Get to know the candidates for mayor of San Diego

Residents of the city of San Diego will be able to vote for one of these candidates.

San Diego City Hall

Six candidates are on the March primary ballot to replace Mayor Kevin Faulconer and take over City Hall. sandiego.gov image

City Times Staff

City Times has compiled a list of the candidates running for the mayor of San Diego, with a brief description of who they are and more about their campaign. Due to space, some candidate endorsements were not included. 

This compilation will be included in the print edition on March 3.

Barbara Bry (D)

Councilmember voted to the city council for District 1 in 2016 and currently serves as the council’s president pro tem.

Bry views herself as a problem solver, not a politician, and would like to see more transparency in the operations of city government.

Platform includes:

  • Local neighborhoods and the regulation of short-term vacation rentals.
  • Homeless and their health needs.
  • Climate change.

Endorsements: former council member and environmental leader Donna Frye, Save San Diego Neighborhoods and Father Joe Carroll

Todd Gloria (D)

Assemblymember and former city councilmember

Platform includes:

  • More funds put toward mental health and implementing a housing program.
  • Expand the transit routes to reach all areas of San Diego.
  • Implement a climate action plan that will set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Endorsements: Governor Gavin Newsom, former Governor Jerry Brown, San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris

 

Tasha Williamson (D)

Non-profit executive.

Community activist.

Believes that the people of color are underrepresented and looks to change that. 

Platform includes:

  • Build housing instead of shelters and transitional homes to fix the homelessness problem.
  • Alter the structure of the police department by doing audits of every officer starting with San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit, who she plans on replacing if elected
  • Give raises to city employees.

Endorsements: N/A

Gita Appelbaum Singh (D)

Family nurse practitioner and CEO of La Jolla Integrative Health and Charter Academy.

Never held a political office, but did run for mayor in 2016.

Platform includes:

  • Provide clean water.
  • Create affordable housing and rent control.
  • End human trafficking.
  • Reduce social and economic disparities for the city of San Diego.

Endorsements: N/A

 

Rich Riel

Formerly worked for the San Diego Housing Commission and Contrasts Brothers Development Corporation. 

Platform includes:

  • Lower the cost of housing and decrease the rate of homelessness.
  • Address infrastructure by putting more people on the street working and less people in management positions.
  • Tackle the air quality issue that has been causing illness to San Ysidro residents.
  • Proposals include a hiring freeze on all city employees making more than $100,00 a year and all newly hired city employees enroll in Social Security.

Endorsements: N/A

Scott Sherman (R)

San Diego councilmember 

Platform includes:

Solve San Diego’s affordable housing crisis by softening regulations and reducing government fees, instead of building more subsidized housing with income restrictions.

Address the city’s homeless crisis.

Endorsements: San Diego County Gun Owners and The Lincoln Clubs