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Dear Neighbors,

I am writing to let you know I have decided to run for Del Mar City Council in the November 2026 election.

I am a 3rd generation Del Marian and have served on various City committees including more than a decade as an appointee and past chair of the Finance Committee.

I am keen to learn about your issues and priorities, and I hope to have your support and vote.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Support a Campaign That Listens to Del Mar

Listening to the entire community, thinking and acting independently, and
making sure I govern with integrity and doing what I feel is best for all Del Mar residents

Questions & Responses

Climate action:

The City's Climate Action Plan (CAP) is now 10 years old, and a long-overdue Update is now planned for FY 2026-2027. What are your top three priorities for changes/revisions to the CAP, and why?

Del Mar’s CAP focuses on the following locally implemented strategies:

• Transportation

• Energy & Buildings

• Waste, wastewater & water

• Urban tree planting program

I support maintaining these strategies. My CAP priorities:

First, update the CAP with current data to see where each CAP strategy has been achieved or where any strategy has fallen short.

Second, focus on further measures that help achieve any strategy where Del Mar has fallen short.

Third, accelerate City wide undergrounding in a fiscally responsible manner as that reduces the risk of fires and as well as the current need for tree trimming thereby preserving Del Mar’s tree canopy. In conjunction with this I would accelerate a tree planting program that restores and complements investments in road and median improvements.

Regional relationships:

How do you assess the City's relationships with key regional and governmental partners, including SANDAG, NCTD, the Fair Board, and our representatives in Congress and the state legislature, and what would you do to build on/improve these relationships to the benefit of Del Mar?

Del Mar’s relationships with key governmental bodies/agencies have been demonstrably ineffective. Improving these relationships are critical but requires tailored solutions.

Look at the recent Fairgrounds board vote. After spending years, over a million dollars on grant funded consulting services and countless staff time, the fairgrounds board said “No”. This is emblematic of the majority of residents that cite “Del Mar hires consultants and studies everything to death, but never does anything”.

When the North Coast Transportation District (NCTD) attempted to install fencing along our scenic bluffs, the City clearly failed to take any action with the Surface Transportation Board and the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to stop it. Why? Because this City had established no working relationship with these agencies. Residents formed the Friends of Del Mar Bluffs (FDMB) and stopped the fencing. As a resident and Board member of FDMB, I will never stop fighting against NCTD fencing and maintaining our right to beach access.

Del Mar is not effectively lobbying our governmental entities to retain local control.We need to engage all levels of government and form coalitions with other cities to create more of a force with the regional, state and federal governmental bodies and agencies.

Watermark:

Construction is now underway for a 50-unit, 4-story apartment development on the empty lot at the intersection of Jimmy Durante Blvd. & San Dieguito Dr. Earlier, the developer was pursuing a Specific Plan for a 38-unit, 2-story project, with 6 affordable units, 3 to be donated to the City.

Do you think the 38-unit project under a Specific Plan would have been a better outcome for Del Mar? What do you think are the "lessons learned" for Del Mar from the Watermark experience?

The smaller project residents fought for would have undoubtedly been better. The higher density 50-unit project has more mass and height that impacts residents’ views – something Del Mar vigorously protects.

The larger Watermark project is the result of a series of events including California declaring Del Mar’s failure to implement parts of its 5th Housing Element adopted in 2013, The 5th Housing Element contained an unrealistic number of affordable units. The current 6th Housing Element also has an unrealistic number of affordable units. Why? Because Del Mar failed to challenge inaccurate data used to determine affordable units. The City Council and SANDAG knew the allocation was wrong yet did nothing. Had the allocation been correctly calculated, Del Mar’s affordable housing allocation would have dramatically decreased. Less allocation equals less drastic rezoning measures and less chances of large “by-right” developments like Watermark and the proposed Seaside Ridge.

Lesson learned - letting inaccurate “garbage” data drive our 6th cycle Housing Element was a monumental mistake. We must proactively ensure we don’t repeat this mistake in our 7th Housing Element. Otherwise, more state mandated, high-density, and build by right development will completely undermine the Community Plan and our sense of place.

My highest priority is:

• Listening to the entire community,

• Thinking and acting independently, and

• Making sure I govern with integrity and doing what I feel is best for all Del Mar residents.

I plan to achieve it by continuing what I have done throughout my service to Del Mar.

What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office?

I have served on various City committees, including more than a decade as an appointee and past chair of the Finance Committee. I helped to establish our Pension Reserve Policy and served during the 2008 Great Recession and through the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a 25+ year Biotechnology Executive, currently serving as Chief Operating Officer for a pre-clinical biotechnology company. My degrees are in Physics and Aviation Science and have Professional Certificates from UCSD in Business Management and Finance.

What actions, if any, would you take to address local climate threats, such as wildfire risks, water scarcity, extreme heat, flooding, and their impacts on the economy, infrastructure and public health?

Maintaining a clean and sustainable environment in Del Mar is critically important to me. Del Mar’s Climate Action Plan ("CAP") focuses on the following locally implemented strategies: 1.) Transportation 2.) Energy & Buildings 3.) Waste, wastewater & water 4.) Urban tree planting program.

I support maintaining these strategies. My CAP priorities:

First, update the CAP with current data to see if each CAP strategy has been achieved or if there is any strategy where Del Mar has fallen short.

Second, focus on further measures that help achieve any strategy where Del Mar has fallen short.

Third, accelerate City wide undergrounding in a fiscally responsible manner as that reduces the risk of fires and as well as the current need for tree trimming thereby preserving Del Mar’s tree canopy.

In conjunction with this I would accelerate a tree planting program that restores and complements investments in road and median improvements

What are your top three priorities?

I am a third generation Del Mar resident and care deeply about our City. I will always be guided by listening to the entire community, thinking and acting independently, and making sure I govern with integrity and doing what I feel is best for all Del Mar residents. My first priority, ensure North Bluff development and affordable housing fits Del Mar. Second, underground utilities throughout Del Mar while simultaneously repairing the streets and infrastructure. Third, prevent eminent domain and tunneling during rail realignment - I am a member of the Friends of Del Mar Bluffs, which led the legal fight against NCTD and SANDAG. I believe in treating everyone with respect and civility, and always strive to serve the entire community.

What are your views on increasing the availability of affordable housing in the City, and what specific benefits, challenges, and/or concerns have most influenced your position?

I have been highly engaged in efforts to preserve Del Mar’s village charm and character. I am very supportive of affordable housing, but we must do it in a way that works and is fair for Del Mar.

I specifically was and remain involved in challenging SANDAG’s impossibly inflated jobs numbers (coming from seasonal Fairgrounds jobs) that lead to inaccurate and unfairly high affordable housing allocation numbers. Unless changed, state imposed affordable housing units will have a significant permanent impact throughout Del Mar.

I support Our Neighborhood Voices, promoting a statewide ballot initiative that would amend the California Constitution by returning control over zoning and land use matters to cities. Additionally, I will work hard to change the laws in California related to housing and zoning. I would make certain that Del Mar corrects the RHNA numbers for the 7th Housing Cycle.

I will fight hard to make sure Del Mar’s share of affordable housing is accurate and fair.

Get in touch

Questions or ideas? Please let me know.

Contact

Reach out, I’m here to listen & chat.

Phone & Email

jeff@jgsturgis.com

+1-619-857-6857

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