California’s new crime-fighting measure, Proposition 36, passed by overwhelming margins amid news of theft sprees, “smash-and-grab” robberies and drugstores with razors and toothpaste locked behind glass. The new law tackles that by turning some misdemeanor thefts and robberies into felonies. 

But there’s another part of the initiative aimed at addiction, and San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan wants to use it to get more people into drug court. I looked at how that will work in a new story. You can read it here.

Proposition 36 introduces a category of “treatment-mandated felony” that lets judges order defendants into drug programs. Under this provision, defendants with non-violent drug charges have a choice: go to treatment or go to prison. Stephan thinks that’s one of the most important features of Proposition 36, and said it gives her office more tools to get drug users the help they need.  

“The system has almost decriminalized everything because there isn’t any real incentive to engage in treatment,” Stephan told me. “My goal is to begin to not see more people in jail, but more people in treatment.” 

Here’s how it works: Participants in drug court meet with a judge on a weekly to monthly basis and work with case managers who coordinate their services and requirements. They have to take drug tests and participate in activities such as detox, residential treatment, therapy, job training and education.  

“We want to incentivize these offramps away from crime and addiction and self-destruction, which also leads to destroying our communities,” Stephan said. 

Critics maintain that drug treatment doesn’t work unless people want to do it. They say forcing people into sobriety is a step toward the failed “war on drugs” that crowded California prisons with low-level offenders. And there aren’t enough treatment beds for people who want them now, let alone for people forced to participate. 

“All of the actual research that I’ve seen is that mandated treatment doesn’t work,” Khalid Alexander, president of Pillars of the Community, told me. “Even if that did work, there’s no money to fund those programs.” 

There’s lots we don’t know about how Proposition 36 will roll out. Here’s some things we’ll be watching. 

How much will it cost? A county analysis concluded the new measure could cost tens of millions of dollars in new law enforcement expenses. And it could cut funding for drug treatment and other services established under Proposition 47, a previous measure that lowered the threshold for felony crimes. We’ll be following those numbers, looking at how much San Diego spends on tougher enforcement and what it can recoup through the state bond measure. 

How many more people will be arrested or go to prison? By all accounts Proposition 36 will lead to more prosecutions. In some cases it won’t be new or additional charges, but harsher ones as misdemeanor thefts become felonies. Stephan said her office expects to prosecute at least 600 felony thefts each year and the county projects thousands of new field arrests and bookings each year. Alexander told me he thinks it will lead to overzealous policing and “exponentially more arrests.” 

How will San Diego County meet the demand? An earlier bond measure, Proposition 1 will raise bond money and redirect some taxes to build more beds for mental health and drug treatment services. But some officials say it will strip support for existing programs and reduce local control. We’ll follow how those grants are awarded and see how San Diego County uses its share to meet the increased need for drug treatment under Proposition 36. 

School Bond Winners Favor Big, Urban Districts 

Voters approved numerous school bond measures in San Diego County, but the winners skewed toward larger, urban districts, Kristen Taketa with the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  

A number of smaller, rural districts in areas including Bonsall, Fallbrook, Valley Center and Santee fell short of the 55 percent majority needed to pass the bonds, with more than 70 percent of the vote counted, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters reported. 

School officials said that reflects voters’ concerns about inflation and cost of living. There’s also a structural problem. Large districts with higher property values get more bang for their buck, and are able to raise much more money than smaller districts can with the same property tax increase. 

California schools rely on local or state bond money to build new schools or fix older, dilapidated ones. Voters passed a state school bond measure, Proposition 2, which will raise $10 billion for K-12 schools and community colleges. But districts have to put up matching funds from their own local bonds to get a share of that. So the ones that failed may miss out on that opportunity. 

Governor Issues Report Card on California Schools 

Gov. Gavin Newsom reported on the status of K-12 schools last week, noting incremental progress on language and math proficiency. 

The percentage of California students who met or exceeded standards grew from 46.7 percent to 47.0 percent in English language, from 34.6 percent to 35.5 percent in math, and from 30.2 percent to 30.7 percent in science, the governor reported. Black and Latino students showed improved scores in all grades, the report stated. 

Republican lawmakers protested the sunny forecast. Despite the progress, they pointed out that most students didn’t make the mark, with more than half below grade in English, and nearly two-thirds behind expectations in math and science.  

The Sacramento Report runs every Friday and is part of a partnership with CalMatters. Do you have tips, ideas or questions? Send them to me at deborah@voiceofsandiego.org  

The post Sacramento Report: Proposition 36 Passed. Now What?   appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

No matter how you feel about last week’s election, one thing is certain: Local votes mattered most here in our corner of San Diego County. 

Yes, federal policy affects everything, especially major anticipated changes in immigration enforcement (more about that below). But it’s local issues — city hall, schools, streets, parks, businesses — that we live with day to day. 

In South County, voters signaled they want change. Two newcomers were swept onto the Chula Vista City Council in lopsided votes. I wrote last week about incoming councilmembers Michael Inzunza’s and Cesar Fernandez’s big agendas. In short: Stepped-up enforcement of crime and homelessness, more parks and jobs for Chula Vista’s neglected neighborhoods and sped-up home development on the city’s southeastern fringe. 

Voters also approved every tax and bond measure on the ballot. That translates to more than $2 billion in local sales and property tax hikes flowing to local schools, streets, parks and storm drains. The message from voters: Fix up our city, no matter the cost. 

Immigration Fears 

In National City, the election brought change of a different sort. Newly reelected Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, returned to office in a landslide, said the prospect of a coming federal immigration crackdown had reordered his priorities. 

“I am bracing for what is to come and preparing,” Rodriguez said of possible widespread deportations of immigrants, a top campaign promise of incoming President Donald Trump. 

Rodriguez said he would not abandon his own campaign vows to boost affordable housing and home ownership in his city. But he said he also would prioritize finding alternative funding sources for federally backed infrastructure projects likely to be cut by Trump and shielding city residents from the worst effects of federal immigration policy. 

“We will have to fend for our own,” he said. 

Rodriguez, who chairs the public safety committee of the San Diego Association of Governments, said he would seek to bar federal homeland security officials from viewing immigration information in a countywide criminal justice database. 

