Henry Foster III, chief of staff for County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, took a big lead on election night, pulling in 53.6% of the vote in the San Diego City Council District 4 seat — his boss’ old position.
Chida Warren-Darby, a boards and commissions director, is second with 27.3% of the vote, followed by Tylisa D. Suseberry, who works for the state Senate and is a small business owner, with 19.2%.
The District 4 seat, which represents south and east San Diego neighborhoods such as Encanto, Lincoln Park, Skyline and Paradise Hills, has been vacant since Montgomery Steppe was elected to the Board of Supervisors.
Montgomery Steppe’s last action in the role was to push Council President Sean Elo-Rivera into another term in that role by a 5-4 margin.
The move was contentious among the more moderate council members — although the nonpartisan council was made up of nine Democrats, so the scale is relative. New blood in the vacant council seat will likely have an impact on the dynamic of the council.
Elo-Rivera held a lead in his reelection attempt for City Council District 9 — which represents the mid-city area, including College Area, Rolando, City Heights, Mountain View and Talmadge — on Tuesday night, pulling in 48.5% of the vote over Terry Hoskins, retired police officer/military, with 33.6% and Fernando Garcia, a business owner and a member of the San Diego Association of Realtors, with 17.9%.
Elo-Rivera was originally elected to the president’s role on Dec. 6, 2021, replacing Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell.
In District 3, which represents downtown and the city core, incumbent Councilman Stephen Whitburn took an early lead over three opponents with a healthy 37% margin, pulling in 55.5% of the vote. Second place, Coleen Cusack, a trial attorney/educator, had 18% on election night, followed by Kate Callen, a community volunteer, with 16.9% and Ellis California Jones III, an inspector, with 9.6%.
Whitburn was instrumental in getting the camping prohibition law passed and has focused on getting unhoused people into shelter and off the streets, along with approving thousands of homes in his role a member of the council’s Land Use and Housing Committee.
The leadership of Council Districts 1, 5 and 7 — represented by Joe LaCava, Marni von Wilpert and Raul Campillo respectively — will not change. Those leaders ran unopposed in their reelection bids.
