Unable to catch her breath because of PTSD – brought on by years of abuse and trauma she suffered at the hands of her husband – Mariah Dawn sat down and tried something new. She opened a Word document and started writing. She noticed right away that she felt better. The writing was a release. It was cathartic. So, she kept at it, eventually telling a friend at church she thought she had written a book. Would he take a look? That 164-page Word document is now “Dragon In You, A Memoir” written by Mariah Dawn. Her book was published in October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the 3-year mark of her husband’s death. Mariah says she wrote the book to help herself, to help others, and to use the dragon in her (she says there’s a dragon in all of us) for good. Tune in to this episode of Dear San Diego to learn more about Mariah and her new book.

POLITICO’s Chris Cadelago joined Tony and Juan for a special 2024 Election Episode of Dear San Diego. Chris provided really smart takes on local, state, and national races, and shared some behind-the-scenes info, too. Chris covered the Trump White House and the Biden White House. He is currently working on building a statewide bureau for POLITICO in California, and covering Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign.

Michael Inzunza is running for Chula Vista City Council. He comes from a long line of public servants and political dynamos. Michael has never held elected office. He has, however, built a career as a community advocate, mostly in the educational space, not unlike his parents, who were among the first to lobby for bilingual education in California schools. “My parents aren't in any way the founders of bilingual education in the state of California, but absolutely within the first pioneers of initiating bilingual education,” Michael says on the podcast.

Kelly Williams cares for San Diego-area active-duty service members, veterans, and military families suffering from PTSD. She takes care of people who need care, and she’s creating an army of therapists like her to try and meet the needs of people wrestling with PTSD throughout San Diego. Williams is Clinic Director of The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Veterans Village of San Diego. She helps San Diego-area active-duty service members, veterans and military families in an environment that was created just for them. “It’s difficult enough to find a therapist who you can connect with, and then the added stress of finding one who can be sensitive to your specific military background can be even harder.”

You won’t find too many political people as smart as Steve Peace, but what really makes him interesting is his life as a grandfather (an Uber driver to his grandchildren is how he describes it), husband, and father. A former California legislator, Peace blazed a trail from San Diego to Sacramento that may never be surpassed. He also found success in the movie making business. He wrote and produced Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, a parody cult classic.

Este episodio está dedicado al papá de Tony, Bobby George Manolatos, quien falleció el 5 de octubre. Discuten sobre el papá de Tony en la parte superior del episodio. Cuando Monica Montgomery Steppe tenía 2 años le dijo a su familia que dejara de llamarla Calabaza. Su nombre, les dijo, es Mónica. Es esa confianza y creencia en sí misma lo que ha llevado a la concejal Montgomery a grandes alturas a lo largo de su joven carrera política. Nunca una que retroceda en sus valores o creencias, la concejal de San Diego y candidata a supervisora del condado se une a Dear San Diego para discutir sus motivaciones; su amor por la música, el gobierno y la comunidad; y por qué es importante para ella, y para personas como ella, estar en la mesa.

Durante sus 8 años como concejal de la ciudad de San Diego, Chris Cate era conocido como el tipo más inteligente del piso 10, pero se convirtió en algo más que un wonk político. Trabajó con miembros del consejo a ambos lados del pasillo para crear un cambio positivo para los habitantes de San Diego, y se convirtió en una fuerza para sus electores del Distrito 6, que incluye los barrios de Clairemont Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Park Village y Sorrento Valley. Chris fue apenas el tercer asiático-americano en la historia de San Diego elegido para el Concejo Municipal.

James Canning fue el profesional de relaciones públicas para uno de los políticos más populares de la región. Todo iba excepcionalmente bien para su jefe y para James. Y entonces una mañana todo eso cambió.

Drew Lieberman cuenta entre sus clientes al alcalde de San Diego Todd Gloria, al gobernador de Hawaii Josh Green y a la Marina de los Estados Unidos. Drew ha trabajado con Tony y Juan en varias campañas de uso de la tierra.

Jessica Grounds no rehuye un desafío y eso es bueno teniendo en cuenta que pasa sus días desarrollando líderes jóvenes y luchando por el cambio en las salas de juntas, en los comités y en las oficinas de la esquina.