He said he would also “make sure we as a city” follow state laws that bar local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal officials seeking to deport suspected undocumented criminals. 

Rodriguez said Trump’s policies would “create chaos in our community, dividing families left and right.” That’s true in more ways than one. Voters in Rodriguez’s City Council district actually backed Trump with surprising enthusiasm, according to local election results. Some precincts in the district awarded the former president up to 46 percent of their votes. 

“As a Latino man, I think many of our people forgot who we are and where we come from,” Rodriguez said of the vote. “The notion I would support someone who wants to expel an individual not for doing anything wrong but because of being undocumented is disheartening and I still cannot fully comprehend that.” 

National City’s other City Council race remains too close to call with two-thirds of votes counted. I’ll write about that race, plus results in Imperial Beach and Coronado, next week. 

Union Vote at Sweetwater Authority  

Hourly employees at one of South County’s main providers of drinking water will vote later this month on joining a powerful nationwide union representing utilities workers. 

The move to join the 820,000-member International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers comes amid stalled contract negotiations and more general employee dissatisfaction with what one worker called “persistent issues of management bullying and mistreating” employees and their current in-house union. 

Employees in favor of the switch to IBEW say they hope the bigger union will provide more muscular representation. Carlos Quintero, the agency’s general manager, declined to comment on the vote. In an interview earlier this year, Quintero said contract negotiations were stalled over “compensation, mostly salary adjustments and benefits and so forth.” 

Voting will commence Nov. 25 and conclude on Dec. 20. 

Ghost Bus in Imperial Beach  

Imperial Beach residents continue to give a thumbs-down to a new Metropolitan Transportation Service rapid bus line from the U.S.-Mexico border to the city’s iconic pier. 

Residents, including city officials, say the 227 Rapid Bus line’s 60-foot-long articulated electric buses, which run every 15 minutes morning to night from the Otay Mesa Transit Center to the Imperial Beach Pier, are noisy, clog up city streets — and are mostly empty. 

The line, which cost $37 million to implement plus an additional $4.5 million per year to operate, replaced and expanded a previous line linking the border transit center with a trolley station at Iris Avenue in San Ysidro. The new line extends the route to Imperial Beach and adds all-new electric buses with increased frequency. The new buses began running in late 2023. 

“I see this bus go by my business every day and no one is on it,” said Marty Mattes, who owns Ye Olde Plank Inn a few blocks from the pier and also leads the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce. “Why was that allowed?” 

Ridership statistics provided by MTS in response to a public records request from an Imperial Beach resident show that an average of 796 passengers boarded the bus line each day at the Otay Mesa Transit Center in June of this year. Nearly all of those passengers —734— exited the bus at the San Ysidro trolley station. Each of the remaining stops between the trolley station and Imperial Beach Pier saw no more than 23 boardings per day. 

Residents and some city officials say they want MTS to reduce the size and frequency of buses on the Imperial Beach portion of the route. “I just think a smaller vehicle would be much more appropriate for the level of actual use by Imperial Beach residents,” City Councilmember Mitch McKay said in an email. “Less wear and tear on the roads and less traffic congestion.” 

MTS already rerouted part of the bus line in Imperial Beach earlier this year in response to residents’ concerns.

In an email sent after press time, MTS spokesperson Mark Olson said the rapid bus line is “an important connection for Imperial Beach residents, workers, and visitors” that links riders to the border, beach and the rest of the MTS transit network. “MTS will continue to monitor the performance of the route and make any adjustments as necessary to increase performance,” Olson said. 

In Other News 

• Here’s an antidote to post-election stress: Nov. 13 is World Kindness Day (yes, there is such a thing), and Chula Vista’s own Kindness Club (yep, also such a thing) is celebrating with a weeklong series of kindness-oriented events in partnership with local volunteer clubs, city agencies and businesses. Activities include a book giveaway at local schools, care packages at the South Bay Family YMCA and a food giveaway by Sprouts Farmers Market. Details here. 
• Want to learn more about South County’s indigenous heritage? The Bonita Museum and Cultural Center hosts its third annual Gathering of Nations celebration of local indigenous culture 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. Events include a dance presentation, a Kumeyaay market and basket weaving. Details here. 
• The San Diego Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of thefts of expensive metal flower vases from the Glen Abbey Memorial Park & Mortuary in Bonita, the Union-Tribune reports. Thieves likely sell the $1,000 decorative vases to scrap metal dealers. 
• An ongoing research project at the mouth of the Tijuana River detected an uptick in water-borne oxygen levels in the estuary following repairs at a key Mexican sewage treatment facility that had been a contributor to the region’s long-running sewage crisis. The rise in oxygen signals possible improvements in an ecosystem that has seen plummeting numbers of fish and other aquatic life because of the sewage. (Union-Tribune) 

Update: This post has been updated with a statement from MTS.

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After a dragged-out battle between two Republicans for San Diego’s 75th Assembly District in North and East County, Carl DeMaio is on track to win against Andrew Hayes by a wide margin Friday, with two-thirds of votes counted.  

DeMaio, a former San Diego City Council member and radio host has made a career of fighting taxes, brawling with Sacramento politicians and bucking leadership within his own party.  

DeMaio wants to tackle inflation by cutting taxes and government mandates, he told the Union Tribune. He aims to crack down on crime and immigration, improve homeowners insurance access and fight what he called “controversial and politicized curriculum” in classrooms. 

DeMaio said he also plans to sponsor 2026 ballot measures to reduce utility charges, repeal the sanctuary state law and require voter ID in elections. 

DeMaio wouldn’t talk with Voice of San Diego, but pointed to a statement about his projected win: “This is not about me winning this seat in the Legislature — this is about bringing the voice of the forgotten Californian into the broken political system to demand change!” 

Of course, he would enter Sacramento as part of a small Republican minority and wage an uphill battle to get bills past a Democratic supermajority that has blocked more experienced Republican lawmakers. 

The open Assembly seat in North and East County became a melee after DeMaio entered the race last year, shortly before the filing deadline. The Republican Party of San Diego had already endorsed Andrew Hayes, a former district director for state Sen. Brian Jones and Lakeside Union School Board member. But DeMaio wanted a redo. 

