Chula Vista voters will be asked this Election Day to narrow down a field of candidates for two seats on the city council left vacant in the middle of their terms.
The District 3 and District 4 seats are on the ballot for the 2024 California Primary Election on March 5, 2024. District 3 council member represent the Otay Ranch area of Chula Vista while the Dist. 4 council member represents southwestern portion of the city.
The District 3 seat was vacated when then-Councilmember Steve Padilla was elected to the State Senate in 2022. Five candidates are vying for the seat: David Alcaraz, Michael Inzunza, Christos Korgan, Leticia Munguia, and Daniel Rice-Vazaquez.
The two candidates with the top two votes will move ahead to the November General Election, where the new Dist. 3 representative will be chosen by voters.
The same is true for District 4.
The District 4 seat was vacated in February when Councilwoman Andrea Cardenas resigned about a week before pleading guilty to two felonies stemming from fraud accusations tied to her political consulting business.
She was already running for re-election and remains on the March 5 ballot, despite her resignation and felony conviction. Her attorney said Cardenas stopped campaigning but has not publicly announced if she wants to remove her name from consideration.
Five others are vying for the Dist. 4 seat: Christine Brady, Cesar Fernandez, Deflina Gonzalez, Rudy Ramirez, and Jose Sarmiento.
So what happens if Cardenas is a top two vote-getter?
Chula Vista rules say no one can sit on the City Council if they are convicted of a felony. However, Cardenas has an opportunity to knock her felonies down to misdemeanors later this year, before the General Election. In a weird twist, Andrea Cardenas could be reelected to the seat she vacated months before.
Six of the 11 candidates responded to a brief survey about the issues facing the City of Chula Vista. Most of the six listed public safety and the city’s growing homeless population as the biggest concerns.
