Three San Diego City Council members — Marni von Wilpert, Joe LaCava and Raul Campillo — will run unopposed for re-election next year now that challengers to von Wilpert and LaCava have failed to qualify for the ballot.
Two challengers to Mayor Todd Gloria’s re-election also failed to qualify, shrinking the field in the mayor’s race from seven to five.
And in the battle to replace Monica Montgomery Steppe in District 4, Henry Foster got key endorsements last week from the city’s two largest employee labor unions.
The number of contested council races next year shrank from five to three over the weekend when Brittany Naucke, who was challenging von Wilpert, and Anthony Olmo, who was challenging LaCava, failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Campillo, who represents central eastern District 7, was already running unopposed before the signature verification process. Von Wilpert represents north inland District 5, while LaCava represents north coastal District 1.
In central urban District 3, incumbent Stephen Whitburn is being challenged by two fellow Democrats — Coleen Cusack and Kate Callen — and Republican Ellis California Jones.
In central eastern District 9, Council President Sean Elo-Rivera has two challengers: fellow Democrat Terry Hoskins and independent Fernando Garcia.
In the mayor’s race, Gloria is facing Geneviéve Jones-Wright, Larry Turner, Jane Glasson and Daniel Smiechowski. Two other candidates, Thomas Nguyen and Athena Johnson, failed to qualify.
The race to succeed termed-out San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott is a two-way battle between Assemblymember Brian Maienschein and Chief Deputy City Attorney Heather Ferbert.
The special election to replace Montgomery Steppe, who was elected last month to the county Board of Supervisors, pits Foster against Shane Harris, Chida Warren-Darby and Tylisa Suseberry.
Foster, who had served as Montgomery Steppe’s chief of staff since she was elected in 2018, was endorsed last week by the 5,000-member Municipal Employees Association and the 2,100-member Local 127 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
“Henry is an experienced and trusted leader who is best equipped to immediately address the city’s most pressing challenges, including employee recruitment and retention and essential neighborhood services,” said MEA general manager Mike Zucchet.
Tim Douglass, president of Local 127, said his union’s backing was based on Foster’s experience.
“Henry has the in-depth understanding as chief of staff for Council President Pro Tem Montgomery Steppe in District 4, working within the city, and his private business experience with the skilled trades to hit the ground running on day one,” Douglass said.
Warren-Darby is an aide to Gloria, and her campaign website says she’s been endorsed by the mayor, von Wilpert, Councilmember Jen Campbell and U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas.
Harris, a civil rights activist, doesn’t have a campaign website but has posted a campaign video on YouTube.
Suseberry ran unsuccessfully against Montgomery Steppe last year.
Runoffs in District 3 and District 9 will take place in November. Those runoffs will happen no matter how many votes the first-place finisher gets in the March primary.
The District 4 election will take place during the March primary. But a runoff, which will only happen if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, would have to be held earlier than November — in June or July.
