CARLSBAD — Voters will decide on two council seats, two school board trustees, the city treasurer and a ballot measure during the November election.
In District 2, the city’s largest district by land area, business owner and fire captain Kevin Shin faces off against Tyler Collins, a fellow businessman and current chair of the Carlsbad Housing Commission. Since appointee Councilmember Carolyn Luna can’t run, this year’s election guarantees either Shin or Collins, both political newcomers, to the District 2 seat.
District 2 encompasses Tamarack Point, Calavera Hills, Robertson Ranch, Rancho Carlsbad, Carlsbad Ranch, Bressi Ranch, Kelly Ranch, and parts of La Costa Greens, Rancho Carrillo and Poinsettia.
In an interview with The Coast News last September, Shin emphasized public safety and addressing homelessness as his top priorities.
“I understand viscerally what the homeless issues are,” he said last year. “As a fire captain, I’m the one responding the vast majority of the time to calls, and I know how it feels as a business owner. It’s going to take a comprehensive approach to be able to find solutions.”
Shin also plans to work with the council and city staff to update the city’s growth management program.
Similarly, Collins lists public safety as a top concern. On his campaign website, he pledges to keep the police department “properly funded” and maintain city parks, keep streets clean, roads paved, and utilities working — all while spending taxpayer money responsibly.
“I also promise NOT to raise taxes,” Collins states on his website.
Shin’s campaign raised $18,839.15 between Jan. 1 and June 30,. Collins did not report any contributions during the same period.
In District 4, covering Carlsbad’s southern boundary with Encinitas, voters will choose between incumbent Councilmember Teresa Acosta, a businesswoman and former professor, and Greg Day, an airline pilot and Marine combat veteran.
Elected four years ago, Acosta aims to continue working on her top three priority areas: sustainability, affordability, and public safety.
“While I am excited about what we have accomplished in my first term, there is still work to do to improve our community,” Acosta states on her campaign website.
Day identifies public safety, the environment, and homelessness as his main reasons for running. He also promises to bring “common sense solutions” to the city.
“Now more than ever, we need representatives who will make common sense decisions based on law and order, and the best interests of the residents of Carlsbad,” Day states on his website. “We need leadership that will focus the attention of the city on logical solutions for local problems and not focus on appeasing and fulfilling the agenda of special interest groups.”
Acosta has so far raised $20,411, while Day has raised $17,712.64.
According to the city, four candidates have qualified to fill the partial term of city treasurer: Gregorio Kahn, Michael Williams, Christian Peacox, and Thomas Krouse Jr.
The elected candidate will complete the remaining four-year term that began in November 2022, when City Treasurer Craig Lindholm was last re-elected. Lindholm announced his retirement earlier this year.
Voters will also decide on Measure B, which seeks to update Proposition H, a voter-approved initiative from 1982 that prohibits the city from spending more than $1 million on certain projects without voter approval. If passed, the update would raise the limit to $3.09 million, with an annual increase based on the regional consumer price index, and would exempt new public safety facilities such as fire stations.
The Carlsbad Unified School Board will also have new representatives.
Jen Belnap, a Parent Teacher Association board member, will face teacher and parent Alison Emery in Trustee Area No. 2, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Laura Siaosi, a parent and volunteer, will compete against PTA secretary and businesswoman Ejehan Turker.