To boost his chances in the general election he supported a Democrat in the primary. Hayes’ supporters filed campaign finance complaints alleging that DeMaio exceeded spending limits, co-mingled money from Reform California with his Assembly campaign, and was not a resident of the district. 

Despite the flurry of campaign mailers by both campaigns, many voters on Tuesday said the contentious race wasn’t on their radar. One thing stood out though: DeMaio’s name recognition. That may have paid off. 

Crime Prevention Measure Winning 

Voters fed up with theft and drug crimes overwhelmingly favored the crime-fighting ballot measure Proposition 36, with more than half the vote counted.  

Proposition 36 rolls back part of the 2014 measure Proposition 47, which downgraded some drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors to reduce prison crowding. After spikes in “smash and grab robberies” and fentanyl deaths, big box retailers teamed up with district attorneys to launch a measure to reverse parts of the earlier reform. 

Proposition 36 restores stiff penalties for fentanyl trafficking and introduces court-ordered treatment for people convicted of drug offenses. It allows prosecutors to file felony charges for multiple smaller thefts that total more than $950, or for organized theft rings.  

San Diego County District Attorney told me she’s preparing to enforce the new law starting Dec. 19, the day after the ballot measure is certified. 

“I met with my police chiefs and sheriffs to discuss how this would work and how to implement it with the intent it has, which isn’t just to add to the numbers of people going to jail, but to use it… to have leverage,” against crime.  

She expects the new law will allow prosecutors to make greater use of drug courts to place defendants into drug treatment diversion programs, while adding more drug treatment resources with funds from Proposition 1, the March ballot measure that authorizes $6.38 billion in state bonds to build mental health facilities and housing. 

Critics lamented the passage of Proposition 36, saying it cuts money from treatment programs and will flood prisons. “It will slash MILLIONS from reentry & prevention services while growing the state’s prison population by 35% over 5 years for theft & drug charges,” the Prison Policy Initiative tweeted.  

Bond Measures Get Big Support 

Several bond measures are well on their way to passage. Proposition 2, which would authorize the state to borrow $10 billion for schools and colleges, held a solid lead with more than half the votes counted. It will raise $8.5 billion for K-12 schools and $1.5 billion for community colleges, including projects to remove lead, improve safety, fix plumbing, add air conditioning and build career technical facilities 

California uses state school bonds to provide matching funds for local school districts that passed their own infrastructure bonds. So the passage of Proposition 2 is good news for San Diego Community College District, Southwestern Community College District and a dozen local school districts that have bond measures on track to pass. 

Proposition 4 also held a wide lead. It would similarly allow the state to raise $10 billion for water, wildfire prevention, and protection of public lands. The biggest chunk, $3.8 billion, would go to water projects. So San Diego projects to purify wastewater, improve stormwater systems and restore wetlands might benefit from that funding.  

Another proposition that would have made it easier for local governments to issue bonds or affordable housing, water projects and other public works is failing. Proposition 5 would have lowered the voting threshold for cities and counties to issue infrastructure bonds from two-thirds of the vote to 55 percent. It’s far behind with more than half the votes counted. 

California Circles the Wagons Against Trump Return 

Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session to launch a legal battle against policies expected under President-elect Donald Trump. Newsom called for expanding the state’s legal resources “to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday. 

“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond.” 

California Republicans hit the roof, calling Newsom’s special session a “publicity stunt” and “knee-jerk theatrics.” 

“Governor Newsom wants to hand his Attorney General a blank check to wage endless battles against the federal government—while our own state is on fire, both literally and metaphorically,” state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, said in a statement. 

The Sacramento Report runs every Friday and is part of a partnership with CalMatters. Do you have tips, ideas or questions? Send them to me at deborah@voiceofsandiego.org  

Correction: This post has been updated to correct Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones’ party affiliation.

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Chula Vista political observers had a nickname for Michael Inzunza during his race to represent the city’s third council district: “The Energizer bunny of candidates.” 

By his own tally, Inzunza knocked on 12,000 doors during his campaign, spent 50 hours accompanying police, fire and emergency responders on the job, collected endorsements from virtually every organized labor organization in town and spent close to $80,000 in campaign funds. 

The work paid off. Inzunza, a lobbyist for local school boards, appears headed toward a landslide victory, currently leading his opponent, human resources administrator Leticia Munguia, by nearly 40 percentage points. He said he plans to bring the same non-stop energy to the City Council when he takes office in December. 

That could mean big changes, because Inzunza said he sees a lot in his city that needs fixing. 

“I’m not going to wait,” he said. “It seems that a lot of what has been happening in Chula Vista has not worked.” 

Inzunza said he will press for policies that could dramatically reshape how the city grapples with some of its most pressing problems, including homeless encampments, crime, lack of housing and lack of high-paying jobs. 

Crime and homelessness. First up, he said, “I want to create a homelessness task force, not just for Chula Vista but for all of South Bay,” to ensure the entire region is coordinating policies and not just “kicking the can down the road.” 

At the same time, Inzunza said he wants to stiffen the city’s approach to homelessness and prioritize the needs of beleaguered small business owners and “the working-class family whose neighborhood has crime increasing and a lack of safety in the park.” 

“We have an encampment ban [in Chula Vista] but there’s not vigorous enough enforcement of it,” he said. “You can be compassionate, but you have to be responsible for enforcing city laws and rules to protect the public.” 

Inzunza said he would leverage state Proposition 36, the newly passed tough-on-crime ballot initiative, to compel chronic drug users to seek treatment and crack down on retail theft and other quality-of-life crimes. “Other Democrats try to keep face and give this image of anti-police and that sort of thing,” he said. “That’s not the kind of policymaker I am.” 

Middle-class housing. Inzunza said he planned to tackle his city’s housing needs by pressing not only for more affordable units but also for what he called “middle-class housing” aimed at “people who can prosper and grow their family with two to three kids and want to get into a 2,500-square-foot house.” 

Pointing to vacant land near the city’s southeastern border already owned by developers, Inzunza said he would seek to fast-track subdivisions of single-family homes, not the kind of high-rise apartment buildings currently dominating housing construction in nearby San Diego. Density “brings crime,” he said. 

