O'side Election Recap

Perhaps the most controversial item on Oceanside ballots this year was Measure S, the city's proposed half-cent sales tax. I saw plenty of arguments for and against it leading up to Election Day, and you can see that split pretty clearly in the results. As of last night's update, "No" leads by just 440 votes, roughly 50.5% to 49.5%. That gap actually grew a little from Wednesday's 382, but with ballots still being counted, this one is too close to call.

The city pegs S at about $20 million a year for 10 years, and the wish list included fixing the cracking concrete section of the pier, repairing roads, putting sand back on our beaches, and building a new fire station and police headquarters.

That said, Countywide Measure B, a separate half-cent sales tax, is looking like it will pass. If B holds, Oceanside's sales tax goes from 8.25% to 8.75% no matter what happens with S. Pass S on top of it and we'd be at 9.25%.

For comparison, S would put Oceanside at 8.75% today, tied with eight other cities, including Escondido, San Marcos, Del Mar and Solana Beach, for the highest rate in the county.

My take: If S falls short, those projects aren't going anywhere. The pier bridge turns 100 next year, and the same five councilmembers will have to figure out how to pay for it without the money they asked for.

Both council incumbents are headed back, so the Oceanside City Council will look exactly the same next year.

District 1: Eric Joyce leads Michael Cline, 60.3% to 39.7%.

District 2: Rick Robinson leads a five-way race with 41%, ahead of Emily Gonzales at 34%. His lead sits at 663 votes, with Ricky James, Oscarin Ortega and Perry Alvarez further back.

I think this says something. Nationally, voters were sick of incumbents this year, and 27 U.S. House incumbents were projected to lose as of Wednesday. Our council races are nonpartisan, but Gonzales tied her campaign to the Democratic candidates further up the ballot, and Robinson held on through a big blue wave anyway. Oceanside voters seem happy to split their tickets when it comes to City Hall. Same goes for Carlsbad, where Mayor Keith Blackburn and Councilmembers Melanie Burkholder and Priya Bhat-Patel all won again.

Measure R is passing easily, with about 64% yes. It changes Oceanside's charter so our rules for public construction contracts, including prevailing wages and project labor agreements, line up with state law.

These races don't get much airtime, but the people who win them make big decisions about our schools and our hospital. Here's where they stood after Thursday's update.

Oceanside Unified, Area 1: Nancy Licona leads Jerry Garcia Avila, 59.9% to 40.1%.

Oceanside Unified, Area 3: Joey Pearson leads Nicole Watson, 52.8% to 47.2%, the closest of the three.

Oceanside Unified, Area 4: Raquel Riojas Alvarez leads Jason Bethurum, 57.3% to 42.7%.

Tri-City Healthcare District, Zone 2: Kayla Lauriano, a registered nurse, is running away with this one at 57.7%, well ahead of Jerome Kern (29.5%) and Marilyn Piek (12.8%).

Encinitas could undo 2024. Two years ago, Encinitas quite uncharacteristically, elected a slate of conservative-leaning candidates for mayor and two council seats. Bruce Ehlers, a Republican-turned-independent, ended eight years of liberal mayors under Catherine Blakespear and Tony Kranz. That council then appointed Republican Marco San Antonio to a vacant seat, making it a 4-1 conservative-leaning majority.

This year it appears to be swinging back to its old ways. Ehlers led by 27 votes after election night, but the late ballots have broken against him, and he now trails Democratic challenger Rimga Viskanta by just 73 votes. Democrat-backed Brad Lefkowits is leading San Antonio by 803 votes. And in the seat left open by Joy Lyndes, the lone Democrat on the council, Democrat-backed Arielle Golden is leading Republican Ed Sprague by 96 votes.

If all three hold, the majority flips 3-2 the other way. Since 2024 the council has leaned into enforcement on homelessness, adopted stricter camping rules and fought the state on housing mandates (though plenty of Encinitas Democrats share that last one).

Vista's council majority hangs on a few dozen votes. Former Councilmember Joe Green, a Republican-turned-independent, leads Kenneth Zuniga, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, by 402 votes for mayor, though that lead has narrowed since the first drop. The winner replaces Mayor John Franklin. In District 1, Councilmember Corinna Contreras, part of the council's left-leaning bloc, is leading Frank Nunez by 55 votes. If Green and Nunez both win, Vista gets a right-leaning council majority.

San Marcos is a coin flip. Former Councilmember Sharon Jenkins, a Democrat, leads Republican-backed Councilmember Mike Sannella by 232 votes for mayor. The winner replaces Rebecca Jones, who has been mayor since 2018 and just won a county supervisor seat (more on that below). A Jenkins win would make her San Marcos' first Democrat Mayor in 20 years. In District 2, Justin Matsushita is leading Lindsey Smith by 79 votes, or roughly a couple of cul-de-sacs.

Escondido might flip a seat too. Democrat-backed Anthony DiMartino leads Republican Councilmember Joe Garcia by 277 votes in District 2. Mayor Dane White, a Republican, is comfortably ahead, and Democrat Vanessa Valenzuela won the open District 1 seat. Escondido has had a conservative council majority for the past few years.

