San Diego mayoral candidates to face off in virtual town hall for seniors

Election Day is fast approaching and with it comes questions from the senior community about which candidate for San Diego mayor would best address their needs.

San Diego Oasis and Meals on Wheels San Diego County are teaming up to bring a virtual town hall to seniors this week so they can learn more about San Diego Councilmember Barbara Bry and State Assemblyman Todd Gloria, who will face off to become the city’s new mayor in November.

Moderated by ABC 10 News anchor Lindsey Peña, the virtual town hall will focus on the issues most important for older adults and family caregivers.

San Diego Oasis, a nonprofit that offers classes to older adults, shifted its hefty offering of in-person classes to an online platform back in March to keep its students safe from the spread of COVID-19.

During recent online courses, students have expressed an interest in hearing Bry and Gloria speak on issues that affect their lives, said Simona Valanciute, San Diego Oasis President and CEO. Their questions for this election have a broad range, she said, and include hyper specific issues like transportation, housing and investment into senior programs, as well as big picture societal issues, like police reform and social justice.

“Every issue is an older adult issue and our people, our members are demonstrating just how deeply they care about who is in charge of the vision for San Diego as the mayor,” Valanciute said.

One important topic for seniors is having resources available that allow them to age in their homes. According to a 2018 survey from AARP, 76 percent of adults 50 and over would prefer to remain in their home as they age, and 77 percent of people would at least like to stay in their community.

San Diego is on track to nearly double its population of residents over 65, from 13.1 percent in 2015 to a projected 20 percent by 2050, according to the U.S. Census.

“Older adults want to be supported to age independently, they want to age in place,” Valanciute said. “While the research is pointing to what older adults want, there’s been very little budget-driven investment into senior services and into senior wellness programs. So we want to ask the two mayoral candidates, what is their vision? Will they provide investment into what seniors want?”

Oasis volunteer and member Maggie Ikezaki, 73, said she hopes they address the myriad issues important to the demographic.

“My interest is whether or not they understand that seniors are a very diverse group of people, so I would hope that there would be some kind of understanding that there is no one size fits all when it comes to services for seniors,” Ikezaki said.

Oasis held an in-person town hall ahead of the last mayoral election in 2014, but with COVID-19 still spreading through the community it was decided to host the discussion on a virtual platform during this election cycle.

The organization is pairing up with Meals on Wheels to co-host the upcoming town hall in the latter group’s effort to provide more social interaction and engagement opportunities for the seniors it serves through its meal delivery program, said Brent Wakefield, Meals on Wheels San Diego president and CEO.

“One of the things that we’re all grappling with right now during a pandemic is it’s clear that the lasting effects of this is going to continue to weaken our region economically and socially, and it’s making it really difficult for older adults to live these independent and fulfilled lives,” Wakefield said.

“We know it’s not going to get too much easier, and I think both Oasis and Meals on Wheels are really concerned with the negative effects of social isolation over the next probably year before people feel comfortable going out.”

Those interested in participating in the mayoral town hall can register at sandiegooasis.org or watch it live at 11 a.m. on Wednesday on the Facebook pages for San Diego Oasis or Meals on Wheels San Diego County. Participation by phone is also possible for those who don’t have access to the internet or a computer by calling
(669) 900-6833. The phone system will ask users to input 924 0133 5061 as they I.D. number and 718742 as the password.

The event will be replayed on both Facebook pages throughout the remainder of the election season. To find out more information about the event, contact San Diego Oasis at 619-881-6262 or info@sandiegooasis.org.