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Policy

Dear San Diego

Dear San Diego is a public affairs podcast with personality. Hosted by veteran communication specialists Tony Manolatos and Juan Hernandez, Dear San Diego gives newsmakers and others a platform to discuss the big issues of the day, but that’s just the beginning. Tony and Juan’s guests share what’s not in their bios, who they are away from work, secrets to success, and more. Tony and Juan also discuss work, home, fatherhood, health and wellness, and youth sports – where the politics can be way more fierce than they are at city hall. Tony and Juan met a decade ago while working for dueling mayoral candidates in San Diego. Since then, the two friends have worked together on numerous public affairs, land-use, and issue campaigns.

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RECENT EPISODES

2024 Election Episode - Chris Cadelago
October 9, 2024

2024 Election Episode - Chris Cadelago

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.

Preserving Community While Tackling Growth: Michael Inzunza's Vision for Chula Vista
August 26, 2024

Preserving Community While Tackling Growth: Michael Inzunza's Vision for Chula Vista

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.

Padres Uniforms and Persuadable Voters: The Art of Polling with John Nienstedt
August 14, 2024

Padres Uniforms and Persuadable Voters: The Art of Polling with John Nienstedt

The Padres sensed they had a problem. So they called John Nienstedt, who helped them figure out they should switch to brown jerseys. John brought in models who wore different jerseys to a series of focus groups. Each participant in the room was armed with a dial that they cranked one way for approval and another way for disapproval. John used the dial tests to block debate and strong personalities from influencing the room, he said. The Padres, of course, used John’s research and data to switch from blue to brown uniforms a few years ago.

Treating the Invisible Wounds: A Clinician's Mission to Help Vets
July 1, 2024

Treating the Invisible Wounds: A Clinician's Mission to Help Vets

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.”

Chad Peace on Marketing, Love, Family and his Finicky Fisker
May 31, 2024

Chad Peace on Marketing, Love, Family and his Finicky Fisker

Chad is the CEO of IVC Media, LLC. A licensed attorney, Chad never expected to lead a binational digital communications company that serves an impressive list of clients with dozens of designers, project managers, and others from offices in Mission Valley and Tijuana. Politically, Chad has sort of cornered the market when it comes to talking to independent or NPP (No Party Preference) voters, but he and his team do so much more for a wide variety of businesses, nonprofits, government agencies and others. 

Car Guy Lands Dream Job as CEO of San Diego Automotive Museum
April 12, 2024

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 school to earn an advanced degree. He was in Disneyland with his wife and kids hours after his job interview when he received the call. He got the job. He was the new CEO of the San Diego Automotive Museum located in Balboa Park.

Steve Peace on San Diego Politics and Reforming his own California Voting Reform
February 14, 2024

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

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.

Family, Labor, Politics & Poker: A Sit-Down with Michael Zucchet
January 17, 2024

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.

The Women Leading the Building Industry Association
December 15, 2023

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 fix it? What do we need to do to build more homes San Diegans can afford? Tony and Juan get answers to these questions from two of the region’s leading housing advocates, Lori Pfeiler and Hannah Gbeh, on this episode of Dear San Diego.

Monica Montgomery Steppe on the Importance of Opportunity
November 1, 2023

Monica Montgomery Steppe on the Importance of Opportunity

This episode is dedicated to Tony’s dad, Bobby George Manolatos, who passed away October 5. They discuss Tony's dad at the top of the episode. When Monica Montgomery Steppe was 2 years old she told her family to stop calling her Pumpkin. Her name, she told them, is Monica. It’s that confidence and belief in herself that has carried Councilmember Montgomery to great heights throughout her young political career. Never one to back down from her values or beliefs, the San Diego Councilmember and county supervisor candidate joins Dear San Diego to discuss her motivations; her love for music, government and community; and why it’s important for her, and for people like her, to be at the table.

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