Four candidates will compete for two open seats on the Del Mar City Council in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election, the city confirmed in an announcement posted Sunday, Aug. 16.

The candidates, listed in randomized ballot order set by the California Secretary of State, are Meghan O. Spieker, Jeff Sturgis, incumbent Terry Gaasterland and Jas Grewal. The winners will serve four-year terms.

One seat has been vacant since Dwight Worden resigned in 2024. The remaining four council members could not agree on whether to appoint a replacement or hold a special election, so the seat has remained empty, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The other seat is held by Gaasterland, who is seeking re-election.

The race is contested. Four candidates, two seats.

Who's running

Gaasterland has served as both mayor and deputy mayor of Del Mar and has been the council's liaison to the San Dieguito Lagoon Committee, the Shores Park Master Plan Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee and the Del Mar Finance Committee. Gaasterland also represents the city on the SANDAG board.

Two challengers come from the city's Planning Commission. As of February, Grewal served as vice chair and Spieker as a commissioner, according to the commission's posted roster. Grewal has also served on the Del Mar Finance Committee.

Sturgis has served on the Del Mar Finance Committee as well.

What's at stake

The next council will inherit a packed work plan. The city's 6th Cycle Housing Element implementation, including affordable housing overlay zones and state-mandated housing production targets, is among the council's top multi-year priorities, according to the city's March work plan. Construction on the Camino del Mar Bridge Replacement project is expected to begin in early 2027, and a multi-district utility undergrounding program is also underway.

No candidate statements or campaign platforms were publicly available as of Aug. 16. The city directs voters to its November 2026 Election webpage for candidate statements and timelines as they become available.

How to vote

Registered voters are scheduled to receive mail ballots the week of Monday, Oct. 5. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 3. Some voting centers will open as early as Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for in-person voting.

The council formally called the election at its May 19 meeting, requesting the San Diego County Board of Supervisors conduct and consolidate it with the statewide general election.