Chula Vista voters will be asked this Election Day to narrow down a field of candidates for two seats on the city council left vacant in the middle of their terms.
The District 3 and District 4 seats are on the ballot for the 2024 California Primary Election on March 5, 2024. District 3 council member represent the Otay Ranch area of Chula Vista while the Dist. 4 council member represents southwestern portion of the city.
The District 3 seat was vacated when then-Councilmember Steve Padilla was elected to the State Senate in 2022. Five candidates are vying for the seat: David Alcaraz, Michael Inzunza, Christos Korgan, Leticia Munguia, and Daniel Rice-Vazaquez.
The two candidates with the top two votes will move ahead to the November General Election, where the new Dist. 3 representative will be chosen by voters.
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The same is true for District 4.
The District 4 seat was vacated in February when Councilwoman Andrea Cardenas resigned about a week before pleading guilty to two felonies stemming from fraud accusations tied to her political consulting business.
She was already running for re-election and remains on the March 5 ballot, despite her resignation and felony conviction. Her attorney said Cardenas stopped campaigning but has not publicly announced if she wants to remove her name from consideration.
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Five others are vying for the Dist. 4 seat: Christine Brady, Cesar Fernandez, Deflina Gonzalez, Rudy Ramirez, and Jose Sarmiento.
So what happens if Cardenas is a top two vote-getter?
Chula Vista rules say no one can sit on the City Council if they are convicted of a felony. However, Cardenas has an opportunity to knock her felonies down to misdemeanors later this year, before the General Election. In a weird twist, Andrea Cardenas could be reelected to the seat she vacated months before.
Six of the 11 candidates responded to a brief survey about the issues facing the City of Chula Vista. Most of the six listed public safety and the city’s growing homeless population as the biggest concerns.
