Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez Wants to Make a Difference 

When Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez thought she may be losing her re-election campaign, she was disappointed, sure, but she also asked herself, “What other role could I step into to keep making an impact here?” 

It’s how she’s always been – driven by the opportunity to create change in her community. 

Sanchez recently won her re-election bid in a tight race that saw voters in Oceanside divided over who they wanted to be their mayor. It was one of the hardest elections she’s been through, Sanchez said, but she tried to stay focused on what keeps her going – the chance to make a difference in Oceanside. 

She supposes it’s something she picked up on as a child. She was born and raised in Oceanside, in the Eastside neighborhood. Her grandparents and other family members first settled in Oceanside in 1937 and worked on farms. Growing up, Sanchez remembers always being surrounded by family – cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles – and everyone helped each other out. 

“My dad, even though he wasn’t a plumber or anything, whenever a neighbor or someone had a problem, he’d go out there and try to help,” Sanchez said. “It was just like, ‘yeah, that’s what you do, you help your community.’” 

Sanchez and her family lived near other Latino families, as well as military families, and so she was engulfed in a culture of unity and a practice of going above and beyond for your neighbor. 

Almost every other weekend, Sanchez and her parents would make the trek to Tijuana to visit her grandmother. 

“That was before the I-5 existed,” she said with a laugh. 

But it taught her at a young age that family and community were the most important things. 

In school, Sanchez was placed on the gifted students track from an early age. In second grade, Sanchez’s teacher told her father to start saving for his daughter’s college tuition. At around 8 years old, Sanchez didn’t even know what college was, but from then on, she started dreaming of it. 

Ten years later, after graduating from Oceanside High, she received a scholarship to Brown University. The Ivy League school was in Providence, Rhode Island, which meant she would have to leave her family and community for the first time. 

“It was difficult, and it was exciting, but I knew I would be back,” Sanchez said. 

Once there, she got involved in the Latino community and started community organizing. She volunteered every other weekend to go to the picket line for United Farm Workers, a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. And during her other weekends, she took the train to Boston to participate in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), a student-run organization that works to advance the Chicano community through political action. 

“I guess it was kind of an extension of what my family did,” Sanchez said. “I found the communities where I wanted to help make a difference. And through that process, I became really interested in studying cities and city politics.” 

Sanchez graduated from Brown with a bachelor’s degree in urban studies. She then did some graduate work in urban planning at UC San Diego and San Diego State University “for fun,” she told me, before completing law school at UC College of Law, San Francisco. Back then it was called UC Hastings College of Law. She passed her bar exam on the first try. 

When she came back to San Diego, she practiced law in South Bay as a public defender. There, she became deeply involved in the Chicano community. 

“I didn’t really plan on being in the public defender’s office for 20 years, but that’s basically what happened,” Sanchez said. “I felt like I was making a change and impacting lives in that community. But after 20 years, I wanted to start creating change in a different way.” 

She became involved in the political scene in South Bay and the city of San Diego, looking for the next big way that she could make a positive impact. That’s when she decided to go back to Oceanside and run for City Council. 

Much like today, one of the biggest issues facing the North coastal city back then was the building of big developments that many residents felt were threatening the community’s character. And Sanchez tended to agree with them. 

“The biggest issue at the time had to do with the Manchester hotel project that was suggesting building a 12 to 15 story building, bulldozing the bluff and basically privatizing the pier area. And this is where my grandfather and my dad fished off of at like two or three in the morning every day,” Sanchez said. “I just thought, ‘well, no, we can’t let that happen.’ And that’s what pushed me to run.” 

Fifteen people, including Sanchez, ran for two open seats in 2000, and she ended up winning one of them. But she found herself on the opposite side of some of these development issues, like the Manchester project. 

“It was kind of a rude awakening because, of course, it was politics, Oceanside style. So, I found myself at the end of 4-1 decisions, and I just didn’t understand,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘aren’t we supposed to be fighting for the people?’” 

But she stayed put. In 2008, she retired from the public defender’s office. In 2018, voters chose her to represent District 1 council seat in Oceanside’s first District Election. In 2020, she was the first Latina and the first woman to ever be elected mayor of Oceanside. And this past election, she ran for a second mayoral term. 

The priorities she had in 2000 are the same priorities she ran on this past election year, Sanchez said. She wants to preserve parks and open spaces, invest in neighborhood services, support small businesses, preserve historical landmarks and protect community character. 

The issue of new housing versus community character is what set Sanchez apart from her opponent, former District 3 Councilmember Republican Ryan Keim, in a contentious race for the mayoral seat. As the state cracks down on cities to make way for more housing, Keim was more willing to comply. Sanchez, on the other hand, feels that new housing mandates are taking control away from Oceanside and making it easier for big corporations to build expensive housing that’s not affordable for working class, multi-generational families. Families like hers. 

Her perspective on housing also sets her apart from most other Democrats, who typically support more housing production in all forms.  

“I want to ensure that our community of Oceanside stays accessible for Oceansiders,” Sanchez said. “I’ve never been against growth, and we need affordable housing and housing options that can help us address the homelessness crisis, but it seems like what these corporate interests are all about is building housing for people who are not here.” 

“Many of our residents can’t afford to live in these new places, and we have a responsibility to address the needs of our residents who are getting priced out,” she added. 

Although many residents agree with that perspective, there are also many others who believe the region’s affordable housing shortage realistically can’t be solved with only 100 percent affordable housing projects.  

State housing laws require cities to approve housing projects that include a percentage of affordable housing. And many believe it’s costly and a waste of time to try to fight that.  

Sanchez’ long stint on the council has also garnered criticism. She has so far served a total of 24 years as a councilmember and mayor. Some residents have said on social media that they are ready to see a new face representing them. 

That’s why the race between Sanchez and Keim ended up being the closest election race in North County, with final election results not arriving until Dec. 3, almost a month after Election Day. 

For the first several days, Sanchez trailed behind Keim, and there was a moment where she realized she may not win, she said. 

“I was very worried for Oceanside,” Sanchez said. “I was worried for our residents and for the character of our neighborhoods, and I wondered, ‘what other role could I step into to keep making an impact here?’” 

Eventually, though, Sanchez took a small lead over Keim and maintained that lead all the way to victory. She won the election by just 232 votes. 

At Oceanside’s swearing in ceremony on Dec. 11, Sanchez had San Marcos Councilmember Maria Nuñez swear her in.  

“I feel a kindred spirit with her,” Sanchez said. “Her interest is in serving her community, the Latino community, and she does it very well. She fights for her community, and I see her as the future.”