News Scrapbook 1988

Imperial Beach) CA (San Diego Co. Imperial Star Beach News (Cir. 2 x W. 2 1 730) (Cir. S. 2,568 JUL 31 1988

,u, Mayor, principal: the Cox family's dynamic duo

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in and said, 'By the way, I think I'll run for city council.' " He did just that, and won too.

have been involved in politics for years, only he has chosen it as a ion. They deal with the public every day. While they each work to better the South Bay community, their jobs demand different approaches to this goal. Cheryl, a graduate of USD profe

nabout is fair play.' "He's a pretty good guy," she said. "He makes it easy." The new mayor continued his assignment at Bonita Vista; going to school, the office and back to school. When May, 1982 rolled around, Greg found himself swamped working on both the ci- ty budget and the pomp and cir- cumstance of Bonita Vista's graduation. Time with his wife and daughter became scarce. "The only time I saw Cheryl or Ellie was when I was getting ready at 7 a.m. or home at 11 p.m.," Greg said. "After two weeks of that I said 'That's it.' " He then applied for a leave of absence from the school district in I 982 and soon after the mayoral position became full- time. The same year, Cheryl Cox was promoted to principal of Hilltop Elementary School. With their new re ponsibilities, the Cox family found themselves even more busy. "I noticed a change in the tremendous amount of reading that Greg had to do," added Cheryl. "When he first became mayor, he came home with a manila folder of reading to do. Over the years that has grown in- to a three-ringed binder to two binders and a brief case too big to even carry.'' The Coxes spend evenings together with their two daughters, Ellie, 8, and Emily, 4, as well as reading and preparing for the next day, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. Due to their busy schedules, the Coxes say they sometimes call each other on the phone at work to plan their calendars. "That way no one can inter- rupt us because we are on the phone," said Cheryl Cox. "I read that married people spend less than forty minutes a week alone together, and I said, 'That's about right.' "

The success of their marriage has been credited to mutual respect and support for eath other. "It's all called lOU's," said Cheryl with a grin. She says that she has found support from her job as \'l'ell when she is allowed to take time to attend some city functions. One function she attended at City Hall was on behalf of the school; Cheryl went before the council to prote t ice cream ven- dors around schools after dismissal. The council agreed, and imposed regulations recognizing the safety hazards and traffic. • "It was just like having an) other citizen come before the council," Greg said. • The mayor, who just recently celebrated his 40th birthday, says that he has no definite plans for the future after his second term ends in 1990. "That's when he is going to et a real job," Cheryl said. Although Greg ha a guaranteed position of a job with the school district if he wants it, he appears to be leaning toward continuing in politics. The mayor said he sees his political options as running Tor State Senate if there is an 0(n!n- ing, State Assembly or Uniled States Congress. • "Half of politics is being at the right place at the righc rime," Greg said. "It's good to keep your op- tions open," Cheryl said. But whatever their plans are, the Coxes plan to approach t~ future with the same dynam15Q1 that has brought them this fet. It's summed up by their farrw motto, borrowed from Or(· trepeneur Ted Turner. Cheryl had it made into 3t magnet tli sits in the Mayor' car. It simply reads: "Lead, follow or get out of the way."

the 27-year-old Greg

In 1976,

the youngest

Cox became

member ever elected to the Chula Vista City Council. After serving

his limit, Greg Cox with a degree in political sc1ence;----aecided to pursue a position a · began teaching second grade at mayor of Chula Vista. Sunnyside Elementary School. "My first intention was to run Still mterested in politics, she was for State Assembly," said Cox. a volunteer to a number of "When Will Hyde did not want political campaigns. to run for re-election, and that In 197 l, while working on position opened up, I had to then-San Diego mayoral can- evaluate. The Assembly was a didate Pete Wilson's campaign, two-year term, a move to she met the young Greg Cox Sacramento, and a lot of travel. when he volunteered to drive for The position of mayor was a the Wilson campaign. Cheryl is four-year term, in Chula Vista, fond of telling the story of how and not a lot of travel." she met her future husband when "Ellie (the eldest of Cox's two Wilson, now a U.S. senator, in- daughters) was one year old at s1sted on climbing into the back the time and I certainly weighed seat of Cox's Volkswagen Kar- in favor of staying as close to mann Ghia to let her in the front home without the travel," he to sit by Cox. 'd. After graduating from SDSU The decision to run for mayor with a degree in social science and was not much of a surprise to his emphasis in political science, wife; she felt it was a great Greg followed in the footsteps of opportunity. both hi mother and father and "I was glad to help work on a became a teacher. He began his campaign for someone in the teaching career at Montgomery family," Cheryl Cox said. "It Junior High School and soon was a great opporttmity and it transferred to the position of was something he really wanted ASB advisor at Bonita Vista High to do." School. With the mayor's salary of The two teachers dated nearly $13,000, a year Cheryl Cox five years before they graduated became not only a political and to the altar. Both taught up until emotional support but a financial the day before their wedding on help to her husband as well. December 20, 1975. "She became the bread- "Our student even attended winner," Greg said candidly. the wedding," said Cheryl. "Cheryl provided financial It was a few weeks later that stability for the family, which she the mayor pursued another new continues to provide." venue. During a week-long "When you have the oppor- basketball tournament that kept tunity, it's good to pave people Greg Cox on the move from 6 around you to support you; emo- a.m. to 11 p.m., he announced to tionally, physically, financially, his wife his decision to run for etc." Cheryl said. "When I had public office. to go up to USC to work on my "That was a surprise," said doctorate for two or three days at Cheryl. "One night he just came a time, Greg supported me. Tur- two-term

