In early returns, Democrat Nicole Crosby has a comfortable lead over Republican Richard Bailey in the race for San Diego City Council District 2.
Crosby has garnered almost 55% of the 33,000 ballots counted so far. Bailey has earned around 46%.
The District 2 race was one of the most closely watched — and most expensive — races in the county.
The district includes Clairemont, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Midway. It has been represented by a Democrat since termed-out Councilmember Jen Campbell unseated a Republican incumbent in 2018.
Bailey, a business owner and former mayor of Coronado, came in first in the June primary election. He was a longtime Republican until he left the GOP in February to become an independent.
Crosby is a deputy city attorney and past president of the Clairemont Town Council. She won the endorsement of a host of local elected officials, labor unions and community leaders.
Why it matters
Bailey and independent groups supporting him have outspent Crosby during the campaign. Still, District 2 has trended more Democratic than Republican in the last several elections. A victory by Bailey would be seen as a major upset.
Bailey's platform included significant spending cuts and layoffs of city employees to balance the city's structural budget deficit. Crosby said that approach would undo years of progress in making city employee compensation competitive with neighboring cities.
Both candidates expressed misgivings about the Midway Rising development, which is in District 2, and the potential impacts on surrounding communities. But neither may get the opportunity to vote on the deal because Mayor Todd Gloria hopes to present the project to the City Council before new councilmembers take office in December.
Closer look
One of the key issues in District 2 is short-term home rentals, which have a significant presence in the district's coastal communities. Crosby supports stricter regulations that would reduce the total number of short-term rentals. Bailey has warned such a move would exacerbate the city's budget deficit because short-term rentals have become a significant source of tax revenue for the city.
Any change to the city's short-term rental regulations would require approval from the whole City Council. It's unclear if the rest of the council will be as eager to take up the issue as whoever occupies the District 2 seat.
