The San Diego County Democratic Party (SDCDP) has officially endorsed California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria in the 2020 Mayoral race.
Assemblyman Gloria announced he would be running for the office of Mayor in January. “It’s time for a mayor who works for all of us," he said.
Gloria and the SDCDP are currently facing a lawsuit claiming the assemblyman illegally laundered campaign money.
The party said the allegations are false and that the lawsuit is "clearly a conveniently timed, ill-fated attempt to undermine the San Diego County Democratic Party as we enter the endorsement process."
Gloria announced his mayoral candidacy via a video posted on social media. In the clip, Gloria starts by detailing his roots and deep ties to San Diego.
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“When I was growing up, I didn’t really see people like me in political office or reflected in government,” Gloria said in his video. “Then again, we’ve never elected a mayor who is the son of a maid and a gardener.
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"I get asked all the time, ‘What are you?’ I’m a lot of things: Latino; Native American; Filipino; Gay. But most of all, I’m a third generation San Diegan," he continued.
If elected, Gloria would become San Diego’s first openly LGBT mayor in the city’s history.
The politician released this statement ahead of a briefing scheduled with reporters for Wednesday afternoon:
“It’s clear that San Diego needs strong, experienced, and progressive leadership in the Mayor’s Office – leadership that has the courage to take our city beyond business as usual and solve the long-standing problems that have faced our city. That’s why I’m running for Mayor. San Diego may be America’s Finest City, but we should strive to be more than just fine. We should dare to be great.”
Gloria grew up in Clairemont and graduated from James Madison High School. He studied at the University of San Diego where he earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science. After college, he worked for the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency.
Gloria’s political career began in 2008 when he was elected to the San Diego City Council, representing the Third District. During his tenure, he focused on affordable housing and restoring city services.
In 2013 and 2014, Gloria served as San Diego City Council President and as Interim Mayor following the resignation of embattled Mayor Bob Filner and Filner’s sexual misconduct scandal.
In 2016, Gloria was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 78th Assembly District, including the City of San Diego. According to his campaign announcement, in his assemblymember role, Gloria has succeeded “in passing and earning the Governor’s signature on almost 30 pieces of state legislation relating to issues of housing affordability, combatting climate change, and gun safety.”
Gloria will officially kick off his mayoral campaign with a rally on Jan. 18, 2020 at the Laborers Local 89 Union Hall on Home Avenue. His campaign includes plans to address issues facing San Diego like housing affordability, access to public transportation, jobs, and homelessness.
The primary election is on March 3, 2020. The candidate elected as San Diego mayor will take over the position from predecessor Kevin Faulconer, who is not eligible to run for the office again.
According to public filings from the City of San Diego obtained by NBC 7, at least two other potential candidates are likely to run against Todd Gloria: San Diego City Council member Barbara Bry, who has already filed her documents, and Congressman Scott Peters, who has filed exploratory committee to possibly run for the office.
Additional candidates could still emerge; Gloria and Bry are just the first to file their papers. Bry's video announcing her plan to run for mayor can be seen below or here.