Cheryl nd Greg Cox with their two children, Ellie, (left), 8 and Emily, 4

B) l'l'~lo!Y Jo Holl) ( oner bufcir hul

each other with city and even state-wide clout. Their backgrounds show many parallels. Both work full-time: He as one or the f w full-time mayors in Califorma, he as prin- cipal of the m:w Chula Vi,ta Hills Elementary School. Both have masters degrcL",, but Cheryl one- ups her hu~band Y.ith a doc- torate. Both have been teachers in community schools. Both Republican , the Coxes

\ 1 tu re idcnt may not h, ve ,u pected it, but ...,hen they elected ,reg ox as mayo1 in 1981, th y got two for the price ol on . Grc and h1 wile C.h ryl torm on of• the mo t formidable hu b nd- nd-...,if te m 111 South Bay politic,. By them elves, each would be a major community power. I ogethcr, they reinforce

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San Diego, CA (San Diego Co .) San D iego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S. 341 ,840) ~UL 31 1988

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From the Wall Street Journal

Why the liberal senators rejected Siegan's ascending ideas With veffft~?ranfare, the Su- ------------------------ ders through the Fifth Amendment Many are the result of unnecessarily preme Court a.nd the Reagan admin- Commentary takings clause and the contracts draconian regula~ons by the Envi- i ration have begun to repair 50 clause of Article I intended to pro- r~"' - .±. - ~J ronmental Protect10n Agency. years of ero ion of_ a fu~d_amental tect econon:u~ r!ghts to the full ex- "' President Reagan'~, E~ecutive nght granted American citizens by zens against governmental tyranny. Over the past 20 years, the Senate tent of all CIVIi rights. , -~ Order 12630 requires a Takings Im- the Constitution, the protection Two weeks ago, Teddy Kennedy, has voted on judicial nominees on av- "Taking" of property, he argued, · ,._, plication Analysis" before federal re- against unwarranted seizure of their Joe Biden and the like-minded col- erage within a month of their nomi- isn't confined to seizing someone's gulators affect private property and property by agencies of government. leagues of the Senate Judiciary com- nations; the 17-month delay in Mr. land to build a highway. There also - thereby risk "undue additional bur- The Supreme Court led the way mittee quietly lynched the Presi- Siegan's case broke all records. In can be "regulatory takings," where dens of the public fisc." Attorney ome months ago with the first of dents nominee for a judgt:Sbip on the the end, when the nomination was bureaucrats effectively take away ...::liiil'!'I~ General Meese issued a thick stack everal rulmg~ against uncompen- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San finally rejected by a party-line com- ·property value through overly bur- of guidelines for all agencies to foJ. ,ited "takmgs" through regulation. Diego. The nominee, as it happens, mittee vote, Teddy Kennedy simply densome zoning or environmental low. States and localities would be In compliance with the new jurispru- was the man who began the cam- asserted, without explanation, that regulations. wise to adopt similar rules to make dence, President Reagan in March paign for economic civil rights more Mr. Siegan was "out" of the main- The Supreme Court has upheld the sure they don't saddle their taxpay- 1 ued an executive order to curtail than a decade ago, Bernard Siegan of stream." Siegan view in several cases. In Nol- ers with bills for takings. uch actions. This month, his order the Universi San Diego law Mr. Siegan, an able and articulate Jan v. California Coastal Commis- We have not heard the last from was implemented by the Justice De- school. legal scholar who practir;ed Jaw in sion, California bad tried to withhold Mr. Siegan. He plans to keep teach- partment with a tough new set of With Mr. Siegan's ideas so clearly Chicago for 20 years before begin- permission for a homeowner to build ing and writing on economic rights. uide1ines for federal agencie~. in the ascendancy, the senators chose ning his academic career at the Uni- an addition to his beach house unless Berna rd Siegan He also plans a book on his experi- Such actions to protect the civil not to engage him on the merits of versity of Chicago, actually is very he granted a public right of way. The era when economic rights got the ence with the Judiciary Committee. r1~hts of Americans agam t high- his views. Indeed, Alan Cranston of much a part of today's mainstream high court said this was taking cam- same protection as other civil liber- This might again mean debating a handed federal, state and local bu- Califorma refused even to meet with - which was Teddy Kennedy's real ouflaged as a regulation and that it ties. The government is now on no- blank wall. But the unwillingness of reaucrats were long overdue. But be- his home-state nominee. We can as- problem. In 1976, Mr. Siegan intro- required compensation. In another lice that regulations that limit how the senators to engage in a public fore we celebrate, it might pay to cribe this only to an unwillingness by duced what were then dusty ideas on case, the court ruled that the govern- property can be used also can re- discussion of economic civil rights look at what appears to be a well- the senators to publicly defend prop- private property in his Other Peo- ment must compensate for delays quire compensation. There are suits and their reasons for rejecting Mr. camouflaged effort m the U.S. Senate erty seizures. Instead, they simply pie's Property. This was followed by while takings are challenged. against the federal government in Siegan probably tell us as much to undermine this noble restoration delayed action on the nomination for Economic Liberties and the Constitu- These decisions are milestones in the Court of Claims for some $1 bil- about their positions as we'll ever of an nttal protection of free c1ti- an unconscionable period. tion in 1980. He argued that the Foun- the move back to the pre-New Deal lion for such regulatory takings. need to know.

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