San Diego City Council Could Look Much Different, With 4 Seats On Ballot

SAN DIEGO, CA — Four San Diego City Council races on next Tuesday's ballot could significantly change the city's legislative body, with two incumbents seeking reelection and two seats open.

In District 2, former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey faces Deputy City Attorney Nicole Crosby for the right to represent Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Mission Bay, Midway, Bay Park and Clairemont. Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell is termed out.

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Bailey, a former Republican who changed his registration in February and is running as "no party preference," won the June primary with 35% of the vote, about 1 percentage point ahead of Crosby. The two Democratic candidates, Crosby and Josh Coyne, together received about 47% of the vote.

The council races, like all municipal races in California, are nonpartisan.

Bailey has been linked to President Donald Trump, whom he has voted for three times and publicly supported. He has sought to distance his campaign from the White House, focusing instead on City Hall and what he describes as mismanagement by Democratic Mayor Todd Gloria and the all-Democratic City Council. The council has not had a Republican member since Chris Cate was termed out in 2022.

Bailey's platform includes balancing the budget, changing accessory dwelling unit regulations to prevent density in residential neighborhoods, and fixing city streets and infrastructure.

"A financially stable, high-performing, responsive city government is not a partisan position, it is a reasonable expectation shared by all San Diegans," Bailey's website says.

His website does not list endorsements.

Crosby has some of the same priorities as Bailey. She wants to change an ADU policy she called "reckless" while president of the Clairemont Town Council. She has criticized decisions at City Hall and by Gloria, including the rollout of single-family trash fees and a permitting process for short-term vacation rentals spearheaded by Campbell. Crosby has said she wants to scrutinize city spending and audit existing contracts.

"Through her service, Nicole has seen firsthand the urgent need to prioritize affordability, public safety, and infrastructure improvements for our neighborhoods in District 2," her website says. "As a mom, gun violence prosecutor, and community leader, Nicole has spent her career delivering results and she'll keep fighting for us on the City Council."

Crosby is endorsed by the San Diego County Democrats, San Diego City Firefighters, Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, among others.

In District 4, incumbent Henry Foster III is facing a challenge from NICU nurse Martha Abraham in an increasingly testy race. The candidates are seeking to represent Paradise Hills, Lincoln Park, Encanto and Oak Park. Both have drawn distinctions between themselves and Gloria.

Foster defeated Abraham by 12 votes in the June primary. Since then, both candidates have criticized the mayor's administration on several fronts.

Foster has led efforts to end the city's use of Flock license plate- reading technology. He sought to defund the contract during the June budget process and, this month, tried to bring the issue before the full council. His platform includes making it easier to start businesses in economically disadvantaged communities and increasing park space and youth programs.

"With over 25 years in the construction industry and more than a decade in public service, Henry brings hands-on expertise and deep community connection to City Hall," his campaign website says.

Foster is endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party, Reps. Juan Vargas and Sara Jacobs, both D-San Diego, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, his former boss, County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, and four fellow City Council members, among others.

Abraham, a political newcomer, is seeking to make her distance from City Hall an advantage with voters. She has not been as clear about her position on Flock, but says she plans to bring a public health perspective to city planning and governance, particularly in the historically Black and underfunded District 4. She has criticized Gloria's policies, saying they have not helped provide high-paying jobs, affordable housing and reliable infrastructure.

"Martha will bring integrity, accountability, equity and inclusion back to City Hall, striving to reduce social and economic disparity and empower our community and future generations," her campaign website says.

Abraham is endorsed by San Diego City Firefighters, the Sierra Club, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, La Prensa and Run Women Run, among others.

In District 6, incumbent Kent Lee faces Republican Mark Powell for the seat representing Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Scripps Ranch, University City and Sorrento Valley.

Lee, the council's president pro tempore, has focused on fiscal transparency and accountability, infrastructure and improvements to community spaces.

"San Diego families are feeling the pressure -- from rising costs to the everyday challenges that affect our quality of life," his campaign website says. "We need leadership focused on real results, not politics."

Lee says a second term would continue those efforts, with a focus on homebuilding, small-business growth, reliable neighborhood services such as libraries and community centers, and support for first responders.

Lee is endorsed by Jacobs and Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, Lawson- Remer and Montgomery Steppe, the San Diego County Democratic Party and four fellow council members, among others.

Powell is a former reserve police officer with the San Diego Police Department, an educator and professor at National University, a real estate broker and a former member of the County Board of Education.

Powell wants to restore free parking in Balboa Park, reduce or repeal the trash tax, make homebuilding easier, oppose new taxes, make it more difficult to build ADUs in existing neighborhoods, keep parks and neighborhood programs free or affordable, and increase public safety through community- oriented policing, mental health services and fire abatement.

"Like you, I've experienced everyday life getting way too expensive," Powell wrote on his campaign website. "And, it seems our mayor and city council just keep making it worse. Instead of tightening or streamlining the bureaucracy to get the budget under control, they keep coming back to us for more money."

Powell is endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party, San Diego United Communities, Mitz Lee, a former San Diego Unified School District board member, and UC PEEPS: UC Neighbors for Responsible Growth, among others.

In District 8, termed-out Councilwoman Vivian Moreno will be replaced by either her current chief of staff, Gerardo Ramirez, or San Ysidro School District board member Antonio Martinez. Both candidates are Democrats.

District 8 has two sections connected by a narrow strip crossing San Diego Bay. The northern section includes Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights and Shelltown. The southern section includes San Ysidro, Egger Highlands and Otay Mesa.

The candidates advanced from a close primary in which Martinez received 28% of the vote, Ramirez 24%, Venus Molina 22.6% and Rafael Perez 18.4%. Neither candidate in the November runoff is widely known beyond South Bay politics.

Martinez is a former staffer for Vargas and has served four terms on the San Ysidro school board. He says he wants to increase the district's visibility at City Hall.

"San Diego City Hall has a long history of prioritizing wealthy and well connected districts, leaving communities like those in District 8 to fend for themselves," his campaign website says. "Antonio is running to be an advocate for our people and ensure our district gets the resources it needs to thrive."

His priorities include addressing homelessness through cooperation among the city, community organizations, developers and social service providers; supporting labor and higher wages; streamlining affordable housing development; paving roads; and developing open space in the district.

Martinez is endorsed by County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, Chula Vista City Councilman Michael Inzunza, Imperial Beach Councilman Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez, San Diego Unified School District Board Vice President Richard Barrera, San Diego Firefighters Local 145 and UNITE HERE Local 30, among others.

Ramirez was raised in San Ysidro and worked as a farm laborer before graduating from San Diego State and joining the District 8 staff.

"Nine years working for the community, and $107 million secured for parks, fire safety, road repair, and housing," his campaign website says. "He also learned which streets the formula skipped, which programs the council wouldn't fund, and which policies need to be revisited because what worked 50 years ago may not work today."

Ramirez's platform includes building housing and increasing first-time homeownership through assistance programs, listening more to residents on infrastructure fixes, increasing accountability for homelessness programs and speeding up responses to streetlight outages, potholes and other basic repairs.

Ramirez is endorsed by Moreno, Assemblyman David Alvarez, D-San Diego, the San Diego Police Officers Association, San Diego Municipal Employees Association, several local unions and the San Diego Union-Tribune, among others.

— City News Service