Meet the candidates for San Diego mayor
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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Incumbent San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who’s running for re-election in the March 5 primary, is being challenged by four opponents.
Gloria — the city’s 37th mayor — has held the seat since 2020. The following candidates are now vying to take his spot: Jane Glasson, Geneviéve Jones-Wright, Daniel Smiechowski and Larry Turner.
What does the mayor do?
The mayor is the highest-ranking official in the city, acting as San Diego’s chief executive officer. While in this role, the mayor is tasked with enforcing and executing the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council. This public servant also oversees city departments, operations, and is in charge of creating an annual budget proposal.
Some of things in which the mayor has power to do includes hiring or firing city officials, vetoing laws passed by the city council, representing government bodies, among other duties.
Who are the candidates?
*Each candidate is listed in alphabetical order based on their last name, with the incumbent at the top.
Todd Gloria is running for a second term as San Diego mayor. Before he took over the role amid the pandemic in 2020, he served on the city council and in the state assembly.
According to his campaign website, Gloria wants to focus on the following key issues if re-elected: public safety, solving the homelessness crisis, addressing the issue of housing and tackling aging infrastructure.
During an interview with the San Diego Tribune, Gloria said he hopes to finish the work he started during his first term as mayor. He also said he would continue to “renounce extreme policies that divide us and focus on what’s best for San Diego.”
Jane Glasson is a self-described Republican and conservative, according to her campaign account on X, formerly known as Twitter. Her experience includes being the treasurer and secretary of her homeowners association.
During an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Glasson said the main issues she’s focused on includes supporting homeowners and renters, restoring public safety, as well as supporting local businesses.
Other things she hopes to accomplish if elected, according to that same interview, are fixing San Diego streets and providing free meals to those experiencing homeless in the city.
Geneviéve Jones-Wright, a San Diego native, has a master’s degree in law and works as an adjunct professor. She is also a member of the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, and serves as the founding executive director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance.
According to her campaign website, Jones-Wright said her main priorities as mayor, if elected, would be creating a pathway to housing and homeownership, creating vibrant neighborhoods with accessibility to crucial needs, and creating trust and accountability in governance.
During an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jones-Wright said one if the first things she would do as mayor is meet with key stakeholders and heads of every city department to collaboratively set goals.
Daniel Smiechowski is a real estate professional. During an interview with the San Diego Tribune, he said he has spent his life advocating for the citizens of San Diego, which is why he is vying for the position of mayor.
According to his campaign website, some of the issues Smiechowski would focus on, if elected, include roadway improvements, cracking down on crime, protecting private property rights, standing against SB10, as well as being a senior and taxpayer advocate.
One of first things he would do in the role, as mentioned in the interview, would be stopping all projects that involve the sale of city-owned land. He said he would also institute a 10% pay cut of all salaries in city government that exceed $150,000.
Larry Turner is a self-described lifelong independent, according to his campaign website. He served 23 years in the Marine Corps before becoming an officer for the San Diego Police Department. He’s currently a community relations officer downtown.
Some of the key issues he believes are facing San Diego, as listed on his webpage, is the homeless crisis, infrastructure, the local economy, border and immigration issues, crime and safety, transportation, as well as housing.
During an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Turner said one of the first things he would do as mayor, if elected, would be immediately ordering the construction of additional homeless shelters. He said he would also order the police chief to begin enforcing the California penal code, as well as have an emergency session on infrastructure.
How do I vote in the election?
Several voting centers have already opened across the county, and drop-off ballot locations are also scattered throughout the region. San Diego’s guide to elections during the March 5 presidential primary can be found here.
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