Encinitas voters will get their first structured look at the candidates running for the District 3 council seat and mayor's office at back-to-back forums next month in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

The District 3 Council Member Forum is set for Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Ada W. Harris Elementary School Auditorium, 1508 Windsor Rd. The Mayoral Forum follows a week later on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the same location. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Cardiff-by-the-Sea Town Council, operating through Cardiff 101 Main Street, is hosting both forums. The organization has staged election debates since Encinitas incorporated in 1986. Coast News reporter Cameron Adams will moderate.

District 3: Golden vs. Sprague

The District 3 seat opened after incumbent Joy Lyndes announced she would not seek re-election. The district primarily covers Cardiff.

Arielle Golden, whose ballot designation is community organizer, is a 13-year Encinitas resident who previously chaired the North County Food Policy Council. Her platform centers on managing growth, transit improvements and coastal protection. "I see us at a fork in a road as a city," Golden told the San Diego Union-Tribune in April when she announced her candidacy.

Ed Sprague lists his ballot designation as retired firefighter/professor. According to the North Coast Current, his campaign website describes him as a former deputy fire chief and former president of the Olivenhain Municipal Water District board. His priorities include community character, local control, public safety and infrastructure investment.

The winner will serve a four-year term ending in November 2030.

Mayor: Ehlers vs. Viskanta

Incumbent Mayor Bruce Ehlers faces challenger Rimga Viskanta. Ehlers, who previously served on the City Council and twice on the Planning Commission, confirmed his reelection bid in February. "I will be running, there's no doubt in my mind. I have more work to do," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in February.

Viskanta, a 20-year Encinitas resident and San Dieguito Union High School District trustee, has said her priorities include housing, traffic, climate change and homelessness. She previously served on the Encinitas Union School District board and worked as a senior management analyst for the City of Solana Beach.

The mayoral winner will serve a two-year term ending in November 2028.

How to participate

Residents can submit questions for the District 3 forum to [email protected] between Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 13. Questions for the mayoral forum go to [email protected] between Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 20. No questions will be accepted the day of either event.

The general municipal election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.