A group led by Genevieve Jones-Wright has filed a notice of intent to recall San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, kicking off the formal process toward a possible special election. The filing landed on October 29, and the recall notice was published in the San Diego Daily Transcript on Election Day, a step that lets the group begin formal signature gathering.
The notice of intent, as reported by Times of San Diego, is an initial step in San Diego's recall process, and publishing it in a local paper of record is required before petitions can circulate. The recall notice will also be served to Gloria directly, and under the process he has an opportunity to respond to the proponents' stated reasons before any petition signatures are collected. Gloria is not appearing on this year's Election Day ballot, and his office could not be reached for immediate comment, according to the same report.
Jones-Wright, who is described as a criminal justice advocate and public advocacy attorney, ran against Gloria for mayor in 2024. In a Q&A at the time, she described herself to The San Diego Union-Tribune as an attorney, criminal justice reform advocate and Democrat who was challenging Gloria for re-election. She's joined in the recall effort by Kathleen Harmon, a longtime Southeastern San Diego community activist, along with Terrie Best, Donnetta Moore and Shelby Huffaker.
Finances, Housing and Homelessness Cited as Grounds
The recall notice cites Gloria's handling of city finances, his housing policy, and what proponents describe as a lack of leadership on San Diego's homelessness crisis as reasons for seeking his removal. Proponents say Gloria's housing policy favors developers, and they argue his overall record warrants removal from office.
In their own words, the recall proponents said they had lost confidence in Gloria's competence, leadership, judgment and candor, and said he failed to put everyday San Diegans first and was unfit for office. They added that San Diegans deserve honest answers, transparent decisions, responsible stewardship of public money, and an accessible, accountable mayor.
A Rocky Year Already on the Record
The recall filing follows months of public friction over city operations. In September, a billing error tied to trash service could affect 75,000 or more of the city's 220,000 trash customers, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Council members responded by demanding Gloria give up his role overseeing day-to-day city operations, calling the situation incompetence on the city's part. Gloria called the errors unacceptable and vowed to get corrected billing amounts to the county by the end of that day.
Earlier in the year, Gloria's standing had already taken a hit. A poll by Competitive Edge Research in November put his approval rating at 33 percent, which the outlet noted was lower than Donald Trump's, per Voice of San Diego. The same report noted some bright spots on his watch: rents had recently declined for the first time in 15 years, albeit by less than a percent, and the number of people counted during the city's annual homeless census dropped by 13.5 percent the prior year.
How the Threshold Compares to San Diego's Last Recall Push
Under the city's recall rules, a petition requires signatures from at least 15 percent of registered voters in San Diego before the council would be required to call a special election. City Clerk administrative guidelines state that a recall election will take place unless proponents fail to obtain the required number of petition signatures, though the guidance reviewed does not spell out the exact threshold for a mayoral recall.
San Diego's last recall effort against a sitting mayor targeted Bob Filner in 2013. That drive officially launched on August 18 of that year, with petitions circulated at midnight and a Freedom From Filner rally drawing more than 300 supporters to City Hall, according to KPBS. Organizers needed at least 102,000 valid signatures by September 26 to qualify for the ballot, but Filner resigned before the effort could move forward, leaving the Gloria filing as the first formal recall attempt against a San Diego mayor since then.
