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Mayor of the City of San Diego
Flag of San Diego, California.svg
Flag of San Diego
Seal of San Diego, California.svg
Seal of San Diego
Todd Gloria 2022.jpg
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 main leader and chief executive of San Diego, California. The mayor's job is to make sure the laws passed by the San Diego City Council are followed. The mayor serves for four years and can be elected for two terms in a row.

Since 1850, when California became a state, 36 different people have been mayor of San Diego. Before California became a state, leaders called alcaldes served as mayors during the Spanish and Mexican times, starting in 1780. For a period from 1852 to 1888, there was no elected mayor. Instead, a group called a board of trustees ran the city. The head of this board was sometimes called "mayor" as a courtesy.

The most recent election was in November 2024. Todd Gloria was re-elected as the 37th mayor of San Diego.

History of San Diego's Mayors

The role of mayor was created when San Diego officially became a city on March 27, 1850. However, the city faced financial problems just two years later in 1852. Because of these money troubles, the State of California changed the city's government. They replaced the mayor and city council with a board of trustees.

The position of mayor was brought back with a new city plan in 1887. This plan was replaced by a permanent City Charter on May 6, 1889. This new system gave the mayor a lot of power, known as a strong mayor government.

In 1931, a different system was adopted. This was called a council–manager government. In this system, the mayor was the leader of the city council, but a city manager handled many of the daily operations.

In November 2004, voters decided to try the strong mayor system again for five years. This trial was made permanent in June 2010 after voters approved it.

Challenges and Changes

Over the years, some mayors have faced difficulties during their time in office.

  • In 1985, Mayor Roger Hedgecock resigned due to issues related to how his election campaign was funded.
  • In 2002, there were problems with how the city managed pensions for its employees. This led to Mayor Dick Murphy resigning.
  • In 2005, two city council members, Ralph Inzunza and Michael Zucchet, resigned because of issues involving campaign contributions.
  • In 2013, Mayor Bob Filner resigned after facing serious accusations.
  • In 2016, Mayor Kevin Faulconer made a deal for a new City Hall building. This building turned out to have problems like Asbestos and other issues, making it unusable. This deal became a well-known example of political problems in San Diego.

What the Mayor Does

The mayor is the official leader of San Diego for all important city events and government duties. The mayor can approve or reject decisions made by the City Council. If the mayor rejects a decision, the council can still pass it with a two-thirds vote.

Under the strong mayor system, the mayor has the power to hire and fire the city manager. The mayor also guides the city manager's work. The mayor can also fire the chief of police or the chief of the fire department, though the council can overrule this. The mayor can suggest new laws or ideas to the City Council, but they do not vote on these items.

Every year, by January 15, the mayor gives a "State of the City" speech to the City Council. This speech talks about how the city is doing. The mayor must also propose a budget for the city by April 15. This budget shows how the city plans to spend its money.

The mayor's salary was set at $100,464 in 2003. In 2012, a commission suggested raising it to $235,000, but the City Council decided to keep it the same. In 2014, the commission again recommended no pay increase. Instead, they suggested that any future pay raises should not apply to council members who voted for them. This idea was approved. In November 2018, voters passed a measure that links future mayoral salaries to those of Superior Court judges. As of December 2020, the mayor's salary is $206,000.

How Mayors Are Elected

The mayor is chosen in a citywide election. The election has two parts. First, there is a primary election. The two candidates who get the most votes in the primary then go on to a final election, called the general election.

People can only write in a candidate's name during the primary election. The mayor serves a four-year term and can serve two terms in a row. Even though mayors are officially non-partisan (meaning they don't run as a specific political party), most candidates do say which party they prefer.

If the mayor's office becomes empty with less than a year left in the term, the City Council chooses someone to finish the term. If there is more than a year left, the City Council must call a special election. The person who gets the most votes in this special election becomes mayor. If no one gets a majority, a special run-off election is held between the top two candidates. While the mayor's office is empty, the president of the City Council acts as a temporary mayor with limited powers. If a mayor serves for two years or more of a partial term, it counts as one full term.

