What does the La Mesa mayor do?
The Mayor of La Mesa leads city council meetings and also represents the city on ceremonial occasions. The Mayor votes on agenda items as a member of the council. The mayor and council discuss and debate agenda items, enact local laws, make policy decisions, adopt the budget, and provide direction to the city manager and staff.
California’s 2026 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Get general information about the election, news coverage, an interactive ballot guide and results on election day.
How much does the La Mesa mayor get paid?
According to this city document, the mayor is paid a salary of $3800 per month.
Meet the candidates
City of La Mesa
| Laura Lothian |
- Party: Registered Republican
- Professional background: Laura Lothian currently serves as a La Mesa City Councilmember. Lothian says she’s been a local real estate agent and realtor in La Mesa since 2002.
- Top three priorities:
- Police, fire department and other city services: Lothian wants to prioritize support for the fire department and police. She wants there to be more staff for the fire trucks. She said one way for the city to accomplish this is to charge fees when the fire department is called for “lift assists” at assisted living facilities. These are situations where the fire department is called to help lift someone who has fallen but is not injured. She points to the City of El Cajon as a city that already charges such fees. She also mentioned wanting to support public works and parks and recreation.
- Permitting process: Lothian wants to attract both small businesses and housing development by streamlining the city’s permitting process. “I have so many stories of business owners who gave up” because of the cost and timeline of starting a business and the permit process, Lothian said. She believes that improving the process and timeline for permitting will help more businesses get started in La Mesa and generate more money through the city’s sales tax.
- Reevaluate the city’s consultant spending: Lothian would want the City Council to review La Mesa’s list of outside consultants and trim unnecessary contracts. “I got to believe that many of them are essential,” Lothian said. “I also have to believe many of them are not.” She would want to reallocate funding from those consultants to the city departments like the fire department, parks and rec, etc.
- Police, fire department and other city services: Lothian wants to prioritize support for the fire department and police. She wants there to be more staff for the fire trucks. She said one way for the city to accomplish this is to charge fees when the fire department is called for “lift assists” at assisted living facilities. These are situations where the fire department is called to help lift someone who has fallen but is not injured. She points to the City of El Cajon as a city that already charges such fees. She also mentioned wanting to support public works and parks and recreation.
- El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells
- San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones
- Vista Mayor John Franklin
- Republican Party of San Diego County
City of La Mesa
| Patricia Normandy-Dillard |
- Party: Registered Democrat
- Professional background: Patricia Normandy-Dillard currently serves as a La Mesa City Councilmember. She currently also serves as a Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) board member and executive committee member. She’s also an alternate board member for the San Diego Association of Regional Governments (SANDAG) transportation committee. Throughout her career, Dillard says she’s worked in publishing, customer service and sales.
- Top three priorities:
- Public transportation: Dillard emphasized the need for transportation within the region to be more affordable and accessible. She spoke of her work as a board member for MTS. “People should be able to get to work, school, medical appointments, shopping and other essential services without transportation costs becoming a barrier,” Dillard said.
- Affordable housing: Dillard identified affordable housing as an important priority in La Mesa and spoke about a current transit-oriented, affordable-housing project planned near the trolley’s Orange Line that runs parallel to Spring Street. “When we combine affordable housing and access to reliable transportation, we can make a real difference in people's lives and help create a more connected and sustainable community,” Dillard said.
- La Mesa library expansion: The city constructed a new library building and post office in 2008 with intentions to eventually expand the library. La Mesa City Council reviewed a study last fall to keep the momentum moving forward to redevelop the city’s Civic Center, including the library. Dillard said the library expansion is a top priority. “Our library is an important community resource, and I believe we need to look at how we can provide more spaces and resources to serve our growing community,” she said. “An expanded library could create more opportunities for children, families, students and seniors.”
- Public transportation: Dillard emphasized the need for transportation within the region to be more affordable and accessible. She spoke of her work as a board member for MTS. “People should be able to get to work, school, medical appointments, shopping and other essential services without transportation costs becoming a barrier,” Dillard said.
- Genevieve Suzuki, current La Mesa City Councilmember
- Lauren Cazares, current La Mesa City Councilmember
- Monica Montgomery Steppe, current County Supervisor
- San Diego County Democratic Party
Quinn M. Reese campaign
| Quinn M. Reese |
- Party: Registered Democrat
- Professional background: Quinn Reese says he’s worked in executive management and consulting and business management. He recently made a career shift to be a regenerative gardener.
- Top three priorities:
- Affordability: Reese sees affordability as an interconnected issue that’s tied to the increasing costs of utilities and housing, which then impacts businesses. “If someone can’t afford their rent or utilities, they’re less likely to go out and spend and take care of the businesses,” Reese said. He wants more protections for people at risk of losing their housing. “It comes down to meeting people's basic needs,” Reese said. He said he’d also be interested in looking at whether larger corporations should be paying more in taxes in the city.
- Small business support: Reese said he wants to ensure small businesses remain intact and aren't overtaxed. He wants to build a parking structure near downtown La Mesa to support more shoppers and improve car traffic in the area.
