CAMPBELL FACES 3 STRONG CONTENDERS

Saldaña, Day, Havlik look to unseat incumbent in City Council’s District 2

One of the highest-profile local races in the June 7 primary features three Democrats with very different kinds of broad support challenging Jennifer Campbell — the incumbent Democratic council member in San Diego’s District 2.

The race is viewed by some as a referendum on the city’s increasingly pro-growth policies, which are unpopular in many of the communities that make up District 2 — Clairemont, Point Loma, Mission Beach and Old Town.

Others view it as a referendum on Campbell, who faced an unsuccessful recall campaign last year after being criticized by many neighborhood leaders as unresponsive to their concerns and requests for information.

Only two incumbents have lost San Diego City Council races since 1992, but both instances were just four years ago in 2018. And Campbell is the first city Democratic incumbent not to be endorsed by the county party in two decades.

The challengers — former Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, former city administrator Joel Day and Point Loma neighborhood leader Mandy Havlik — still probably face an uphill battle.

Campbell has been endorsed by Mayor Todd Gloria and organized labor, she has a large lead in fundraising and she has better name recognition than her opponents — except possibly Saldaña.

The candidates who finish first and second in the primary will advance to a November runoff — even if the first-place finisher in the primary receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

Campbell, 76, is running on what she calls a long list of impressive accomplishments. She brought San Diego its first comprehensive vacation rental legislation and created a recent compromise on where street vendors can operate.

“I’ve gotten a lot accomplished in