City elections in San Diego, California (2020)
2022 →
← 2018
|
2020 San Diego elections |
---|
Election dates |
Filing deadline: December 6, 2019 |
Primary election: March 3, 2020 General election: November 3, 2020 |
Election stats |
Offices up: Mayor, city attorney, and city council districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 |
Total seats up: 7 (click here for mayoral elections) |
Election type: Nonpartisan |
Other municipal elections |
U.S. municipal elections, 2020 |
The city of San Diego, California, held general elections for mayor, city attorney, and city council districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020. The two candidates who received the most votes in the primary advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was December 6, 2019.[1]
San Diego is a city in San Diego County, California. For information on 2020 elections in San Diego County, click here.
Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
California modified its absentee/mail-in and in-person voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in ballots were sent to all registered voters in the general election.
- In-person voting: Counties were authorized to consolidate precincts and defer opening voting centers until the third day before the election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
City attorney
General election
General election for San Diego City Attorney
Incumbent Mara Elliott defeated Cory Briggs in the general election for San Diego City Attorney on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Mara Elliott (Nonpartisan) | 66.6 | 380,291 | |
Cory Briggs (Nonpartisan) | 33.4 | 190,893 |
Total votes: 571,184 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Attorney
Incumbent Mara Elliott and Cory Briggs defeated Pete Mesich in the primary for San Diego City Attorney on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Mara Elliott (Nonpartisan) | 67.9 | 208,767 | |
✔ | Cory Briggs (Nonpartisan) | 23.3 | 71,672 | |
Pete Mesich (Nonpartisan) | 8.8 | 27,223 |
Total votes: 307,662 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
City Council District 1
General election
General election for San Diego City Council District 1
Joe LaCava defeated Will Moore in the general election for San Diego City Council District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Joe LaCava (Nonpartisan) | 61.0 | 42,613 | |
Will Moore (Nonpartisan) | 39.0 | 27,250 |
Total votes: 69,863 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 1
The following candidates ran in the primary for San Diego City Council District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Joe LaCava (Nonpartisan) | 24.1 | 10,335 | |
✔ | Will Moore (Nonpartisan) | 16.4 | 7,054 | |
Aaron Brennan (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 6,399 | ||
Sam Nejabat (Nonpartisan) | 13.7 | 5,884 | ||
Lily Zhou (Nonpartisan) | 9.1 | 3,910 | ||
James Rudolph (Nonpartisan) | 8.2 | 3,505 | ||
Harid Puentes (Nonpartisan) | 7.8 | 3,340 | ||
Louis Rodolico (Nonpartisan) | 5.8 | 2,484 |
Total votes: 42,911 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
City Council District 3
General election
General election for San Diego City Council District 3
Stephen Whitburn defeated Toni Duran in the general election for San Diego City Council District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Stephen Whitburn (Nonpartisan) | 63.0 | 49,119 | |
Toni Duran (Nonpartisan) | 37.0 | 28,813 |
Total votes: 77,932 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 3
