National City Council members Jose Rodriguez and Marcus Bush are slated to transition from citywide leaders to district representatives, according to the latest returns Thursday.
In the District 2 contest, Rodriguez secured first place with 2,555 votes, or 73%, against his only opponent, Randi Castle-Salgado, a Realtor and National City planning commissioner.
In the three-way District 4 race, Bush received 1,728 votes, or 43%. Just behind with a tally of 1,495 (37%) was Victor Arreola, a nonprofit executive, followed by Daniel Perez, a loan mortgage officer.
Rodriguez and Bush will be the first council members for Districts 2 and 4, respectively, since the city switched from citywide elections to a by-district system in April 2022.
Voters also disapproved of Measure R, a parcel tax on some property owners to fix streets and alleys and improve aging parks. The measure, which failed with more than 60 percent, was placed on the ballot by a citizen initiative, led by Rodriguez and several other residents. Proponents said funds would have been used exclusively for vital improvements and that a citizens committee would oversee the spending. The San Diego County Taxpayers Association opposed the proposal, saying it appeared to be “a discriminatory tax structure” because “certain property owners pay more or less than others without some analytical basis as to impact to the economy or impact to property owners.”
Affordable housing and homeownership opportunities were top issues in this election. Bush said he would like to see some form of rent control policy and support using underused commercial buildings close to public transit for housing. Rodriguez said he will focus on bringing homeownership opportunities on city property.
Rodriguez could be censured by his peers. On Tuesday, the City Council agreed to formally consider whether to censure him over assertions that he has repeatedly violated the city’s code of conduct.