The most recent election was in November 2024. Todd Gloria was re-elected as the 37th mayor of San Diego. He won against police officer Larry Turner. Todd Gloria had also served as a temporary mayor before, when he was the City Council president after Bob Filner resigned in 2013.

List of Mayors

As of July 2025, 36 different people have served as mayor. There have been 37 mayoral terms because Edwin M. Capps served two terms that were not in a row. He is counted as both the ninth and sixteenth mayor.

The mayor who served the longest was Pete Wilson, who was mayor for eleven years over three terms. This was before there were limits on how many terms a mayor could serve. The shortest term was by George P. Tebbetts, who served for less than two months. His term ended when the mayor's position was removed because the city went bankrupt. Percy J. Benbough is the only mayor who died while in office.

Two women have been elected mayor: Maureen O'Connor and Susan Golding. They served one after the other. John F. Forward Sr. and John F. Forward Jr. are the only father and son to have both been mayor. Todd Gloria is the first mayor of color, with Filipino, Latino, and Native American background. He is also the first openly gay elected mayor.

This list includes people who served as acting or interim mayor when the office was empty. These temporary mayors are not counted in the total number of official mayoral terms.

No. Mayor Term in office
Elections
Party
1 Mayorbean.png Joshua Bean
1818–1852
(aged 33–34)
June 17, 1850 January 14, 1851 Independent
1850
2 David B Kurtz.jpg David B. Kurtz
1819–1898
(aged 78–79)
January 14, 1851 January 10, 1852 Whig
1851
3 George Tebbetts.jpg George P. Tebbetts
1828–1909
(aged 80–81)
January 10, 1852 February 28, 1852 Independent
1852
Office abolished (1852–1888)
4 William Hunsaker.jpg William Jefferson Hunsaker
1855–1933
(aged 77)
January 3, 1888 November 13, 1888 Workingmen's
1887
Martin D. Hamilton
1855–1922
(aged 66–67)
November 13, 1888 May 6, 1889 Republican
N/A
5 Douglas Gunn.jpg Douglas Gunn
1841–1891
(aged 50)
May 6, 1889 May 4, 1891 Republican
1889
6 Matthew Sherman.jpg Matthew Sherman
1827–1898
(aged 70)
May 4, 1891 May 1, 1893 Republican
1891
7 William H. Carlson.png William H. Carlson
1864–1937
(aged 73)
May 1, 1893 May 3, 1897 Independent
1893, 1895
8 D C Reed.jpg David C. Reed
1847–1928
(aged 81)
May 3, 1897 May 1, 1899 Republican
1897
9 Edwin M Capps.jpg Edwin M. Capps
1860–1938
(aged 77)
May 1, 1899 May 6, 1901 Democratic
1899
10 Frank P Frary.jpg Frank P. Frary
1856–1911
(aged 54)
May 6, 1901 May 1, 1905 Republican
1901, 1903
11 John L Sehon.jpg John L. Sehon
1862–1913
(aged 50)
May 1, 1905 May 6, 1907 Democratic
1905
12 John F Forward Sr.jpg John F. Forward Sr.
1851–1926
(aged 75)
May 6, 1907 May 3, 1909 Republican
1907
13 Mayor Conard.jpg Grant Conard
1867–1919
(aged 52)
May 3, 1909 May 1, 1911 Republican
1909
14 Mayor Wadham.jpg James E. Wadham
1865–1930
(aged 64–65)
May 1, 1911 May 5, 1913 Democratic
1911
