Nathan Fletcher: Committed to Service
Interview by Michele Vieux
Did you know that one of our Sea of Green members is running for County Supervisor? Without making it a partisan issue, we want to make sure we let everyone in our community know that a fellow Invicti is doing good things for our community and could use your support. Whether or not you plan to vote for Nathan Fletcher, we encourage you to VOTE! With all that’s going on in our world today, local elections are one of the best and easiest ways for you to make an impact and incite change.
Nathan has been an integral member of the Sea of Green for many years – supporting and pushing fellow members in class and actively participating in community events, including creating the Three Wise Men Foundation and event to support veterans’ mental health in which Invictus has been honored to participate over the years.
Read on to learn more about Nathan, why he is running for County Supervisor and what is important to him as a human. You can also check out his website: www.nathanfletcher.com
WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO INVICTUS? HOW DOES INVICTUS PLAY A PART IN YOUR LIFE/ROUTINE?
I have been an “Invicti” for almost a decade! I started CrossFit after my cousin, Jeremy Wise, was killed in 2009 during active duty. He had gotten into great shape before his last deployment and encouraged me to try CrossFit. After flying home from his funeral, I showed up at CrossFit East Sacramento and signed up. I did my fundamentals on consecutive days and was hooked. I was serving in the State Legislature at the time but going on the days I was in Sacramento wasn’t enough—I had to find a San Diego home. I dropped in at about 15 different places and the choice was easy for me.
YOU’VE SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY, YOU’VE PROFESSED POLITICAL SCIENCE AT UCSD, YOU RAN FOR MAYOR OF SAN DIEGO, WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO RUN FOR COUNTY SUPERVISOR? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU CAN IMPACT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY IN THAT ROLE THAN YOUR PREVIOUS POLITICAL ROLES?
The county is a six billion dollar a year entity that touches every aspect of our lives – environmental protections, criminal justice reform, public health, housing, transit and a lot more. I have always been committed to service and working daily to help those most in need and believe we can do that with a county government focused in a more progressive direction.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES A COUNTY SUPERVISOR DO? PAINT US A PICTURE OF ‘A DAY IN THE LIFE’…THE KINDS OF DECISIONS THEY MAKE. HOW THEY IMPACT OUR LIVES AS SAN DIEGANS.
Each day would be different. One day you might focus on voting rights to ensure all have access to the ballot. Another day might be clean air or clean water actions. But on my first day, I will start the push to invest more money into mental health services. A recent grand jury report exposed the County of San Diego is sitting on over $160 million dollars in unspent mental health funds. It just hasn’t been a priority for them. That could go to help Veterans in need, the homeless, foster kids or those coming off probation who need help transitioning back into society.
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 ISSUES/THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN SAN DIEGO RIGHT NOW?
Tackling the homeless problem, reducing the cost of housing and investing in transit and livable/walkable/bikeable communities. We have released a number of comprehensive plans to tackle each!
WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT AND/OR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A POLITICIAN?
That would be passing Chelsea’s Law. After a terrible tragedy, we did what everyone said couldn’t be done – we passed a landmark piece of legislation that not only increased penalties for violent sexual assault against kids, but paid for it by lowering penalties for first time drug offenses. So we locked away people we are afraid of and got help for people facing substance abuse issues. And we did it in record time.
WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT AND/OR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A PERSON (OUTSIDE OF POLITICS)?
Being a Dad. I survived a rough, early start to life and try and give my kids something I never had. Politics will fade. People love you more than they should and hate you way more than they should, but it is all temporary. The minute you lose or retire it all goes away. But your family, your friends, your real relationships stay with you forever. That has and always will be the most important thing to do and the most important thing I will do in my life.
GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE THREE WISE MEN – HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE YOU RAISED AND HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO HELPING?
All total, we raised right at million dollars. With those funds we did over 10,000 veteran-focused awareness events in all 50 states – events where we connected veterans in need directly to available services. We launched a national public awareness campaign tackling the stigma of PTSD and again connecting veterans directly to available help that reached millions. We also supported legislation signed into law trying to break down the stigma of mental health injury and gave away almost $150,000 to other veteran non-profits doing great work. We have since merged with the Headstrong Project (based in New York but with a strong San Diego presence) and continue our stigma programs but have added direct costfree, stigma free, world class mental healthcare for veterans in need.
YOU HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS A BIPARTISAN FAR BEFORE YOUR POLITICAL CAREER, DATING BACK TO YOUR DAYS IN THE MARINES, HELPING TO BUILD COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL IRAQIS AND THEN AS A POLITICIAN IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY. WHY HAS THIS ALWAYS BEEN SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO YOU?
So much of the challenges we face in society (partisan, tribal, religious, racial) can be overcome or at least understood if people are willing to build relationships. Try and understand where the other side is coming from and work to build areas of trust and agreement. It is really tough in today’s climate with so much division and strife. But we have to work towards making our world freer, fairer and more just. And that starts with us all.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL AND WHY?
The LION! “Death was afraid of him because he has the heart of a Lion.” – Arabian Proverb
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