UPDATE: 5:19 p.m., Nov.5, 2020:
Candidate Stephen Whitburn has defeated Democrat challenger Toni Duran in the race for San Diego City Council District 3.
UPDATE: 8:31 p.m., Nov.3, 2020:
Candidate Stephen Whitburn is out front against fellow Democrat challenger Toni Duran in the race for San Diego City Council District 3.
Read original below:
District 3 encompasses what you might call the heart of San Diego, from where the city began in what is now Old Town to Balboa Park, Downtown to Hillcrest, Mission Hills to University Heights.
Democrats Stephen Whitburn and Toni Duran, both members of the LGBTQ community, are vying for the seat.
Whitburn cited his experience running organizations and his knowledge of how to balance an organizational budget as making him most qualified.
Duran cited what she called her "lived experience." She said being a Latina, and coming from a lower income background makes her better able to understand the needs of the residents of District 3.
Whitburn and Duran are running to succeed Chris Ward. Ward is now running for the Assembly District 78 seat being vacated by Todd Gloria who’s running for mayor, who held the seat from 2008 to 2016.
Both Whitburn and Duran told KPBS that the companion issues of homelessness and housing are top priorities. Whitburn pointed to a community action plan adopted by the city last year as finally moving things in the right direction.
Duran said the focus should be on building up density in areas easily accessible to mass transit. She said the recent decision to designate the old Mission Hills Library as a historic site, instead of turning it into affordable housing, was a mistake.
Whitburn bested Duran by about 4,000 votes in the primary.
