The 2022 California Primary Election is coming up on June 7. Need a quick primer?
We've got you covered with news stories, videos and interviews with the candidates. You can also compare candidates for every race on your ballot with our interactive ballot guide, or see which candidate's views best match up with your own with our election quiz.
Below, we've pulled together some of the KPBS newsroom's coverage on the four key races in the primary ballots in San Diego County.
Scroll to: County Sheriff | State Assembly District 80 | San Diego City Council District 2 | Chula Vista Mayor
Four local races to watch
San Diego County Sheriff
The Candidates: Charles "Chuck” Battle, John "Gundo" Gunderson, John Hemmerling, Kelly Anne Martinez, Juan Carlos "Charlie” Mercado, Dave Myers, Jonathan Peck
Former Sheriff Bill Gore retired last year after 10 years on the job, and it's time for San Diegans to choose his replacement from a pool of seven candidates. KPBS interviewed three of the candidates on their priorities and what they see as the biggest issues facing the Sheriff's Department (the other four candidates did not respond to our interview requests).
This is a nonpartisan race, but party politics are still playing an important role in the race due to the candidates' declared party preferences and the partisan divide over policing practices and funding. There was also a recent shakeup in the race over candidate John Hemmerling's controversial statements about transgender women.
State Assembly – District 80
The Candidates (short term): David Alvarez, Georgette Gómez
The Candidates (full term): David Alvarez, Georgette Gómez, Lincoln Pickard, John Vogel Garcia
Okay, this one is a bit confusing. If you're in District 80, you'll see this race on your ballot not once, but twice. District 80 includes the southern part of San Diego, Chula Vista and National City.
First, there's a special runoff election between Democrats David Alvarez and Georgette Gómez to replace former assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to determine who will serve in the position until December 2022. The second race is to determine who will take the seat in the new term starting in January 2023. Both Gómez and Alvarez are also running for the full-term seat, along with Republicans Lincoln Pickard and John Vogel Garcia.
San Diego City Council District 2
The Candidates: Jen Campbell (incumbent), Joel Day, Mandy Havlik, Linda Lukacs, Lori Saldaña, Daniel Smiechowski
Five candidates are running to unseat incumbent Jen Campbell in one of the most competitive races in the primary. District 2 includes Clairemont, Mission Beach and Point Loma. Key issues in this race include regulations for short-term rentals, homelessness and the redevelopment of the city-owned Sports Arena property.
Chula Vista Mayor
The Candidates: Ammar Campa-Najjar, Spencer Cash, Zaneta Encarnacion, Jill M. Galvez, John McCann, Rudy Ramirez
Chula Vista will have a new mayor for the first time since 2014. KPBS interviewed the candidates about their priorities and positions on key issues. Whoever is elected will have to address the city’s structural budget deficit and try to bring a four-year university to the South Bay. The two candidates who get the most votes in the June primary will face off in November.
Registration deadline
If you missed the deadline to register for a mail ballot, it's not too late to vote! Just visit a vote center and you can register and vote in person on the same day. Find a vote center here.
What you see on your ballot will depend on where you live. You can get a complete rundown on all the races you'll be voting on with our interactive ballot guide. Just enter your ZIP code, and you can get a rundown of every candidate for every race you'll see on your ballot (and it's also available en español).
