A special election will be held today in which nine candidates are competing to fill the San Diego City Council's vacant District 4 seat.
The district covering the city's southeast has been vacant since Jan. 2, when Tony Young resigned after six years to become chief executive of the San Diego and Imperial Counties chapter of the American Red Cross.
In the running are:
-- Blanca Lopez Brown, a teacher and businesswoman;
-- Myrtle Cole, a former lieutenant with the San Diego Community College Police Department;
-- Dwayne Crenshaw, executive director of San Diego Pride and a longtime community activist;
-- Monica Montgomery, a lawyer who specializes in finance;
-- Barry Pollard, an electronics industry employment recruiter;
-- Ray Smith, listed as a pastor and developer;
-- Sandy Spackman, an administrative coordinator and educator;
-- Bruce Williams, a senior community policy adviser;
-- Tony Villafranca, a community volunteer.
A candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote will win the election outright. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff.
Young left office just after redistricting took effect. But because he was re-elected in 2010, the District 4 boundary at that time will determine which voters choose his successor.
Those unsure of whether they can vote in the election can call (858) 565-5800 or (800) 696-0136.
About 70 polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters can find their polling places' location on the back of the sample ballot mailed to their homes, or online via the county's website at sdcounty.ca.gov.
All polling places will also accept mail-in ballots, according to county officials. Vote-by-mail ballots can also be dropped off outside the Registrar of Voters office at 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite I, between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
