Faulconer, Alvarez Going to Runoff Election in Race for Mayor

By Michelle Mowad

Councilmen Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez will face each other in a runoff vote for San Diego mayor following a special election held Tuesday.

Faulconer had 43.58 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of precincts reporting and some mail ballots left to count, according to figures released by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.

Alvarez finished about 2,600 votes ahead of former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher in the race for second. Alvarez received 25.59 percent of the vote and Fletcher 24.3 percent.

Alvarez currently represents District 8 which includes Nestor, Otay Mesa, Egger Highlands, Tijuana River Valley and other parts of South San Diego.

Faulconer currently represents District 2 which includes Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and other communities near the coast.

The only other candidate to receive at least 1 percent of the vote was former City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who was in fourth with 4.44 percent.

Because no candidate received a majority, a runoff will be held at a yet- to-be scheduled date early next year. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith told KUSI city officials were looking at Feb. 11 for the runoff.

"When we started this campaign, we said we were going to have an opportunity to get our city back on track, and tonight, we took a huge step forward to do exactly that," Faulconer told cheering supporters at the US Grant Hotel.

Faulconer thanked San Diegans for their votes in the race to succeed the disgraced Bob Filner and said he couldn't wait to "hit the ground running" for the runoff campaign.

Alvarez campaigned on strengthening San Diego's neighborhoods and had the backing of the county Democratic Party and San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, an umbrella group for the region's unions. Fletcher gained the support of individual unions and numerous state elected officials.

Alvarez told supporters he started the race as an underdog.

"Well, we've proven if we worked together, worked hard, and share real values with people about hard work, about dedication, that anything is possible," Alvarez said.

In brief comments, Fletcher told his supporters he was proud of the support he was given.

"It's a tremendous honor to stand with labor, to stand with firefighters, to stand with police officers, to stand with small business owners and students, and we have run a great campaign," said Fletcher, who switched his registration to the Democratic Party in the nonpartisan race after serving as a Republican in the Legislature.

County Democratic Chairwoman Francine Busby said Alvarez surged in the last weeks of the campaign because the public got to know him better.

"After a divisive and tumultuous year for the city, David has run a positive, progressive, well-organized campaign," Busby said.

"He has reached out to communities that are too rarely represented in our politics. He has inspired hundreds of volunteers from every neighborhood and walk of life to join his team."

The major candidates spent the morning casting their ballots, waving signs, meeting with supporters and working on get-out-the-vote efforts. They each attended Election Night parties.

Nearly 500 polling places in more than 570 precincts opened at 7 a.m., with no significant problems reported.

Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said 357,000 mail ballots were sent out last month. 

He told City News Service that he expected a 40-45 percent turnout of the city's approximately 683,000 registered voters, higher than the city's past four special elections.

Interim Mayor Todd Gloria said at a news conference early Tuesday that it was always good when the voters had an opportunity to weigh in and help select someone to move the city forward. He said he hoped the eventual winner would focus on fiscal discipline and infrastructure issues.

"As we've seen in recent months, who is mayor matters," Gloria said. "It can have a direct impact on the health of our city and on families."

The special election was brought about by Filner's resignation in August, when he was under fire for sexual harassment and beinginvestigated for various transgressions, including alleged shakedowns of developers.

Filner subsequently pleaded guilty to one felony count of false imprisonment by violence and two misdemeanor counts of battery and was placed on three years probation.

Lawyer Hud Collins; Harry Dirks, a Realtor; San Diego State University student Michael Kemmer; businessman Sina "Simon" Moghadam, construction 
superintendent Tobiah Pettus; and retired contractor Lincoln Pickard all drew around a half-percent or less. Engineer Farrah Pirahanchi qualified as a write- in candidate.

Bruce Coons, whose name appeared on the ballot, withdrew from the race and threw his support to Alvarez, but still received nearly 900 votes.


—City News Service contributed to this report.