In the contentious race for District 3 county supervisor, incumbent Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer faced off at a public forum this week to highlight some of the region’s most pressing issues, from housing development to the homelessness crisis.

The race for the coastal seat is one of the highest-profile local elections on the Nov. 5 ballot, as Lawson-Remer fights not only to represent nearly 664,000 people from Carlsbad to Coronado but also to maintain the board’s Democratic majority against her Republican challenger.

The hour-long forum held Monday at the Carlsbad Windmill was the first and only time both candidates have shared a stage to address their would-be constituents head-to-head ahead of the election.

During Monday’s debate — moderated by Coast News Group reporter Claire Strong and hosted by the Carlsbad, Encinitas and Solana Beach Chambers of Commerce — both candidates aimed jabs at one another’s past “failures” while in office.

Lawson-Remer said her vision for the county includes “safe schools, clean water, clean air and clean streets” and that she is running for re-election to keep taking action on the climate, homelessness and housing crises.

“We’ve made big strides in (tackling) some of the issues that I think affect people who are parents (and are) really close to our heart,” she said.

Faulconer, who left city hall in 2020, disagreed, saying he decided to run again for local office because he felt the region was headed in “the wrong direction, because we haven’t had the leadership of the county of San Diego over the last four years.”

“You need to have somebody who’s going to step up,” he said. “What we need is action.”

Most of their debate revolved around homelessness.

Faulconer pointed to a rise in homelessness that he blamed on Lawson-Remer’s and other current supervisors’ leadership, and he argued that the county needs a regionwide plan with all 18 cities to provide resources and services.

He also vowed to clear a large encampment by the San Diego River beneath Interstate 5 not far from Sea World — a promise Lawson-Remer balked at.

“The notion that he can come in as supervisor and just clear the encampment shows he doesn’t understand what the county board’s jurisdiction is,” she said, noting that the encampment lies in the city of San Diego’s jurisdiction. “You’re not running for mayor of the city of San Diego; you’re running for the Board of Supervisors.”

Lawson-Remer contended that the county secured a $17 million state grant to get people from that site into shelters or housing, while Faulconer maintained that it doesn’t matter whose jurisdiction the encampment is in.

“You don’t need $17 million … to clean up a massive homeless encampment in the San Diego River; what you need is the political will to get in there and get it done,” he said.

Lawson-Remer pointed to the county’s ongoing efforts to secure more shelter beds and its growing investment in services to treat behavioral health problems, which she called one of the biggest contributors to the crisis.

Both candidates agreed that the region is in the midst of a housing crisis and stressed the importance of more affordable housing.

Faulconer proposed replacing what he called a “draconian” county standard for housing development — what are known as the vehicle-miles-traveled guidelines, which aim to limit development in areas that require more driving.

“Instead, what we have now in the county of San Diego is a de facto housing moratorium,” he said. “If we’re not increasing the supply and making our region more affordable, we’re going to continue to drive more people out of San Diego County.”

Lawson-Remer again highlighted how the county is working to streamline permitting and build affordable homes on county land, pledging to continue that work.