Voters in San Diego City Council District 4 are deciding whether to keep Henry Foster III as their councilmember or replace him with challenger Martha Abraham.
District 4 covers most of Southeast San Diego, including Oak Park, Lincoln Park, Encanto, Skyline and Paradise Hills.
Foster previously worked as District 4 chief of staff following a career in the construction industry. He took office after winning a special election in 2024.
Abraham is a nurse and community activist who got involved in local politics to oppose several large development proposals in the district. She finished the June primary just 12 votes behind Foster.
Why it matters
District 4 consistently ranks behind other council districts in terms of economic prosperity and the quality of infrastructure like roads.
Whoever wins the election will not be able to unilaterally change the city's $7.8 billion infrastructure backlog, or the city's structural budget deficit that has forced cuts to library and rec center hours. But both candidates agree District 4 needs more public and private investment.
Closer look
Public safety and relations with the San Diego Police Department have long been defining issues in District 4. Foster has strongly opposed the city's use of automated license plate readers, which are powered by technology from Flock Safety. Abraham has acknowledged privacy concerns with the cameras, but has stopped short of calling for the technology to be banned in San Diego.
Housing policy has also emerged as a key issue in District 4. Earlier this year, the City Council approved a 123-home development in Emerald Hills that community members had hoped would someday become a park.
Abraham opposed the project. Foster voted to support it, saying it would provide new homeownership opportunities and that approval was required under state law.