Your street could decide some of these. Look at those margins again. Vista's District 1 race is separated by 55 votes, the Encinitas mayor's race by 73, and San Marcos District 2 by 79. That's roughly the number of voters who live on one street. Even our Assembly race, with more than 142,000 votes counted, is down to 691. So for anyone who still thinks voting doesn't matter in California, this one's for you.

Okay, enough politics.

Oceanside High's girls flag football team plays for the CIF San Diego Section Division IV championship tomorrow, and boy have they earned it. This is about as Cinderella as a playoff run gets.

The Pirates came in as the 12th seed, the lowest in a 12-team bracket, with a 10-14 record. They had to win a play-in game at Orange Glen just to get in. Then they went on the road and shut out fourth-seeded Liberty Charter 20-0, and on Tuesday they went on the road again and edged eighth-seeded Santana 20-18 in the semifinals. That's three straight road wins to get to the final, and they haven't played a home game all postseason.

For some perspective, last year's season ended in the first round with a 20-19 loss to Valhalla. Girls flag football is only in its fourth season as a CIF sport down here, and Oceanside is one win from a banner.

Standing in the way is sixth-seeded Imperial, which has been rolling. Imperial beat second-seeded El Capitan 45-19 in the semis after a 52-0 shutout of Otay Ranch.

Kickoff is 10 a.m. Saturday at Olympian High School in Chula Vista, where all five division finals are being played. It's a drive down the 5, but these girls deserve a crowd. Go Pirates.

🏀 Catch the Clippers at Frontwave - Frontwave Arena - Fri., Nov. 6 @ 7 p.m. The San Diego Clippers host the Valley Suns. Info

🏈 Cheer on the Lady Pirates in the CIF final - Olympian High School, Chula Vista - Sat., Nov. 7 @ 10 a.m. Oceanside High's girls flag football team plays Imperial for the Division IV title. Info

🏓 Play some pickleball - Junior Seau Beach Community Center - Sat., Nov. 7 A beachside pickleball tournament put on by the city. Info

🎶 Hit A Sublime Life Sobriety Festival - Oceanside Civic Center - Sat., Nov. 7 @ 11 a.m. The 3rd annual free sober festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with music, art, wellness workshops and recovery resources. Info

⚽ Watch Icons vs. Creators - Frontwave Arena - Sat., Nov. 7 @ 5:30 p.m. An indoor soccer exhibition. Info

🐟 Grab fresh catch at the Fishermen's Market - Oceanside Harbor - Sun., Nov. 8 @ 8 a.m. Local fish and seafood straight from the boats until 2 p.m., every Sunday. Info

🙏 Worship at Encounter Night - Frontwave Arena - Sun., Nov. 8 @ 6 p.m. Churches from across North County gather for a night of worship and prayer. Info

🎨 Paint animals at OMA - Oceanside Museum of Art - Mon., Nov. 9 @ 10 a.m. A four-hour studio workshop. $100, or $70 for members. Info

🦅 Honor our veterans - Veterans Association of North County, 1617 Mission Ave. - Wed., Nov. 11 @ 10 a.m. The annual Veterans Day ceremony, with a keynote from retired Marine Chief Warrant Officer Chip Dykes, live music and lunch after. Register ahead so they have enough seats. FREE

🏒 Watch the Shock on Veterans Day - Frontwave Arena - Wed., Nov. 11 @ 7 p.m. Oceanside's new pro hockey team hosts the Stockton Thunder. Info

🌮 Eat your way through the Sunset Market - Pier View Way & Tremont St. - Thu., Nov. 12 @ 5 p.m. Food vendors, live entertainment and arts and crafts until 9 p.m. FREE

🎃 Get ghoulish on Friday the 13th - Pour House - Fri., Nov. 13 @ 9 p.m. A garage, punk and surf night with The Creepy Creeps and The Executives. $10 in advance, $15 at the door, 21+. Info

☕ Talk art at OMA - Oceanside Museum of Art - Sun., Nov. 15 @ 12 p.m. Coffee and conversation with the OMA Artist Alliance. Info

🏀 See the Aztecs at Frontwave - Frontwave Arena - Sun., Nov. 15 @ 1 p.m. SDSU men's basketball takes on New Mexico State in the Compete 4 Cause Classic. Info

⚽San Diego Wave FC: Beat Bay FC 1-0 in San Jose on Sunday on a Mimi van Zanten goal to lock up second place. Up next is an NWSL quarterfinal against the Utah Royals tonight at 7 at Snapdragon Stadium (Prime Video). Wear pink.

🏒Oceanside Shock: Oceanside's new pro hockey team is still finding its legs in year one, falling 6-2 at Fresno on Oct. 30. They're back at Frontwave on Veterans Day against Stockton.

Why Measure S ran into trouble. A look at the affordability pushback and what the city wanted the money for. inewsource

Encinitas' seesaw, count by count. The latest on all three Encinitas races. inewsource

Stone's Escondido bistro is getting a second life. Founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner plan to buy the World Bistro & Gardens back from Sapporo and reopen it as an independent spot under a new name. It still closes Nov. 13 while the license change goes through. North Coast Current

That's the recap. If you know someone who refreshes the ROV site as much as I do, forward this their way.

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See you around town,

Ryan