Six candidates to run in Encinitas council election

Three incumbents and three challengers will vie for a trio of seats on the Encinitas city council this November.

In Encinitas, voters will be able to select their choice for the mayor, as well as districts three and four, if they live within one of those area’s boundaries. District three represents Cardiff, while district four encompasses areas of Olivenhain and New Encinitas.

The six candidates are:

Mayor:

• Incumbent Catherine Blakespear, a 42-year-old lawyer
• John Paul Elliott, a 71-year-old real estate broker

District three:

• Incumbent Mark Muir, a 62-year-old retired fire chief
• Jody Hubbard, a 61-year-old Encinitas planning commissioner

District four:

• Incumbent Joe Mosca, a 45-year-old manager of major projects at San Diego Gas & Electric
• Tony Brandenburg, a 56-year Encinitas resident and retired chief judge

This election is the first since Encinitas adopted a district election process, 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 the five-member city council and one candidate for mayor every two years.
For more information, visit www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/Government/Municipal-Elections.