Del Mar residents have until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, to submit questions for a candidate forum ahead of the Nov. 3 council election.

The League of Women Voters of North County San Diego (LWVNCSD) will host the forum from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Del Mar Civic Center Town Hall, 1050 Camino del Mar. All four candidates competing for two council seats have confirmed they will attend, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Residents can submit questions through a form available on the LWVNCSD website at lwvncsd.org.

The four candidates, listed in randomized ballot order set by the Secretary of State, are Planning Commissioner Meghan O. Spieker, former Finance Committee member Jeff Sturgis, two-term Councilmember Terry Gaasterland and retired banker Jas Grewal. Gaasterland is seeking a third term. Grewal also served on the Finance Committee.

Two at-large seats are on the ballot. One opens because Gaasterland's term expires. The other has been vacant since September 2024, when former Councilmember Dwight Worden resigned. In 2024, the four sitting council members deadlocked on appointing a replacement, the Union-Tribune reported in August, leaving the seat empty for nearly two years.

Sturgis and Grewal were among the applicants who sought that appointment.

The nonpartisan forum will feature trained facilitators. Each candidate will have equal time for opening and closing statements and to answer written questions from the public, according to the city's announcement.

"I'll work to preserve local control, protect Del Mar's interests in rail relocation, improve roads and infrastructure, strengthen fire and flood safety, and manage taxpayer dollars wisely," Spieker wrote in her official candidate statement filed during the August filing period.

Grewal, in her official candidate statement filed during the August filing period, framed the race as a choice between following the Community Plan and pursuing what she called "expensive ideas that could create debt and weaken essential services."

The forum will be recorded and posted on the city's website. LWVNCSD will also post the recording to its YouTube channel within 48 hours.

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters is scheduled to begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots the week of Monday, Oct. 5. Mail ballot drop-off locations, including the Del Mar Library and Civic Center, open Oct. 8 through Nov. 3, according to the city's election page. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 19.