Stephen Whitburn and Toni Duran defeated Chris Olsen, Michelle Nguyen, and Adrian Kwiatkowski in the primary for San Diego City Council District 3 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Stephen Whitburn (Nonpartisan) | 31.1 | 14,844 | |
✔ | Toni Duran (Nonpartisan) | 22.7 | 10,836 | |
Chris Olsen (Nonpartisan) | 20.3 | 9,705 | ||
Michelle Nguyen (Nonpartisan) | 17.5 | 8,340 | ||
Adrian Kwiatkowski (Nonpartisan) | 8.4 | 3,996 |
Total votes: 47,721 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
City Council District 5
General election
General election for San Diego City Council District 5
Marni von Wilpert defeated Joe Leventhal in the general election for San Diego City Council District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Marni von Wilpert (Nonpartisan) | 53.2 | 43,630 | |
Joe Leventhal (Nonpartisan) | 46.8 | 38,308 |
Total votes: 81,938 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 5
Marni von Wilpert and Joe Leventhal defeated Isaac Wang and Simon Moghadam in the primary for San Diego City Council District 5 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Marni von Wilpert (Nonpartisan) | 39.8 | 18,084 | |
✔ | Joe Leventhal (Nonpartisan) | 36.9 | 16,778 | |
Isaac Wang (Nonpartisan) | 19.3 | 8,764 | ||
Simon Moghadam (Nonpartisan) | 4.0 | 1,836 |
Total votes: 45,462 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
City Council District 7
General election
General election for San Diego City Council District 7
Raul Campillo defeated Noli Zosa in the general election for San Diego City Council District 7 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Raul Campillo (Nonpartisan) | 55.0 | 40,310 | |
Noli Zosa (Nonpartisan) | 45.0 | 32,963 |
Total votes: 73,273 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 7
Raul Campillo and Noli Zosa defeated Wendy Wheatcroft and Monty McIntyre in the primary for San Diego City Council District 7 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Raul Campillo (Nonpartisan) | 35.9 | 15,025 | |
✔ | Noli Zosa (Nonpartisan) | 30.5 | 12,783 | |
Wendy Wheatcroft (Nonpartisan) | 20.4 | 8,526 | ||
Monty McIntyre (Nonpartisan) | 13.3 | 5,558 |
Total votes: 41,892 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
City Council District 9
General election
General election for San Diego City Council District 9
Sean Elo-Rivera defeated Kelvin Barrios in the general election for San Diego City Council District 9 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Sean Elo-Rivera (Nonpartisan) | 62.7 | 26,835 | |
Kelvin Barrios (Nonpartisan) | 37.3 | 15,990 |
Total votes: 42,825 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 9
The following candidates ran in the primary for San Diego City Council District 9 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Kelvin Barrios (Nonpartisan) | 31.6 | 7,426 | |
✔ | Sean Elo-Rivera (Nonpartisan) | 20.5 | 4,819 | |
Johnny Lee Dang (Nonpartisan) | 14.8 | 3,473 | ||
Andrew Gade (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 2,222 | ||
Ross Naismith (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 1,997 | ||
Sam Bedwell (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 1,986 | ||
Alex Soto (Nonpartisan) | 6.7 | 1,564 |
Total votes: 23,487 | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Ballot measures
- See also: California 2020 ballot measures
March 3
- See also: March 3 local ballot measures
Statewide:
County:
- San Diego County, California, Measure A, Voter Approval for Land Use Amendments to County General Plan (March 2020)
