Live Results
In Chula Vista’s City Attorney race, Marco Verdugo has a strong lead over Bart Miesfeld, according to early results from the Registrar of Voters.
“Obviously we gotta wait for every vote to be counted and for the election to be certified," Verdugo said in an interview with KPBS. "But there’s nobody in that seat right now and Chula Vista is in need of a full-time city attorney. So I look forward to jumping in there.”
Although he was disappointed by the early results, Miesfeld said he was optimistic about Chula Vista’s future because both candidates were highly qualified.
“I think the level of candidates that we have in the race just shows we’re a good city,” he said. “We’re a big city with real candidates and real hope for the future.”
Why it matters
Whoever wins Tuesday’s election will become Chula Vista’s top lawyer. The city attorney will be responsible for managing an office that provides the city with legal advice on a variety of issues.
The Office of the City Attorney helps implement public policy, reviews municipal contracts, prosecutes local crimes and helps defend the city in lawsuits.
When fully staffed, the office has 10 full-time attorneys, a risk management specialist, three administrative assistants, and a small team of interns.
By the numbers
Verdugo defeated Miesfeld in the November 2023 special election by just 303 votes. Verdugo earned 39% of the vote.
Miesfeld came in second with 37.8% and Dan Smith Diaz came in third place with 23.2% of the votes.
Miesfeld originally joined the City Attorney’s Office in 1988 to help build its litigation branch. He spent more than 20 years in the office, eventually being appointed City Attorney from 2018 to 2020.
Verdugo began his legal career in the Chula Vista City Attorney’s Office in 2011. He now works for a private law firm that offers legal services to small cities. Verdugo currently works as deputy city attorney for Coronado and Solana Beach.
Looking ahead
On the campaign trail, both candidates noted that the Office of the City Attorney is understaffed. Multiple senior-level lawyers retired and have not been replaced.
That means that whoever wins, will have to fill those vacancies and rebuild that office.
