Primary Election Results
The Primary Election is behind us and now we move on to focus on the General Election which will decide the fate of several important races. From local city council and county board seats to a major congressional race, there will be no shortage of exciting and significant contests.
The even-numbered seats on the San Diego City Council are up for election this year. 2 of those seats, Districts 2 and 8, were open races with the incumbents’ terms coming to an end. In District 2, former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey garnered the most votes, with Nicole Crosby, who works for the San Diego City Attorney’s office, securing the second place spot. In District 4, sitting Councilmember Henry Foster pulled ahead by just a few dozen votes after initially coming in second behind Martha Abraham, a nurse and first-timer to politics. Councilmember Kent Lee took the most votes in the District 6 race over former San Diego County Board of Education member Mark Powell. However, the top two vote getters go to the run-off and the two were the only ones vying for the seat and would have advanced anyway. In District 8, a field crowded with six candidates, voters will be asked to decide between Antonio Martinez and Gerardo Ramirez.
The County Board of Supervisors District 5 is wide open since Jim Desmond will be termed out. The race has been targeted by both parties as a priority seat. Should a democrat win, democrats would hold 4 out of 5 seats, giving them a supermajority and the ability to approve major measures and budget revisions on a 4-1 vote. San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones garnered the most votes with Democrat Kyle Krahel in second place with Republican John Franklin (Vista Mayor) coming in third. Some controversy surrounded the republican candidates as Franklin was endorsed by the party with Jones backed by a separate republican organization. Jones and Krahel advance to the November run-off.
The 48th Congressional District race has garnered national attention as it could be a key seat in deciding control in the lower house. The district includes portions of both San Diego and Riverside Counties and became an open seat when Darrell Issa decided not to run again. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond came in at the top with over 41% of the vote. San Diego City Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert rounded out second, beating out 8 other democrats. They head for a run-off in November.
On the ballot measure front, Measure A, the tax on vacant second homes, was rejected by voters in the City of San Diego. The measure, introduced and championed by Councilmember Elo-Rivera, would have created an initial annual tax of $8,000 on more than 5,000 homes unoccupied for more than half a year — plus a $4,000 surcharge for corporate-owned dwellings. In subsequent years, the tax would increase to $10,000, with the surcharge going up to $5,000. Over 53% of the voters voted NO.
Stay tuned as the road to November will be interesting!