- San Diego County, California, Measure B, General Plan Amendments for Newland Sierra Project (March 2020)
City:
- San Diego, California, Measure C, Lodging Tax for Convention Center Expansion, Street Repairs, and Homelessness Programs (March 2020)
/
- San Diego, California, Measure D, City Auditor Selection and Term Charter Amendment (March 2020)
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2020
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in local elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many areas. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local election. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the city
- See also: San Diego, California
San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County. As of 2020, its population was 1,386,932.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of San Diego uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[2]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
Demographic Data for San Diego, California | ||
---|---|---|
San Diego | California | |
Population | 1,386,932 | 39,538,223 |
Land area (sq mi) | 326 | 155,858 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White | 50.4% | 44% |
Black/African American | 5.7% | 5.5% |
Asian | 17.6% | 15.3% |
Native American | 0.7% | 1.1% |
Pacific Islander | 1.1% | 1.2% |
Two or more | 15.6% | 16.3% |
Hispanic/Latino | 29.6% | 39.8% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate | 90.2% | 84.6% |
College graduation rate | 49.9% | 36.5% |
Income | ||
Median household income | $104,321 | $96,334 |
Persons below poverty level | 11.1% | 12% |
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points. |
2016 Presidential Results by State Assembly District | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
1 | 39.63% | 57.31% | R+17.7 | 36.09% | 56.75% | R+20.7 | R |
2 | 64.68% | 30.51% | D+34.2 | 62.20% | 28.98% | D+33.2 | D |
3 | 42.41% | 54.46% | R+12.1 | 39.47% | 53.31% | R+13.8 | R |
4 | 63.16% | 33.86% | D+29.3 | 63.03% | 29.95% | D+33.1 | D |
5 | 41.27% | 55.92% | R+14.7 | 38.51% | 54.85% | R+16.3 | R |
6 | 38.59% | 59.09% | R+20.5 | 41.17% | 52.02% | R+10.9 | R |
7 | 67.59% | 29.61% | D+38 | 67.63% | 25.69% | D+41.9 | D |
8 | 51.72% | 45.62% | D+6.1 | 51.77% | 41.03% | D+10.7 | D |
9 | 60.56% | 37.52% | D+23 | 61.47% | 32.89% | D+28.6 | D |
10 | 73.76% | 23.28% | D+50.5 | 75.65% | 17.96% | D+57.7 | D |
11 | 60.96% | 36.87% | D+24.1 | 58.86% | 35.17% | D+23.7 | D |
12 | 45.19% | 52.50% | R+7.3 | 43.11% | 51.05% | R+7.9 | R |
13 | 64.23% | 33.88% | D+30.4 | 62.97% | 31.79% | D+31.2 | D |
14 | 68.80% | 28.72% | D+40.1 | 69.55% | 24.47% | D+45.1 | D |
15 | 86.82% | 9.56% | D+77.3 | 87.39% | 7.04% | D+80.4 | D |
16 | 57.74% | 40.10% | D+17.6 | 64.47% | 29.23% | D+35.2 | R |
17 | 87.07% | 9.36% | D+77.7 | 88.12% | 6.95% | D+81.2 | D |
18 | 86.89% | 10.23% | D+76.7 | 85.89% | 8.44% | D+77.5 | D |
19 | 78.94% | 18.38% | D+60.6 | 81.63% | 13.34% | D+68.3 | D |
20 | 75.74% | 22.15% | D+53.6 | 75.52% | 19.12% | D+56.4 | D |
21 | 55.61% | 42.03% | D+13.6 | 54.63% | 39.46% | D+15.2 | D |
22 | 71.43% | 26.31% | D+45.1 | 75.16% | 19.75% | D+55.4 | D |
23 | 43.46% | 54.71% | R+11.2 | 43.95% | 50.78% | R+6.8 | R |
24 | 72.16% | 24.96% | D+47.2 | 78.19% | 15.93% | D+62.3 | D |
25 | 72.40% | 25.26% | D+47.1 | 73.61% | 20.90% | D+52.7 | D |
26 | 41.15% | 56.68% | R+15.5 | 41.54% | 52.93% | R+11.4 | R |
27 | 76.36% | 21.54% | D+54.8 | 77.76% | 17.29% | D+60.5 | D |
28 | 66.64% | 30.77% | D+35.9 | 70.63% | 23.08% | D+47.6 | D |
29 | 69.95% | 26.66% | D+43.3 | 70.00% | 22.96% | D+47 | D |
