2024 San Diego City Council election

The 2024 San Diego City Council election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The primary election was held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Five of the nine council seats are up for election, with all five incumbents standing for re-election. A special election was also held at the time of the primary to fill the District 4 seat vacated by Monica Montgomery Steppe, who resigned following her election to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 2023.

Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, although most members do identify a party preference. A two-round system is used for the elections, starting with primaries in March followed by runoff elections in November between the top-two candidates in each race.

Background
Seats in San Diego City Council districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 were up for election. Incumbents Joe LaCava, Stephen Whitburn, Marni von Wilpert, Raul Campillo, and Sean Elo-Rivera are running for re-election.

District 1
District 1 consists of the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, La Jolla, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, University City, and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus.

Incumbent Joe LaCava ran unopposed for re-election and won the election outright in the primary on March 5, 2024.

District 3
District 3 consists of the communities of Balboa Park/Park West, Bankers Hill, Downtown, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Middleton, Mission Hills, North Park, South Park, and University Heights.

Incumbent Stephen Whitburn and Coleen Cusack, both Democrats, advanced from the primary on March 5, 2024, to the general election.

Qualified

 * Stephen Whitburn, San Diego City Councilmember from District 3 (2020-present)
 * Coleen Cusack, public interest attorney and community activist
 * Kate Callen, writer and community activist
 * Ellis T. California Jones III, home energy inspector and ex-felon

District 4 Special
District 4 consists of the communities of Alta Vista, Broadway Heights, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Greater Skyline Hills, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Lomita Village, Mountain View, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O'Farrell, Paradise Hills, Ridgeview, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park, and Webster.

Monica Montgomery Steppe, who represented District 4 from 2018, won election to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in a special election on November 7, 2023. She resigned from her seat on the city council on December 5, 2023. During the vacancy, her Chief of Staff, Henry Foster III, acted as the de facto manager of the District 4 office.

Qualified

 * Henry Foster III, Chief of Staff to former city councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe
 * Tylisa Suseberry, executive assistant in the office of State Senator Toni Atkins
 * Chida Warren-Darby, Boards and Commissions Director for Mayor Todd Gloria

Endorsements
Foster won the special election on March 5, 2024, to serve the remainder of the term until 2026. His election resulted in the restoration of a 9-0 Democratic supermajority on the city council.

District 5
District 5 consists of the communities of Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Encantada, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, San Pasqual Valley, Scripps Ranch, and Torrey Highlands.

Incumbent Marni von Wilpert ran unopposed for re-election and won the election outright in the primary on March 5, 2024.

District 7
District 7 consists of the communities of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville, Linda Vista, Mission Valley, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, and Tierrasanta.

Incumbent Raul Campillo ran unopposed for re-election and won the election outright in the primary on March 5, 2024.

District 9
District 9 consists of the communities of the communities of Kensington, Normal Heights, and East San Diego, as well as the main campus of San Diego State University.

Incumbent Sean Elo-Rivera and Terry Hoskins, both Democrats, advanced from the primary on March 5, 2024, to the general election.

Council president
The city council will select a council president in December 2024, following the swearing in of the elected city council members. The current council president is Sean Elo-Rivera of District 9, who has served since 2021.