Key San Diego races could be decided Tuesday
City of San Diego voters face a relatively crowded primary ballot that includes races for mayor and city attorney along with nine propositions and five City Council races.
The propositions, including one that would raise the local minimum wage and another that would devote millions in future city revenues to infrastructure, will be decided June 7.
The races for mayor, city attorney and council seats will be decided in June only if one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote. In any race where that doesn’t happen, the top two finishers will head to a November runoff.
The mayor’s race features incumbent Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, facing challenges from Democrat Ed Harris, a city lifeguard and former councilman, and Lori Saldaña, a community college professor and former state assemblywoman running as an independent.
The battle to replace termed-out City Attorney Jan Goldsmith features Republican prosecutor Robert Hickey and four Democrats: Gil Cabrera, former chairman of the city’s Ethics Commission; Port Commissioner Rafael Castellanos; Goldsmith deputy Mara Elliott; and environmental lawyer Bryan Pease.
Among the council races, north coastal District 1 has received the most attention because it has the potential to shift the partisan majority of the council from Democrat to Republican. Voters in La Jolla, Carmel Valley, University City and nearby communities will cast ballots in that race.
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Previously a one-on-one battle between entrepreneurs Ray Ellis, a Republican, and Barbara Bry, a Democrat, the race got more complicated by three late entries, including Republican Bruce Lightner, husband of Democrat Sherri Lightner, who has held the seat since 2008.
The four other council races feature two Republican incumbents seeking re-election in suburban Districts 5 and 7 against lesser-known challengers, and Democrat vs. Democrat battles in urban Districts 3 and 9, where party registration makes it virtually impossible for Republicans to win.
Seven of the nine ballot measures focus on cleaning up outdated portions of the city charter, the city’s chief governing document. On the ballot as Propositions A through G, they’ve each been described as uncontroversial and face no formal opposition.
Proposition H would devote millions in future pension savings and sales tax increases to repairing and upgrading the city’s crumbling infrastructure. The measure has some bipartisan support, but some say it wouldn’t do enough to address the problem, and the measure is opposed by the county Democratic Party.
Proposition I would incrementally raise the city’s minimum wage above California’s $10 an hour to $10.75 almost immediately and then to $11.50 on Jan. 1, with additional increases tied to inflation beginning in 2019.
The increases would have gone into effect last year if not for a successful referendum sponsored by local business groups, but opposition has softened since then. And the long-term impact of the increases has been tempered by state lawmakers agreeing this spring to hike the minimum wage across California to $15 an hour by 2022.
In council District 3, which includes downtown, Hillcrest, North Park and nearby areas, Democrats Chris Ward and Anthony Bernal are battling to replace termed-out Todd Gloria, who is running for Assembly.
Ward, chief of staff for state Sen. Marty Block, has landed the lion’s share of key endorsements from Democrats and environmental groups, while Bernal, a staffer for Gloria, has been endorsed by Faulconer and received financial backing from developers and some business groups.
In council District 5, which includes Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and nearby communities, incumbent Republican Mark Kersey is facing Democrats Keith Mikas and Frank Tsimboukakis.
Kersey’s re-election campaign has focused on his efforts to rebuild the city as chairman of the council’s Infrastructure Committee. His opponents have said someone with a longer history in the area than Kersey, who moved to District 5 shortly before getting elected in 2012, should hold the seat.
In council District 7, which includes Mission Valley, Tierrasanta, San Carlos and nearby areas, incumbent Republican Scott Sherman is facing Democrats Justin Decesare and Jose Caballero.
Sherman is running on his record, particularly progress upgrading roads and boosting neighborhood services. But his opponents have criticized him for not focusing enough on neighborhoods and accepting thousands in campaign contributions from developers.
In council District 9, which includes City Heights, Kensington and neighborhoods near San Diego State, Democrats Ricardo Flores, Georgette Gomez and Sarah Saez are seeking to replace Marti Emerald, who is retiring.
Flores, chief of staff for Emerald, is running on a track record of accomplishments in that job. Gomez, an environmentalist who has received strong support from that community, and Saez, a labor leader who has received strong support from unions, have tried to portray Flores as a City Hall insider whose politics aren’t progressive enough.
