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5 of the 9 seats on the San Diego City Council | ||||||||||||||||
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Elections in California |
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Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2012 for mayor, city attorney, five seats to the San Diego City Council, and propositions. The primary election was held on June 5, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. This was the first city council election to use nine council districts. Two city council incumbents ran for reelection in their same district and one ran for election in the newly created ninth district.
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, although most members do identify a party preference. A two-round system was used for the election, starting with a primary in June followed by a runoff in November between the top-two candidates if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the first round.
After a contentious race during the June primary, Congressman Bob Filner was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in the November election.
The 2012 election was the first to use the new districts created by the 2010 Redistricting Commission. Seats in districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 were up for election.
Carl DeMaio did not run for re-election when his term expired in 2012; he was replaced by Mark Kersey, who ran unopposed for the District 5 seat. Scott Sherman was narrowly elected in June to the District 7 seat, which had no incumbent. Todd Gloria (District 3) and Marti Emerald (District 9) won re-election by getting more than 50% in the June primary. Sherri Lightner (District 1) was forced into a November runoff which she won, 55% to 45%. [1] [2]
During the 2012 election cycle the local Republican Party made a strong bid to take over the majority on the (officially nonpartisan) city council. [3] They ran a coordinated slate of three candidates, of whom Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman were elected to seats with no incumbent, but Ray Ellis lost to incumbent Sherri Lightner, so that the council maintained a partisan balance of five Democrats and four Republicans.
District 1 consists of the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Mesa, Del Mar Heights, La Jolla, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, and University City. Incumbent council member Sherri Lightner ran for reelection. Although she received fewer votes than Ray Ellis in the June primary, she was reelected with a majority of the vote in the November general election.
Primary election | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | Ray Ellis | 14,133 | 45.61 | |
Democratic | Sherri Lightner | 12,889 | 41.59 | |
Democratic | Bryan Pease | 2,210 | 7.13 | |
Nonpartisan | Dennis Ridz | 1,755 | 5.66 | |
Total votes | 30,987 | 100 | ||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Sherri Lightner | 31,585 | 54.96 | |
Republican | Ray Ellis | 25,881 | 45.04 | |
Total votes | 57,466 | 100 |
District 3 consists of the communities of Balboa Park, Bankers Hill/Park West, Downtown San Diego, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Mission Hills, Normal Heights, North Park, Old Town, South Park, and University Heights. Incumbent council member Todd Gloria ran for reelection unopposed.
Primary election | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Todd Gloria | 24,475 | 100.00 | |
Total votes | 24,475 | 100 |
District 5 consists of the neighborhoods of Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Encantada, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, San Pasqual Valley, Scripps Ranch, and Torrey Highlands. Incumbent council member Carl DeMaio chose not run for reelection so that he could instead run for mayor of San Diego. Mark Kersey ran for the empty seat unopposed.
Primary election | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | Mark Kersey | 24,869 | 100.00 | |
Total votes | 24,869 | 100 |
District 7 consists of the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville, Linda Vista, Mission Valley, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, and Tierrasanta. Incumbent council member Marti Emerald chose to run for reelection in the newly created district 9 instead of district 7. Scott Sherman was elected with a majority of the vote in the June primary.
Primary election | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | Scott Sherman | 15,575 | 50.17 | |
Democratic | Mat Kostrinsky | 12,462 | 40.14 | |
Nonpartisan | Rik Hauptfeld | 1,794 | 5.78 | |
Nonpartisan | Nathan E. Johnson | 1,212 | 3.90 | |
Total votes | 31,043 | 100 |
District 9 consists of the communities of Alvarado Estates, City Heights, College Area, College View Estates, El Cerrito, Kensington, Mountain View, Mount Hope, Rolando, Southcrest, and Talmadge. Incumbent council member from district 7 Marti Emerald chose to run for reelection in the newly created district 9. She was elected with a majority of the vote in the June primary election.
Primary election | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Marti Emerald | 10,107 | 72.14 | |
Democratic | Mateo Camarillo | 3,904 | 27.86 | |
Total votes | 14,011 | 100 |
The new city council was sworn in December 3, 2012. The week after the election, Council President Tony Young announced that he would resign from the City Council to become CEO of the San Diego-Imperial Counties chapter of the American Red Cross. His resignation on January 1, 2013 triggered a special election for the balance of his term, which ended in 2014. [9] At its first meeting the Council unanimously elected Todd Gloria to succeed him as Council President. [10] On May 21, 2013 Myrtle Cole was elected to finish the remainder of Young's term. [11]
Ballot Title: Prohibits the City from Requiring Project Labor Agreements on City Construction Projects
Ballot Language: "Should the City of San Diego be prohibited from requiring contractors to use Project Labor Agreements for City construction projects, except where required by law, and should the Mayor be required to post online all construction contracts over $25,000?"
