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This post originally appeared in the Feb. 1 Politics Report. Get the Politics Report delivered to your inbox.
San Diego Councilwoman Vivian Moreno has nearly three years left on her term, but she’ll be on the March ballot anyway.
Moreno is running for re-election to the San Diego County Democratic Party’s Central Committee in the 80th Assembly District, along with a slate of allies.
The Central Committee governs the local party and, crucially, votes to endorse candidates for local offices. Among those running on Moreno’s slate are former Councilman David Alvarez, her predecessor in the city’s 8th District, and Travis Knowles, chief of staff to Moreno now and Alvarez before her.
Moreno and her allies blocked her 2018 opponent, Antonio Martinez, from winning the party endorsement ahead of that year’s primary, which she said proved to be significant. She wants to make sure they’re in position to do the same ahead of her 2020 re-election bid.
Last year, Moreno represented the pivotal vote that prevented the City Council from imposing higher fees on developers who don’t include apartments reserved for low-income residents in their projects. Siding with Council Republicans and the mayor on the issue put her at odds with organized labor and many Democratic allies, including Council President Georgette Gómez, who championed the adjustment and who had campaigned for Moreno in 2018.
No mayoral endorsement coming: We bumped into Moreno downtown recently, and she told us not to expect her to endorse in the mayoral race. She intends to have a solid working relationship with whoever wins, so isn’t inclined to pick sides. Besides, she said: Neither Assemblyman Todd Gloria nor Councilwoman Bry endorsed her in 2018.
That’s a slight change from where she was last year. Back then, we asked if she had chosen a side in the race and she said no, but that she was eager for the candidates to seek her endorsement, and was happy to say they should each want her support.