Mayor of San Diego facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of San Diego
Flag of San Diego
Seal of San Diego
Incumbent Todd Gloria since December 10, 2020
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Joshua Bean
Formation	1850
Salary	$206,000 annually
Website	Office of the Mayor

The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms.

There have been 36 people who have served as mayor in San Diego since 1850, when California became a state following the American Conquest of California. Prior to the conquest, Californios served as Mayor of San Diego during the Spanish and Mexican eras since 1780. From 1852 to 1888, the city was run by a board of trustees and there was no elected mayor. However, the president of the board was called mayor as a courtesy.

The most recent election was held in November 2020. Todd Gloria was elected to be the 37th mayor of San Diego.

History

The position of mayor was created when San Diego was first incorporated on March 27, 1850. However, the city went bankrupt in 1852, only two years after incorporation. As a result of the bankruptcy, the State of California dissolved the government and replaced the mayor and city council with a board of trustees. The mayoral position was later re-established with a new charter in 1887. This charter was replaced with a permanent City Charter on May 6, 1889, using the strong mayor form of government.

In 1931, a new charter was adopted using a council–manager government with a citywide mayor as leader of the city council.

In November 2004, voters approved Proposition F, returning San Diego to the strong mayor form of government on a five-year trial basis. This was made permanent in June 2010 with the passage of Proposition D.

Duties and powers

The mayor serves as the official head of the City of San Diego for all ceremonial and civil purposes. The mayor has the authority to approve or veto council actions, subject to a two-thirds vote veto overrule. Under the strong mayor system, the mayor has sole authority to appoint and dismiss the city manager and to direct and control the city manager as permitted by the city charter. The mayor also has the authority to dismiss the chief of police or the chief of the fire department subject to a council overrule. The mayor may recommend measures and ordinance to the city council, but may not vote on these items.

On or before January 15, the mayor is obligated to communicate a State of the City address to the city council. The mayor must also propose a budget to the city council and for public review no later than April 15.

The salary of the mayor was set at $100,464 in 2003. In March 2012, the city's Salary Setting Commission proposed that the mayor be paid $235,000, but the city council unanimously rejected the recommendation, instead keeping the salary at the 2003 level. In March 2014, the Salary Setting Commission recommended no pay increase for the mayor or city council. Instead, they recommended exploring future pay increases with additional condition that council members voting for pay increases not be allowed to benefit from the increase. This recommendation was approved by the city council in a 5–3 vote in favor of the changes. In November 2018, voters passed Measure L which ties future mayoral salaries to those of Superior Court judges. As of December 2020, the mayoral salary is $206,000.

Election and succession

The mayor is elected in citywide election. Elections follow a two-round system. The first round of the election is called the primary election. The top-two candidates from the primary election advance to a runoff election, called the general election. Write-in candidates are only allowed to contest the primary election and are not allowed in the general election. The mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms. The mayor is officially non-partisan by state law, although most mayoral candidates identify a party preference.

If the office of the mayor becomes vacant with one year or less remaining in the term, the city council appoints a person to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs with more than one year remaining, the city council is obligated to call a special election. The candidate with the majority of the votes in the special election is declared mayor. If no candidate receives a majority, a special run-off must be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes. While the mayor's office is vacant pending a special election, the president of the city council serves as the interim mayor, with limited powers, until a new mayor is elected. If for any reason a Mayor serves a partial term of two years or more, it will count as one full term.

The most recent election was held in November 2020. Todd Gloria was elected to be the 37th mayor of San Diego, succeeding the termed out Kevin Faulconer. Gloria had previously served as interim mayor in his role as city council president following the 2013 resignation of Bob Filner.

List

As of December 2024, 36 individuals have served as mayor. There have been 37 mayoralties because Edwin M. Capps served two non-consecutive terms; he is counted chronologically as both the ninth and sixteenth mayor. The longest term was that of Pete Wilson, who served for eleven years over three terms prior to the establishment of successive term limits. The shortest term, not counting interim or acting mayors, was that of George P. Tebbetts, who served for less than two months before the position of mayor was abolished due to the bankruptcy of the city. Percy J. Benbough is the only mayor to have died in office. Two women have been elected mayor: Maureen O'Connor and Susan Golding consecutively. John F. Forward Sr. and John F. Forward Jr. are the only father and son to have both served as mayor. Todd Gloria is the first mayor of color, with Filipino, Latino, and Native American heritage. Gloria is also the first elected mayor to be openly gay.

This list includes people who served as acting mayor or interim mayor due to a vacancy in the office of the mayor, but who were not officially elected or appointed as mayor. The acting and interim mayors are not included in the count of mayoralties.