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
![]() | 134,724 | 58.09 |
No | 97,209 | 41.91 |
Total votes | 231,933 | 100.00 |
Ballot Title: Amends City Charter Regarding Retirement Benefits
Ballot Language: "Should the Charter be amended to: direct City negotiators to seek limits on a City employee's compensation used to calculate pension benefits; eliminate defined benefit pensions for all new City Officials and employees, except police officers, substituting a defined contribution 401(k)-type plan; require substantially equal pension contributions from the City and employees; and eliminate, if permissible, a vote of employees or retirees to change their benefits?"
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
![]() | 154,216 | 65.81 |
No | 80,126 | 34.19 |
Total votes | 234,342 | 100.00 |
Sherri Schuler Lightner is an American politician, businesswoman, engineer, and community activist who served as a member of the San Diego City Council for District 1, from November 2008 to 2017. She is a Democrat, although council positions are officially nonpartisan.
Todd Rex Gloria is an American politician serving as the 37th and current mayor of San Diego since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the first person of color and the first openly gay person to serve as San Diego's mayor.
Mark Kersey is an American politician who was a member of the San Diego City Council for District 5 from 2012 to 2020. He was elected in June 2012 and re-elected in June 2016. Kersey was council president pro tem in 2016 and 2017. Initially a registered Republican, Kersey left the party in 2019 and became an independent.
Scott Sherman is a former member of the San Diego City Council, representing District 7 in San Diego, California. He took office December 3, 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. He is a Republican, although city council positions are officially nonpartisan per state law.
The 2004 San Diego mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004 to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor Dick Murphy stood for reelection for a second term.
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2010 for city council and propositions. The primary election was held on June 8, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. This was the last election to use eight council districts. Two incumbents ran for reelection in their council district.
The 2008 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 4, 2008. The primary election was held on June 5, 2008. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. This was the last election for the odd-numbered districts using the boundaries created by the 2000 Redistricting Committee. No incumbent council members were eligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
The 2006 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary election was held on June 6, 2006. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. All four incumbent council members stood for reelection.
The 2004 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 2, 2004. The primary election was held on March 2, 2004. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. This election used the boundaries created by the 2000 Redistricting Committee for the odd-numbered districts. All four incumbent council members ran for reelection in their respective districts.
The 2002 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 5, 2002. The primary election was held on March 5, 2002. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. Two incumbent council members stood for reelection after having previously been elected to partial terms.
Myrtle Cole is an American politician in San Diego, California. She was a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 4 from 2013 until 2018. Cole served as president of the City Council from 2017 until 2018. In 2018 Cole lost a bid for reelection, becoming one of the first incumbent council members to lose a reelection campaign since 1992. She was the first African American woman elected to the city council. She is a Democrat, although city council positions are officially nonpartisan per California state law.
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2014 for city council and propositions. The primary election was held on June 3, 2014, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Four of the nine seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. Two city council incumbents ran for re-election in their same district and one ran for election in a new district due to redistricting.
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2016 for mayor, city attorney, city council, and ballot measures. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Five of the nine council seats were contested. Two city council incumbents ran for reelection.
Georgette Gómez is an American politician and community activist. She served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2016 to 2020. Gómez is a Democrat, though city council positions are officially nonpartisan per California state law. In December 2018, Gómez was unanimously appointed president of the city council. Gómez was a candidate for California's 53rd congressional district in the 2020 elections, losing to fellow Democrat Sara Jacobs.
Christopher Ward is an American politician serving as a member of the California Assembly for the 78th district. Prior to his election to the assembly, Ward served as a member of the San Diego City Council, representing the Third Council District. He is a Democrat.
Barbara Bry is an American businesswoman and politician in San Diego, California. She served as a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 1 from 2016 to 2020 and was a candidate for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election. The district includes the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, La Jolla, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, University City, and the University of California, San Diego campus. Bry served as President Pro Tem of the City Council from 2017 to 2020. She is a Democrat, although city offices are officially nonpartisan.
The 1925 San Diego mayoral election was held on March 24, 1925 to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor John L. Bacon stood for reelection to a third term. In the primary election, Bacon received a majority of the votes and was elected outright with no need for a contested runoff.
The 2018 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 6, 2018. The primary election was held June 5, 2018. Four of the nine seats of the San Diego City Council were contested.
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2020 for mayor, city attorney, and city council. The primary election occurred Tuesday, March 3, 2020, and the general election occurred Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Five of the nine council seats were contested. No council incumbents stood for reelection.