Mayor Todd Gloria secured a nine-point lead ahead of Larry Turner, CBS 8 results confirmed on Wednesday, Nov. 6. This will be Gloria’s second term as mayor, following his first victory in 2020.
Gloria ran as a democrat while Turner ran as an independent. Key issues for both include combating homelessness, solving the housing crisis, improving infrastructure and maintaining public safety.
Voters formed long lines outside polling centers across San Diego on Election Day, including at SDSU. According to ABC 10, some waited over two hours to vote on Tuesday night in East Village.
Though voter turnout hit 79%, that does not mean everyone voted on every position. Votes for mayor totaled 364,063, with 54.6% in favor of Gloria, according to CBS 8. However, in a July 2023 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau, the voting-age population in San Diego is approximately 1.1 million, which means there are 821,195 registered voters in the city as of Oct. 31.
First-year psychology major Kayla Vega is a part of the majority who did not vote for mayor. She explained why she voted only on the presidential measure, citing a lack of education.
“I was kind of in a rush to vote because I wasn’t originally planning to vote,” Vega said. “I didn’t want to vote for something I was uneducated on.”
Despite this, all of the students interviewed by The Daily Aztec conceded that local elections have a large impact on the community, with some remarking its minimal effect on the federal government.
Manny Bernal, a graduate student at the School of Social Work, believes mayor elections are important, but he also thinks it is difficult to stay informed about them.
Bernal himself voted for Gloria because of his Democratic party affiliation and his status as an incumbent.
“That name is more familiar, I’ve known it a little bit longer in the community, so it was just more of a safer option,” Bernal said.
Interviewed students who voted for Gloria had similar viewpoints, and familiarity and policies were a common motivator.
“I like the policies that he already has in place, and I think he’s done a pretty good job already,” Frieda Verdugo, a fourth-year psychology major, said. “[My choice] has to do with Planned Parenthood, his views on it and his involvement with the community.”
Some in favor of Larry Turner cited a need for change.
“I’m a firm believer that we need to change our government constantly, so I thought to give the opportunity to [Turner] to implement new policies or new changes,” Anna Contreras, a 4th-year finance major, said. “I feel like [Gloria] has been focusing on the same issues, and sometimes it’s good to bring a new mind.”
Gloria plans to continue the work from his first term through his second, with a consistent emphasis on expanding homeless shelters and building more housing.
In an Oct. 28 announcement, Gloria and other city officials announced a plan to substitute two shelters that will be closing by the end of the year, according to FOX 5. The plan includes increasing the number of shelter beds, adding more tents to “safe camping” locations and a diversion program to transition homeless people into housing.
Gloria and his campaign have been cracking down more on crime and homeless encampments and encouraging the use of shelters according to CBS 8.
As a solution to San Diego’s housing crisis, Gloria hopes to build more homes by streamlining the housing construction process, according to CBS 8. He is a proponent of approving permits quickly- and at high rates. In August, Gloria approved a plan to build high-density housing in University City that would add up to 29,000 homes.
