Car guy lands dream job as CEO of San Diego Automotive Museum

Lenny Leszczynski is a car guy, dating back to his days as a young man who drove a Daytona Blue 1964 Chevy Impala, but his wife was not expecting him to land this job. After all, Lenny had never been a CEO before. He did take advantage of all the free time the pandemic gave us by going back to sch…

Steve Peace on San Diego Politics and Reforming his own California Voting Reform

The author of California’s Top Two Candidates Open Primary, which took effect in 2012, wants to reform his reform. Steve Peace, a founder of the Independent Voter Project, wants California to move to a system that would ask voters to rank 4 or 5 candidates instead of voting for just one. Alaska an…

Family, Labor, Politics & Poker: A Sit-Down with Michael Zucchet

Michael Zucchet is one of those guys who listens more than he talks, and his calm and thoughtful demeanor has served him well at the poker table and at the negotiating table. Zucchet oversees the City of San Diego’s largest labor union as General Manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Associ…

The Women Leading the Building Industry Association

The majority of San Diegans are renters, but rents are crazy expensive because supply is so low. Very few new homes are built, so those that are sold come with a steep price. The average home in San Diego sells for $900,000. How did we get here? What caused our region’s housing crisis? How do we f…

Monica Montgomery Steppe on the Importance of Opportunity

San Diego Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe is expected to win the county supervisor special election on November 7, 2023 to replace Nathan Fletcher. If so, she would leave her job as a councilmember representing District 4, which includes the communities of Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encant…

Chris Cate On Life After City Hall

During his 8 years as a San Diego City Councilmember, Chris Cate was known as the smartest guy on the 10th floor, but he became more than a policy wonk. He worked with council members on both sides of the aisle to create positive change for San Diegans, and he became a force for his District 6 cons…

Mastering Crisis Communications: James Canning Reveals Strategies for Personal and Professional Success

James Canning was the PR pro for one the region’s most popular politicians. Everything was going exceptionally well for his boss and for James. And then one morning that all changed.  Nathan Fletcher abruptly ended his State Senate campaign and days later, after being accused of sexual harassment,…

Navigating the Art of Political Messaging: Insights from Pollster Drew Lieberman

Drew Lieberman counts San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, and the U.S. Navy among his clients. Drew has worked with Tony and Juan on several land-use campaigns.  A savvy and seasoned pollster, Drew is Executive Vice President at Strategies 360. He also is a dedicated father of…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Jessica Grounds’ push to Level the Playing Field and Advance Young Leaders

Jessica Grounds does not shy away from a challenge and that’s a good thing considering she spends her days developing young leaders and striving for change in board rooms, on committees, and in corner offices.  Backed by years of experience and painstaking research, Jessica is CEO Corporate Direct…

Homelessness: Tamera Kohler on Why Homelessness in San Diego is Solvable

Tamera Kohler is the leading voice on homelessness in our region. As CEO of RTFH or the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness, Kohler is deeply invested in the region’s most pressing issue.  Tamera wears a lot of hats but she and her team are best known for collecting and analyzing data th…