“South Bay has the fastest growing middle class in San Diego [County],” Inzunza said. “I don’t want my city to build affordable housing just because we need affordable housing…Theres a market for [higher priced homebuyers]. We need to cater to them.” 

Higher education and high-tech jobs. Not yet sworn in, Inzunza said he was already at work on the third of his three top priorities: Expanding high-tech jobs and higher education opportunities. He said he planned to attend a meeting Friday at San Diego State University with Mayor John McCann and state Assemblymember David Alvarez to discuss “potential extended university opportunities in South Bay.” 

Inzunza said he doesn’t think it’s fair that white collar workers in Chula Vista have to commute to Sorrento or even Temecula for biotech and other lucrative careers. “I’m hoping we can set aside land and facilities in our city to attract those jobs,” he said. He said he envisioned Chula Vista becoming a South County rival to San Diego’s “golden triangle” cluster of tech companies and research centers near the University of California, San Diego. 

“I didn’t run for office to be part of the status quo,” he said. “If I’m going to run for office and I wasn’t happy with how the council was providing services, I need to do something different.” 

Rooting for the home team. Longtime teacher Cesar Fernandez, currently on track to win the race for Chula Vista’s fourth City Council district, said his highest post-election priority would be bringing attention, resources and respect to what he described as an unduly neglected corner of his city. 

“I’m territorial to a fault,” Fernandez said in an interview shortly before the election. “I like to root for the home team.” 

The fourth district encompasses a mix of residential and industrial neighborhoods in southwestern Chula Vista. The district includes some of the city’s lowest income and hardest pressed neighborhoods. Harborside Park on the district’s west side made headlines two years ago when it had to be closed and fenced off because of persistent homeless encampments and crime. 

A demand for equal treatment. Fernandez said residents he talked to during the campaign were universally fed up with crime and homelessness and indignant that their corner of the Chula Vista lacks amenities other parts of the city take for granted. “They see beautiful parks on the east side and we don’t have that,” he said. “They want more [parks] and we want to keep them clear of homeless people.” 

Fernandez said he would look for vacant lots that the city could buy and turn into parks. He said he also favored the city’s recently enacted homeless encampment ban and would seek to require drug users to enter treatment, especially in comprehensive programs that go beyond standard 30-day rehab facilities. 

Jobs and greater transparency. Another top priority, he said, is expanding job opportunities for blue collar workers living in his district. Fernandez said he plans to work with the developer of the massive Bayfront hotel project to ensure that local residents are prioritized for jobs. “I want career tech pathways,” he said. “I want Chula Vistans to work in Chula Vista. Not everyone goes to college.” 

Fernandez said he also plans to continue a practice started by his predecessor on the council, Rachel Morineau: Encouraging more community input via “coffee with the council member and community forums to further identity the immediate needs of constituents.” 

The race for district three was by far the hardest fought and most divisive in South County this election season. Tens of thousands of dollars poured into the race from labor unions and real estate interests. A non-stop barrage of attack ads persisted right up to Election Day. 

Now that the election is over, both candidates appeared ready to lay down arms. Fernandez’s opponent, former Chula Vista City Council member Rudy Ramirez, said he called Fernandez on Wednesday to concede the race “and wished him well and offered my services…He was grateful and appreciated the call.” 

Fernandez, too, said he’s ready to look forward. “I want to be a champion for public safety and for working class folks in my district,” he said. 

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Look familiar? We pulled this post from the Morning Report. Our daily newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on San Diego election results. Subscribe here.

Editor’s note: We’re expecting the San Diego County Registrar of Voters to update the unofficial election results today at 6 p.m. To get the results directly to your inbox, subscribe to the Morning Report.

One of the San Diego Unified school board’s most defining qualities over the past decade has been its near-perfect unanimity. Important decisions almost always sail through with 5-0 votes and few dissenting opinions. That could be about to change.

Sabrina Bazzo, an incumbent board member backed by the teachers union, leads Crystal Trull by a little more than 300 votes. When the first updates came from the Registrar of Voters that gap was wider. But as new ballots have been counted, Trull — who lost to Bazzo by more than 20 points in 2020 — has narrowed the gap. 

Should Trull eke out a victory she would be the first person to topple an incumbent on the board since 2014, as our Jakob McWhinney wrote. Trull would also almost certainly bring a dissenting voice to some of the board’s decisions. 

Two major tax measures are also too close to call. The city of San Diego is set to face a roughly $200 million deficit next year. City leaders had set their sights on a one-percent tax increase that would have closed the deficit plus given officials more added money that they had promised to spend on infrastructure improvements. 

That tax measure, Measure E, hangs dangerously close to the edge. It trails by roughly 1.5 percentage points. 

Measure G, a countywide half-cent sales tax increase, faces an even steeper climb. The “No” vote is currently ahead by more than two points. Measure G would have generated roughly $350 million that would have been earmarked for public transit and infrastructure. 

Our Tigist Layne wrote about some voters who weren’t very excited about the tax measures on Tuesday. They said the cost of living in San Diego is already high and they don’t want to add to it with an additional tax burden. 

“Rent is high, everything is high and now they want us to pay more?” one voter said. “What more do they want from us?”

Reminder: In the coming days, the Registrar of Voters will continue to update its webpage as it counts mail-in ballots. The next vote dump is scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm. You can check countywide results here. 

Can San Diego Finally Pass a Sales Tax Increase?

by Will Huntsberry November 4, 2024

Get to Know San Diego Unified Area A Board Candidates

by Jakob McWhinney October 9, 2024

The post Election Results: We’re Waiting on These Races appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

Election Day has come and gone, and now it’s time to see how residents across North County voted in high-stakes races and critical ballot measures. 

Incumbents Trail in Competitive Encinitas and Oceanside Mayoral Races 

Mayoral races in Encinitas and Oceanside remained close as of Wednesday. So far, results show the incumbents from both cities slightly trailing behind their challengers.  

Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz and Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez are up against sitting City Councilmembers, making these races particularly competitive. 

 At stake are competing visions for the future of housing development in both cities. 

