Statement on the Recall Effort
The San Diego Municipal Employees Association strongly opposes this recall effort:
- San Diego is only 16 months away from the primary election to elect a new Mayor. The recall is a waste of time and city resources to try to force a costly and hugely distracting special election just months before a regularly scheduled election. We need our leaders to focus on governing and fixing problems at the city rather than another round of campaign politics.
- To give residents the strongest voice in our city’s future, San Diego’s next Mayor needs to be elected by the largest number of voters, which will occur in the 2028 Presidential election. In a low turnout special recall election, a candidate can win with as little as 20% of voters weighing in, and without ever getting a majority vote.
- In 2024 and 2025, we had our criticisms of this administration and we took the unusual step of publicly advocating for specific operational reforms we believed were essential. In the last year, we have appreciated (and also publicly voiced) progress by Mayor Gloria on important issues including a more structurally balanced city budget, reduction of middle managers, and the hiring of a new professional Chief Operating Officer. We ask frustrated residents to join us in giving these positive changes time to work while continuing to demand accountability at City Hall, rather than resorting to counterproductive non-stop political campaigns.
