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. 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		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 (79 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 (75 years old)	December 5, 2005	December 3, 2012	Republican
			2005, 2008
35		Bob Filner 1942–2025 (aged 82)	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, 2024