North County council, mayor election results take shape with few votes left to count

With fewer than 8,700 ballots still to be counted, city council and mayoral election results in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas haven’t shifted since the initial vote counts were released on Nov. 8.

Election results will be certified on Dec. 8, according to the San Diego Registrar of voters.

Del Mar

Del Mar council members Terry Gaasterland and Dwight Worden are on track to win re-election in the three-candidate race for two at large seats. Gaasterland has maintained a large lead over the rest of the field throughout each update, and Worden continues to cling to a slim lead for the second seat. Entrepreneur Stephen Quirk, brother of Del Mar Councilmember Dan Quirk, trails Worden by less than 100 votes.

Solana Beach

Solana Beach City Councilmember Kristi Becker is on pace to win another term over Kristin Brinner, the only challenger for the newly created District 2 seat. The district’s borders include I-5 to the east, Nardo Avenue to the south, Lomas Santa Fe to the north and extends west to the ocean.

Jill MacDonald, a former school board member, ran unopposed in District 4. The district covers most of the city east of I-5.

This election cycle completes the city’s transition to district-based elections, with four council members and a separately elected mayor. Previously, the city had five council members who served at large and rotated the title of mayor every year.

Encinitas

Encinitas City Councilmember Tony Kranz will be sworn in as the city’s new mayor after receiving nearly half of the votes that were cast in the four-candidate race. Kranz, who has been on the council for the past decade, faced competition from three newcomers who ran on charting a new course for the city on issues such as housing, homelessness and crime prevention.

Mayor Catherine Blakespear, who was recently declared the winner for the 38th District state Senate seat, did not seek re-election.

Another candidate who ran in opposition of the city’s current direction, Julie Thunder, fell short in the District 3 council race against Joy Lyndes. The district covers Cardiff, as well as parts of Old Encinitas and New Encinitas.

Lyndes was appointed to the seat in 2021 after the resignation of Jody Hubbard, who resigned shortly before dying from lung cancer.

In District 4, former Planning Commissioner Bruce Ehlers has maintained a double-digit percentage point lead over the other three candidates. The district covers Olivenhain and most of the eastern part of the city. Incumbent Joe Mosca did not seek re-election.

Pam Redela, who teaches in the women’s studies department at CSU San Marcos, will finish a distant second. Olivenhain Town Councilmember Dan Vaughn and small business owner Stacie Davis will finish third and fourth.