Candidates likely secure seats in two local elections

Most of last week's primary races determined who advanced to November runoff elections, but two candidates are on track to secure municipal seats.

Why it matters: Henry Foster is poised to replace his former boss as southeastern San Diego's City Council representative, and political newcomer Marco Verdugo will become Chula Vista's next city attorney.

State of play: Per election rules, most local races couldn't be settled last Tuesday night, but special circumstances made final outcomes possible in two special elections.

• The Chula Vista city attorney race already had its primary last year, to fill a vacant seat caused by voters in 2022 electing a city attorney who died after qualifying for the ballot.
• City of San Diego candidates can't win outright during primaries. Still, the District 4 City Council contest is a special election to complete the term Monica Montgomery Steppe vacated with her County Board of Supervisors win last year.
• Any candidate who crosses 50% in that race will take the seat immediately, giving district 4 residents a Council representative between now and November.

By the numbers: Verdugo has a wide lead in early results, with 58.2% of the vote over former Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld's 41.7%, as of Sunday evening.

• Foster was sitting at 53.6% as of Sunday evening, with mayoral staffer Chida Warren-Darby at 27.3% and small-business owner Tylisa Suseberry at 18.9%. Foster needs to stay above 50% to avoid a November runoff.