Meet the Man Driving San Diego’s Higher Costs and Worsening Quality of Life:
Councilmember Kent Lee
“I have found Kent Lee to be consistently unprofessional. I want someone who is not outwardly rude to his constituents while at the same time being terrified to engage with them. I witnessed firsthand his unethical behavior in four separate situations. We don’t get access unless you are part of Lee’s inner circle.”
— Concerned Mira Mesa Citizen, Facebook Post: June 2026
Kent Lee = Higher Taxes. Bigger Government. More Density.
Watch what he does, not what he says (to get re-elected).
Kent Lee doubled the trash tax when we’re already struggling — hitting low income households hardest
Kent Lee supports excessive apartment-style ADUs building without adding necessary parking
Kent Lee closed public restrooms during peak summer months, creating a public health hazard
Kent Lee LED the charge to raise our sales tax and increase the price of everyday items, worsening San Diego’s affordability
Kent Lee voted for excessive City Council staff spending — even hired the largest team for himself, yet residents consistently feel ignored
Kent Lee was 1 of 6 Council Members who voted for paid parking in Balboa Park!
Kent Lee is bringing high-rise density development to UC without traffic management considerations
Kent Lee eliminated street parking to install poorly planned bike lanes, hurting small businesses
Kent Lee has yet to take any action towards proper brush management to protect us from catastrophic canyon wildfires
Kent Lee is placing our seniors in harm’s way while he sits on his hands
Kent Lee has placed the burden on
San Diego families long enough.
STOP KENT LEE
Vote Nov 3rd
Kent Lee’s Record
Kent Lee’s voting record shows a clear pattern. He backs denser housing and unlimited ADU’s in single-family neighborhoods despite concerns about parking, noise, privacy, and trash. He has voted to significantly grow City Hall bureaucracy and staffing, while cutting basic services for residents. He supports higher taxes on property and second homes. Again and again, he chooses more government, more density, more taxes, and higher costs over protecting neighborhoods and keeping San Diego affordable.
Kent Lee Voted to Greatly Increase City Council Budgets, While Cutting & Reducing City Services
Kent Lee voted to approve City Council budgets that significantly expanded the size and cost of staff, especially his own.
Between FY2022 & FY2026, the overall City Council department grew from 109 staff positions to nearly 160 — an increase of 4%. Personnel costs rose 59% - from $13 million to $21 million. The total Council department budget increased from $17 to $24 million. Most of the growth came from adding staff to individual Councilmember offices. In FY2022, every district office started with 10 staff positions. By FY2026, that number rose across the board. Kent Lee’s office received the largest increase of any district, growing from 10 to 17.50 FTE. No other district office received more staff. Lee voted in favor of the budgets that authorized these expansions. NOTE: During 2027 budget discussions, Kent Lee voted to cut city services and close 13 Mission Bay bathrooms; he made no effort to reduce his own expanded staffing.
Kent Lee Voted for the Bait & Switch Trash Tax
Kent Lee knowingly took part in the bait-and-switch when he voted yes to lock in a new trash tax on San Diegan’s that he knew was double what voters were promised. Then, he voted to slip the highest annual charge straight onto homeowners’ property tax bills. Low-income families took the hardest hit, suddenly forced to dig up an extra $500 - $700 every year while already struggling to cover rent and basic living costs. Official City Council video archive: https://sandiego.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 (Look for the June 9, 2025 City Council Meeting – the main session that includes the Solid Waste Management Fee vote.) Footnote: The highest anticipated annual cost in the original fee schedule (the one approved with Kent Lee’s yes vote) was $690.60.
Kent Lee Voted for Unrestricted, Excessive ADU Apt-Style Development, Without Adding Necessary Parking
Kent Lee voted against stronger caps and restrictions on apartment-style ADUs in single-family neighborhoods. He has consistently prioritized denser development over protecting families from the parking chaos, noise, loss of privacy, and trash impacts that come with overbuilding. Lee treats ADUs primarily as a housing supply and has shown he does not care about the impact on community character or stability of established neighborhoods. He doesn’t acknowledge or respect the rights of existing homeowners in single-family zones. Source: https://sandiego.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 (Look for the June 16, 2025 City Council Meeting.)
Kent Lee Voted to Turn University City in to “Downtown North”
Kent Lee is a key supporter of the University City Community Plan Update that will fundamentally transform UC into a “Downtown North” hub of housing density and high-rise towers, with fewer driving lanes and more protected bike lanes. The plan calls for:
More High-Density Housing: Nearly 29,000 additional housing units (primarily multi-family rentals), roughly doubling the area’s population to around 130,000.
More Traffic Congestion: Reduces the street from four travel lanes to two lanes on Governor Drive, and adds buffered bike lanes.
More Poorly Planned Bike Lanes: Installation of new and upgraded bike lanes (Class II and protected Class IV.) along unsafe high traffic areas such as Genesee Avenue.
