District 4 supervisor race shapes county board's direction

The Nov. 3 race for San Diego County's District 4 supervisor seat will determine whether Democrats expand their 3-2 majority on the Board of Supervisors, with incumbent Monica Montgomery Steppe facing Republican challenger Kristine Alessio.

The outcome matters countywide. Supervisors approve the county budget, set policy on public health and public safety, and oversee programs that serve both incorporated cities and unincorporated communities, according to KPBS. In unincorporated areas, the county handles everything a city government would: trash collection, infrastructure planning, zoning, permitting and emergency services.

District 4 itself covers La Mesa, Lemon Grove, parts of the City of San Diego and unincorporated communities including Casa De Oro-Mount Helix and Rancho San Diego, according to county redistricting records.

The candidates

Montgomery Steppe, vice chair of the Board of Supervisors, is seeking her first full term after winning a November 2023 special election with 61% of the vote, The Coast News reported. That election followed the resignation of former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault, which he has denied.

Montgomery Steppe grew up in District 4 and lives in the Skyline neighborhood. Before joining the board, she represented San Diego's 4th District on the City Council for five years. She also served as a criminal justice advocate for the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, according to The Coast News.

Her campaign did not return an election questionnaire submitted by City News Service. KPBS also reported that Montgomery Steppe did not respond to its questions.

In an Oct. 13 San Diego Union-Tribune article, Montgomery Steppe said she had "worked with partners across the region to increase economic opportunity for all, champion clean and healthy communities, advance housing and homelessness solutions and build a holistic public safety environment for our neighborhoods."

Alessio, 59, is an attorney and vice president of NTC Development, a real estate company. She served on the La Mesa City Council from 2012 to 2020 and sat on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board for six years, according to The Coast News.

She told City News Service the county "failed miserably with its reactions to the 2024 floods."

"We need massive infrastructure investment in the county," Alessio said, adding that government is not ready for more forecast major storms.

Where they split

The candidates diverge on two countywide ballot measures that will also appear Nov. 3.

Measure A would amend the county charter to extend supervisors' term limits from two four-year terms to three, allowing 12 years instead of eight. It would also create an independent budget analyst and ethics commission, among other changes, according to The Coast News. Voters adopted the current limits in 2010 through Proposition B.

Montgomery Steppe voted in May to place Measure A on the ballot, along with Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer. Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it, The Coast News reported.

Alessio opposes Measure A. She told City News Service she believes in term limits and said any change should not apply to those serving now.

Measure B, a citizen initiative, would impose a permanent half-cent sales tax countywide to fund sewage mitigation, public safety and health services. Revenue would be split: 22.5% for Tijuana River sewage, 17.5% for wildfire prevention and public safety, and 60% for health care, child care and nutrition services, according to The Coast News.

Alessio described Measure B as "a sales tax increase in perpetuity, at a time when things are unaffordable in this state." KPBS reported that Montgomery Steppe supports the measure, though it was unclear whether she had issued a formal statement on it.