Encinitas: In Encinitas, Mayor Kranz is facing Encinitas Councilmember Bruce Ehlers for the mayoral seat. Their most important difference is their approach to state housing laws.  

Kranz, having been through Encinitas’ history of defying state housing laws to no avail, believes it’s useless and costly to try to do so again. Ehlers, on the other hand, says he’s prepared to fight state housing laws that he says are impeding local control, despite the possibility of future litigation from developers and state officials. Read more about their housing views here. 

As of Wednesday, results showed Ehlers leading Kranz by four points. 

Oceanside: Democratic Mayor Sanchez is running for a second term and facing challenger Republican Ryan Keim, an Oceanside councilmember and current deputy mayor.  

Sanchez, an attorney and former public defender, has been on the council since 2000 and was first elected mayor in 2020, becoming the first woman and Latina to be elected mayor of Oceanside. Keim is a former Oceanside police officer. He was appointed to a vacancy on the council in 2019 and was elected for a full council term in 2020. 

The two have often been at odds, especially when it comes to housing. 

Sanchez has advocated for more affordable housing projects, but she’s often the only one on the council who opposes big development projects, siding with residents who are concerned about increased traffic or changing community character.   

Keim, on the other hand, has taken a more pro-growth stance, acknowledging that state law requires city officials to approve most viable housing projects.  

As of Wednesday, Keim was leading Sanchez by one point, but the race is still too close to call. 

Sales Tax Measures: Some Passed, Some Didn’t 

Escondido: It’s looking like voters in Escondido will have officially passed a 1 percent sales tax increase, two years after voters rejected a similar ballot measure in November 2022. 

Measure I took an early and wide lead Tuesday night, and as of Wednesday, the “yes” vote was leading by 19 points, accounting for more than 59 percent of the votes so far. 

The measure will increase the city’s sales tax rate by 1 percent for the next 20 years. The current sales tax rate in Escondido is 7.75 percent, which is among the lowest in San Diego County.  

It’s projected to generate around $28 million per year in revenue, which the measure’s supporters say, could help close or reduce the city’s ongoing structural budget deficit, which is projected to reach an average of $18 million each year over the next 20 years.  

Voice of San Diego has previously reported on how Escondido’s budget deficit has impacted city services and community programs. Read that story here. 

Oceanside: A measure to extend Oceanside’s existing half-percent sales tax increase will likely pass by a wide margin. The “yes” votes for Measure X were leading by 39 points on Wednesday, accounting for 69 percent of the votes. 

Oceanside voters first approved Measure X in 2018, which raised the city’s sales tax rate from 7.75 percent to 8.25 percent. The measure was set to expire in 2026, but now, with voter approval, it will be extended for another 10 years. 

So far, the measure has generated roughly $100 million for Oceanside. I previously wrote about how that money has been spent so far, read that story here.  

Encinitas: A proposed 1 percent sales tax increase in Encinitas, has, so far, not been so lucky. 

The “no” votes for Measure K have so far been leading by more than four points, accounting for 52 percent of the votes as of Wednesday.  

The measure proposes increasing the city’s current 7.75 percent sales tax rate to 8.75 percent. It has been projected to generate about $15.4 million each year for the city, and though the measure doesn’t specify how the money would be spent, city leaders have said it would partially be used to address an infrastructure backlog of roughly $257 million.  

This would include aging storm drains, bridges, sidewalks and public facilities. I previously wrote about Encinitas’ plan to finally improve the existing stormwater infrastructure in Leucadia Roadside Park, a neighborhood in Encinitas. 

San Marcos: A 1 percent sales tax increase in San Marcos is also likely going to pass, with “yes” votes leading by almost 20 points as of Wednesday and accounting for more than 59 percent of the votes. 

Measure Q is projected to bring in an estimated $20 million in yearly revenue.  

City leaders are hoping the new revenue would help with the city’s budget struggles. The city had to dip into its reserves to close a $3.8 million budget gap in last year and had to make cuts to city departments to balance this year’s budget.  

The current sales tax rate in San Marcos is 7.75 percent.  

That One Vista City Council Race 

An incumbent Vista City Council candidate whose opponent was recruited and endorsed by Vista’s mayor is slightly leading in her bid for reelection. 

Two City Council seats are up for election in Vista: One is being vacated by Republican Councilmember Joe Green, who is not seeking re-election, and the other is currently held by Democratic Councilmember Katie Melendez, who is seeking re-election.  

Melendez is being challenged by Republican business owner Denisse Barragan. Barragan is endorsed by Vista’s mayor, John Franklin, who is a Republican.  

Voice of San Diego previously reported that Franklin has been especially invested in this race, aiming to see Melendez—whom he has clashed with repeatedly over the years because of stark political differences—unseated and replaced by someone from his own party. 

But Melendez is leading Barragan by five points as of Wednesday, receiving more than 52 percent of the votes so far. 

Republican candidate Jeff Fox, who is vying for Green’s vacated seat, is defeating his opponent, Democrat Anthony White, by almost 30 points. 

The outcome of the election could change the political dynamics of the council, which currently has a Democratic majority, but if results continue on this trend, the political makeup of the council will remain the same. 

In Other Election News 

• In the 75th Assembly District race, it appears Republican Carl DeMaio will likely defeathis opponent Republican Andrew Hayes. DeMaio is leading Hayes by more than 20 points as of Wednesday . (Voice of San Diego) 
• In Escondido City Council races, incumbent City Councilmember Christian Garcia and newcomer Judy Fitzgerald took early and wide leads over their opponents, both defeating their challengers by more than 30 points. Fitzgerald will fill the District 4 seat vacated by incumbent Councilmember Mike Morasco. (Union-Tribune) 
• In San Marcos City Council races, incumbent Ed Musgrove and newcomer Danielle LeBlang maintained significant leads over their opponents in City Council races as of Wednesday and are poised to win. (Union-Tribune) 

The post North County Report: Election Results Are Rolling In appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

Look familiar? We pulled this post from the Morning Report. Our daily newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on San Diego election results. Subscribe here.

