Six of the San Diego City Council‘s seats are on Tuesday’s ballot, including the vacant Council District 4 seat, the results of which could change the tenor of the panel.
District 4 was most recently held by now-County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, whose last action in the role was to push Council President Sean Elo-Rivera into another term in that role by a 5-4 margin.
The move was contentious among the more moderate council members — although the nonpartisan council was made up of nine Democrats, so the scale is relative. New blood in the vacant council seat will likely have an impact on the dynamic of the council.
Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are also up for election.
In District 1, which represents La Jolla and environs, incumbent Councilman Joe LaCava is running unopposed.
In District 3, which represents downtown and the city core, incumbent Councilman Stephen Whitburn has three opponents.
Whitburn was instrumental in getting the camping prohibition law passed and has focused on getting unhoused people into shelter and off the streets, along with approving thousands of homes in his role a member of the council’s Land Use and Housing Committee and working to make neighborhoods more livable.
Whitburn has been endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, San Diego City Firefighters, San Diego Police Officers Association, Reps. Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs, Mayor Todd Gloria and four of his colleagues on the council. He was elected in 2020.
Coleen Cusack, a trial attorney/educator, wants to use city resources to support economic development, safe and adequate housing, and safer communities for everyone.
She has been endorsed by the San Diego Union-Tribune, California Democratic Renters Council, San Diego Education Association, Run Women Run and mayoral candidate Geneviéve Jones-Wright.
Ellis California Jones III, is an inspector and has received the San Diego County Republican Party’s only endorsement for San Diego city races.
His platform includes advocating for fewer restrictions on police, a comprehensive approach to homelessness by categorizing unhoused people and offering resources accordingly and using city resources to bolster local businesses.
Kate Callen, a community volunteer, is running in opposition to the city’s “Strong Mayor” form of government, claiming it suppresses community input in government.
Her platform focuses on preserving the character of neighborhoods, building affordable housing instead of expensive housing, replacing bike lanes with more parking and holding the city accountable for its spending.
In Council District 5, which represents the northernmost part of the city, including Black Mountain, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and Torrey Highlands, incumbent Marni Von Wilpert is running unopposed.
In Council District 7, which represents the easternmost part of the city, including Allied Gardens, Tierrasanta and Lake Murray, incumbent Councilman Raul Campillo is running unopposed.
In Council District 9, which represents the mid-city area, including College Area, Rolando, City Heights, Mountain View and Talmadge, incumbent City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera is facing two challengers.
Elo-Rivera was originally elected to the president’s role on Dec. 6, 2021, replacing Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell. He has since steered the council in a progressive direction during his tenure as president, including having reservations about increased police technology use such as smart streetlights and opposition to the unsafe camping ordinance. He has also been an advocate for tenants’ rights.
He has received the endorsement of the county Democratic Party.
Terry Hoskins, retired police officer/military, is running on a campaign of “Respect, Responsibility and Revivification.”
He believes in a “shelter-first” model for tackling the homelessness crisis, wants to make the city safer and oust council members with “preconceived ideas about law enforcement,” crack down on what he describes as the city’s poor financial choices and allow individual neighborhoods to decide on density.
Fernando Garcia, a business owner and a member of the San Diego Association of Realtors, has ranked-choice voting as one of his top priorities, as well as opposing SB-10 and preserving the character of the city’s neighborhoods.
Garcia also wants to “stop enabling homelessness and lawlessness” to get homeless off the streets and to fully support and fund the San Diego Police Department, as well as increase campaign finance transparency and reform.
For the vacant District 4 seat, which represents south and east San Diego neighborhoods such as Encanto, Lincoln Park, Skyline and Paradise Hills, three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring.
Chida Warren-Darby, a boards and commissions director, has a focus on disaster recovery following the Jan. 22 storms which had an outsized impact on the district.
Along those lines, she wants to create a Recovery and Resiliency Fund to provide relief to communities hit by natural disasters, have the Office of Emergency Services develop comprehensive disaster preparedness plans and protocols, suspend the city’s cap on the number of short-term rental properties during emergency events to house residents and designate Community Resource Centers in every neighborhood.
Warren-Darby has received the endorsements of Mayor Todd Gloria, Rep. Juan Vargas, Sen. Steven Bradford and council members Campbell and von Wilpert.
Tylisa Suseberry, who works for the state Senate and is a small business owner, told the Union-Tribune she is focused on tax incentives for small businesses, increasing infrastructure work and looking for programs and tax breaks to bring down the cost of living.
Henry Foster III, chief of staff for Montgomery Steppe, seeks to strengthen the district’s sense of community.
His platform includes creating and sustaining a pipeline to long-term city employment, advocating to reduce outsourcing contracts for city services, investing in neighborhood parks and libraries, expanding public art, making neighborhoods safer through graffiti abatement, improving relationships with first responders and building on current programs intended to reduce gang violence.
Foster has received the endorsements of his boss, the county Democratic Party, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, multiple unions, Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, Council members Elo-Rivera, LaCava, Vivian Moreno and Kent Lee.