Filing period for Encinitas election closes Aug. 10

Those interested in running for a seat on Encinitas’ city council have about a week to pull papers.

Potential candidates for the Nov. 6 election must make an appointment to meet with the city clerk’s office by Friday, Aug. 10. The filing period opened July 16.

In Encinitas, seats are currently open for the mayor, as well as in districts three and four. As of press time, incumbents from each of the seats have announced bids for re-election, as well as two additional competitors for mayor and one in district three.

Mayor Catherine Blakespear a 42-year-old practicing lawyer who was elected to her first two-year term in 2016, announced her bid for re-election in June.

Also in the running for mayor are 21-year-old Zack Gaven Mair and John Paul Elliott, a 71-year-old real estate broker.

This year will also be the first that Encinitas moves to district elections, following legal threats from a Malibu-based attorney who accused the city’s previous at-large election system of being discriminatory against Latinos. Previously, Encinitas residents were asked to vote for two at-large candidates for city council and one candidate for mayor every two years.

Now, residents will only be able to vote for one representative of their district and the mayor. This year, voters will be asked to select representatives from districts three and four.

In district three, which represents Cardiff, incumbent council member Mark Muir, a 62-year-old former Encinitas fire chief, will run for a consecutive third term. Planning commissioner Jody Hubbard, 61, also announced her bid for the seat earlier this year.

In district four, which encompasses areas of Olivenhain and New Encinitas, incumbent council member Joe Mosca, a 45-year-old manager at San Diego Gas & Electric Co. who was first appointed to the council in January 2017, will run to retain his seat. As of press time, no other candidates have pulled papers for the district.

Potential candidates for mayor must live in Encinitas, and interested candidates for districts three and four must live in the community they aim to represent. Candidates for all seats must be at least 18 and must not have been convicted of designated crimes as specified in the Constitution and California laws.

For more information, visit www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/Government/Municipal-Elections.