30 | 66.99% | 30.86% | D+36.1 | 66.70% | 27.32% | D+39.4 | D |
31 | 61.98% | 36.21% | D+25.8 | 62.13% | 32.93% | D+29.2 | D |
32 | 56.20% | 41.81% | D+14.4 | 56.50% | 37.98% | D+18.5 | D |
33 | 41.80% | 55.51% | R+13.7 | 40.02% | 54.61% | R+14.6 | R |
34 | 33.96% | 63.85% | R+29.9 | 34.07% | 60.21% | R+26.1 | R |
35 | 47.82% | 49.42% | R+1.6 | 49.57% | 43.43% | D+6.1 | R |
36 | 48.79% | 48.48% | D+0.3 | 49.94% | 43.86% | D+6.1 | R |
37 | 60.97% | 36.28% | D+24.7 | 64.27% | 29.21% | D+35.1 | D |
38 | 46.73% | 50.84% | R+4.1 | 49.64% | 44.39% | D+5.2 | R |
39 | 73.75% | 23.67% | D+50.1 | 74.64% | 19.80% | D+54.8 | D |
40 | 53.14% | 44.72% | D+8.4 | 54.08% | 40.01% | D+14.1 | R |
41 | 59.74% | 37.72% | D+22 | 62.82% | 31.27% | D+31.5 | D |
42 | 44.98% | 52.93% | R+7.9 | 45.61% | 49.70% | R+4.1 | R |
43 | 67.35% | 29.62% | D+37.7 | 68.94% | 25.45% | D+43.5 | D |
44 | 52.37% | 45.51% | D+6.9 | 57.12% | 36.99% | D+20.1 | D |
45 | 63.46% | 34.12% | D+29.3 | 67.36% | 27.39% | D+40 | D |
46 | 73.73% | 23.65% | D+50.1 | 76.20% | 18.48% | D+57.7 | D |
47 | 71.49% | 26.54% | D+44.9 | 70.10% | 24.80% | D+45.3 | D |
48 | 64.08% | 33.44% | D+30.6 | 65.60% | 28.50% | D+37.1 | D |
49 | 64.69% | 33.26% | D+31.4 | 67.57% | 27.17% | D+40.4 | D |
50 | 70.79% | 26.51% | D+44.3 | 76.72% | 18.33% | D+58.4 | D |
51 | 83.48% | 13.50% | D+70 | 84.05% | 10.19% | D+73.9 | D |
52 | 65.01% | 32.92% | D+32.1 | 65.78% | 28.71% | D+37.1 | D |
53 | 84.64% | 12.59% | D+72 | 84.83% | 9.63% | D+75.2 | D |
54 | 83.62% | 13.88% | D+69.7 | 85.15% | 10.12% | D+75 | D |
55 | 45.77% | 52.23% | R+6.5 | 49.92% | 44.61% | D+5.3 | R |
56 | 62.14% | 36.26% | D+25.9 | 64.21% | 31.24% | D+33 | D |
57 | 63.71% | 34.01% | D+29.7 | 65.92% | 28.39% | D+37.5 | D |
58 | 70.24% | 27.80% | D+42.4 | 72.54% | 22.26% | D+50.3 | D |
59 | 93.24% | 5.19% | D+88 | 90.70% | 5.09% | D+85.6 | D |
60 | 51.32% | 46.31% | D+5 | 52.48% | 41.97% | D+10.5 | D |
61 | 63.43% | 34.55% | D+28.9 | 62.47% | 31.62% | D+30.9 | D |
62 | 80.81% | 17.00% | D+63.8 | 82.05% | 13.06% | D+69 | D |
63 | 76.06% | 21.73% | D+54.3 | 77.35% | 17.38% | D+60 | D |
64 | 88.74% | 9.98% | D+78.8 | 86.21% | 9.61% | D+76.6 | D |
65 | 51.90% | 45.68% | D+6.2 | 56.73% | 37.28% | D+19.4 | D |
66 | 54.18% | 43.24% | D+10.9 | 59.97% | 33.60% | D+26.4 | D |
67 | 39.61% | 58.33% | R+18.7 | 38.89% | 55.94% | R+17.1 | R |
68 | 42.55% | 55.12% | R+12.6 | 49.42% | 44.58% | D+4.8 | R |
69 | 67.37% | 30.30% | D+37.1 | 71.94% | 22.33% | D+49.6 | D |
70 | 67.38% | 29.93% | D+37.5 | 68.13% | 25.09% | D+43 | D |
71 | 38.47% | 59.51% | R+21 | 38.19% | 56.26% | R+18.1 | R |
72 | 46.71% | 51.06% | R+4.4 | 51.40% | 43.13% | D+8.3 | R |
73 | 38.68% | 59.36% | R+20.7 | 43.89% | 50.38% | R+6.5 | R |
74 | 45.14% | 52.42% | R+7.3 | 50.71% | 43.29% | D+7.4 | R |
75 | 39.42% | 58.50% | R+19.1 | 43.22% | 50.68% | R+7.5 | R |
76 | 48.76% | 49.04% | R+0.3 | 53.11% | 40.38% | D+12.7 | R |
77 | 48.25% | 49.83% | R+1.6 | 55.16% | 38.94% | D+16.2 | R |
78 | 63.15% | 34.08% | D+29.1 | 67.48% | 25.85% | D+41.6 | D |
79 | 61.21% | 36.91% | D+24.3 | 64.24% | 30.04% | D+34.2 | D |
80 | 69.47% | 28.67% | D+40.8 | 73.15% | 21.34% | D+51.8 | D |
Total | 60.35% | 37.19% | D+23.2 | 62.25% | 31.89% | D+30.4 | - |
Source: Daily Kos |
See also
San Diego, California | California | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
---|---|---|---|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of San Diego, "2020 ELECTION: CANDIDATE INFORMATION," accessed February 5, 2020
- ↑ San Diego City Charter, Art. XV 250-295, accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
|