San Diego’s pivotal City Council presidency shifted Tuesday from Sean Elo-Rivera to Joe LaCava without the divisive comments and scrambling for votes that often come with a change in who holds that job.
LaCava, a longtime La Jolla resident who has been a community leader for three decades, was unanimously elected council president by his colleagues after Elo-Rivera said he wouldn’t seek an unprecedented fourth term.
The council president sets the nine-member council’s agenda, determines key assignments to powerful committees and leads the council in its efforts to govern the city in concert with Mayor Todd Gloria.
Members of the all-Democratic council praised LaCava as fair, trustworthy, analytical, thoughtful, humble and committed to boosting equity for low-income neighborhoods.
“You’ve always shown a willingness to tackle the tough issues and take the hard positions while working collaboratively with the community, the council and the mayor,” Councilmember Kent Lee told LaCava. “I’m looking forward to seeing what your leadership can bring to this council.”
Councilmember Stephen Whitburn praised LaCava for casting what he called tough votes, including a key 2023 vote in favor of the city’s camping ban, and for having strong character.
“I’ve really appreciated your thoughtful approach to things and, perhaps most importantly, your consistent effort to be fair,” Whitburn said.
Councilmember Vivian Moreno, who represents low-income District 8 in the city’s South Bay, said LaCava had shown a commitment to fixing the infrastructure disparities between the city’s high-income and low-income areas.
“I extremely appreciate your acknowledgement of the neglect the communities south of Interstate 8, like District 8, have endured,” she told LaCava. “Your commitment to ensuring equity in building projects like parks and libraries has gone a long way.”
She also praised him for being committed to transparency and good governance.
Councilmember Jen Campbell’s praise was more general. “This gentleman has been a friend of mine for about 20 years, and I just think the world of him,” she said.
LaCava, 70, thanked his colleagues for the kind words before promising to help them accomplish their agendas and make the city a better place.
“I’m here to amplify your voices, to open up conversation and deliberations and find consensus across the group,” he said.
LaCava promised to help Moreno and Campbell, who will face term limits in 2026, establish their legacies. And he promised the rest of the council that they would make hard decisions together.
LaCava will be the first La Jolla resident to serve as council president since Sherri Lightner held the job in 2015 and 2016.
Council members also praised Elo-Rivera for his three years as council president. He is the first person to have held the job that long since Scott Peters, now a congressman, did 15 years ago.
“You have fought for underserved communities to get their fair share at City Hall,” Moreno said.
Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who had previously criticized Elo-Rivera as divisive, said he had effectively turned things around and unified the council during his final year.
Councilmember Raul Campillo agreed.
“Over the last year, you’ve gone out of your way to — in good faith — find good solutions to the problems we have as a city,” Campillo told Elo-Rivera.
Earlier in the day during an inauguration ceremony at downtown’s Symphony Hall, Campillo announced his intention to place another sales tax measure on the 2026 ballot.
Campillo and Mayor Gloria had spearheaded Measure E, a proposed one-cent sales tax increase on the Nov. 5 ballot that was narrowly defeated by only about 3,500 votes.
Gloria, who was sworn in for a second four-year term during that ceremony, vowed to continue working hard to address homelessness, housing and other city challenges.
“There will no second-term slowdown,” he said. “Instead, this will be a second-term doubling down.”
Newly elected City Attorney Heather Ferbert, who is replacing termed-out Mara Elliott, was also sworn in Tuesday.
“I’m ready to work with city officials and employees to solve San Diego’s toughest problems,” she said. “I’m ready to protect taxpayers and stand up for you, the people who make San Diego the amazing city it is.”
