The position for San Diego City Attorney is up for grabs in 2024 after current City Attorney Mara Elliott terms out after eight years in office.
Here's what San Diego voters should know about the City Attorney's office before the California Primary Election on March 5, 2024.
What does the San Diego City Attorney do?
The city attorney is the legal adviser for all city departments, including the city council and the mayor. The person who holds this role is an attorney and their department is the legal arm for the city. The city attorney prosecutes or defends civil lawsuits involving the city and prosecutes criminal misdemeanors and infractions.
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Who is running for San Diego City Attorney in 2024?
Two Democrats are running for the position. Heather Ferbert is the chief deputy city attorney and has worked in the San Diego City Attorney's office for a decade.
Her opponent, Brian Maienschein, has served as a California State Assemblymember for 12 years and was on San Diego City Council before that.
California law mandates the top two finishers of the March Primary face off in a runoff during the General Election, even if one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote. So the two candidates will meet again in November 2024.
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What are the top priorities of the candidates for San Diego City Attorney?
The candidates are members of the same party, but have differing resumes and issues they want to tackle. Here's where they stand.
Ferbert said her emphasis is on housing, particularly preserving housing that already exists. She also expressed her commitment to maintaining independence from political influence if elected.
Maienschein said gun violence, reproductive rights and public safety have his attention.
Both candidates oppose a proposed ballot measure that would divide the responsibilities of the City Attorney office.
The proposed ballot measure would create two separate officials to handle city attorney duties: one for handling prosecutions of criminal misdemeanors on behalf of the city and another to deal with civil litigation and offer legal advice to the city council and mayor.
Who are the candidates for San Diego City Attorney endorsed by?
Ferbert is endorsed by outgoing city attorney Mara Elliott and by the Deputy City Attorneys Association of San Diego.
"I think voters would want an attorney in office who's been doing this work every single day, just like they would want a pilot who does this every day to fly them across the country," said Ferbert. "I don't think a shakeup would be what's right for the voters. We really need an independent city attorney who can continue in that independent role."
Maienschein is endorsed by Mayor Todd Gloria and the San Diego County Democratic Party.
“I bring a fresh perspective and some independence and being an outsider as part of being a part of what has been the same old system that we've seen in place in the city of San Diego," said Maienschein, who said he's been a lawyer for 30 years, but has not been practicing while in Sacramento so as to avoid a conflict of interest. "I'm not involved in in what kind of the shenanigans that are going on there now. And so I think having that fresh, independent voice is going to be very important."
