Cory Briggs Bails on Mayor’s Race; Democrats Could Expand Majority on City Council in 2020
The field of candidates vying to be the next mayor of San Diego got a little smaller on Wednesday as environmental activist/attorney Cory Briggs announced his withdrawal via a text to his higher profile competitors.
“Four months of campaigning reminds me how much better I am at practicing law than politics,” said Briggs.
Thus ends a campaign born out of frustration with Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Annual State of the City speech, which promised the removal of development restrictions to boost construction of affordable housing.
Briggs exit leaves Assemblyman Todd Gloria, City Councilmember Barbary Bry and community advocate Tasha Williamson as the major candidates for the March 3, 2020. All are Democrats. Congressman Scott Peters decided against running earlier this year.
No Republican with enough name recognition to be taken seriously has declared an interest in running.
Former police chief Shelley Zimmerman passed on the opportunity, as did Councilman Chris Cate. Councilman Mark Kersey recently left the GOP and there are mutterings about his jumping into te contest as an independent.
The GOP's highest profile non-indicted potential candidate, talk show host Carl DeMaio, has apparently decided upon a career of unelecting officials who dare to admit to the global environmental crisis.
There is time for another candidate to emerge, however, as the cut-off date for mayoral candidates to get their names on the primary ballot is not until December 5, 2019.
At this point the contest boils down to Todd Gloria versus Barbara Bry. Tasha Williamson’s (necessary) role in this situation is to serve as check against either of her competitors ignoring the underlying issues of class and race as the city moves forward.
Assemblyman Gloria has racked up an impressive number of endorsements, including Congresswoman Susan Davis, Assemblymember Shirley Weber, and State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins. His high profile advocacy on climate change, involvement in issues of economic inequality, and standing as a leader in the Gay community will make him the favorite of many progressive activists.
Councilwoman Bry has an admirable amount of detail included on her campaign issues page. Her business background gives her an in with the region’s up and coming tech sector, and a history of mentor ship for women in politics should translate into a decent ground game as the election nears.
Beneath the hubbub surrounding the candidacies of both Gloria and Bry are resentments and divisions (still!) remaining from the acrimony over Bob Filner’s downfall as a progressive leader. There are enough conspiracy theories and finger pointings still alive to insure the undercurrent of nastiness San Diegans have come to expect from high profile political campaigns.
The top two finishers in the March 2020 primary will advance to a runoff in November 2020.
The highest profile contests in local primaries 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.
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.
Mayoral Candidates
Barbara Bry*- Represents District 1 and is San Diego City Council President Pro Tem, Entrepreneur
Todd Gloria* - 78th District State Assemblyman, Former City Council/Interim mayor
Tasha Williamson* - Community Activist, co-founded the San Diego Compassion Project
Cory Briggs _ Environmental Attorney Dropped out 5/15
Gita Appelbaum -Physician
Bonnie Sue Eisner - Mission Beach resident
J’erek Evans - Hillcrest resident
Andrew Gade - Businessman
Cedric Greene - College area resident
Richard Hansen - Author
Beatrice Marion -
Rich Reil - Sales director
Daniel Smiechowski - Perennial candidate
City Attorney
Mara Elliott*- Current officeholder
No declared opposition
City Council
It is entirely possible Chris Cate--who isn’t up for reelection this year--will be the sole remaining Republican on the San Diego City Council in 2020. Local Republicans will have to throw a lot of money behind Joe Leventhal (D5) and Noli Zosa (D7) to retain control of those seats.
District 1 Candidates
District One covers the northwest part of the City of San Diego and includes La Jolla, UCSD, University City, Torrey Pines, Carmel Valley, Del Mar Vista, and Pacific Highlands Ranch. Current Councilmember Barbara Bry is running for mayor. In recent years the district has shifted from purple to solidly blue.
Joe LaCava* - Community advocate
Will Moore* - Small business attorney
Aaron Brennan* -Firefighter
Louis Rodolico* - University City Resident
Harid Puentes -
Lily Zhou- Entrepreneur
District 3 Candidates
District Three encompases Downtown and neighborhoods north and east of the city’s core. These include Golden Hill, Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Old Town, Hillcrest, University Heights, North Park, South Park, and Normal Heights.
Current Councilmember Chris Ward is running for assembly. The district votes reliably Democratic.
Toni Duran* - Field Rep for State Senator Toni Atkins
Stephen Whitburn* - Non-profit executive
Adrian Kwiatkowski* - consultant
Chris Olsen* - policy analyst for the City of San Diego’s Independent Budget Analyst Office
District 5 Candidates
District Five includes northern parts of the city like Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Scripps Ranch and San Pasqual.
Current Councilman Mark Kersey is termed out. A significant registration advantage for Republicans over the years has dwindled down to a 2% margin.
Marni vonWipert* - Deputy City Attorney
Joe Leventhal - Attorney
Patrick Batten - U.S. Marine Corps veteran, manager of public affairs for Southwest Strategies
Hugh Rothman* - Software engineer
Isaac Wang*- Urban planner, tech expert
Gary Westerburg* - City workplace safety specialist
District 7 Candidates
District 7 includes Tierrasanta, Allied Gardens, Kearny Mesa, Serra Mesa, Linda Vista, San Carlos, Miramar, Mission Valley, and Del Cerro.
Current Councilman Scott Sherman is termed out. Voter registration, which was close to evenly split in the past, has now shifted to give Democrats a more than 10 point advantage.
Wendy Wheatcroft* - Former teacher, gun safety and community activist
Noli Zosa - chairman of the Linda Vista Community Planning Group.
Kevin Beiser* - SDUSD Trustee
(While Beiser has indicated an interest in running for the seat, multiple allegations of sexual harassment and at least one lawsuit have put a cloud over his head.)
Raul Campillo* - Deputy City Attorney
David Greco* - Attorney
Tom Keliinoi - Businessman
Sharon Larios - Founder & Director of Turnaround Youth Foundation
Monty McIntyre - San Diego County Bar Association president
District 9 Candidate
District 9 includes the neighborhoods of City Heights, Southcrest, Mountain View, Mt. Hope, El Cerrito, Rolando, Talmadge, Kensington, Alvarado Estates, and the College Area.
Incumbent Gomez --barring a scandal of some sort-- is a shoo-in for re-election.
Georgette Gomez*- Currently President of the City Council
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Related post: A Sneak Peek at San Diego County Supervisor Contests for 2020
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Lead photo by Doug Porter