Encinitas voters will decide three city races on Nov. 3, with housing, development and local control at the center of every contest.

An inewsource investigation published Wednesday frames the election as a test of the city's identity, 40 years after residents incorporated to resist county-driven growth. The races pit candidates backed by the San Diego County Democratic Party against independents and conservatives aligned with Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's Reform Party.

Mayor: Ehlers vs. Viskanta

Mayor Bruce Ehlers, who left the Republican Party more than a decade ago, won the seat in 2024 by defeating then-Mayor Tony Kranz 52% to 48%. Ehlers authored the city's Proposition A in 2013 as a planning commissioner. The measure requires voter approval for zoning density and height increases.

His campaign website lists fighting state housing mandates, defending Proposition A and reducing homelessness as top priorities. Ehlers did not respond to several interview requests from inewsource, the outlet reported.

Challenger Rimga Viskanta, vice president of the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees since 2022, has lived in Encinitas for 20 years. She is endorsed by the county Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner and the Sierra Club. Her campaign calls for small-scale development, safer streets and climate preparation.

District 3: Golden vs. Sprague

District 3 covers primarily the Cardiff area. Councilmember Joy Lyndes, the council's sole Democrat, announced in January she would not seek re-election.

Arielle Golden, former chair of the North County Food Policy Council, is endorsed by the county Democratic Party. "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, a retired firefighter and former Olivenhain Municipal Water District board member, is endorsed by DeMaio's Reform Party.

District 4: San Antonio vs. Lefkowits

District 4 covers eastern Encinitas, including Olivenhain. Councilmember Marco San Antonio, a Republican small business owner appointed to the seat in January 2025, is the first Filipino to serve on the Encinitas City Council, according to NC Pipeline. He is endorsed by DeMaio's Reform Party.

San Antonio told inewsource he received two threatening phone calls for "being MAGA" from someone he identified as an Encinitas resident and said he was reporting the calls to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

Challenger Brad Lefkowits, a landscape designer and Urban Forest Advisory Committee member, is endorsed by the county Democratic Party. "This issue cannot be black and white," Lefkowits told the Union-Tribune in February, arguing the council should manage growth rather than promise to stop all development.

Housing battles as backdrop

The inewsource report traces how housing fights have defined Encinitas politics since the city incorporated in 1986. The population surged from 11,000 in 1980 to 55,000 by 1990. Growth resistance became a founding principle.

Recent council actions have kept the tension alive. In February 2025, the council denied appeals on a 3-1 vote, clearing the way for the 448-unit Quail Meadows apartments, the largest development in city history. In November 2025, council members sued the developers of the Clark Avenue apartments over a previously approved plan. A judge dismissed the case in August.

The council also voted to spend $3.5 million to redesign Santa Fe Drive, undoing a $3 million project completed the prior year. State Sen. Catherine Blakespear pushed a bill through the state Senate aimed at stopping the reversal.

Anonymous accounts, rising tensions

Encinitas has about 60,000 residents. Registered voters include roughly 20,000 Democrats (44%), 11,000 Republicans (25%) and 10,500 with no party preference, according to inewsource. Majorities voted for Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the past three presidential elections.

Yet in 2024, Ehlers, Luke Shaffer and Jim O'Hara all won council seats running as independents, defeating Democratic Party-backed candidates. The San Diego County Republican Party did not endorse in those races and has not endorsed in 2026.

Anonymous social media accounts with thousands of followers now post daily about current and former council members, inewsource reported. The largest, "Save Encinitas Now" and "Encinitas Keepin It Real," typically praise the current council and criticize Blakespear and Democrats. A newer account, "Fear and Loathing in Encinitas," criticizes the current council.

Blakespear told inewsource she takes threats seriously and has added security to her home.

Vote centers open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. For locations and voting information, contact the San Diego County Registrar of Voters at sdvote.com or the Encinitas City Clerk at 760-633-2602.