- Improving traffic safety: Reese said the development of more housing near downtown La Mesa poses a challenge because developers aren’t building enough parking. He also spoke of how community members have complained in council meetings about the speed of traffic on certain streets. He recognized the current city council’s initiative to build speed humps and roundabouts. He would like to take further steps to slow traffic. “We have access to a large number of volunteers, some of which work with the La Mesa Police Department, and there's programs throughout San Diego that stop and slow traffic during school hours,” Reese said. “These (are) things that we need to expand into our city.”
- Affordability: Reese sees affordability as an interconnected issue that’s tied to the increasing costs of utilities and housing, which then impacts businesses. “If someone can’t afford their rent or utilities, they’re less likely to go out and spend and take care of the businesses,” Reese said. He wants more protections for people at risk of losing their housing. “It comes down to meeting people's basic needs,” Reese said. He said he’d also be interested in looking at whether larger corporations should be paying more in taxes in the city.
- Blackbird Apothecary (La Mesa business)
- Junk Medics (La Mesa business)
- Reanimate Records (La Mesa business)
- Marathon Coffee (La Mesa business)
Jim Stieringer
- Party: Registered Republican
- Professional background: Stieringer previously served in public office for the Grossmont Union High School District and Grossmont Healthcare District. He served one term as La Mesa treasurer from 2002 to 2006. He said he’s currently a retired La Mesa resident. He said he served in the Air Force, and his professional career includes work in the automobile industry and construction.
- Top three priorities:
- Public safety: Stieringer says he would review and update street infrastructure to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. One street improvement he identified would be instituting a more aggressive enforcement of the state law requiring red painted curbs near crosswalk intersections to eliminate blind spots for drivers making right turns.
- Housing development: Stieringer critiqued the state’s affordable housing requirements and laws and the city’s decision to approve and develop certain affordable housing projects. He spoke about a current project that will create more affordable housing near the Orange Line that runs parallel to Spring Street. “I'm a little disappointed that the city has kind of folded to the state legislature and is trying to use the assets of (MTS) to build housing,” Stieringer said. He said he isn’t opposed to housing development but wants better housing. “I would like to see the overall quality of housing in La Mesa improved,” Stieringer said.
- Public transportation: Stieringer says maintaining trolley access is a top priority. He wants to ensure trolley stations in La Mesa have proper parking options to accommodate the significant number of people who ride the trolley to go to sports events in the region. “They're pretty much full for the soccer games,” Stieringer said. “I think the trolley is a very valuable asset of our community, one that we should really try to emphasize and support.”
- Public safety: Stieringer says he would review and update street infrastructure to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. One street improvement he identified would be instituting a more aggressive enforcement of the state law requiring red painted curbs near crosswalk intersections to eliminate blind spots for drivers making right turns.
- As of Aug. 26, this candidate has not received any endorsements.
This candidate does not have a website.
The issues
The City of La Mesa has developed and approved a number of affordable housing units in recent years. KPBS asked the candidates whether they would prioritize affordable housing and how they would approach development in La Mesa.
- Dillard spoke highly of transit-oriented, affordable-housing projects. She pointed to the transit-oriented, affordable-housing project planned near the Orange Line that runs parallel to Spring Street, as an example. “When we combine affordable housing and access to reliable transportation, we can make a real difference in people's lives and help create a more connected and sustainable community,” Dillard said.
- Lothian said she’d like to create more affordable housing options for single-family or condominium units. She says the current process for building single-family homes is difficult and expensive, and she’d want to work with the city’s permits division to find a way to streamline, expedite, and simplify the permit process for single-family homes and condos. She critiqued the state’s affordable housing laws that allow large apartments to be built near transit. “All of our policies are again incentivizing these high-density, monolithic apartments on public transit, as if that's solving a problem,” Lothian said. “And I just don't think it is.” She criticized how affordable housing units are currently allocated in apartment projects. “The lucky few renters that end up getting an affordable unit brand new, they're also not incentivized to move up,” Lothian said. “It de-incentivizes you to find your own personal success. I don't like that aspect of it.”
- Reese is in favor of affordable housing development. He critiqued the lack of affordable housing units within some local apartment projects. He also said apartments need to build parking. Reese said he wants to better understand how the city can address housing affordability. He suggested doing surveys to better understand the communities’ affordability needs. He also would like the city to play more of a role in approving the design and aesthetics of the apartment buildings.
- Stieringer said housing should be a result of economic decisions of the private sector. He critiqued the state’s affordable housing development laws and requirements, and how they’re implemented in the local communities, like La Mesa. He has qualms with how affordable housing units are allocated. “I just don't think that setting aside portions of buildings for economically disadvantaged people is a very good use of the public land and public resources,” Stieringer said. He instead would like public land to be used by private developers and contractors.
La Mesa has been a leader when it comes to being environmentally cognizant and forward thinking. The city has a comprehensive climate action plan (CAP). KPBS asked the candidates what their climate action and environmental goals are.
