Challenger Rimga Viskanta has raised nearly twice as much money as incumbent Mayor Bruce Ehlers in the race for Encinitas mayor, ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election.
Viskanta, a San Dieguito Union High School District board trustee and registered Democrat, reported $72,226 in contributions as of Sept. 24. Ehlers, a registered independent, reported $37,307 and loaned his campaign $5,000 as of Sept. 25, according to KPBS. Both candidates are subject to Encinitas' $500-per-donor limit for mayoral races.
The winner serves a two-year term.
Where they split
The Santa Fe Drive protected bike lane near San Dieguito Academy has divided the candidates. The City Council voted 4-1 in February to replace the $4.15 million protected lane, completed in 2025, with a buffered painted lane. Ehlers led that push, citing emergency vehicle access and what he called dangerous design flaws.
"Emergency vehicles cannot pass during peak periods … There's no place to pull over," Ehlers said in a Sept. 10 KPBS interview about the council's request that Gov. Gavin Newsom veto a state provision protecting the lane.
Viskanta told KPBS she supported staff-recommended modifications to the lane but opposed the council's decision to remove it entirely. She also opposed State Sen. Catherine Blakespear's approach of embedding a five-year removal ban in Senate Bill 144, which Newsom signed.
On traffic enforcement, Viskanta supports a red light camera pilot program discussed at the council. On his campaign website, Ehlers says he wants to enforce speed limits, red lights and stop signs, and keep traffic flowing on main roads and out of neighborhoods.
Housing and homelessness
Both candidates say they disagree with state housing policy, but their remedies differ. On his campaign website, Ehlers lists defending against "overdevelopment" as a top priority. He wrote Proposition A in 2013, which gave residents a vote on zoning density and height increases.
Viskanta told KPBS she wants to preserve the city's 11 mobile home parks by limiting rent increases and engage nonprofit developers to build 100% affordable housing. "We cannot count on large-scale private developers to solve the affordable housing crisis," she said, according to KPBS.
The council voted 4-1 in late June not to apply for a $3.9 million state grant to address homeless encampments. Viskanta called that a "real missed opportunity" at a Sept. 23 candidate forum in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. About 130 people attended the forum, including San Dieguito Academy students.
Endorsements and registration
Viskanta has endorsements from Rep. Mike Levin, Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner, the San Diego County Democratic Party, the Sierra Club San Diego and the AFL-CIO. As of Oct. 1, Ehlers had no endorsements listed on his campaign website, KPBS reported.
The San Diego County Republican Party has not endorsed in the race, according to inewsource. Encinitas has about 20,000 registered Democrats, 11,000 Republicans and 10,500 voters with no party preference, per California Secretary of State data cited by inewsource.
Ehlers won the seat in 2024, defeating then-incumbent Tony Kranz 52% to 48%. KPBS reported that Ehlers did not respond to its request for comment for its Oct. 12 profile. He also did not respond to multiple requests from inewsource.