Republicans across the country went to bed Tuesday very pleased. Donald Trump is now just the second person to be elected president twice in non-consecutive elections. The U.S. Senate flipped to Republican control but control of the U.S. House was still too close to call. 

It’s so close, a House race in North County may be the one to decide it. U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat, held a small lead over his Republican challenger Matt Gunderson early Wednesday.

However much joy Republicans are experiencing, Trump’s success nationally may mean four more years, at least, of Republican struggles in San Diego County.  In the biggest race in the region, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer appears to have decisively beat her challenger, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican. And with that, an experienced, well-known Republican candidate with a major funding advantage lost to a Democrat in large part because of his support of Trump.

Locally, Mayor Todd Gloria and other Democrats did well, but tax measures they supported are still up in the air. A Democrat, Darshana Patel, appears to have kept the 76th Assembly seat in Democratic hands with a 5-point lead over Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane.

However, one Republican is about to be back, in a big way: Carl DeMaio. He handily disposed of rival Republican Andrew Hayes in the 75th Assembly District, whose support from elected Republicans, the Republican Party, Democrats, labor, police, fire fighters and so many others was not enough to beat DeMaio’s connections and supporters.

What happened: In our discussions with voters for our traditional Voices of the Voters features, one topic came up again and again: the cost of living and how painful it was. Across the country, that seems to be the major driver of the antipathy to the Biden-Harris administration that led to Trump’s victory. 

 Read the Voices of the Voters stories here. 

And here, the 11 sales tax measures across the county – where voters had to decide whether to deliberately increase their cost of living – served as referendums on the agencies that would collect the taxes. 

Some got major messages of support from their constituents. Others very much did not. We don’t know exactly how several went. We’ll have to wait days for the county to finish counting the votes. 

County Likely Remains Under Dem Control

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s definitive early lead Tuesday night suggests Democrats will retain control of the County Board of Supervisors.

At 1 a.m. Wednesday, Lawson-Remer was ahead of challenger and former Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer by more than 24,000 votes in District 3, which spans most of the county’s coastal communities.

Our Lisa Halverstadt reviewed what a Lawson-Remer’s likely victory means for the county. 

One hint: Lawson-Remer is going to try to become chair of the Board of Supervisors. Current Chair Nora Vargas may not be into that. 

Read the full story.

Four More Years for Gloria

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria appears to have won re-election. As of the count at 1 a.m., he held a 10-point lead over challenger Larry Turner — a difference of more than 34,000 votes out of 346,590 counted.

It was certainly a relief for Gloria, known to sweat any bad news, and he’ll take it as a validation of his efforts on the city’s homelessness, cost-of-living and infrastructure crises.

Turner, a San Diego police officer, had only recently moved to the city but mounted a furious campaign to highlight the city’s ills and decline under Gloria. He tapped into neighbors’ angst about development in their neighborhood but most intensely focused on the suffering of homeless residents in the streets.

To oust an incumbent, though, you must prove to voters you deserve the job, which means they have to learn about you. That takes either significant celebrity or money or both. A last-minute infusion of nearly $1.7 million from a donor in Point Loma turned out to be too little, too late.

San Diego City Council Incumbents Hold; Ferbert Rolls

Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who leads the Council’s progressive wing, will likely defeat his challenger Terry Hoskins, a retired police officer. As of 1:00 a.m., Elo-Rivera had 58 percent of the vote. 

Councilmember Stephen Whitburn also appeared to cruise to re-election. He had 61 percent of the vote in a race against Coleen Cusack, a progressive attorney, who was an advocate against the city’s homeless encampment ban. 

City Attorney: Turns out experience matters – or at least experience that gets you a good ballot title does. Heather Ferbert, a chief deputy city attorney, sailed past Assembly member Brian Maienschein in the race for San Diego City Attorney. Ferbert led Maienschein by around 12 points early Wednesday morning. Though the race divided councilmembers, Maienschein had the support of most labor unions, the mayor and the county’s Democratic party.

Some Cities Convinced Voters to Pay More Taxes 

Several cities appear to have passed tax increases, but San Diego’s sales tax increase, Measure E, remains too close to call. As of 1 a.m., the county had “yes” at 49 percent of the vote – just more than 7,900 votes back out of more than 346,000 counted so far. With each count update, the yes side gained ground. All of San Diego’s City Councilmembers supported the proposed tax increase. 

So far, it appears San Diegans are rejecting a countywide measure to raise the sales tax by half a cent to pay for transportation projects.

But as of 1 a.m., the vote was too close to call with 52 percent of voters casting ballots against Measure G, and 48 percent in favor – a difference of 37,388 out of nearly 900,000 votes counted. 

It’s likely that the cities of Chula Vista, El Cajon, Oceanside and La Mesa convinced voters to extend existing sales tax increases in their cities. Sales tax increase proposals in at least two other cities are also leaning toward passing: Lemon Grove and San Marcos. 

Escondido: Voters have passed a 1-percentage point increase to the sales tax rate in Escondido. The “yes” votes accounted for more than 58 percent of the votes counted as of 1 a.m. in Escondido. 

Incumbents Trail in Encinitas and Oceanside Mayoral Races

Mayoral races in Encinitas and Oceanside were extremely close on Tuesday night with early results showing each race in a dead heat. At stake are competing visions for the future of housing development in both cities.

Encinitas: In Encinitas, incumbent Mayor Tony Kranz is facing City Councilmember Bruce Ehlers for the mayoral seat. Early results showed Ehlers leading Kranz by four points. Read more about that race here. 

Oceanside: Incumbent Democratic Mayor Esther Sanchez is running against challenger Republican Ryan Keim, a councilmember and current deputy mayor. 

The two have often been at odds, especially when it comes to housing.

Sanchez has advocated for more affordable housing projects, but she’s often the only councilmember opposed to big development projects, echoing residents’ concerns about increased traffic or changing community character.  

Keim, on the other hand, has a more pro-growth stance and has acknowledged that state law requires him and the council to approve most housing projects. 

Early results showed Keim leading by one point, but it’s still too close to call.

Carl DeMaio Leading in 75th Assembly Race

In the 75th Assembly District race, Republican Carl DeMaio has taken an early and wide lead over his opponent Republican Andrew Hayes.

DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilmember, is a controversial conservative figure in San Diego politics. His campaign was riddled with controversy and complaints of campaign finance violations.

He previously served one term on the San Diego City Council in 2008, then lost races for mayor in 2012 and for Congress in 2014 and 2020. He promised to reshape the entire California Republican Party. 

San Diego Unified Board Incumbent Maintains Razor Thin Lead 

The race between San Diego Unified incumbent Sabrina Bazzo and challenger Crystal Trull is razor tight. As of 1:00 a.m., the count showed Bazzo up by just 691 votes out of nearly 47,000 votes cast – 50.74 percent to Trull’s 49.26 percent. That could flip over coming days and would disrupt the San Diego Unified Board of Education where there is little dissent. 

Trull faced significant headwinds: The district’s teachers union, who has long acted as a kingmaker in board races, supported Bazzo. Though she ran a relatively apolitical campaign, Trull was endorsed by the county’s Republican Party. That’s a hard sell for a district electorate that has voted in exclusively liberal, labor-supported candidates for multiple election cycles.  

Despite all of that, voters seem open to a new face who can help clean up its old problems, party affiliation be damned.  

Read the full story here.

Statewide: A Hit and a Miss 

Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime ballot measure, passed easily Tuesday night. The proposition will roll back reforms made by Californians a decade earlier. 

Recent waves of “smash and grab robberies” and fentanyl deaths led some business and law enforcement groups to revisit the earlier reforms. Proposition 36 toughens penalties for fentanyl trafficking and introduces court-ordered treatment for people convicted of drug offenses.

Affordable housing, roads and stormwater improvements might have to wait, after a ballot measure that would have made it easier to fund those investments is falling behind in early election returns. Proposition 5 aimed to lower the threshold for passing local infrastructure bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent. 

Will Huntsberry, Lisa Halverstadt, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, Tigist Layne, Jim Hinch, MacKenzie Elmer, Jakob McWhinney, Deborah Brennan Bella Ross and Scott Lewis contributed to this post.

The post Your Guide to San Diego’s Election Results appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

Four years ago, Democrats took control of a San Diego County government long directed by Republicans. Democratic Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s likely victory on Tuesday ensures progressives can continue their years-long effort to reshape the county. 

Just before midnight Wednesday, Lawson-Remer was ahead of challenger and former Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer by nearly 25,000 votes in District 3, which spans most of the county’s coastal communities. 

Lawson-Remer was reluctant to declare victory nearly an hour earlier at a Democratic Party gathering at a downtown hotel but excited about the initial returns.  

“We know that this race matters and what happens tonight is going to have a huge impact on the future of San Diego County,” Lawson-Remer said. 

Faulconer didn’t make any public statements Tuesday night. 

Lawson-Remer has said her re-election will allow her to continue bolstering the county’s response to its homelessness, housing and behavioral health crises. Her victory also likely represents more restricted development in the county’s backcountry areas and more environmentally and labor-friendly policies.  

Lawson-Remer’s win also dashes the hopes of Republicans who saw the District 3 race as perhaps their last chance to win back control of the county with a well-known politician backed by developers and business interests.  

 Instead, Lawson-Remer’s expected victory means that – barring any surprises – Democrats will enjoy at least a 3-2 majority on the Board of Supervisors until at least 2027. 

Lawson-Remer has said her top priorities in a second term would be to continue to press for more funding to supply more behavioral health treatment including by increasing insurance reimbursement rates, pursue more public-private partnerships to address the region’s housing shortage and continue urging federal action on the long-running Tijuana sewage crisis.  

Kyra Greene, executive director of the left-leaning Center on Policy Initiatives, said she also expects to see Lawson-Remer push for a continued focus on data-driven policymaking and analyses of county initiatives.  

“I think what she has represented on the board is an understanding that you get elected by your district, but you have to govern on behalf of the entire county,” said Greene, who noted that Lawson-Remer’s broader focus represents a shift from past board members who often focused more on projects in their districts. 

That broader focus also speaks to Lawson-Remer’s aspirations for her second term. Her win puts her in the running to lead the board, a role Lawson-Remer told Voice of San Diego she expects to seek in the new year to increase her impact at the county. Becoming chair isn’t a certainty. It will require support from her board colleagues, including fellow Democrat and current Chair Nora Vargas with whom she has sometimes tussled publicly.  

To eke out significant achievements, she’ll also need to make the most of what has historically been a narrow and mostly ceremonial role. Former county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who was later engulfed in scandal, previously used the chairmanship to set county priorities. 

“The initiatives that have gone really well are the ones where I’m engaging with county staff like all the time. My team is talking to them. We have our hands in the weeds,” Lawson-Remer said in September. “I think you’ve gotta do that. And if you’re not doing that, stuff does not move. I think being chair will significantly help my ability to have my hands in more lanes than I can right now.” 

Whether Lawson-Remer can achieve that will rest not only on her ability to convince fellow supervisors to appoint her but also to persuade county staff and others to follow her lead if she does nab that role. 

Tougher budget times may also stall major initiatives. The county relies significantly on state dollars that could be in peril amid predicted budget deficits in coming years and federal dollars that could also be more unpredictable during a second Trump administration. The county also soon won’t have federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to lean on.  

Crystal Irving of the Service Employees International Union Local 221, the county’s largest labor union, said her organization rallied behind Lawson-Remer’s candidacy because it wants to continue the progress made since she took office in 2021. 

In a statement, Irving cheered Lawson-Remer’s likely victory as the final electoral battle over the political direction of the county board. 

“Now that we have finally put the ideological anti-government era of this board behind us for good, we are optimistic that the board will pass progressive, pro-worker policies that support working families, address climate issues, increase affordable housing and work with county management team to ensure implementation,” Irving wrote. 

Amy Reichert, a Republican activist who previously ran for supervisor, had a different view of what a Lawson-Remer victory would mean for a district where 27 percent of registered voters are Republicans, and a quarter are independents who have declined to share a party preference. About 40 percent of registered voters in the district that runs from Carlsbad to Coronado are Democrats. 

