A race that will decide the new mayor of San Marcos will also usher in a new era for the North County city that has had the same mayor for the past seven years.
Former District 3 Councilmember Sharon Jenkins and current District 2 Councilmember Mike Sannella are running to replace Mayor Rebecca Jones, a longtime San Marcos representative who is now running for the District 5 County Board of Supervisors seat.
Jones has served on the San Marcos City Council since 2007 and as mayor since 2018.
Whoever wins will take the helm at a critical moment for San Marcos — a city experiencing rapid growth while figuring out how to sustain it long term.
Jenkins, who was barred from seeking re-election in 2024 by term limits, is now hoping to make a comeback as mayor.
She has previously served 12 years (three terms) on the San Marcos City Council, six of those years as deputy mayor. Before that, she was on the San Marcos Unified School District board for 14 years. Jenkins is endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party.
Sannella was first elected to the San Marcos council in 2022 and is currently serving as deputy mayor. He was also previously on the city planning commission and served on the Vallecitos Water District Board of Directors for eight years before that. He’s a Republican and is endorsed by outgoing Mayor Jones.
On Friday, Oct. 2, as part of Voice of San Diego’s Politifest North County event, Jenkins and Sannella will sit down for a moderated conversation with our Tigist Layne and lay out how they plan to navigate state housing mandates, provide for the city’s aging population and revitalize the city’s economy long-term.
