Why this matters
San Diego County voters made a series of choices Tuesday that will help shape the face of politics and policy in the city and county for years to come.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria had a strong lead over several challengers as he sought re-election to a second term in early voting results Tuesday night.
Gloria had 52% of the votes, more than double the second-place challenger San Diego Police Officer Larry Turner. Geneviéve Jones-Wright, a lawyer, criminal justice reform advocate and non-profit founder, was in third place with 13% of votes counted.
Gloria was widely expected to come out on top, so the race for second — and a spot in the runoff in November — provided the most tension in the primary voting. Results will change however in the coming days as the county Registrar of Voters counts more ballots and posts results.
Gloria, a Democrat, headed into the race with huge advantages in name recognition, money and backing from the local Democratic Party.
But the final results could indicate how strongly voters feel about key issues — both those in and out of his control — and how he has handled them, from the homeless crisis, to the city’s skyrocketing cost of living, and housing availability.
The devastating flooding that occurred Jan. 22 and swamped hundreds of homes in the city’s long-neglected southeastern neighborhoods of Southcrest, Encanto and Mountain View focused attention on the city’s woeful stormwater system and the larger infrastructure crisis affecting road repair, sidewalks and water mains.
One voter at the Southcrest Recreation Center was so fed up with years of neglect by the city she said she was voting strictly for first-time candidates, and blamed the flood on a “calamity of errors” by city leaders before and after the storm.
In other races, Assemblymember Brian Maienschein and Chief Deputy City Attorney Heather Ferbert were squaring off in a race to succeed termed-out City Attorney Mara Elliott. Ferbert held a narrow lead with 52% of the ballots counted to Maienschien’s 48%.
Turnout was light in many polling places around the county. That is not unexpected for a primary election.
Before the polls closed Turner said that voters he spoke with were most concerned with public safety and homelessness crisis, the city’s infrastructure challenges, and the high cost of living. He said Gloria would be surprised at how many voters are unhappy.
“To see the level of change desired by everybody, I did not think it would be so large,” he said.
In an open seat for San Diego City Council District 4, Henry Foster III was leading with 53% of the vote, ahead of Chida Warren-Darby at 27% and Tylisa D. Suseberry at 19%. Because it’s a special election to replace Monica Montgomery Steppe, who now is a county supervisor, the race could be decided by the primary if a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote. Otherwise, the top two go to a runoff in November.
In a race for District 3 incumbent Stephen Whitburn was leading challenger Coleen Cusack comfortably, 55% to 18%. Two other challengers, Kate Callen and Ellis T. California Jones III, had 17% and 10%, respectively.
