About Our New Planning Commissioner in San Diego County District One

Susan Heavilin
Apr 2
5 min read

Updated: Apr 4

When Paloma Aguirre won her race against John McCann for the SDC Board of Supervisors, District 1, she appointed Kevin Sabellico as her Planning Commissioner.

Kevin Sabellico, District 1 Planning Commissioner | Click on image to enlarge

Kevin Sabellico was born in Bethesda, Maryland. He earned a high school diploma from the Canyon Crest Academy and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020. His career experience includes working as an educator and business owner.

Who sits on the current Planning Commission and what do they do?

Ronald Ashman, Chair (Representing District 2, Supv. Joel Anderson)

Michael Edwards Vice Chair (Representing District 2, Supv. Joel Anderson)

David Pallinger (Representing District 5, Supv. Jim Desmond)

Yolanda Calvo (Representing District 4, Supv. Monica Montgomery Steppe)

Molly Weber (Representing District 3, Supv. Terra Lawson-Remer)

Colton Sudberry (Representing District 5, Supv. Jim Desmond)

Kevin Sabellico (Representing District 1, Supv. Paloma Aguirre)

Notice that District 2 Supervisor Joel Anderson and District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond both have two seats appointed on the San Diego County Planning Commission. Anderson's appointees hold the Chair and Vice Chair positions.

Note: You might remember Ronald Ashman from the Planning Commission when the SCPG and several members of the community appealed the Board of Supervisors' vote to allow the Secure Self-Storage project to be constructed. I can't remember his exact words but they were something like "when we finish Mission Valley, we'll come to Bonita next". Veiled threat or just the facts, ma'am? Now he's the Chair . . . we could be in trouble.

"The San Diego County Planning Commission is a body that advises the Board of Supervisors on land use projects, zoning ordinances, and long-range planning initiatives in unincorporated areas, such as the General Plan. They hold public hearings, approve subdivision maps, and review discretionary permits to ensure community, economic, and environmental impacts are balanced."—Google

Kevin Sabellico ran for San Dieguito Union High School District School Board, Trustee Area 4 in November of 2024. He barely lost to Michael Allman with 48.9 percent of the vote (8,595 to 8,990).

Where is San Dieguito?

San Dieguito is a region located in North County San Diego, California, generally encompassing areas between Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Rancho Santa Fe.

Map of San Dieguito area | Click on image to enlarge

Following are some of Kevin's answers from the BallotPedia questionnaire.

Please list three key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Fight Extremism and Corruption: Schools should be places where academic freedom is paramount and students have a place to explore controversial ideas. They shouldn’t be places where Board Members push their ideological beliefs onto teachers and restrict what topics they can teach. Schools should also be places where students and teachers feel accepted for who they are and not concerned about their safety because of their race, religion, or gender identity. Racism, transphobia, and right-wing extremism have no place in our schools, and I’ll fight anyone who tries to assert their extremist politics onto our students.
Ensure School Safety: Every parent’s number one concern is their child’s safety. Not just in school, but getting to and from school. As a Planning Commissioner, I’ve kept students safe by advocating for traffic calming measures, protected bike lanes, and common-sense gun safety laws. I also passed a comprehensive School Safety Plan when I was School Site Council President. I will always put student safety first and make sure our schools are safe for everyone.
Support Teachers: Teachers are the ones doing the actual work of educating our children, and they know what instructional methods, course materials, and classroom management practices work best with their students. I want to empower teachers and make sure they feel supported by the Board and the District Administration.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

STEM, Special Education, Environmental Policy, Gun Violence Prevention, Fiscal Policy, and LGBTQ issues

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I worked for Kamala Harris twice in my career, first as an intern on her U.S. Senate campaign and then as an organizer for her Presidential Campaign in South Carolina. I've seen her when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off, and I've seen her empathy, her mental toughness, and her intelligence. The way she has met this moment and become the Democratic nominee is so inspiring. I pray that she becomes our president, and she is definitely a huge role model for me.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

CGP Grey's "Rules for Rulers"

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

As a City Planning Commissioner, I learned to listen to both sides before making up my mind. It's important that public officials hear from all stakeholders so that the public has confidence in their decision-making abilities. A school board trustee needs to be able to make decisions in the best interest of the students, and the decisions the school board has to make are often complex. Being a studious, deliberative person who comes to meetings prepared and ready to ask tough questions will enable to do the job of trustee effectively.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

As a student, I suffered from Tourette's Syndrome (and I still do as an adult, to a lesser degree). I have a unique understanding of our special education program because I was part of it, and I know how to improve the processes for students and parents requesting reasonable accommodations.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Fiscal transparency and government accountability is critically important. I've worked for many elected officials in my career, and they've served in a lot of different positions for a lot of different agencies. The hallmark of a poorly run agency is astronomical legal fees. Our district has spent so much money paying lawyers when we should be paying teachers. The District settled a gerrymandering case for $40,000 and paid over $300,000 to the superintendent who sued because my opponent allegedly harassed and retaliated against her. The investigation into my opponent cost the District an additional $49,000. I'm running to spend more of our taxpayer dollars in the classroom, not the courtroom.

The rest of the questionnaire may be read here.

Kevin Sabelllico wrote an opinion piece last year in the Times of San Diego after he was nominated for the Planning Commission District 1 position. He compared the 48th annual Bonitafest Melodrama Here Comes the Sun to current politics. To get a better understanding of our new Planning Commissioner, read "Opinion: Protecting freedom of speech the hard way at Southwestern College." This opinion piece states that Mr. Sabellico now lives in downtown San Diego.