15 Mayor O'Neall.jpg Charles F. O'Neall
1875–1929
(aged 53)
May 5, 1913 May 3, 1915 Democratic
1913
16 Edwin M Capps.jpg Edwin M. Capps
1860–1938
(aged 77)
May 3, 1915 May 7, 1917 Democratic
1915
17 Louis J Wilde.jpg Louis J. Wilde
1865–1924
(aged 58)
May 7, 1917 May 2, 1921 Republican
1917, 1919
18 Mayor Bacon.jpg John L. Bacon
1878–1961
(aged 82)
May 2, 1921 May 2, 1927 Republican
1921, 1923, 1925
19 Mayor Clark.jpg Harry C. Clark
1883–1950
(aged 67)
May 2, 1927 May 4, 1931 Republican
1927, 1929
20 Mayor Austin.jpg Walter W. Austin
1880–1951
(aged 70)
May 4, 1931 May 2, 1932 Republican
1931
21 Mayor Forward Jr.jpg John F. Forward Jr.
1876–1938
(aged 61)
May 2, 1932 August 2, 1934 Republican
1932
22 Mayor Irones.jpg Rutherford B. Irones
1877–1948
(aged 70)
August 2, 1934 February 1, 1935 Republican
N/A
Albert W. Bennett, 1934.jpg Albert W. Bennett February 1, 1935 May 6, 1935 Republican
N/A
23 Mayor Benbough.jpg 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 Mayor Bard.jpg Howard B. Bard
1870–1954
(aged 83)
November 30, 1942 May 3, 1943 Democratic
N/A
25 Mayor Knox.jpg Harley E. Knox
1899–1956
(aged 57)
May 3, 1943 May 7, 1951 Independent
1943, 1947
26 Mayor Butler.jpg John D. Butler
1915–2010
(aged 94)
May 7, 1951 May 2, 1955 Republican
1951
27 Charles Dail.jpg Charles Dail
1909–1968
(aged 59)
May 2, 1955 December 2, 1963 Democratic
1955, 1959
28 Mayor Frank E. Curran.jpg Frank Curran
1912–1992
(aged 79)
December 2, 1963 December 6, 1971 Democratic
1963, 1967
29 Mayor Wilson.jpg 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 Mayor Hedgecock.jpg Roger Hedgecock
Born 1946
(79 years old)
May 3, 1983 December 5, 1985 Republican
1983, 1984
Ed Struiksma, 1981.jpg Ed Struiksma
Born 1946
(78–79 years old)
December 5, 1985 June 3, 1986 Republican
N/A
31 Maureen O'Connor.jpg Maureen O'Connor
Born 1946
(79 years old)
June 3, 1986 December 7, 1992 Democratic
1986, 1988
32 Susan Golding.jpg Susan Golding
Born 1945
(79 years old)
December 7, 1992 December 4, 2000 Republican
1992, 1996
33 Dick Murphy.jpg Dick Murphy
Born 1942
(82 years old)
December 4, 2000 July 15, 2005 Republican
2000, 2004
Commissioner-michael-zucchet-2017-07-13.png Michael Zucchet
Born 1969
(55 years old)
July 15, 2005 July 18, 2005 Democratic
N/A
Atkins Headshot.jpg Toni Atkins
Born 1962
(62 years old)
July 18, 2005 December 5, 2005 Democratic
N/A
34 Sanders official portrait.jpg Jerry Sanders
Born 1950
(75 years old)
December 5, 2005 December 3, 2012 Republican
2005, 2008
35 Bob Filner mayoral portrait.jpg Bob Filner
1942–2025
(aged 82)
December 3, 2012 August 30, 2013 Democratic
2012
Todd Gloria.jpg Todd Gloria
Born 1978
(47 years old)
August 30, 2013 March 3, 2014 Democratic
N/A
36 Kevin Faulconer Portrait (1).jpg Kevin Faulconer
Born 1967
(58 years old)
March 3, 2014 December 10, 2020 Republican
2013–2014, 2016
37 Todd Gloria 2022.jpg Todd Gloria
Born 1978
(47 years old)
December 10, 2020 Incumbent Democratic
2020, 2024
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