Two Del Mar Planning Commissioners hold early leads in the race for two City Council seats, according to preliminary results from the Nov. 3 election.
Meghan Spieker and Jas Grewal are ahead of incumbent Councilmember Terry Gaasterland and former Finance Committee member Jeff Sturgis in the four-candidate contest, the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported.
The results are preliminary and unofficial. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters will certify the final count no later than Dec. 3, according to the city's election page.
If the leads hold, both newcomers would join the council while Gaasterland, who was seeking a third term as the lone incumbent in the race, would lose her seat.
Two-year vacancy at stake
One of the two at-large seats has been vacant since former Councilmember Dwight Worden's resignation in September 2024, according to city records. Worden left due to health concerns, the Union-Tribune reported. The four remaining council members could not agree on an appointee or on whether to call a special election before the midterm.
That left Del Mar's five-member council shorthanded for two years.
Who are the front-runners?
Spieker, an attorney who has practiced business litigation, has lived in Del Mar for 25 years, the Union-Tribune reported. She has also worked with survivors of human trafficking through nonprofits. Grewal is a retired banker and former member of the city's Finance Committee.
Both are serving first terms on the Planning Commission. If elected to the council, their departures would open two vacancies on that commission for the council to fill, the Union-Tribune reported.
All four candidates supported more local control on issues including the rail relocation project to move a 2-mile stretch of track off the eroding bluffs, as well as new housing, according to their candidate statements.
Residents can track updated results through the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.
