The November election is over, but there are two interesting votes next week in local politics.
They will set the future of the San Diego City Council and the local Republican Party.
But you won’t get to vote. Unless you’re a City Council member or a member of the Central Committee of the Republican Party.
What's happening
Let’s start with the city.
The San Diego City Council will elect its new president next week. Current Council President Sean Elo-Rivera does not want to be Council President any more.
"I'm really proud of what we've done in the last few years," he told the Voice of San Diego Podcast. "Changes that we've made administratively. Changes that we've made in terms of the procedure at council meetings. And then some of the ways we've led on policy as well make me feel really good about where we're at in comparison with three years."
The background
Until 20 years ago, the mayor was the presiding member of the City Council. Then the city switched to the strong mayor form of government.
The mayor became the chief executive of the city, in charge of most city employees.
The move created a new position: City Council president. It was supposed to be almost as powerful, leading the city council as a separate but equal branch of city government.
The council president gets to decide committee assignments and they get to set the agenda. If they don’t like a policy, they can do a lot to make sure it never goes forward.
Meanwhile in the Republican Party
A lot of people hope the Republican Party can become relevant again in San Diego County. There are two camps bitterly fighting for the chance to make that happen.
Newly sworn-in Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is at the center of the fight.
He supports Paula Whitsell, the former chair of the party, in her campaign to lead the party.
She’s running against the current chair of the party, Corey Gustafson, who tried his best to make sure DeMaio didn’t win his assembly race. He failed.
Why it matters
The two votes will have a big impact on San Diego politics for years to come.
