San Diego, California: Recall Effort Against Mayor Todd Gloria Formally Begins

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was not on the ballot on Tuesday. By the end of Election Day, a group of residents had started the formal process to remove him from office.

The group, led by attorney and former mayoral candidate Genevieve Jones-Wright, filed a Notice of Intent to recall Gloria on Oct. 29. The notice was published on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the San Diego Daily Transcript, the step that allows the group to begin the formal signature gathering process for a recall election, Times of San Diego reported.

City News Service reported the notice states: "We seek the recall of Mayor Todd Gloria because he has failed to put everyday San Diegans first and is unfit for office. We have lost confidence in his competence, leadership, judgment, and candor. San Diegans deserve honest answers, transparent decisions, responsible stewardship of public money, and a mayor who is accessible and accountable to the people."

What the group alleges

The claims in the notice are the group's allegations, not findings by a court or an auditor. City News Service reported the group launched the effort alleging Gloria has failed to properly address housing and homelessness concerns.

The published notice claimed Gloria's housing policies have "favored developers and special interests over residents struggling to remain in their homes." It stated his approach to homelessness "has fallen short of the humane, effective, and accountable approach this crisis demands." The group stated: "We believe the cost of a recall is justified by the need to protect San Diegans from continued fiscal mismanagement."

Along with Jones-Wright, the group includes Terrie Best, Dr. Kathleen Harmon, Donnetta Moore and Shelby Huffaker, according to City News Service. Times of San Diego described Jones-Wright as a criminal justice advocate.

Gloria's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, City News Service reported. Gloria, a Democrat, is San Diego's 37th mayor and has held the office since 2020.

What has to happen next

A published notice of intent is only the first step in the process to recall a city official. The recall petition must receive the valid signatures of 15 percent of registered city voters to prompt a recall election.

The petition must be filed within 120 days after the notice of intent is published. Signature gathering is unlikely to begin until late November, because Gloria is first given two weeks to respond to the notice, City News Service reported.

That timeline means San Diego will not vote on Gloria's future this year, even if the group gathers signatures at the fastest pace the rules allow. The mayor keeps his office while the process runs, and the recall reaches a ballot only if the petition clears the signature threshold within the filing window.

For now, the effort is a legal filing and a public claim, not an election. The next fact to watch is Gloria's written response, due within the two week window the process gives him, and then whether the group files its petition and starts collecting signatures in late November.