Kay Faulconer. His father was an assistant city manager in Oxnard. His mother taught at colleges. Kevin grew up in Oxnard and learned Spanish in grade school.
He graduated from Oxnard High School in 1985. Later, he went to San Diego State University. He earned a degree in political science. While at the university, Faulconer was the student body president. He was also part of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Starting His Career
After college, Faulconer received a fellowship from the Coro Foundation. He then worked for a public relations company in San Francisco. He also helped with political campaigns for California Governor Pete Wilson.
Serving on the San Diego City Council (2006–2014)
City Council Elections
Faulconer first ran for the City Council in 2002 but lost. After the council member for District 2 resigned in 2005, a special election was held. Faulconer won this special election in January 2006.
He was elected for a full term in June 2006. He was re-elected in June 2010. In both elections, he won enough votes in the first round. He could not run for re-election in 2014 due to city rules.
Key Actions as Council Member
Faulconer helped make a big change for San Diego beaches. After an incident involving alcohol at Pacific Beach in 2007, he supported a trial ban on alcohol. The next year, people voted to make the ban permanent. This ban has made beaches cleaner and reduced emergency calls.
He also worked on the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. This project aimed to improve the San Diego bayfront. He also pushed for a rule to limit large vehicles from parking on city streets. This rule passed in 2013.
Faulconer was in charge of the council's Audit Committee. This committee worked to improve the city's financial standing.
Mayor of San Diego (2014–2020)
Mayoral Elections
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In September 2013, Faulconer ran in a special election for mayor. This election happened after the previous mayor resigned. He campaigned in both English and Spanish.
In the first election round, Faulconer received the most votes. He then went to a runoff election in February 2014. He won the runoff with 54.5 percent of the votes. He became mayor on March 3, 2014.
In 2015, Faulconer announced he would run for a full term in 2016. He won re-election in June 2016 with 58.2 percent of the vote.
Climate Action Plan
In 2014, Faulconer introduced San Diego's first Climate Action Plan. This plan aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city. In 2018, he suggested a city-run program to buy 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. By 2019, he convinced four other nearby cities to join San Diego's energy program.
Minimum Wage
In August 2014, the City Council voted to increase the minimum wage in San Diego. Faulconer vetoed this measure. However, the Council voted again and passed it. Business groups then gathered signatures to delay the measure. This led to a public vote in June 2016. The measure passed with 63.8 percent of the vote, allowing the wage increase to happen.
San Diego Chargers
During his time as mayor, a big issue was the San Diego Chargers football team. They wanted to move to Los Angeles. Faulconer worked to keep the Chargers in San Diego. He suggested the city help build a new stadium. However, a public vote to raise hotel taxes for a stadium failed. In January 2017, the Chargers announced they were moving to Los Angeles.
Convention Center Expansion
In 2017, Faulconer proposed a plan to expand the San Diego Convention Center. This plan would be funded by increasing the hotel tax. The City Council did not approve a special election for this. In 2018, he supported a citizen's effort for the same goal. The measure was put on the March 2020 election ballot. It received 65% of the vote, which was just under the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
Housing and Homelessness
Faulconer was against the "Not In My Back Yard" (NIMBY) idea. He wanted to remove rules that made it hard to build new homes. This included rules about building height and parking. He believed these changes would help with San Diego's housing problems. They would also reduce homelessness and help the environment.
He promised to reduce the number of people living on the streets. His efforts included increasing funding for homeless services. He also opened shelter tents and safe parking spots. He created a storage center for homeless people.
Near the end of his term, Faulconer proposed the "Complete Communities" plan. This plan encouraged building more homes to help with homelessness. It also aimed to create money for public transportation. The City Council approved this plan in November 2020.
Hepatitis A Outbreak
From 2016 to 2018, San Diego had a large Hepatitis A outbreak. This illness caused at least twenty deaths in San Diego County. Many of those affected were people experiencing homelessness. Health officials recommended that homeless people get vaccinated against Hepatitis A.
Faulconer and his team learned about the outbreak in June 2017. They suggested plans like installing hand washing stations. However, there were delays in coordinating with city officials.
Social Issues
While a Republican, Faulconer holds many socially liberal views. He supports a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States. He also supports same-sex marriage. In 2014, he participated in and supported LGBTQ Pride Month. In 2019, he met with community leaders to support the Equality Act. This bill would protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. He also worked with faith leaders to provide shelter for LGBTQ homeless youth. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Faulconer supported banning chokeholds by the San Diego Police Department.
Statewide Political Career
After leaving office as mayor, Faulconer supported the campaign to remove Governor Gavin Newsom from office. He criticized Newsom for attending a party during state gathering rules.
California Gubernatorial Campaign
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In 2020, people thought Faulconer might run for governor of California. He was seen as a strong Republican candidate. In January 2021, he started a committee to explore running for governor.
On February 1, 2021, Faulconer officially announced he was running for governor. He said he would be a voice for Californians who were struggling. He continued to support the recall election against Governor Newsom. In the recall election, Faulconer placed third among the candidates. However, the recall vote itself failed.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Campaign
In 2024, Faulconer ran for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. He challenged Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. He lost this election.
Personal Life
Kevin Faulconer met Katherine Stuart in 1997, and they married in 1999. They have two children. Katherine Stuart is the founder of Restaurant Events, a company that plans events. Faulconer is a member of Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church. He has said his faith is important to his values.
The couple separated in September 2023. In November, they announced they were going their separate ways.
Images for kids
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Faulconer in 2019
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Faulconer seated with the San Diego City Council in 2010.
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Faulconer in November 2014.
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Faulconer with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, June 2019
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Faulconer speaking at the 2015 Lincoln-Reagan Dinner hosted in San Diego, California.
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Faulconer and Todd Gloria at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2014.
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Faulconer marching in the 2014 San Diego LGBTQ Pride Parade.
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Faulconer campaigning for governor in Downey, California
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Faulconer para niños
