He also favors the proposed cargo airport at Brown Field. On the rush hour traffic jams plaguing commuters, Murphy and Roberts say they favor improving highways and mass transit. Roberts views mass transit pragmatically, with buses and trolleys working best when they serve central employment centers rather than suburban corporate parks. Murphy, who grew up in the Chicago area and regularly rode the elevated train, thinks lack of ridership on trains, buses and trolleys is, more often than not, a psychological hurdle caused by San Diegans' car habits. In the West, a car is good.
Education is another priority in the candidates' pro-technology platforms.
Both Roberts and Murphy recognize how soaring housing costs could dampen the economic boom, and both believe the city must devise ways to boost the supply. This is something we've got to come to grips with. For Roberts, the solution is making sure that new jobs don't outstrip the amount of new housing by a huge margin. He says the city should curb suburban sprawl and focus new, denser housing in more central neighborhoods. The candidates have limits on how far they will go to accommodate high-tech demands.