Del Mar City Council

Meghan O. Spieker is a Del Mar Planning Commissioner and a 25-year Del Mar resident who raised four sons there with her husband. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and graduated with honors from Georgetown Law, then spent 16 years in business litigation before leading nonprofit organizations serving survivors of human trafficking and advancing environmental and educational initiatives. She says she informed all four sitting Councilmembers of her decision to run before announcing her candidacy, and is endorsed by the Del Mar Firefighters & Deputy Sheriffs' Association, the Sierra Club, and Congressman Mike Levin. Her stated priorities are preserving local control, protecting Del Mar's interests in rail relocation, improving roads and infrastructure, strengthening fire and flood safety, and managing taxpayer dollars wisely.

Jeff Sturgis is a third-generation Del Mar resident who has served on multiple city committees for more than 20 years, including over a decade as a Finance Committee appointee and past chair. The county's candidate list gives his occupation as Biotech Executive. He is a member of Friends of Del Mar Bluffs, which has led legal challenges against NCTD and SANDAG over bluff and rail issues, and says he is dedicated to maintaining beach and bluff access. His stated priorities include undergrounding utilities citywide, preventing eminent domain and tunneling during rail realignment, repairing streets and infrastructure, a vibrant walkable downtown, ensuring beach access and clean beaches, making sure North Bluff development fits Del Mar, building affordable housing that works for the city, and upholding the Community Plan.

Terry Gaasterland is the only incumbent in this race, seeking a third term after being first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. A 20+ year Del Mar resident, she works as a scientist and professor of computational genomics, developing computer tools to analyze DNA, assess disease risk, and enable personalized medicine. Before her council service she chaired the city's Finance Committee and its Sea Level Rise Technical Advisory Committee and served on the Design Review Board. She points to utility undergrounding completed along south Stratford (with more underway or in design for Crest Canyon, north Stratford, and Beach Colony), an updated Scenic View ordinance, rejecting proposed railroad fencing on the Del Mar Bluffs, rejecting a 'managed retreat' approach to sea-level rise in favor of beach nourishment, advancing affordable-housing plans at the Fairgrounds, and creating a fire evacuation plan for Crest Canyon as accomplishments from her time on the council. If re-elected, her stated priorities include undergrounding utilities citywide, relocating the railroad without tunneling under homes, keeping land-use decisions under local control per the Community Plan, affordable housing, beach maintenance, safe railroad crossings, and preserving Del Mar's bluffs, beach, and lagoon.

Jas Grewal is a 34-year Del Mar resident and a retired banker with 23-25 years in the industry, reaching Vice President level. The county's candidate list lists her current occupation as Planning Commissioner/Banker, though her own campaign site describes her Planning Commission service in the past tense; this dataset could not confirm whether she still holds that seat. She previously chaired the city's Housing Element Task Force and has held leadership roles with the San Diego Museum of Art, TiE San Diego, and Soroptimist International. She is endorsed by Congressmen Mike Levin and Scott Peters and the San Diego County Democratic Party. Her stated priorities center on fiscal discipline -- she warns against borrowing to speed up projects the city is already paying for over time -- alongside rebuilding relationships with regional agencies, meeting state housing requirements practically, moving the train off the bluffs without tunneling under homes or businesses, protecting emergency response times, and addressing wildfire and sea-level-rise risk without managed retreat.