Because of a resignation, a death and enduring water politics, there are three races in San Diego County’s Nov. 7 special election. Here’s where they stand on Wednesday morning with 109,614 votes counted and an estimated 30,000 mail ballots remaining.
The count so far includes mail ballots received before election day, vote center ballots from early voting between Oct. 28 and Nov. 6, and returns from election day in-person voting.
Scroll down in the chart above to see all of the results as they are updated by the Registrar of Voters.
Supervisor — Democrat Monica Montgomery Steppe, a San Diego city councilmember, leads Republican Amy Reichert, a community activist, by a margin of 61.0% to 39.0% and has declared victory. The Board of Supervisors seat was previously held by Nathan Fletcher, who resigned after sexual harassment allegations.
Chula Vista City Attorney — Bart Miesfeld, a former Chula Vista City attorney, leads with 39.4%, followed by Marco Verdugo, a deputy city attorney for both Coronado and Solana Beach, at 38.3%, and Dan Smith Diaz, an attorney in private practice, at 22.3%. There will likely be a runoff.
The winner in the 2022 general election, Simon Silva, tragically died of cancer before the election and still won, leaving the post vacant for the past year.
Fallbrook and Rainbow Water Detachment –Residents of two rural water districts in North County voted by a wide margin to detach from the San Diego County Water Authority.
Fallbrook was 94.4% on yes, and Rainbow at 95.4% on yes.
The two agricultural communities are seeking less expensive, if potentially less reliable water, via Riverside County and the Colorado River instead of San Diego’s costly desalination and recycling sources.
The Legislature has approved a law requiring countywide votes for any future detachment, but it passed too late to affect Fallbrook and Rainbow.
