With just an estimated 30,000 ballots left to count in the county, the chances for recently ousted former City Councilwoman Andrea Cardenas to be reelected to the Chula Vista City Council District 4 seat are slim.
Cardenas was within a few percentage points of the election’s leader — Cesar Fernandez, a teacher and school trustee — on election night. She has since slipped to fifth, behind Fernandez, businessman Rudy Ramirez, business owner Delfina Gonzalez, educator, engineer and CEO Christine Brady.
With the top two in the primary headed to November, unless something major changes with the remaining ballots, Fernandez and Ramirez will face off this fall. Rounding out the race are Jose Sarmiento, bank manager, with 5.2% and write-in candidate Leticia Lares.
The District 4 seat is unoccupied after Cardenas resigned last month and the remaining council members declared it officially vacant on Feb. 26.
Cardenas — who along with her brother Jesus pleaded guilty to two felony counts of grand theft for fraudulently obtaining a COVID-relief loan for their political consulting business and using the money for personal expenses, and for unlawfully obtaining state unemployment benefits — remained on the ballot, but was not actively campaigning.
Chula Vista City Council District 3, covering the southeastern quadrant of the city, is represented by Alonso Gonzalez, who is termed out.
City commissioner Michael Inzunza holds a commanding lead for District 3, pulling in 49.6% of the vote. Leticia Munguia, nonprofit director, and Daniel Rice-Vazquez, businessman, were competing for second place with 17.4% and 16% of the vote, respectively.
The city attorney race is a runoff to fill the remainder of a term ending in December 2026, after Simon Silva won the 2022 election despite dying before Election Day, and officials were unable to remove his name from the ballot.
Marco Verdugo, deputy city attorney, holds a 58.5%-41.5% lead over Bart Miesfield, retired municipal attorney.
City News Service contributed to this article.
