Review note: Jas Grewal's own campaign site (Jas4DelMar.com): 34-year Del Mar resident, 23-25 years in banking (to Vice President level, per the site; 'retired banker' per her own candidate statement), chaired the city's Housing Element Task Force, and lists leadership roles with the San Diego Museum of Art, TiE San Diego, and Soroptimist International; endorsed by Reps. Mike Levin and Scott Peters and the San Diego County Democratic Party and Jeff Sturgis's own campaign site (jgsturgis.com): confirms his status as a third-generation Del Mar resident and more than a decade as a Finance Committee appointee and past chair; contact information only beyond what his candidate statement already covers may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Registrar of Voters -- Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (current through the 8/24/2026 2:44pm snapshot): confirms Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 3, City Clerk, and City Treasurer as Carlsbad's five November 2026 races, and Mayor plus City Council Districts 1 and 3 as Poway's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1
- delmar.ca.us (opens in a new tab)City of Del Mar -- Resolution No. 2026-32, calling the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election: confirms two City Council seats up for election, each a full 4-year term, held under the state's general-law-city election provisions; adopted May 19, 2026
- delmar.ca.us (opens in a new tab)City of Del Mar -- November 2026 Election page: confirms two City Council seats are up (one vacant since former Councilmember Dwight Worden's September 2024 resignation, one from Terry Gaasterland's expiring term), names all four qualified candidates in the city's own randomized ballot order -- Meghan O. Spieker, Jeff Sturgis, Terry Gaasterland, Jas Grewal -- and links each one's filed candidate statement
- delmar.ca.us (opens in a new tab)City of Del Mar -- the four candidates' own filed Candidate Statements (PDFs hosted on the city's November 2026 Election page): each candidate's first-person account of their background and platform
- delmar.ca.us (opens in a new tab)City of Del Mar -- Campaign Filings page: Form 501/410/460 filings for all four candidates; Spieker's semi-annual Form 460 (filed 7/29/2026) reports $17,360.33 in total contributions against $2,840.72 in expenditures ($14,519.61 cash on hand); Gaasterland's (filed 7/30/2026) reports a single $200 contribution and no expenditures; Sturgis's (filed 7/30/2026) reports $0 raised and $0 spent for the same window; Grewal's Form 501 (8/7/2026) and Form 410 (8/11/2026) were both filed after the 6/30/2026 semi-annual cutoff, so no Form 460 was on file for her as of this retrieval
- delmar.ca.us (opens in a new tab)City of Del Mar -- Council Member Directory profile for Terry Gaasterland: describes her as "a scientist and professor of computational genomics," a Del Mar resident of 20+ years, first elected November 2018 and re-elected 2022 (current term through December 2026), and lists her prior service chairing the Finance Committee and the Sea Level Rise Technical Advisory Committee and serving on the Design Review Board
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- Del Mar, California: describes a five-member City Council, all elected at-large, that chooses a new mayor from among its own members each year -- cited only for this general civic-structure fact, never a candidate-specific claim
- jas4delmar.com (opens in a new tab)Jas Grewal's own campaign site (Jas4DelMar.com): 34-year Del Mar resident, 23-25 years in banking (to Vice President level, per the site; "retired banker" per her own candidate statement), chaired the city's Housing Element Task Force, and lists leadership roles with the San Diego Museum of Art, TiE San Diego, and Soroptimist International; endorsed by Reps. Mike Levin and Scott Peters and the San Diego County Democratic Party
- jgsturgis.com (opens in a new tab)Jeff Sturgis's own campaign site (jgsturgis.com): confirms his status as a third-generation Del Mar resident and more than a decade as a Finance Committee appointee and past chair; contact information only beyond what his candidate statement already covers
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of Del Mar
Del Mar City Council
This person holds one of Del Mar's five at-large City Council seats. They vote on the budget, land use, and city laws for a four-year term. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members choose one of their own to be mayor each year. Another member becomes deputy mayor. The mayor runs meetings but gets only one vote, like everyone else. A city manager appointed by the council handles daily operations. Del Mar is a general-law city under state rules.
Two of Del Mar's five City Council seats are on the November 3 ballot. Incumbent Terry Gaasterland faces two Planning Commissioners, Meghan O. Spieker and Jas Grewal. She also faces longtime Finance Committee member Jeff Sturgis. Voters can back one or two candidates. The top two vote getters win the seats outright, with no runoff.
Whoever wins joins a five-member council that sets the budget, land-use decisions, and city ordinances. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly. Members choose one of their own to serve as mayor each year, and another as deputy mayor. The mayor presides over meetings but casts only one vote, like every other member. Day-to-day operations run through a city manager the council appoints. The term is four years.
Two seats are open at once for different reasons. One has been vacant since former Councilmember Dwight Worden resigned in September 2024. His reason for resigning is not confirmed here. The other is Gaasterland's own seat. She was first elected in 2018, re-elected in 2022, and is now seeking a third term. Spieker and Grewal both served together on the Planning Commission, currently or recently. They are now running against each other for the same two seats.
Meghan O. Spieker
Meghan O. Spieker is a Del Mar Planning Commissioner and a 25 year resident. They graduated from Georgetown Law, spent 16 years in business litigation, then led nonprofits. They run on local control, rail relocation, roads, and fire and flood safety.
Jeff Sturgis
Jeff Sturgis is a third generation Del Mar resident and a biotech executive. They have served on city committees for more than 20 years, including the Finance Committee. They run on undergrounding utilities, repairing streets, clean beaches, and affordable housing.
Terry Gaasterland
Terry Gaasterland is the only incumbent in this race, seeking a third term. She is a scientist and professor of computational genomics. She wants to relocate the railroad without tunneling under homes.
Jas Grewal
Jas Grewal is a 34 year Del Mar resident and a retired banker. She chaired the city's Housing Element Task Force after more than two decades in banking. She runs on fiscal discipline, state housing rules, and moving the train off the bluffs.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.