Three For Two: Three Candidates for November’s City Council Race
- Bud Emerson | Klish Way
It looks like Del Mar will have a lively City Council campaign this fall with three candidates (so far) running for two seats. With an early August filing deadline, the field could become bigger.
The campaign season began unusually early this year, when Meghan Spieker filed a Candidate Intention Statement with the City Clerk on February 22, followed by a filing indicating she had raised more than $2000 as of April 17. Jeff Sturgis jumped in next with an April 22 Candidate Intention Statement, followed by an April 23 filing by incumbent Terry Gaasterland.
Terry Gaasterland was first elected to the Council in 2018. Her performance on the SANDAG Board and frequent appearances on local TV have brought her both praise and opposition in the community and regionally. Particularly in the last year, she has often garnered the support of Councilmember Dan Quirk, clashing at times with current Mayor Tracy Martinez, formerly a close ally, and Deputy Mayor John Spelich.
Long-time Finance Committee member and Woodpecker founder Jeff Sturgis is generally held in high regard for his work on the Finance Committee, but the Woodpecker is perceived by many as a source of community division, based on its negativity and anonymity. Sturgis’s role with the Woodpecker was hidden from the public until October 2024, when he responded to questions from Councilmember Druker during a public Council session considering whether to appoint him to fill the Council vacancy created by Dwight Worden’s resignation. That appointment failed by a 2-2 vote, with Gaasterland and Quirk voting yes, and Martinez and Druker voting no.
Planning Commissioner and former business litigator Meghan Spieker is a relative newcomer to politics, though she is a 25-year resident of Del Mar. Her stated intention is to be a bridge builder on a Council that she describes as having become more factionalized; her goal is “to enable our leadership to be more collaborative, respectful and effective.” It remains unclear, however, whether this year’s election will result in a more collaborative Council, or will determine which of the Councilmembers will be positioned to form a working majority.
In the 2022 election, Gaasterland ran with the endorsements of Congressman Mike Levin and the San Diego County Democratic Party. As the Sandpiper reported earlier (delmarsandpiper.org/2026-01-19-001/), she lost her bid for the Democratic endorsement this year, and lost Levin’s endorsement as well, while Spieker has gained them both. Congressman Levin says that Spieker “will be a strong advocate both locally and regionally for Del Mar.” Though Levin has a strong record of bipartisanship in Congress, partisan feelings are playing a big role across almost all elections this year. It is yet to be seen whether it will be a stronger current than usual in this year’s Council elections, even though the Council is a non-partisan office, and party designation is not on the ballot.
The Sandpiper will be publishing candidate statements and responses to a questionnaire after the filing deadline, and will be covering the campaigns of the declared candidates as newsworthy developments occur.