UPDATE: 2:27 p.m., Nov. 4, 2020:
Joe LaCava has won over Will Moore in the race for San Diego City Council District 1.
Moore, who trailed considerably Tuesday night, tweeted his congratulations to LaCava for running a great campaign.
It appears this result has not gone as we had hoped. I am deeply grateful for all of your support over the past two years. Congratulations to Joe LaCava for running an great campaign and earning this office. Video statement at the linkhttps://t.co/cAuMrW4GIm
— Will Moore (@WillMooreSD) November 4, 2020
District 1 covers a lot of coastlines, from La Jolla up to the border with Del Mar. Among the neighborhoods it serves are Carmel Valley, Sorrento Valley, University City, and UCSD.
Democrats Joe LaCava and Will Moore are running to replace current city councilmember Barbara Bry. LaCava is a civil engineer and Moore is a lawyer. Both put fighting homelessness high on their list of priorities.
LaCava said the time for just studying and talking about the problem has passed. He told KPBS the city needs to change the way it approves housing.
Moore also pointed to the city’s permitting process as a major impediment to building affordable housing.
He named homelessness and affordable housing as just two examples of how San Diego government has spent too many years being reactive rather than proactive.
Another issue that divides District 1 is short-term vacation rentals (STVRs). A proposal to cap the number of Airbnb-style rentals was rejected by the planning commission on Oct. 8th. This means it will be left up to the new city council to make the final decision.
Moore said the proposal was a good one. LaCava disagreed.
LaCava came in first in the District One primary, beating Moore by more than 3,000 votes. But there were more than 25,000 votes split among the other candidates.