By Phil Bonham

During the past three years I have been actively involved with rental housing in San Diego, primarily in Southeast San Diego.  As one might expect, I have had to deal with the usual shootings, homicides, rape, drug dealing, physical deterioration of the properties, threats to me and my managers, and all the other problems that go with drugs and drug abuse.

About two years ago, the Southeastern storefront for the San Diego Police Department put together a concerned group of owners and managers in an effort to help deal with these problems.  That group evolved into a formal organization which is now nonprofit and whose goal is to educate owners, managers and the general public about the problems of drug abuse and possible solutions.

It quickly became apparent that no matter how well-intentioned we were, the problem was well outside our scope of control.  As a result, we have developed a working relationship with the police department, the city attorney, the county Board of Supervisors, the San Diego Housing Commission and various other agencies around San Diego.

As a concerned citizen who has had to deal directly with the cause and effect of drug abuse as an owner and manager, and having seen the devastating effect it can have on all aspects of society, it has become clear that what is needed is a comprehensive plan to deal with the drug problem.

The statistics are pretty grim.  It is estimated that the drug problem costs each citizen about $850 per year; that one family in three suffers the consequence of drug abuse; that 10 percent to 20 percent of all U.S. workers use drugs on the job; that 40 percent of those who sought help from the National 800-Cocaine hotline indicated that they had stolen from their employer; and a recent Department of Justice survey showed that 85 percent of all persons booked into San Diego County Jail tested positive on a voluntary basis for drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroine.  At that time this was the highest percentage in the United States.

My goal as a private citizen is to do whatever I can to help eliminate the drug problem.  But that is not enough.  Other citizens also need to become active.

I have watched the two main candidates for state attorney general discuss their issues and only one has set forth a specific plan to deal with the drug and crime problem.  He plans to go after the large drug dealers, increase penalties and asset forfeiture, speed up eviction of dealers and gang members, improve witness protection, have mandatory punishment for dealers, increase drug education and expand drug treatment.

The two most important aspects of the program deal with getting the federal government to recognize the severity of the problem in California and our area in particular and to coordinate the various agencies and get them to work collectively to deal with this problem.

The candidate with an anti-drug plan is Arlo Smith.  It is my belief that we need the top law enforcement agent, the attorney general, to be behind us, supporting us in our fight to eliminate drug and crime problems.  As a parent I welcome and support any candidate who has publicly set forth a plan which helps all of us, and I urge voters to do the same if they want to help rid our neighborhoods of the drugs which cause so many problems.

Bonham is a real estate consultant who lives in San Diego.  He is co-chairman of the Drug Abatement Task Force for the San Diego Apartment Association.

Reprinted from

The San Diego Union