Incumbents Kersey, Faulconer facing challengers

Councilman Mark Kersey could be facing two challengers, while Mayor Kevin Faulconer might have up to eight opponents in the June 7 primary, according to the potential candidates list issued by the City Clerk’s office.

The list — last updated on Tuesday — contains the names of all “potential candidates” in the city’s races. Potential candidates will become “official” after the nomination period closes and the candidate’s sufficient petition has been verified.

The nomination period closed last Thursday, though there is typically a few days extension when the incumbent does not seek re-election or is termed out.

Kersey, a 39-year-old Black Mountain Ranch resident, is seeking his second and final term representing District 5 on the City Council. His potential challengers are Rancho Bernardo resident Keith Mikas, 46, a first-time candidate; and Frank Tsimboukakis, a 56-year-old Scripps Ranch resident who had an unsuccessful run for the 38th state Senate race in 2014. Kersey is a Republican, while Mikas and Tsimboukakis are Democrats. Officially, the race is non-partisan.

The City Council’s District 5 includes Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs, Black Mountain Ranch (Del Sur and Santaluz), Rancho Peñasquitos, San Pasqual and Scripps Ranch.

Faulconer, 49, is seeking his first four-year term as mayor after being elected to fill the remaining term of former Mayor Bob Filner. He is a former city councilman. His potential opponents are Gita Appelbaum, a 53-year-old family nurse practitioner/CEO; Marty Gardner, a 51-year-old retired military member; Steven H. Greenwald, a 69-year-old real estate investor; Ed Harris, a 50-year-old San Diego lifeguard sergeant and former city councilman; Sina Simon Moghadam, a 41-year-old businessman/restaurateur/engineer; Gregory T. Morales, a 54-year-old socio-economist; Lori Saldaña, a 57-year-old community college technology teacher and former state assemblywoman; and Lawrence J. Zynda, an 83-year-old businessman/investor/scientist/landlord. A political affiliation for all of the candidates is not yet known.

The city attorney’s race has attracted five candidates seeking to replace City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, who is termed out. They are Gil Cabrera, a 43-year-old attorney; Rafael Castellanos, a 41-year-old attorney/port commissioner; Mara W. Elliott, a 47-year-old chief deputy city attorney; Robert Hickey, a 47-year-old deputy district attorney; and Bryan William Pease, a 37-year-old consumer attorney. All are Democrats, with the exception of Hickey, who is a Republican. The race is officially non-partisan.

There are also several local races that are not limited to City of San Diego residents.

As of Tuesday night, three of the potential six candidates in the 52nd Congressional District race had qualified for the ballot, according to the Registrar of Voters office. Those qualified were incumbent Scott Peters, a Democrat, and Republicans Jacquie Atkinson, a military officer/businesswoman; and John Horst, a planning group leader. The others who filed nomination papers were Terry Reagan Allvord (no details provided), Kenneth “Mike” Canada, a university professor; and Denise Gitsham (no details provided).

The latter three did not list a party preference on their initial filing paperwork. The 52nd Congressional District includes many communities in this area, including Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch.

The 39th District state Senate race had four individuals filing paperwork for the office held by Marty Block, who is not seeking reelection. As of Tuesday night, only Toni Atkins, a Democrat and state assemblywoman had qualified for the ballot. Others who have expressed interest are Juan Bribiesca, a Republican and retired medical doctor; Richard M. Fago (no details provided) and John Renison, a small-business owner. Neither listed a party preference with their initial filing. The district includes Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch and Sabre Springs.

The 77th District state Assembly race has attracted two candidates, incumbent Brian Maienschein, a Republican seeking his third term; and Melinda K. Vasquez (no details provided). She did not list a party preference in her initial filing papers. As of Tuesday night, only Maienschein had qualified for the ballot. The 77th District covers all communities in the immediate area, including Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch.

The District 2 county Board of Supervisors race has two interested individuals — incumbent Dianne Jacob and Rudy Reyes, whose details were not provided. Only Jacob had qualified as of Tuesday night. District 2 includes Poway.

The District 3 county Board of Supervisors race has three interested individuals — incumbent Dave Roberts plus challengers Sam Abed, Escondido’s mayor; and Kristin Gaspar, Encinitas’ mayor. All three have qualified for the ballot. District 3 includes Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Rancho Peñasquitos.