ENCINITAS — San Dieguito Union High School District Trustee Rimga Viskanta is seeking the top seat in Encinitas in the November election, challenging the city’s current mayor, Bruce Ehlers.
Viskanta, who lives in Old Encinitas, has served on the SDUHSD board of trustees since 2022, overseeing the district and setting policy for its five middle schools and four high schools. The union-backed candidate also served on the Encinitas Union School District board from 2016 to 2020.
Mayoral elections are held every two years in Encinitas, and Ehlers won the seat in 2024 over former mayor Tony Kranz.
As mayor, Viskanta said she will focus on safer streets, traffic, and housing solutions that fit Encinitas, addressing homelessness from a regional perspective, climate resilience, and community involvement to empower residents and groups to prepare for environmental risks.
However, she said it’s important to connect with and hear many different voices throughout the community to inform her priorities, rather than making specific campaign promises right off the bat.
“The thing compelling me to run is the online climate that is so divisive, but when I meet people face to face, it always feels cordial and like we have more common ground than we realized. I want my campaign to be about bringing together different voices, versus me coming in saying, ‘Here’s precisely what I think is the solution,” she said.
In recent years, Viskanta has worked on the oversight and implementation of climate initiatives as a senior management analyst for the City of Solana Beach and as a group program manager for the County of San Diego’s Sustainability and Environmental Justice Office.
She has also worked as a management consultant for government clients, and is currently an accounting manager for a real estate company. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, a master’s in public administration, and a master’s in governance.
Viskanta said these experiences working as a city-level staff member, leading climate initiatives, and working in housing, in addition to her leadership on local school boards, make her uniquely equipped to address issues in the city.
“I understand how city government works from the inside, and I know how to turn good ideas into real outcomes. I’ll lead with transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to move Encinitas forward,” said Viskanta.
One area of improvement, she said, is within the climate in the Encinitas City Council chambers. Viskanta said council members sometimes overstep their role by micromanaging or even berating city staff.
“I think the current climate in the City Council chambers is one where they are designing traffic projects from the dais. I don’t think they’re respecting the expertise of staff,” she said. “I’m not there to rock the boat; I just want to steady the ship.”
When it comes to housing, particularly state housing mandates, Viskanta said she believes people in the region are fairly aligned in their views on what’s working and what’s not.
However, she said she would prefer to work collaboratively with legislators and other partners to reform state housing law rather than try to change things through lawsuits.
“I want to work with our representatives to reform specific housing policies that have these unintended consequences in our community. I really want to look at RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) reform, and different Housing Element requirements,” Viskanta said.
She would also like to shift the city’s energy toward adapting to the realities of climate change, including bolstering fire resistance.
Other 2026 races
Along with the mayor’s seat, Encinitas residents will also be voting in November for the District 3 seat held by Councilmember Joy Lyndes and the District 4 seat held by Councilmember Marco San Antonio.
Lyndes has announced that she is not running for re-election. San Antonio, who was appointed to the seat last year, has not confirmed whether he will run again.
This week, Brad Lefkowits, a small business owner and chair of the city’s Urban Forest Advisory Committee, also announced he will be running for San Antonio’s District 4 seat.
2 comments
Rimga has the experience and wisdom to make a most excellent Encinitas mayor for everyone here. The possibilities are exciting!
Viskanta and Brad Lefkowits are supported by the Blakespear faction.
Which is a hard pass from myself and hopefully the majority of Encinitans.
Bruce Ehlers for re-election.