A Sneak Peek at San Diego County Supervisor 2020 Contests
The primary for San Diego’s local political contests is March 3, 2020. Ballots will be cast starting on February 3. Given the way things are going these days, that’s just around the corner.
There is still time for additional candidates to enter races. Today, I’ll give an early report on who has already tossed their hat in the ring, along with a smidgen of analysis. Expect more commentary in the near future, as the unofficial race for endorsements is underway.
There are already a lot of people running for County Board of Supervisors - Districts 1, 2 & 3, along with San Diego Mayor and City Attorney, San Diego City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9.(To be covered on Thursday)
The highest profile contests will likely be San Diego Mayor, County Supes District 3, and San Diego City Council District 7, simply because the likelihood of a significant political shift will change local policies.
For purposes of this coverage, I utilized filing documents with the city and county, along with media coverage of campaign announcements. Since filing deadlines are off in the future it’s entirely possible I missed a candidate or two.
The County Supervisor contests, should the Democrats win a majority, will have the most long-term impact in terms of policy.
All those contests are technically non-partisan, but there’s no secret about the political leanings of the various players. Major candidates --in my opinion-- are in boldface type. An asterisk (*) next to a name means they’re recognized as candidates by the Democratic Party of San Diego. Where possible, I’ll embed a link to candidates’ websites.
County Supervisor District 1
The district includes portions of southern San Diego County, including the San Diego Port District and the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado and National City.
Supervisor Greg Cox will be termed out next year after more than 25 years on the board. While Cox is nominally a Republican, the district is heavily Democratic, and his votes in recent months have been more in tune with the leanings of his constituents. Unless something unforeseen happens, this seat will flip to a Democrat in 2020.
Rafael Castellanos* - Port Commissioner and rising star in the Democratic party, based on his endorsements. Lost a problematic campaign for City Attorney in 2016.
Nora Vargas* - Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest Vice President of Community and Government Relations, Community College Trustee; named the Woman of the Year for the 80th Assembly District.
Ben Hueso* Democratic State Senator, District 40 has an exploratory committee for the 2020 race, but has not made an official announcement. Recently, he called for investigation of local democratic clubs in an attempt to stop the endorsement process.
Sophia Rodriguez* County Health and Human Services Agency Human Services Specialist
Former City Councilman David Alvarez raised money for a run at this seat, but has indicated that his interests now lie elsewhere.
County Supervisor District 2
The district includes Portions of East san Diego County, including the cities of Poway, Ramona, Julian, El Cajon, La Mesa and Spring Valley.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob is termed out after 26 years in office. The district is likely to remain in the GOP fold for 2020, since they have a six point registration advantage.
Steve Vaus - Republican Poway Mayor who was in the news wearing his trademark cowboy hat after the recent synagogue shooting. He was recruited as a candidate by Diane Jacob.
Joel Anderson - Former State Senator, dropped out of same contest in 2015, but not before the local GOP gave him $200,000 — one day before the county’s $25,000 limit on campaign contributions was set to kick in. His run for a Board of Equalization seat last year went south after being reprimanded by his Senate colleagues for threatening to “bitch slap” a lobbyist in a Sacramento bar.
Kenya Taylor* - Co-Chair of the Southeastern Live Well Center Health Workgroup, activist with NAACP..
Tom Lemmon*- Business Manager San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council. This is is first run for elective office, although he’s been a force in area politics for many years.
County Supervisor District 3
District 3 includes the cities of Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Escondido and northern areas of San Diego from San Pasqual south to Tierrasanta, and including Mira Mesa, University City and Scripps Ranch.
Democrats have a 17,000 edge in voter registration in D3 as of May 1,2019. Should they manage to flip this seat, they’ll have a 3-2 majority on the County Board of Supervisors.
Republican Kristin Gaspar was elected in 2016, defeating disappointing then-incumbent Democrat Dave Roberts. After taking a hard turn to the right, and tying her political identity to Donald Trump’s immigration policies, she ran for the 49th Congressional District seat, placing fifth in the primary with 8.5% of the vote.
Terra Lawson-Remer* - Former Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and chief strategist for the successful community effort Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action. Her connections from that effort give her an advantage when it comes to raising money.
Olga Diaz* - Escondido City Councilmember, and Interim Dean of Counseling at Palomar Community College is a familiar face in this contest with 10 years in office and a stab at running for Escondido Mayor. And that history comes with pluses and minuses, worthy of much further coverage.
Jeff Griffith* - Sits on the Palomar Health Board of Directors, and is a Fire Captain. He ran unsuccessfully against State Senator Brian Jones in 2018, losing by 6 points.
Not in this contest will be Democrat Sara Jacobs, who placed a close third behind Mike Levin in the 2018 49th Congressional District primary.
Thursday: San Diego Mayor & City Council Contests
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