DEL MAR — Del Mar City Councilmember Terry Gaasterland will be running for re-election in November, absent a key endorsement from her registered political party.
Gaasterland has served on the Del Mar City Council since 2018, and will be seeking her third four-year term in the at-large seat. She has been registered as a Democrat since 2022.
During a Jan. 17 meeting of the San Diego County Democratic Party’s North Coastal Caucus, members pulled an item from the consent calendar that proposed issuing a friendly incumbent endorsement for Gaasterland.
According to caucus Vice Chair Stephanie Wells, multiple members raised concerns about endorsing Gaasterland, and the caucus membership ultimately voted unanimously against giving her an endorsement.
The caucus also voted in favor of rating Gaasterland’s seat as “strategically critical,” meaning the party could endorse another Democratic candidate prior to the filing period.
Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez, Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner, and Carlsbad City Councilmember Teresa Acosta are among the North Coastal Caucus members.
According to Gaasterland, who attended the meeting, caucus members cited that she had not always thrown her weight behind other Democrats when the opportunity arose.
Last year, while serving on the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District board, Gaasterland raised eyebrows by voting to appoint Republican Coronado Mayor John Duncan to the board over Acosta.
Gaasterland’s vote also went against the direction of the larger Del Mar City Council, which advised her to abstain from the vote due to the council being unable to agree on a candidate to support.
“Me supporting a Republican in that seat was the reason I was given that the Democratic caucus would not support me. I’m disappointed in that, because I really do feel that reaching across the aisle, trying to find ways to work together, is lacking,” Gaasterland said.
Heebner confirmed to The Coast News that Gaasterland’s past support of Republicans was part of her concern.
“I witnessed a number of occasions where Councilmember Gaasterland was given a choice between a Republican or a Democrat. Each time, she chose the Republican. To then come and ask the North Coastal Democratic Caucus to affirm she was a Democrat was surprising, to say the least,” Heebner said.
Caucus members also brought up the Del Mar City Council’s repeated failure to agree upon an appointee for a vacant council position in 2024. In multiple 2-2 votes, Gaasterland and Councilmember Dan Quirk voted for a Republican candidate while Tracy Martinez and former council member Dave Druker supported a Democrat.
As a result of the deadlocked vote, the council was unable to fill the seat, leaving it short of one member until the 2026 General Election.
“City elections are nonpartisan, and I look for the very best person for the job, regardless of what their party is,” Gaasterland said.
Gaasterland has also appeared frequently on conservative-leaning TV news station KUSI. In the past, Martinez and Spelich have said these appearances have not helped relationships in the region.
The San Diego County Democratic Party has issued endorsements for other North County incumbent Democrats running in 2026, including Carlsbad District 3 Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel, Carlsbad Treasurer Christian Peacox, Oceanside District 1 Councilmember Eric Joyce, Solana Beach District 2 Councilmember Kristi Becker, and Vista District 4 Councilmember Dan O’Donnell.
This story was updated to correct a statement regarding the council members who were involved in voting for appointees to a council vacancy in 2024. Dave Druker was involved in the voting, not John Spelich.