“People feel that things are out of balance and that the county Board of Supervisors in particular has moved to the far left,” Reichert said. “There is just a point where not just Republicans, but a lot of people just don’t even feel like they’re being represented or heard at the county Board of Supervisors.” 

The post With Likely Lawson-Remer Win, Dems Maintain County Majority appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

The race between San Diego Unified incumbent Sabrina Bazzo and challenger Crystal Trull is razor tight. Just before midnight on Wednesday, Bazzo led by less than two points, 50.74 percent to Trull’s 49.26 percent. The outcome could change in the coming days.  

If Bazzo loses, it would be the first time in at least 14 years an incumbent lost their seat on San Diego Unified’s school board. 

Earlier this year, there were no real indications that would change. Sure, the district was facing a budget deficit, but Bazzo, the only trustee with a challenger this cycle, skated by in the primary. 

Since then, the district has faced growing crises: Its structural budget deficit is poised to keep growing. Parents and teachers lost confidence in how officials handled sexual misconduct complaints after a damning federal report and the board’s July decision to fire Superintendent Lamont Jackson after an investigation revealed he’d sexually harassed former staff members. The board will ultimately choose Jackson’s replacement, though they’ve given every indication that they plan to stick with his former No. 2, Fabiola Bagula. 

Given that toxic mix of issues, it seemed likely that Trull, who also ran against Bazzo back in 2020, had a chance to unseat her. Early indications bolstered that, with Trull performing eight points better during the primary than her 2020 general election showing.  

But Trull still faced significant headwinds: For one, the district’s teachers union, long the kingmaker in board races, supported Bazzo. For another, though she ran a relatively apolitical campaign unlike Becca Williams in 2022, the county Republican Party endorsed Trull. That’s a hard sell for a district electorate that’s voted in exclusively liberal candidates for multiple election cycles. If elected, Trull would be the only conservative on the board.

Despite all of that, voters seem open to a new face who can help clean up its old problems, party affiliation be damned.  

What the candidates said: When I spoke to Bazzo on Tuesday evening, I asked her if she felt the recent crises impacted the race. She said she though it “probably played somewhat of a role.” 

“It’s unfortunate that we’re having to deal with that still but I can understand how that would play into it,” Bazzo said. 

If she wins, Bazzo said she wants to approach her next term in the same way Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris pitched herself to voters. 

“I want to be a board member for all of our students and families and find out what are the issues and why was it as close as it was,” she said. 

On Tuesday night, Trull was still hopeful she could eke out a win. Despite her conservative endorsements, she said she had a wide range of supporters, many of whom were attracted to her campaign because of the the crises that have bloomed in recent months.  

“My message of transparency, fiscal responsibility, getting back to foundational academics really resonated with a lot of people,” Trull said. “Somebody who brings a different voice is really appealing for the public because they see all that’s happening in the district and are concerned.” 

Cajon Valley Board President Poised to Win Reelection 

Cajon Valley Union Elementary School board president Jim Miller seems poised to fend off challengers Oday Yousif and Alex Welling. Just before midnight Wednesday, he had secured about 47 percent of the reported vote to Yousif’s 29 percent and Welling’s around 23 percent.

While certainly a sigh of relief for Miller, there’s likely another person breathing easier tonight: Superintendent David Miyashiro.  

Here’s why: Welling is a close ally of conservative board member Anthony Carnevale, who has feuded with Miyashiro both on substantive issues like district spending and on culture war fronts. Miller, on the other hand, has been more closely aligned with Miyashiro. 

Many within the district feared those feuds could lead to Carnevale to try to fire Miyashiro. Though Carnevale did not explicitly say his aim was to fire Miyashiro, he did say he wanted to institute “accountability and a true evaluation,” of the superintendent. 

“We’ve not been able to do that with the current … majority board leadership,” Carnevale said.    

 If these results hold – and it seems they will – Carnevale won’t get his new majority. 

San Dieguito’s Allman Clinging to Small Lead 

Michael Allman, the controversial San Dieguito Union High School District board member, holds a narrow lead over challenger Kevin Sabellico. Just before midnight Wednesday, Allman held a five point lead over Sabellico.

That’s bad news for Allman’s opponents: When Allman was elected to San Dieguito’s board in 2020, he ushered in a serious vibe change. Allman, a staunch conservative, stirred up all sorts of animosity. The district burned through a handful of superintendents, saw two board members resign and weathered allegations that Allman had acted like a bully. Allman even survived a recount attempt.  

Supporters of Sabellico, a Democratic political consultant, thought he could calm the district’s troubled waters. He may pull ahead in future election updates, but it’s not looking good for now.  

The post San Diego Unified Board Incumbent Maintains Razor Thin Lead appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

Despite spending millions of dollars, sending thousands of mailers and trading hundreds of barbs, 75th Assembly District candidates Carl DeMaio and Andrew Hayes weren’t at the top of some voters’ minds on Election Day. 

“There’s so much political advertising,” Sarah Fox said before casting her ballot at Reidy Creek Elementary School in Escondido. “It’s like white noise.” 

The two Republican candidates waged a fierce battle for the open seat in red-leaning North and East County. 

DeMaio, a former San Diego city council member and radio host, tried to push Hayes out of the running during the primary by backing a Democratic opponent. Supporters of Hayes, a former district director for Brian Jones and Lakeside Union School Board member, filed campaign finance complaints about DeMaio. 

Their slugfest tied the Republican Party of San Diego in knots. And their campaign flyers created mountains of mail at many households in the district.  

But dozens of voters lined up at vote centers including the elementary campus and Elks Lodge Tuesday said they didn’t notice. 

“I didn’t know it was super contentious,” Fox said. “I think it’s probably not good to have that contention within a party.” 

Many others said they had no opinion on the race, didn’t know the candidates or were still studying the ballot as they waited to vote.  

But the handful of voters familiar with the race said DeMaio had a slight advantage: name recognition. 

Chip Methany arrived at the Reidy Creek vote center in a Trump hat and American flag t-shirt, said he chose DeMaio. 

“All I know is that he’s a good conservative and that’s why I’m voting for him,” Methany said. 

The post Voices of the Voters: 75th Assembly District: Voters May Have Missed the Drama   appeared first on Voice of San Diego.