Meet District 4 San Diego County Supervisor Candidate Amy Reichert

SAN DIEGO, CA — Three candidates are on the ballot in the June 7 primary election for the District 4 seat of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The candidates are incumbent Nathan Fletcher, who serves as chair of the board; Amy Reichert, a state-licensed investigator; and Sidiqa Hooker, a diversity inclusion coordinator.

The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to a Nov. 8 runoff.

Patch sent questionnaires to the candidates in the race. These are Reichert's responses.

Amy Reichert

Age (as of Election Day)

54

Party Affiliation

Republican/Libertarian (endorsed by both San Diego parties)

Family

My oldest son Alex, 22, graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, and I am one proud mama! My husband, Christian, and I met on eHarmony. We were both 41 years old when we met, and he didn’t have any children of his own. We had our son, Chris, 3 weeks after we both turned 43 years old. Chris is now 11 years old, and he loves being by my side when I speak at ReOpen San Diego rallies to support first responders, businesses and kids.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Received a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University in 1997 and a master of divinity from Rockbridge Seminary in 2011.

Occupation

California State Licensed Investigator, #21006, since 1999.

Campaign website

Website

Why are you seeking elective office?

The district lines were redrawn for San Diego County based on the 2020 Census. When I found myself in Nathan Fletcher’s district, I knew I had to run. I co-founded ReOpen San Diego when I saw that big businesses were allowed to stay open while mom-and-pop business owners were arrested for trying to earn a living. We all watched county press conferences where Nathan Fletcher encouraged San Diegans to call the county “Snitch Line” to report their friends, family, and neighbors on one other. Small business owners called me crying that the county was threatening to close them down and they would lose everything. I believe San Diego deserves better. San Diegans deserve someone who will listen to them and who is not obsessed with seeking higher office.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

When I share with people that I am running to unseat Nathan Fletcher, people cheer and hug me. One guy fell out of his chair because he was so happy! Many people, including Democrats who voted for him, have testified at the Board of Supervisors that they do not feel represented by Fletcher. I have taken time off from work to address the county Board of Supervisors with my 11-year-old son, and we experienced that Fletcher does not listen to the people. Instead, he’s often playing with his phone. Worst of all, he has been incredibly divisive toward his own constituents, repeatedly name-calling and using foul language on social media. I believe elected officials should lead with dignity, respect others even when they disagree with them, and serve their constituents, not insult and berate them. In just three months, my campaign has seen great momentum, gaining over 200 volunteers that are fed up with the state of the county under its current leadership. My campaign for freedom has the love of the people because San Diegans know I will always fight for them.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Nathan Fletcher has had four years to solve the homeless issue and as we all know, it has only become worse in San Diego County. I have an inside source that informed me that the county has received over $29 million from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and there are allegations that all of the money has not gone towards homelessness. As a state licensed investigator, when I am elected I will audit and investigate that funds designated for the homeless are actually being spent on the homeless.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

5 Cs

Cost of Living
I am a state-licensed investigator who will audit government spending, not raise taxes. The County of San Diego raked in 100s of millions of dollars from the federal government in COVID relief. Where did this money go? I will make sure the people of San Diego are put first when it comes to government spending, not special interest groups.

Crime
Crime has increased 14% in San Diego County over the past year alone! At a time when the people of San Diego needed law enforcement most, limited resources were wasted when they were used to shut down businesses and arrest business owners. Violent criminals deprive people of their freedoms. Violent criminals should do their time served and not be released when they will be a threat and a danger to others. When elected, I vow to work with San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan to lower crime.

Clean Up San Diego
San Diego has seen homelessness rates skyrocket in recent years and now we are seeing encampments that have become colonies. What we are doing is not working and it is making the crisis worse. I will strategically budget to invest community programs that are already proven to work throughout the country. I believe the best programs are those that incentivize and equip the homeless with the skills they need to reintegrate back into society.

Constitution
Over the last two years nearly every San Diegan has had their life adversely affected by government lockdown orders. I will continue to tirelessly advocate to keep San Diego open. I will never vote for lockdowns, business closures, or any other harmful mandates that were never proven to improve outcomes. The people of San Diego want to live their lives freely as they see best, and I will fight to give them the choice for how best to live their own life.

Compassion
We are all tired of the divisive name calling coming from Nathan Fletcher. I will never hide behind a social media account and hurl insults at my own constituents and fail to look them in the eye when they ask for help at the county Board of Supervisors. I will never lead with fear for political gain and promise to lead with hope and courage.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is responsible for the health and public safety of San Diegans and is the third-largest employer in the county. While attending San Diego State University, I worked as a student worker for the County of San Diego in the Probation Department in Juvenile Hall. After college, I became a state-licensed private investigator, #21006, and ran my own business. In my 30s, I worked in full-time ministry for 10 years and was responsible for 10 different ministry teams with 650 people. My favorite ministry was my leadership role in Celebrate Recovery. Because of my own personal tragedies of losing my dad and my daughter within five weeks of each other and finding hope and recovery, I loved helping and serving others as they struggled with addiction and mental illness, leading them out of the darkest points of their lives to a place of freedom and breakthrough.

As the co-founder of ReOpen San Diego, we fought for the safe reopening of schools and businesses, saved 1,000 first responders from getting fired three weeks before Christmas, built a coalition of 300 San Diego small businesses, and successfully kept vaccine passports out of San Diego County. Through all of these life experiences, I know I have what it takes to serve District 4 as our next Supervisor while still holding the government accountable. People know I will fight for them because I have been fighting alongside them for the last two years.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

After my daughter passed away and I was pregnant with my son, I was struggling with concerns that I would lose him too. During that time, someone told me to “hope for the best and the best will come.” They were the right words at the right time, and I still hold onto them to this day.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I love people, and I love San Diego. The reason I am running for Supervisor in District 4 because I truly want to serve people and find solutions to make people’s lives better. I know I am the woman for the job. For anyone who wants to learn more about me and my campaign priorities for San Diego, visit my website www.amyforsandiego.com.

Also see:

• Ballots Sent To San Diego County Voters For June Primary Election
• Vote-By-Mail Ballot Drop Box Locations In San Diego County