Encinitas voters will choose between two sharply different visions for the city when they decide the mayor's race on Nov. 3, a contest that could also reshape the City Council majority depending on how two linked council seats shake out.

Mayor Bruce Ehlers, an independent who defeated incumbent Tony Kranz in 2024, is running on his first-term record of infrastructure upgrades, public safety and resistance to state housing mandates. Challenger Rimga Viskanta, a San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) trustee and registered Democrat, is campaigning on traffic safety, affordable housing and what she calls a more collaborative approach to governance.

The race is "one of the most high-profile races in the region," North County Pipeline reported Oct. 28. Encinitas is one of the few North County cities where the mayor serves a two-year term, making the seat a frequent battleground.

Santa Fe Drive and traffic safety

The candidates split most visibly over the protected bike lane on Santa Fe Drive near San Dieguito Academy High School. Ehlers has pushed to remove the lane, calling it dangerous because of driveway access points along its route. He said at a Cardiff-by-the-Sea forum that protected bike lanes "are not a panacea, they don't automatically make things safe," according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Viskanta said she too had concerns about the redesign but would not support "completely ripping out a protected bike lane." She said city staff had proposed low-cost fixes, but the council majority chose the more expensive removal instead, the Union-Tribune reported.

The dispute escalated after the City Council voted to sue California over a new state law, pushed by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, that blocks the city from removing the lane for at least five years, Patch reported Oct. 25.

Ehlers' campaign website lists traffic safety through speed-limit enforcement and keeping traffic on main roads as a priority. Viskanta's site emphasizes "people-first streets" and support for a red-light camera pilot program discussed at council meetings.

Housing and homelessness

Housing has driven Encinitas politics for decades. Ehlers authored the city's Proposition A in 2013, which requires voter approval for zoning density and height increases. His campaign calls defending against "excessive development" and restoring local control over zoning his top priority, according to his campaign website.

Viskanta told KPBS she disagrees with state housing policy but would take a different approach than Ehlers. She said she wants to preserve existing affordable housing, including the city's 11 mobile-home parks, and work with nonprofits to build fully affordable projects rather than relying on private developers.

The two also clashed over a $3.9 million state grant to address homeless encampments. Ehlers and the council majority voted in June not to apply, arguing the grant would require a "housing first" model. Viskanta called the decision a "real missed opportunity," saying the San Diego Rescue Mission had recommended the city apply and reported no issues using similar grant money in Vista, according to the Union-Tribune.

Council races could shift the balance

The mayor's race does not stand alone. Districts 3 and 4 are also on the ballot, and the outcomes could tip the council's ideological balance, inewsource reported Oct. 7.

Viskanta is aligned with Brad Lefkowits in District 4 and Arielle Golden in District 3, both endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party. Ehlers supports appointed Councilmember Marco San Antonio in District 4 and retired firefighter Ed Sprague in District 3, both endorsed by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's Reform Party, according to inewsource.

The city's voter registration leans Democratic, with about 20,000 Democrats, 11,000 Republicans and 10,500 no-party-preference voters. But local issues, particularly opposition to dense housing, have powered right-leaning candidates in recent cycles. The San Diego County Republican Party has not endorsed in the Encinitas races, inewsource reported.

As of late September, Viskanta had raised $72,226 in campaign contributions compared with Ehlers' $37,307, according to KPBS. Encinitas caps mayoral donations at $500 per contributor.

Polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters can find ballot drop boxes and vote centers through the California Secretary of State's website.