Candidates announce bids for Del Mar, Solana Beach races

REGION — The local election season has officially begun in Solana Beach and Del Mar, and several potential candidates have already pulled papers since the election filing period opened on July 18.

Candidates for city and school board races have until Aug. 12 to file to run in the November 8 general election, either with the city clerk for city council races or with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters in the case of school districts.

If the incumbent for a seat has not filed by Aug. 12, the filing deadline will be extended by another five days to Aug. 17.

Del Mar

The seats held by City Councilmember Terry Gaasterland and Mayor Dwight Worden in the city of Del Mar are up for election. Gaasterland and Worden have pulled papers, along with parent Chelsea Ziskin and Stephen Quirk, a business owner and the twin brother of current Del Mar Councilmember Dan Quirk.

Local voters will also be asked to consider candidates for the San Dieguito Union High School and Del Mar Union School districts.

Up for election in Del Mar Union are the seats of trustees Katherine Fitzpatrick, Scott Wooden and Doug Rafner. Along with Rafner, Fitzpatrick and Wooden, community members William A. Porter III, Danielle Roybal, Maniza Sheikhani and Cinda Peck have filed to run.

Porter and Peck are both retired teachers, and Roybal and Sheikhani are district parents who have spoken out repeatedly about the need for change in the district’s special education program.

Fitzpatrick will be running for her second four-year term on the school board after being elected in 2018, while Wooden is seeking his fourth term on the board. Rafner has served three terms as a trustee.

The three seats for election in the San Dieguito Union High School District include the Area 5 seat held by Julie Bronstein, the Area 1 seat held by Maureen “Mo” Muir, and the Area 3 seat left vacant by the April resignation of Melisse Mossy.

Bronstein has pulled papers for the Area 5 race along with district parent Phan Anderson, and Muir has filed to defend her Area 1 seat against former Encinitas Union School District trustee Rimga Viskanta. Resident Daniel Hale and former teacher Jane Lea Smith have pulled papers for Area 3 as of Friday.

Muir has served two four-year terms on the board and is seeking her third. Bronstein was elected to the board via special election in 2021.

Solana Beach

Two Solana Beach City Council seats are up for election this November, including District 2, currently represented by Kristi Becker and District 4, held by Kelly Harless.

Becker, elected to her first term in 2018, has pulled papers for District 2 along with engineer Kristin Brinner. Nonprofit professional and former Solana Beach School District trustee Jill MacDonald is the only person to pull papers for the District 4 seat as of Friday.

Consultant and marketing professional Shawn McClondon has also announced his intention to run for City Council but has not pulled papers as of Friday.

Harless was also elected to her first term in 2018 and serves as Deputy Mayor.

In the Solana Beach School District, the seats of trustees Vicki King, Debra Schade and Gaylin Allbaugh will be up for election. All three incumbents have pulled papers.

Election information

The official list of candidates who have filed paperwork will be announced after the Aug. 12 filing deadline. Information about candidates for city council races is available via the city clerk.

Information regarding candidates for school district, community college, and service district races is available via the San Diego County Campaign Docs website at  southtechhosting.com/SanDiegoCounty/CampaignDocsWebRetrieval.