The San Diego County Democratic Party denied Del Mar Councilmember Terry Gaasterland its endorsement for the upcoming City Council election. The claim comes from a local Democratic leader who argues her strained relationships at SANDAG could cost the city on rail and housing decisions.

Michael Gelfand, president of the Rancho Santa Fe Democratic Club, wrote in an opinion column published Oct. 20 in The Coast News that the party's Central Committee unanimously rejected Gaasterland. The committee has 80 members, Gelfand wrote, and he said he did not speak against Gaasterland during the vote.

"I didn't even speak against Gaasterland when the endorsement vote took place," Gelfand wrote. "I didn't need to."

The column is a response to an Oct. 12 letter to The Coast News by Shirli Weiss, whom Gelfand described as a "Gaasterland loyalist." Weiss had questioned Gelfand's standing to weigh in on Del Mar politics.

Gelfand argued that Gaasterland has alienated county Democratic elected officials by repeatedly backing Republicans on key decisions. He wrote that SANDAG, which will determine the new route of the train tracks through Del Mar, is controlled mainly by Democratic elected officials from across San Diego County. Del Mar's SANDAG representative must be able to work with those members, Gelfand argued.

Gelfand also alleged that Gaasterland personally promoted a rail alignment that would have tunneled under the Del Mar Fairgrounds at a SANDAG meeting. He wrote that the Del Mar City Council had assured it would not support that route. Gaasterland then told the Del Mar Fairgrounds Government Relations Committee, on which Gelfand served, that she never made those statements, he wrote. Gelfand claimed a SANDAG meeting transcript contradicts her account. The transcript has not been independently reviewed.

Gelfand wrote that Gaasterland had sought his personal support during a previous council campaign, assuring him she was a Democrat. He characterized those assurances as insincere.

Gaasterland's response to the endorsement denial and Gelfand's specific allegations was not available as of publication. Weiss's Oct. 12 letter, which prompted Gelfand's column, was not included in the materials reviewed for this report.

SANDAG's decision on the Del Mar rail alignment remains pending.