- Dillard said she is currently on the subcommittee for CAP and would continue to prioritize projects that help residents change their environmental impacts. For example, she said she’s helped bring in funding to help landlords replace the gas appliances with new electrical appliances. She’s also interested in trying to develop options for apartments to install solar panels. “We have done a lot of work, in the past, to be respected in San Diego County for having one of the best CAPs in the county,” Dillard said, “But, of course, there’s so much more work to be done.”
- Lothian said as mayor she would want to focus her efforts on cleaning and beautifying public spaces and parks. She said, as a councilmember, she’s been proactive by helping create a community clean-up coordinator and banning single-use plastic water bottles from City Hall. However, she flagged concerns about the cost of the city’s CAP and programming. She said she would want to look at trimming parts of the plan and try to pursue tangible actions rather than informational programs that she says don’t translate to quantifiable results. “When you show a process – we recycled this, we swapped clothes, we showed how to mulch – those are processes. That's not results,” Lothian said.
- Reese said he’d approach climate and environment goals with a “regenerative mindset.” He would want to bring more solar energy into La Mesa. He recognized the fire concerns surrounding battery energy storage systems and would want to create a solar energy system that’s safe for the community. He also said he would want to support and listen to his fellow councilmember candidates, like Amanda Dawn, who he says has more experience leading the city’s approach to the climate and environment. “ I believe that we are impacted with a climate crisis, and we need to have better provisions put in place,” Reese said.
- Stieringer said he’s in support of how the city has led climate and environmental goals. He spoke about the importance of the city’s parks and said he would want to continue to support climate action plans. He also spoke about the importance of tree planting initiatives and said that new construction should have requirements for landscaping.
City infrastructure and transportation have been big topics at recent City Council meetings. Councilmembers have discussed the future of the MTS trolley line, increased the parking meter fee, greenlit an e-bike ordinance, and received public comments about parking issues near downtown La Mesa. KPBS asked the candidates to share their priorities for city infrastructure and transportation.
- Dillard said transportation is one of her passions. As an MTS Board member, she said she advocated for infrastructure, platform and landscape improvements in the City of La Mesa. She wants to improve people’s ability to use public transit. “With gas being as expensive as it is, I think it's going to start being more and more important to the residents in La Mesa, as well as other cities,” Dillard said.
- Lothian would want to improve transportation and infrastructure by creating more parking near downtown La Mesa. Lothian would like to improve parking availability by offering more opportunities for “parking T’s,” which designate parallel parking spaces along curbs. She also would want to examine existing curbs to better determine if certain red curbs could be shortened or white curbs removed. Regarding the trolley and the potential plans for redevelopment, Lothian is not in favor of changing the design of the trolley station to be an above-ground line in La Mesa.
- Reese is interested in reviewing plans for the trolley. He pointed to a recent presentation from SANDAG about potential future redevelopment of the trolley line and station along Spring Street. He voiced concerns about a lack of parking in the downtown area. He would want the city to develop more parking in downtown La Mesa by building a parking structure.
- Stieringer said he has no specific changes in mind for transportation, but he would like to continue to support the trolley and bus systems.
Plans to redevelop La Mesa’s Civic Center, which includes city administrative offices, the library, post office, police department and fire station, have been in the works for roughly two decades. La Mesa City Council reviewed a study last fall to keep the momentum moving forward to redevelop the area. KPBS asked the candidates to share their thoughts on these plans.
- Dillard highlighted the need for an expanded library. She said she’d like to see more education, arts and culture in the library, and sees expansion as an opportunity to invest in that. She also says she hopes to see the redevelopment of city hall, city offices and the post office. She’s in favor of creating more parking as part of the Civic Center.
- Lothian said she would like to support the Civic Center redevelopment plans if the city had the money for the project. Given the city’s current financial state, she said she would not prioritize the project until funding is available. “There's wants and there's needs,” Lothian said. “I think that a new Civic Center is a want. I don't think it's a need.” She said she’d invest money in police, fire, public works, and parks and recreation before the Civic Center.
- Reese expressed that he’d like to review these plans more thoroughly. He would be in favor of expanding City Hall but does not see the other Civic Center plans as immediate priorities. He is interested in building a new parking structure near City Hall and offices.
- Stieringer said he sees this project as something worth looking into more. He said the city has an obligation to provide a new library and is open to the idea of redeveloping City Hall and city offices.
Campaign finance
- Dillard has raised a total of $44,576 (as of Sept. 30). More than half of the contributions she received came from individuals, according to the campaign finance data tracker Ballot Book. About a third of the contributors were located in La Mesa, according to Ballot Book. The largest contributors included Laborers International Union of North America Local 89 PAC Fund and Heartland Firefighters.
- Lothian has raised a total of $76,353 (as of Sept. 30). The majority of the contributions she received came from individuals, according to the campaign finance data tracker Ballot Book. Two-thirds of the contributors were located in La Mesa, according to Ballot Book. Her biggest contributors include local retired individuals, businesses and New Majority PAC. In March, she loaned $7,500 of her own money to her campaign.
- As of Sept. 30, Reese has not reported any campaign contributions.
- As of Sept. 3, Stieringer has not reported any campaign contributions.
