Cheat sheet for Carlsbad voters in the 2024 election
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
As Election Day approaches, Carlsbad residents will get to vote on city council members in two districts, a new treasurer and a ballot measure to raise city spending limits.
State of play: With half of the seats up for grabs on a council with both parties represented and a Republican mayor, the two winners could shift the political balance in city hall, Voice of San Diego reports.
Driving the news: In District 4, covering the southern part of the city that borders Encinitas, incumbent Democratic Councilmember Teresa Acosta is seeking her second four-year term.
- She told the Union-Tribune safety, sustainability and affordability are the city's top issues.
- Acosta is challenged by Greg Day, a commercial airline pilot and former Marine focused on homelessness, public safety and local control of growth and development.
District 2 will see a political newcomer take over for Councilmember Carolyn Luna, who can't run because she was appointed to fill the vacant seat in 2023.
- Kevin Shin, a veteran, restaurant owner and retired fire captain, told the U-T he would prioritize balancing the city budget, public safety and local control, if elected.
- For Tyler Collins, a software engineer and chair of the Carlsbad Housing Commission, public safety, housing and quality of life are the most pressing issues.
The intrigue: City councils are technically non-partisan, but the county Democratic Party endorsed Teresa Acosta and Kevin Shin, while Republicans endorsed Greg Day and Tyler Collins.
Follow the money: Four candidates are running for city treasurer to complete the term through 2026 in a special election following Craig Lindholm's retirement.
- Gregorio Kahn, Michael Williams, Christian Peacox, and Thomas Krouse, Jr. are vying to manage the city's investments.
Also on the ballot is Measure B to change city spending limits. It would amend Proposition H, which voters approved in 1982 to prohibit spending more than $1 million of city money to buy or improve property without voter approval.
- If approved, Measure B would raise that limit to $3.09 million (the inflation-adjusted equivalent), and adjust the limit annually to keep up with inflation.
- It would also exempt public safety facilities from that limit.
Read more: San Diego voter guide to the November 2024 general election
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information about endorsements.