(San Diego, CA) - Mandy Havlik, a community leader and advocate, is running for San Diego City Council District 2 with a campaign centered on infrastructure, budget accountability, and rebuilding trust between City Hall and residents.
In an interview with OpGov.News, Havlik said her experience in the community is what pushed her to run. A mother of two and spouse of a disabled Navy veteran, she has lived in the district for over a decade and has served as an executive member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board since 2019.
“I’ve shown up for my community in a variety of ways,” she said, pointing to her work on traffic safety, neighborhood issues, and environmental efforts, as well as her involvement in local organizations like the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council, Point Loma Rotary, and the Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary.
Photo Credit: Mandy Havlik for City Council – Community Driven Leadership
With the city facing a major budget deficit, Havlik said the priority should be more responsible spending.
“We need to ensure that we are properly spending money,” she said, raising concerns about the increase in higher-paid city positions that are not part of worker unions.
She is also working on a proposed ballot measure to bring in additional revenue through changes to the city’s transient occupancy tax (TOT), which applies to hotel stays and short-term rentals. Havlik helped move the proposal through the city’s rules committee alongside a colleague. One part of the measure would expand the tax to include online travel companies, while another would increase the tax rate to fund infrastructure, homelessness services, and public spaces.
“San Diegans are very exhausted by the city looking to them as their piggy bank,” Havlik said. “We need to find funding from tourists and not from residents.”
Fixing basic infrastructure is a central focus of her campaign, particularly in neighborhoods she says have been overlooked for years.
“We’ve had decades upon decades of underinvestment into our neighborhoods,” she said.
Havlik said residents regularly bring up everyday issues such as road conditions and safety.
“People are asking, ‘Where’s the gas tax going? When is that pothole going to get fixed? When am I going to get that new stop sign or that traffic crosswalk?’” she said.
Havlik also pointed to the need to better maintain parks, beaches, and other public spaces. She voiced opposition to parking fees at Balboa Park and local beaches, saying they would make it harder for families to access those spaces.
“Balboa Park is our crown jewel of parks in the region,” Havlik said, “The cheapest thing you can do is take your kids to the park or take your kids to the beach… So, I’m very much against any proposed parking.”
On development, Havlik said growth needs to be handled carefully, especially in coastal areas like Point Loma where access is limited. She pointed to the Midway Rising project as an example, raising concerns about the impact of development.
“It’s not that we don’t want to revitalize the Midway neighborhood. No one is denying that it needs some TLC,” she said. “But the issue has to do with how we’re going to get on and off the peninsula and the impact that growth will have on our neighborhoods infrastructure, on the traffic, and on the environment."
She also questioned who this new housing is really being built for.
“A lot of that development, it will not help one homeless person get off the street,” she said.
Havlik expressed mixed views on accessory dwelling units (ADUs). She supports smaller units that help families stay together, such as housing for grandparents or adult children.
“I think that those are appropriate ways to encourage different types of housing that can meet the needs of our community,” she said.
However, she criticized larger ADU projects that look more like apartment complexes in residential neighborhoods, often without enough parking or infrastructure to support them.
“These are basically mini apartment complexes that are showing up on residential streets,” she said. “They’re changing neighborhoods, and they’re not truly affordable.”
She added that many of these units rent for “several thousand dollars a month.”
Image from Gallery – Mandy Havlik for City Council
Havlik said many residents feel disconnected from City Hall and want someone who will listen and respond.
“I don’t feel we’ve had representation at City Hall… People are frustrated by our city. They don’t think that there is representation that is for the people,” she said. “We need someone who’s going to stand with us and not just go along to get along and be a rubber stamp to the mayor.”
She said she tries to stay accessible by sharing her personal phone number and staying active in the community.
“I come from the community. I’m known in my neighborhood to be a helper,” she said.
Havlik said her belief in her community is shaped by her own life experience, including leaving a difficult situation at a young age.
“When I escaped that at 20, it was my community that helped uplift me and save me from that,” she said. “So, I know the power of the people.”
“We need someone who’s going to work hard and fight for us,” she said. “And that’s who I am.”
More information about her campaign is available at Mandy Havlik for City Council – Community Driven Leadership.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at jenny.r@lead4earth.org.
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