Lee has claimed the plan is a major achievement of his tenure, while dismissing residents’ concerns. Instead, he’s quoted as (callously) stating, “change is difficult” for people to embrace. July 30, 2024 City Council meeting (University Community Plan Update discussion and vote): https://sandiego.granicus.com/player/clip/8957; the University Community Plan item begins at approximately the 2:20 mark.
Kent Lee’s Inaction is Placing All of Us at Risk
Kent Lee has neglected one of the most serious public safety threats in his own district. University City, Mira Mesa, and the surrounding canyon communities are filled with dead trees and dense brush, yet Lee has failed to treat brush management as the high-priority emergency it is—especially when we consistently face drought conditions. As if the Pacific Palisades catastrophe wasn’t a big enough warning, we know there is a constant threat across California. The city’s own 2023 audit (OCA-24-01) recommended a formal rule requiring departments to coordinate on brush clearance. As a Councilmember with seats on the Budget, Audit, and Public Safety committees—and as former Budget Chair and current Council President Pro Tempore—Lee has the power and the levers to force action. Instead, he let the audit gather dust (or should we daresay ashes). One canyon-ignited fire can destroy homes, force evacuations, and cost millions. Prevention is far cheaper than disaster response, but Lee has chosen inaction while residents near canyon rims are left to worry about their safety, their property, and whether they can even evacuate when the next fire hits. Link to the City’s brush management audit report: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/24-01_performance_audit_of_the_citys_brush_mgmt_city_owned_land.pdf
Kent Lee Is Putting Our Seniors In Harms Way
Mira Mesa seniors deserve better than cracked pavement, dangerous crossings, and years of excuses. The Mira Mesa Senior Center received funding specifically from the Mira Mesa Community Fund for a parking lot expansion. Yet community advocates have raised concerns about the public improvements (or lack thereof) and questioned how Kent Lee is protecting resources intended for Mira Mesa. And the danger doesn’t stop in the parking lot. Two of San Diego’s most dangerous intersections are right here in District 6: Mira Mesa Boulevard & Black Mountain Road and Mira Mesa Boulevard & Westview Avenue are called the city’s “Fatal 15” intersections—locations with serious pedestrian and cyclist safety problems. The solutions aren’t complicated; Circulate San Diego proposed basic improvements including high-visibility crosswalks, countdown and audible pedestrian signals, among other safety measures. Residents have asked for safer streets and protection of Mira Mesa community resources. Seniors shouldn’t have to put their lives at risk when visiting their own community center. What has Kent Lee done to make senior safety a priority? Lee has DONE NOTHING. We deserve a Councilmember who will care for our often “unseen” senior community members—not one who sits on his hands and looks the other way. Sources:Microsoft Word - 2025-01-03 Fix The Fatal Fifteen - Circulate Requests for Budget Priorities.docx; MMCC-Presentation-FinalJanuary18.pdf
Kent Lee Voted to Charge Residents for Parking at Balboa Park
Kent Lee voted to charge for parking at Balboa Park—ending more than a century of free public parking—in an attempt to balance the city’s budget. Even as a citizen initiative threatened repeal, park businesses and vendors suffered sharp losses in visitors, and low-income families, seniors, and students were priced out of visiting the park; Lee refused to vote to reverse the fees. Only a lawsuit forced the city to repeal them at the end of 2026, at a cost of over $1 million in taxpayer-funded legal fees. Lee never voluntarily reversed course. Meeting link: https://sandiego.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 (Search for the September 15, 2025 City Council Meeting)
Kent Lee Voted to Close 13 Mission Bay Bathrooms in the Middle of Summer
Kent Lee voted yes on Mayor Gloria’s proposed budget that closed nearly half of Mission Bay’s 28 public restrooms — right in the middle of summer. As one of San Diego’s prime destinations for tourists and locals, these bathrooms are a necessity, not a luxury. The July closures left people waiting in long lines or with no facilities at popular spots. Unfortunately, this led to public defecation throughout our parks, creating a platform for the spread of disease, a public health hazard, and environmental contamination. All to just save $546,000 and Lee offered no public fight to keep the bathrooms open. Meeting link:https://sandiego.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3; Search for the June 9, 2026 Special City Council Meeting (the budget vote).
Kent Lee Led the Effort to Increase San Diego’s Sales Tax — and He’ll Do it Again
Instead of stepping up to stop the overspending and bloated budget, Kent Lee led the effort to pass the buck to us once AGAIN. He wanted to increase the sales tax on San Diegans from 7.75% to 8.75% (Measure E) in 2024. That ballot measure failed, but Lee’s supporters are planning to put another sales tax increase on the ballot in 2028, and THEY WILL make sure Kent Lee wins his re-election this November, so he can lead the effort again. That’s why City Hall insiders are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on his campaign. READ THE FINE PRINT about who is financing Lee’s campaign.