Rachel Beld
Chief Executive Officer
Vista Chamber of Commerce
This November, Vistans will have the opportunity to weigh in on several big changes to leadership for our City and our State Assembly and Senate Districts. Long-time Vista Mayor Judy Ritter will retire at the end of this year after 24 years on the City Council, with twelve of those as Mayor. Two candidates are vying for Mayor – Vista Deputy Mayor John Franklin and Vista Unified Board of Trustees President Cipriano Vargas. This will be the first time since 2002 that the Mayoral race will not include the incumbent.
In the District 4 City Council race, two candidates are competing for the open seat that John Franklin currently holds. Armen Kurdian and Dan O’Donnell both aim to represent the Shadowridge neighborhood. Corrina Contreras will run unopposed for re-election in District 1.
At the State level, recent redistricting means that Vista will no longer be part of the 76th Assembly District which is currently represented by Tasha Boerner Horvath. New lines were drawn placing Vista in the 74th Assembly District with Oceanside, Camp Pendleton, and several Orange County Cities. Assembly Member for the current 73rd District, Laurie Davies will compete with Chris Duncan, currently San Clemente Mayor Pro-Tem, for the 74th District.
In the State Senate, long-time Senator Pat Bates is retiring leaving District 38 open to two new candidates. Current Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear and Orange County Businessman Matt Gunderson are both running for this seat.
At the Federal level, Congressman Mike Levin will face San Juan Capistrano Mayor Bryan Marriott for the 49th Congressional District, which was also amended by the redistricting process, though Vista’s District remains the same.
There are several other important elections impacting Vista including the races for Districts 2 and 3 of Vista Unified School District Board of Trustees as well as Tri-City Medical Center Board Members for Zones 2, 4 and 6. There are also ballot measures and other state-wide races to follow.
If all this seems like too much to follow, don’t worry! The Vista Chamber plans to host candidate forums this fall for several of the races mentioned. Keep an eye our website and social media to be alerted to opportunities to connect with candidates for these races. You can also visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to be alerted about all our events and activities.
After several years of uncertainty in the world around me, I feel a sense of relief and ownership knowing that I have a vote and a voice in the upcoming elections. It’s important to be informed and vital that we all exercise our right to VOTE.
