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 main leader and chief executive of San Diego, California. Think of the mayor as the city's boss. Their job is to make sure the laws passed by the San Diego City Council (the group that makes laws) are followed.

The mayor serves for four years. They can be re-elected only once, meaning they can serve a maximum of two terms in a row.

Since 1850, when California became a state, 36 different people have been mayor of San Diego. Before California joined the United States, leaders called "mayors" also served in San Diego starting in 1780. From 1852 to 1888, San Diego didn't have an elected mayor. Instead, a group called the "board of trustees" ran the city. The head of this board was sometimes called "mayor" as a courtesy.

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 in San Diego began on March 27, 1850, when the city was officially formed. However, just two years later, in 1852, the city ran out of money. Because of this, the State of California took over the city's government. They replaced the mayor and city council with a group called the board of trustees.

The position of mayor was brought back in 1887 with a new city plan. This plan was updated in 1889, creating a "strong mayor" system. This means the mayor had a lot of power.

In 1931, a new plan changed the government to a "council–manager" system. In this system, the city council and a city manager shared more power, and the mayor was mainly the leader of the city council.

Later, in November 2004, voters decided to try the "strong mayor" system again for five years. This trial was successful, and in June 2010, voters made the "strong mayor" system permanent.

What the Mayor Does

The mayor is the official representative of San Diego for all important events and city business. They can approve or reject decisions made by the city council. If the mayor rejects a decision (this is called a veto), the city council can still pass it if two-thirds of them vote yes.

Under the "strong mayor" system, the mayor has the power to hire and fire the city manager, who helps run the city's daily operations. The mayor also has the power to dismiss the chief of police or the chief of the fire department, though the city council can overrule this. The mayor can suggest new laws or ideas to the city council, but they do not get to vote on them.

Every year, by January 15, the mayor must give a "State of the City" speech to the city council. This speech talks about how the city is doing. Also, by April 15, the mayor must present a plan for the city's money (the budget) to the city council and the public.

The mayor's salary was set at $100,464 in 2003. In 2012, there was a suggestion to raise it to $235,000, but the city council decided to keep it the same. In 2014, they decided not to raise the mayor's or city council's pay. In November 2018, voters approved a new rule that links the mayor's salary to what Superior Court judges earn. As of December 2020, the mayor's salary is $206,000 per year.

How Mayors Are Chosen

The mayor is chosen in a citywide election. This election has two main parts. First, there's 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 names during the primary election, not the general election.

The mayor serves a four-year term and can only 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 their term, the city council chooses someone to finish the term. If there's more than a year left, the city council must hold a special election. The person who gets the most votes in this special election becomes mayor. If no one gets a majority, the top two candidates have a special run-off election. While waiting for a new mayor, 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 had also served as a temporary mayor in 2013.

List of Mayors

As of July 2025, 36 people have served as mayor. However, there have been 37 mayoral terms because Edwin M. Capps served two separate times.

The longest-serving mayor was Pete Wilson, who was mayor for eleven years. This was before there were rules about how many terms a mayor could serve. The shortest term was by George P. Tebbetts, who was mayor for less than two months before the city went bankrupt and the position was removed.

Percy J. Benbough is the only mayor who died while in office. Two women have been elected mayor: Maureen O'Connor and Susan Golding. John F. Forward Sr. and John F. Forward Jr. are the only father and son to both serve as mayor. Todd Gloria is the first mayor of color for San Diego, with Filipino, Latino, and Native American background. He is also the first openly gay elected mayor.

This list includes people who served as temporary mayors when the office was empty, but they are not counted in the official number of mayors.

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 1855–1922 (aged 66–67)	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)	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 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 (79 years old)	May 3, 1983	December 5, 1985	Republican
			1983, 1984
—		Ed Struiksma Born 1946 (78–79 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 (47 years old)	August 30, 2013	March 3, 2014	Democratic
			N/A
36		Kevin Faulconer Born 1967 (58 years old)	March 3, 2014	December 10, 2020	Republican
			2013–2014, 2016
37		Todd Gloria Born 1978 (47 years old)	December 10, 2020	Incumbent	Democratic
			2020

Presidents of the Board of Trustees

After San Diego went bankrupt in 1852, the State of California took over the city's government. The city was then run by a group of appointed people called the board of trustees from 1852 to 1888. The leader of this board was often called "mayor" as a courtesy, even though it wasn't an official title. If the president's position became empty, the board would choose a temporary president until a new one could be elected by the board.

Images for kids

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  Current Mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria

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  Official Seal of the City of San Diego

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  The Flag of San Diego

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  Joshua Bean, San Diego's first mayor

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  David B. Kurtz

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  George P. Tebbetts

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  William Jefferson Hunsaker

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  Douglas Gunn

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  Matthew Sherman

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  William H. Carlson

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  David C. Reed

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  Edwin M. Capps

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  Frank P. Frary

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  John L. Sehon

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  John F. Forward Sr.

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  Grant Conard

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  James E. Wadham

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  Charles F. O'Neall

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  Louis J. Wilde

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  John L. Bacon

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  Harry C. Clark

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  Walter W. Austin

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  John F. Forward Jr.

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  Rutherford B. Irones

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  Albert W. Bennett

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  Percy J. Benbough

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  Howard B. Bard

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  Harley E. Knox

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  John D. Butler

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  Charles Dail

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  Frank Curran

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  Pete Wilson

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  Roger Hedgecock

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  Maureen O'Connor

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  Susan Golding

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  Dick Murphy

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  Michael Zucchet

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  Toni Atkins

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  Jerry Sanders

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  Bob Filner

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  Todd Gloria

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  Kevin Faulconer