No.	Mayor		Term in office Elections		Party
1		Joshua Bean 1818–1852 (aged 33–34)	June 17, 1850	January 14, 1851	Independent
			1850
2		David B. Kurtz 1819–1898 (aged 78–79)	January 14, 1851	January 10, 1852	Whig
			1851
3		George P. Tebbetts 1828–1909 (aged 80–81)	January 10, 1852	February 28, 1852	Independent
			1852
Office abolished (1852–1888)
4		William Jefferson Hunsaker 1855–1933 (aged 77)	January 3, 1888	November 13, 1888	Workingmen's
			1887
—		Martin D. Hamilton	November 13, 1888	May 6, 1889	Republican
			N/A
5		Douglas Gunn 1841–1891 (aged 50)	May 6, 1889	May 4, 1891	Republican
			1889
6		Matthew Sherman 1827–1898 (aged 70)	May 4, 1891	May 1, 1893	Republican
			1891
7		William H. Carlson 1864–1937 (aged 73)	May 1, 1893	May 3, 1897	Independent
			1893, 1895
8		David C. Reed 1847–1928 (aged 81)	May 3, 1897	May 1, 1899	Republican
			1897
9		Edwin M. Capps 1860–1938 (aged 77)	May 1, 1899	May 6, 1901	Democratic
			1899
10		Frank P. Frary 1856–1911 (aged 54)	May 6, 1901	May 1, 1905	Republican
			1901, 1903
11		John L. Sehon 1862–1913 (aged 50–51)	May 1, 1905	May 6, 1907	Democratic
			1905
12		John F. Forward Sr. 1851–1926 (aged 75)	May 6, 1907	May 3, 1909	Republican
			1907
13		Grant Conard 1867–1919 (aged 51–52)	May 3, 1909	May 1, 1911	Republican
			1909
14		James E. Wadham 1865–1930 (aged 64–65)	May 1, 1911	May 5, 1913	Democratic
			1911
15		Charles F. O'Neall 1875–1929 (aged 53)	May 5, 1913	May 3, 1915	Democratic
			1913
16		Edwin M. Capps 1860–1938 (aged 77)	May 3, 1915	May 7, 1917	Democratic
			1915
17		Louis J. Wilde 1865–1924 (aged 58)	May 7, 1917	May 2, 1921	Republican
			1917, 1919
18		John L. Bacon 1878–1961 (aged 82)	May 2, 1921	May 2, 1927	Republican
			1921, 1923, 1925
19		Harry C. Clark 1883–1950 (aged 67)	May 2, 1927	May 4, 1931	Republican
			1927, 1929
20		Walter W. Austin 1880–1951 (aged 70)	May 4, 1931	May 2, 1932	Republican
			1931
21		John F. Forward Jr. 1876–1938 (aged 61)	May 2, 1932	August 2, 1934	Republican
			1932
22		Rutherford B. Irones 1877–1948 (aged 70)	August 2, 1934	February 1, 1935	Republican
			N/A
—		Albert W. Bennett	February 1, 1935	May 6, 1935	Republican
			N/A
23		Percy J. Benbough 1884–1942 (aged 58)	May 6, 1935	November 4, 1942	Republican
			1935, 1939
—		Fred W. Simpson	November 4, 1942	November 30, 1942	Republican
			N/A
24		Howard B. Bard 1870–1954 (aged 83)	November 30, 1942	May 3, 1943	Democratic
			N/A
25		Harley E. Knox 1899–1956 (aged 57)	May 3, 1943	May 7, 1951	Independent
			1943, 1947
26		John D. Butler 1915–2010 (aged 94)	May 7, 1951	May 2, 1955	Republican
			1951
27		Charles Dail 1909–1968 (aged 59)	May 2, 1955	December 2, 1963	Democratic
			1955, 1959
28		Frank Curran 1912–1992 (aged 79)	December 2, 1963	December 6, 1971	Democratic
			1963, 1967
29		Pete Wilson Born 1933 (91 years old)	December 6, 1971	January 3, 1983	Republican
			1971, 1975, 1979
—		Bill Cleator 1927–1993 (aged 65)	January 3, 1983	May 3, 1983	Republican
			N/A
30		Roger Hedgecock Born 1946 (78 years old)	May 3, 1983	December 5, 1985	Republican
			1983, 1984
—		Ed Struiksma Born 1946 (77–78 years old)	December 5, 1985	June 3, 1986	Republican
			N/A
31		Maureen O'Connor Born 1946 (78 years old)	June 3, 1986	December 7, 1992	Democratic
			1986, 1988
32		Susan Golding Born 1945 (79 years old)	December 7, 1992	December 4, 2000	Republican
			1992, 1996
33		Dick Murphy Born 1942 (82 years old)	December 4, 2000	July 15, 2005	Republican
			2000, 2004
—		Michael Zucchet Born 1969 (55 years old)	July 15, 2005	July 18, 2005	Democratic
			N/A
—		Toni Atkins Born 1962 (62 years old)	July 18, 2005	December 5, 2005	Democratic
			N/A
34		Jerry Sanders Born 1950 (74 years old)	December 5, 2005	December 3, 2012	Republican
			2005, 2008
35		Bob Filner Born 1942 (82 years old)	December 3, 2012	August 30, 2013	Democratic
			2012
—		Todd Gloria Born 1978 (46 years old)	August 30, 2013	March 3, 2014	Democratic
			N/A
36		Kevin Faulconer Born 1967 (57 years old)	March 3, 2014	December 10, 2020	Republican
			2013–2014, 2016
37		Todd Gloria Born 1978 (46 years old)	December 10, 2020	Incumbent	Democratic
			2020

Presidents of the Board of Trustees

After San Diego's bankruptcy in 1852, the State of California took over city government and ran the city with an appointed Board of Trustees during 1852–1888. The President of the Board was called mayor by courtesy, although there was no official office of mayor. When the office of president was vacated due to death or resignation, the board of trustees would choose a president pro tempore to preside over meetings until a permanent president could be elected by the board.