| Election Name: | 2020 San Diego City Council election |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Image: | Flag of San Diego, California.svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2018 San Diego City Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2018 |
| Next Election: | 2022 San Diego City Council election |
| Next Year: | 2022 |
| Seats For Election: | 5 of the 9 seats on the San Diego City Council |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (US) |
| Seats Before1: | 6 |
| Seats After1: | 8 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (US) |
| Seats Before2: | 2 |
| Seats After2: | 1 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Party3: | Independent (US) |
| Seats Before3: | 1 |
| Seats After3: | 0 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Council President | |
| Before Election: | Georgette Gómez |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
| After Election: | Jennifer Campbell |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2020 for mayor, city attorney, and city council. The primary election occurred Tuesday, March 3, 2020, and the general election occurred Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Five of the nine council seats were contested. No council incumbents stood for reelection.
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, although most members do identify a party preference. A two-round system was used for the elections, starting with primaries in March followed by runoff elections in November between the top-two candidates in each race.
See main article: 2020 San Diego mayoral election.
See main article: 2020 San Diego City Attorney election.
Seats in San Diego City Council districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 were up for election. Incumbents Mark Kersey (District 5) and Scott Sherman (District 7) were ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits. The other three incumbent council members chose to run for higher office rather than seek reelection: Barbara Bry (District 1) for mayor of San Diego, Chris Ward (District 3) for California's 78th State Assembly district, and Georgette Gómez (District 9) for California's 53rd congressional district.[1]
District 1 consists of the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Mesa, Del Mar Heights, La Jolla, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, and University City. No Republican candidates contested the race.[2] [3]
District 3 consists of the communities of Balboa Park, Bankers Hill/Park West, Downtown San Diego, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Mission Hills, Normal Heights, North Park, Old Town, South Park, and University Heights.
District 5 consists of the neighborhoods of Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Encantada, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, San Pasqual Valley, Scripps Ranch, and Torrey Highlands.
District 7 consists of the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville, Linda Vista, Mission Valley, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, and Tierrasanta.
District 9 consists of the communities of Alvarado Estates, City Heights, College Area, College View Estates, El Cerrito, Kensington, Mountain View, Mount Hope, Rolando, Southcrest, and Talmadge.
At their first meeting on December 10, 2020, the newly seated City Council selected Jen Campbell to serve as the Council President on a 5–4 vote. The other four council members supported Monica Montgomery Steppe.[4]
Measure C in the primary was distinct from Measure C in the general election. The first of these did not pass.
Measure C
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | For Measure C | Against Measure C | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[5] | February 6–8, 2020 | 527 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 61% | 21% | 18% | |
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[6] | January 16–19, 2020 | 518 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 51% | 27% | 22% |
On whether to raise taxes to pay for the expansion of the San Diego convention centre (Measure C fit this building)
Measure A
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | For Measure A | Against Measure A | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[8] | October 1–5, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 38% | 33% | 29% | |
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[9] | August 28–31, 2020 | 517 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 36% | 32% | 32% |
Measure B
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | For Measure B | Against Measure B | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[10] | October 1–5, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 53% | 21% | 27% | |
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[11] | August 28–31, 2020 | 517 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 55% | 19% | 26% |
Measure C
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | For Measure C | Against Measure C | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[12] | October 1–5, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 39% | 14% | 47% | ||
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[13] | August 28–31, 2020 | 517 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 39% | 12% | 49% |
Measure E
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | For Measure E | Against Measure E | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[14] | October 1–5, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 37% | 25% | 38% | ||
| SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune[15] | August 28–31, 2020 | 517 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 31% | 29% | 39% |