Scott has worked tirelessly to improve public safety in the San Diego region. In 2013, he was an original cosponsor of Hazel’s Law, officially known as the Child Protection Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill that would strengthen the existing statute barring sex trafficking of a minor by removing the ‘knowledge of age’ requirement in the crime.
Scott also voted in support of the Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act, which would add domestic assaults against children to the crimes for which enhanced federal penalties for habitual offenders may be imposed.
Wildfires are always a concern for Southern Californians. That’s why Scott cosponsored the Wildfire Prevention Act, which would allow states to receive more funding from FEMA for wildfire-mitigation efforts.
Scott has also focused on improving coordination between agencies to streamline services and improve response. For example, he voted for the development of Blue Alert plans throughout the United States, which would rapidly spread information about officers hurt or killed in the line of duty to help make it easier to catch the perpetrator.
Scott also voted to improve aviation security by creating the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to help the TSA develop better approaches to security.
Members of the Armed Services shouldn’t be punished for partisan bickering, especially when it results in a government shutdown. That’s why he voted to pay our military during the government shutdownlast fall and for a measure to ensure that our reservists and National Guard members are also paid in the event of a shutdown.
Kept Experienced Police Officers on the Street: When Scott was elected to the City Council, San Diego was losing trained, experienced officers to other cities where the cost of living was lower and the pay higher. As a result, the Department was down 234 officers, or more than 10% of its total force. Each time they had to re-hire and re-train a new officer to fill the void, it cost the Department $100,000. Scott worked to gain Council approval of an 8% pay increase for the men and women who are on the front lines of protecting our neighborhoods and helped the department keep experienced officers on the beat. And it was done without raising taxes. When Scott left office, the city had one of the lowest crime rates in the city’s history.
New Police Station in Carmel Valley: Scott built a new Northwestern Police substation in Carmel Valley where police response times were high because this growing neighborhood did not have a police station of its own. It was staffed with 20 new police officers, which reduced police response times by eight minutes.
Increased Fire Department Budget and Staffing: Scott supported an increase in the City of San Diego’s Fire Department budget by nearly 50% over four years to provide additional firefighters and equipment to reduce response times and boost wildfire response times – all without raising taxes.
Reduced Fire Safety Hazards: Scott developed and supported stricter brush management regulations, successfully lobbied for Coastal Commission approval of them, and added code compliance officers for brush management to reduce fire threats in San Diego.
Banned Smoking in our Parks and on our Beaches: San Diego is defined by our parks and beaches, and they were consistently littered with cigarette butts. Scott worked with a broad range of community members, including the Lung Association, Surfrider Foundation, and the Prevention Coalition, to convince the City Council that it was time to ban the butts. Today, our parks and beaches are cleaner and smoke free.
Banned Drinking Alcohol at the Beach: San Diego was one of the few coastal cities that still allowed alcohol on its beaches, and partiers knew it. Beaches were overrun by drunken partiers, and were no longer appropriate places for families. After a riot broke out in Mission Beach, Scott took action. He imposed a one-year ban on alcohol consumption at our beaches, and then campaigned for a city-wide ballot measure to extend the ban permanently. Residents and visitors and even former ban opponents recognize that the experience of going to the beach has been greatly improved.
Banned Toxic Lead Paint: As a City Councilman, Scott stood up to the powerful Real Estate industry and passed a law to eliminate lead hazards for San Diego homeowners and their children. This was a particular concern in poorer neighborhoods where the apartment units and rental homes were older and children were at risk of eating paint chips and getting sick.
Banned Polluting Truck Traffic: As a Port Commissioner, Scott supported the Clean Truck Program to ban trucks that are not compliant with California Air Resources Board regulations from entering Port marine terminals. Protecting air quality in and around the Port and surrounding neighborhoods was critical to protecting the health of the people living in those neighborhoods, especially children who are more prone to the effects of air pollution.
Protected San Diegans by Replacing the North Torrey Pines Road Bridge: This bridge over the Peñasquitos Lagoon had been a bone of contention since 1990, but it had to be replaced. It scored 19 out of 100 on a structural assessment scale (which rated the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis a 52), and its 72 pilings choked the natural tidal flushing so important to the lagoon. Opponents worried about increased traffic on a wider bridge and had prevented replacement. Scott committed to breaking the log jam. He reached out to his colleagues on the City Council and the Coastal Commission to approve a beautiful new bridge with only four footings, which allowed natural tidal movement but no more traffic than before. The gorgeous bridge won the 2005 American Public Works Association Project of the year award, and is today used and loved by even those who were its biggest skeptics.