San Diego’s District 5 City Council seat became vacant after Marni von Wilpert won election to Congress earlier in November 2026. The suburban district, which includes Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos and Scripps Ranch, will be filled in a special election. Two candidates announced campaigns within days of the vacancy.
Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff, a Democrat, and Gary Harrison, a Republican, have announced they will run, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Two other people have discussed the race but have not announced campaigns: Democrat Suresh Menon said an announcement could come soon, while Republican Joe Leventhal said he is watching the race but is unlikely to run.
Von Wilpert's Win Triggers a Scramble
Von Wilpert, who represented District 5 for six years, was elected to represent California’s 48th Congressional District after defeating Republican Jim Desmond, according to the Union-Tribune. Her departure leaves the City Council without a voting member from District 5. Staff will continue serving constituents during the vacancy, and von Wilpert’s chief of staff will lead the district office in the interim, Council President Joe LaCava told KPBS.
The city must hold a special election this winter to fill the seat, the Union-Tribune reports. As of November 5, the date had not been set, according to KPBS. The county Registrar of Voters estimated that a stand-alone District 5 election would cost the city $2.5 million, KPBS reported.
O’Connor-Ratcliff Points to Libraries and Budget Cuts
O’Connor-Ratcliff, who was born and raised in District 5 and is raising her family there, was recently elected to a fourth four-year term on the Poway Unified school board, which covers most of District 5. She told the Union-Tribune she wants to restore trust in city government, saying, “I've earned voters' trust in this district four times.”
O’Connor-Ratcliff pointed to reduced hours and closures at libraries serving District 5, including locations in Scripps Ranch and Rancho Peñasquitos, as evidence that city budget cuts have harmed the district. She also cited paid parking in Balboa Park and closed bathrooms in Mission Bay Park, arguing that the city is balancing its budget at District 5’s expense and that public trust is at an all-time low.
What the FY2027 budget says about library service
The City’s FY2027 draft budget listed the Rancho Peñasquitos library closure as related to capital-improvement renovations, distinguishing it from proposed reductions in library hours, according to the City of San Diego’s FY2027 draft budget.
The FY2027 budget reduced hours at six city libraries, including Rancho Bernardo, according to Times of San Diego. The reporting places the changes in the FY2027 budget context but does not specify when the reduced hours took effect.
Harrison Runs on Volunteer Record, Not Political Resume
Harrison, a retired U.S. Marine, has volunteered in Scripps Ranch for more than 25 years. He has served on the Scripps Ranch Civic Association and the Scripps Ranch Planning Group, including from 2016 to 2018, and has led the local Pop Warner football program in recent years. He told the Union-Tribune that his lack of political experience could be an advantage, arguing that the city needs proven leadership, fewer career bureaucrats, responsible use of tax revenue, and spending focused on roads and public safety.
Menon, an engineer and community volunteer who lives in Rancho Peñasquitos, has led efforts focused on feeding people in need and making local fields safer, the newspaper's report notes. Leventhal, an attorney who lives just west of Rancho Bernardo, lost a runoff to von Wilpert back in 2020; in that March 2020 primary, von Wilpert outpolled him 18,084 votes to 16,778, a gap of roughly 1,300 votes, according to an earlier Union-Tribune account of that race.
Why Republicans See an Opening
The race carries added stakes because San Diego's City Council has been entirely Democratic since December 2022, and only one Republican, Chris Cate in District 6, has won a council seat since 2016. Special elections generally draw lower turnout than regular contests, and that pattern has historically skewed results toward Republican voters, who tend to be more likely than Democrats to turn out in low-turnout races.
District 5’s voter rolls show why both parties see an opportunity. Through the November 3 election, the district had 42,494 registered Democrats and 30,824 registered Republicans—the most of any San Diego council district in each category—and 29,572 voters who declined to state a party, also the most of any district citywide.
A Familiar Process, With Deadlines Still to Come
San Diego has handled a council vacancy through a special election consolidated with a regularly scheduled contest. In 2024, District 4 held a special election during the March 5 primary to fill the seat left vacant when Monica Montgomery Steppe was elected to the County Board of Supervisors, KPBS reported. With no primary on the near horizon, District 5 voters will likely face a stand-alone contest, though the Union-Tribune reported that its date had not been finalized as of November 13.
