The 2004 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 2, 2004. The primary election was held on March 2, 2004. Four of the eight seats of the

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

were contested. This election used the boundaries created by the 2000 Redistricting Committee for the odd-numbered districts. All four incumbent council members ran for reelection in their respective districts. Municipal elections in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

are officially non-partisan, although most candidates do identify a party preference. A

two-round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

was used for the election, starting with a primary in March followed by a runoff in November between the top-two candidates if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the first round.

Campaign

The 2004 election used the eight district boundaries created by the 2000 Redistricting Commission for the odd numbered districts. Seats in districts 1, 3, 5, and 7 were up for election.

Results

District 1

District 1 consisted of the communities of Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Valley, Del Mar Mesa,

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, Pacific Highlands Ranch,

Rancho Peñasquitos Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California ** List of California Ranchos * Ranchos, Buenos ...

, Torrey Highlands, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, and University City. Incumbent council member Scott Peters stood for reelection. Peters advanced out of the March primary with a plurality of the vote and was reelected with a majority of the vote in the November general election.

District 3

District 3 consisted of the communities of Balboa Park, City Heights, Golden Hill, Hillcrest,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, Normal Heights, North Park,

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, Talmadge, and University Heights. Incumbent council member

Toni Atkins Toni Gayle Atkins (born August 1, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 51st president pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2018 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th speaker of the ...

stood for reelection. Atkins was reelected with a majority of the vote in the March primary.

District 5

District 5 consisted of the communities of Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mira Mesa,

Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community in the northern hills of San Diego County, California. Geography The topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills that have large bedrock outcroppings. The major floral biomes ...

, Sabre Springs,

Scripps Ranch Scripps Ranch is a community of San Diego, California, in the northeastern part of the city. It is located east of Interstate 15, north of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and west of Poway. Its ZIP Code is 92131. Scripps Ranch is an inland bed ...

, and San Pasqual. Incumbent council member Brian Maienschein ran for reelection uncontested and was therefore elected with 100 percent of the vote in the March primary.

District 7

District 7 consisted of the communities of

Allied Gardens Allied Gardens is a residential neighborhood in the eastern Navajo community of San Diego, California. It neighbors San Carlos to the east, Del Cerro to the south, the College Area to the southeast and Grantville to the southwest. History Alli ...

, City Heights, College Area,

Del Cerro Del Cerro (Spanish for "of the hill") is a hilly residential neighborhood of approximately 2,300 residents in the eastern part of San Diego, California. Del Cerro borders the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, College Area, Grantville ...

, El Cerrito, Grantville,

MCAS Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, San Diego, ...

Mission Trails Regional Park Mission Trails Regional Park is a open space preserve in San Diego, California, United States. The park was established in 1974. It is the sixth-largest municipally owned park in the United States, and the largest in California. Description ...

, Redwood Village – Oak Park,

Rolando Rolando may refer to: Entertainment *'' Rolando'', a 2008 puzzle-adventure video game *'' Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid'', a 2009 puzzle-adventure video game *"Rolando", a song by Roland Kirk from the album ''Domino'' People *Rolando (gi ...

, San Carlos, Stonebridge Estates, and Tierrasanta. Incumbent council member Jim Madaffer stood for reelection. Madaffer was reelected with a majority of the vote in the March primary.

Deputy Mayor

The new city council was sworn in December 2004. Council member

Michael Zucchet Michael J. Zucchet (born December 24, 1969) is an American Democratic politician, a former member of the San Diego City Council, and a former deputy mayor of San Diego. In 2005, he briefly served as the acting mayor of San Diego. Early life and ...

of district 2 was initially tapped to serve as deputy mayor. Zucchet briefly served as acting

mayor of San Diego The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. ...

after the resignation of

Dick Murphy Richard M. Murphy (born December 16, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 33rd mayor of San Diego from 2000 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Murphy was born in 1942 in Oak Park, Illinois. ...

. Atkins took over as acting mayor when Zucchet was forced to resign shortly thereafter due to a corruption conviction.

References

{{2004 United States elections

2004 California elections

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2000s in San Diego