The Candidates State Their Cases / 8th Council District : BOB FILNER

Incumbent Bob Filner, 49, is a former history professor at San Diego State University and a former city school board member. He was elected to the City Council in 1987. Filner has a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He lives in Golden Hill.

The 8th District, stretching from Golden Hill in the north to San Ysidro in the south, includes perhaps the most diverse group of people ever to elect a single representative. Nearly every ethnic group and culture can be counted among its 130,000 residents.

District 8, in fact, represents a microcosm of San Diego’s current problems and future greatness: an ethically diverse community committed to economic vitality and neighborhood safety.

Crime and drugs are the paramount concerns here. But they are not merely “district issues”--the impact of problems in one part of our city can never be confined to a single council district or community. Only by dealing with these issues now will we prevent the real “Los Angelization” of San Diego: the explosion of gangs, drugs and crime paralyzing our neighbor to the north.

I am proud of the role I have played in bringing people together in the fight for safer neighborhoods. The strategies being implemented in the 8th District must be expanded citywide. They include:

* Better police resources and neighborhood walking patrols. We have a police chief dedicated to building bridges between his department and the citizenry. We have the nation’s finest police officers. We need the political commitment to increase these resources.

* Drug-free zones. The establishment of these zones around our schools will ensure for our children a safe, drug-free environment for their education.

* Graffiti patrols. More than any other misdemeanor crime, graffiti contribute to a sense of urban decay and hopelessness. I have implemented in District 8 the first comprehensive program for the eradication of graffiti.

* Improved safety. In the coming year, we will spend more than $5 million on lighting, street repairs and community revitalization in District 8. This will be the most concentrated public works effort in these communities in decades--and will not only improve safety but also attract investment.

* Attacking root causes. Last year the City Council, working closely with community groups, adopted the first Neighborhood Pride and Protection Program. It improves drug education, after-school activities, library services and other programs vital to giving our youth an alternative to crime.

These strategies are not quick fixes nor inexpensive. But they show what can happen when citizens put aside their differences to work together.