Oceanside, CA 2025
Lifelong Oceanside resident and public policy leader Kyle Krahel announced today that he is officially running for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, District 5. Krahel, who serves as Congressman Mike Levin’s Deputy Chief of Staff and recently stepped down as Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, launched his campaign with a promise to bring urgent, pragmatic leadership to North County.
“I’m not running because it’s my turn, I’m running because District 5 can’t afford eight more years of a Fox News Supervisor,” Krahel said. “We need real leadership that’s rooted in our community, grounded in facts, and focused on solving problems.”
Krahel filed to run earlier this week, triggering his formal resignation from the Chair position under party bylaws. A special election to fill the vacancy will be held at the August Central Committee meeting. In an internal message announcing the vacancy, Acting Chair Ross Pike praised Krahel’s leadership through a difficult chapter in the party’s history:
“In that incredibly difficult time, Kyle stepped in as Acting Chair with steadiness and heart… Under his leadership, we stayed focused, energized, and effective. Ultimately, 75% of our endorsed candidates won, even as Democrats struggled elsewhere.”
Krahel was unanimously elected to a full term in January. He now turns his focus to North County’s most urgent challenges.
He criticized current Supervisor Jim Desmond’s record of using his position for national media appearances instead of addressing local issues like housing affordability, public health, and homelessness. “North County currently has a Supervisor more interested in doing Fox News hits to scaremonger about bike lanes and immigrants than helping the people he was elected to serve,” he said.
He pledged to fight the impacts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a federal proposal backed by Republican leaders that would slash Medicaid funding, repeal clean energy incentives, and threaten local VA services.
“More than 1.2 million people in San Diego County rely on Medi-Cal. Another 170,000 depend on Covered California, most with subsidies. That’s nearly half a million people who could lose coverage,” said Krahel. “Restaurant workers, gig workers, young adults, they’re all at risk. And I’m here to say: hell no! We’re not going to let that happen.”
He also highlighted the risk of job cuts at local VA facilities, the repeal of solar and smart grid incentives, and the growing housing crisis driving working families out of the communities they serve. “When teachers, nurses, and sheriff’s deputies can’t afford to live in the neighborhoods they work in, that’s not just an economic problem, it’s a moral one,” he said.
Krahel emphasized the failures of decades of Republican leadership on homelessness, referencing the 2017 Hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego as a warning sign of what happens when local government hoards reserves instead of investing in basic health and human services.
“We need real investment in both congregate and non-congregate shelter options, as well as diversion programs to keep people out of an already overcrowded jail system,” he said.
Krahel campaign will release detailed policy proposals throughout the election cycle, with a focus on housing, public health, climate resilience, and economic justice. He is encouraging supporters to visit kylekrahel.com to sign up to volunteer or make a contribution.
“I was born here. I was raised here. I’ve served this community at every level. And I’m ready to fight for it with everything I’ve got,” he said. “Because North County deserves better, and we’re going to back it up better.”
About Kyle Krahel
Kyle Krahel is a lifelong resident of Oceanside, CA. He has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Mike Levin, Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, and as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Oceanside. More at: www.kylekrahel.com
