I have always loved the last few months leading up to Election Day.
There is an electric feeling in the air as our calendars begin to fill up with debates and forums we want to attend or watch on TV. Our social media feeds get flooded with election updates, hot takes and passionate discussions. And news organizations across the nation shift their attention to this one day that will shape policies and influence the direction of cities and communities for years to come.
We are less than three months away, and the feeling is palpable.
In North County, there are a handful of measures residents will see on their ballots this year, as well as some City Council and mayoral races that are heating up. Here’s a roundup of what I’ll be watching in North County this election season.
Mayor and City Council Races: It’s Getting Spicy
Encinitas mayoral race: In Encinitas, incumbent Mayor Tony Kranz is facing a challenger from the city’s own City Council for the mayoral seat. Councilmember Bruce Ehlers has decided to run for mayor two years into his term as a city council member.
And the two of them have an interesting history.
Ehlers used to be on the city’s Planning Commission before being elected to the District 4 City Council seat in November 2022, but he was pushed out from the commission in April 2022 in an effort led by Kranz, who was a councilmember at the time, and state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who was the mayor.
In a unanimous vote, the City Council dismissed Ehlers from the commission citing his record of opposing the city’s efforts to stay compliant with state housing laws and his inability to remain unbiased and objective when considering housing projects. A few months later he became a council member.
The two candidates participated in a forum last weekend that highlighted their differing views on many of the city’s issues including a one-cent sales tax measure that will be on the upcoming ballot, state housing laws and more.
Ehlers voted against putting the sales tax measure on the ballot arguing that residents don’t need an additional financial burden. Kranz disagreed, saying the money could be used to fund the city’s aging infrastructure and other projects.
And when it comes to state housing laws, Ehlers expressed his resistance to state housing laws that are pushing cities to make way for more housing, saying he opposes large developments and wants to preserve the city’s “community character,” according to a report by the Coast News.
Kranz, on the other hand, said he doesn’t want Encinitas to go back to a time when city leaders were resisting state housing laws. The city has previously been the subject of public warnings and lawsuits from state officials for not complying with state housing laws. He said it’s expensive and useless to try to fight state housing laws.
Oceanside mayoral race: Similarly, in Oceanside, Councilmember Ryan Keim is challenging incumbent Mayor Esther Sanchez for the mayoral seat instead of seeking re-election to his council district seat.
The two candidates both have homelessness and protecting the city’s beaches as top priorities for their campaigns, but they differ on housing policies.
Sanchez believes city leaders should prioritize affordable housing in Oceanside. Keim, though, doesn’t want affordable housing to come at the expense of single-family neighborhoods. He recently told the Coast News that he is against state mandates that he said are forcing high-density housing projects in single-family neighborhoods.
Vista City Council race: There are two City Council seats up for grabs in Vista. One is being vacated by Councilmember Joe Green, who is not seeking re-election, and the other is currently held by Councilmember Katie Melendez’s, who is seeking re-election.
The outcome of the election could change the political dynamics of the council, which currently has a Democratic majority. Though city councils are nonpartisan, councilmembers’ political views do play a part in policy making.
Melendez who is a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican business owner Denisse Barragan. Barragan is endorsed by Vista’s mayor, John Franklin, who is a Republican.
Green is the only other Republican on the council, and he isn’t seeking re-election. Three candidates are vying for his spot; Republican business owner Jeff Fox, who is endorsed by Franklin and Green; Democratic Marine veteran Anthony White; and Jess Jebrail, whose political affiliation is unclear.
Ballot Measures: Sales Taxes on Sales Taxes
Escondido sales tax measure: Residents of Escondido will see a 20-year, one-cent sales tax measure on their ballots this year that’s projected to bring in about $25 million annually in new revenue and would aim to address Escondido’s ongoing structural budget deficit.
In June, the city had to use one-time funding sources and some cuts to city services to help close an $11.3 million budget shortfall.
The sales tax measure started out as a citizen’s initiative by a coalition called Escondido Citizens for Safety, which reportedly collected and submitted more than the required signatures to place the sales tax increase on the ballot. But the county Registrar of Voters likely wouldn’t have finished verifying the signatures in time for this election, meaning it would have been pushed to the November 2026 ballot.
Escondido council members said they wanted to respect what residents wanted, and since the initiative likely had enough signatures to qualify anyway, they sent it to voters themselves.
This will be the second time Escondido voters will decide on a sales tax increase. Voters rejected a similar ballot measure in November 2022. Before that, city staff unsuccessfully floated a different sales tax measure to the City Council in 2020.
The city’s sales tax rate is currently at 7.75 percent, which is on the lower end compared to some other cities in San Diego County.
Encinitas sales tax measure: On the opposite side of North County, Encinitas residents will vote on their own one-cent sales tax measure. City leaders are hoping it will help them address the city’s infrastructure needs.
The tax increase would 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. The area has been troubled with drainage issues and flooding for decades, and this revenue could help the city complete those improvements.
The city’s sales tax rate is currently at 7.75 percent.
San Marcos sales tax measure: San Marcos leaders have also decided to place a one-cent sales tax increase on this year’s ballot, which would 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.
Oceanside sales tax extension: The city of Oceanside will ask voters to decide on a 10-year half-cent sales tax extension called Measure X.
Voters first approved Measure X back in 2018, raising the city’s sales tax rate from 7.75 percent to 8.25 percent. But Measure X is set to expire in 2026, and city leaders will ask residents to extend it at the ballot box.
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.
Are there other races or ballot measures you’re curious about? Let me know. Email me at tigist@vosd.org.
In Other News
- Vista city leaders voted yesterday to bring back a homeless camping ban that was established in 1968 but was put on pause. The move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to clear homeless encampments even if there are no shelter beds available. (KPBS)
- The Escondido City Council placed tighter restrictions on RV parking earlier this month, effectively banning it on most public property. One councilmember expressed concern that people living in RVs won’t have anywhere to park because the city doesn’t have a safe parking lot. (Coast News)
- Carlsbad Aquafarm, an oyster farm that’s been operating for 70 years, is closing down. Over the years, the farmhas conducted aquaculture research, participated in coastal preservation projects and more. (Coast News)
