STEPPE LEADS IN SUPERVISORIAL RACE, WHICH APPEARS HEADED FOR A RUN-OFF

By Miriam Raftery

August 15, 2023 (San Diego) – Early results in the 4^th Supervisorial district special election show San Diego Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe, a Democrat, with a strong lead at 40.71% However the race appears likely to head to a run-off in November, if no candidate receives more than 50%.

Republican Amy Reichert, a small business owner and founder of Reopen San Diego, is in second place with 28.67%, followed by Marine veteran and veterans’ advocate Janessa Goldbeck at 25.51. Trailing at a distant fourth is Paul McQuigg, a Republican and advocate for disabled vets. Steppe has 31,418 votes thus far, Reichert 22,126, Goldbeck 19,681, and McQuigg 3,941.

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SUPERVISOR CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT ON EAST COUNTY ISSUES IN ECM FORUM

By Miriam Raftery

View video of forum

Hear audio aired on KNSJ: part 1; part 2

July 23, 2023 (San Diego’s East County)—Ballots have been mailed for the special election in the 4^th Supervisorial District to fill the vacancy left by Nathan Fletcher’s resignation. East County Magazine hosted a forum for the candidates, who spoke out on issues including homelessness, housing, energy, policing, drug addiction, sand mines, wildfire safety, and more. ECM editor Miriam Raftery moderated the forum.

August 15 is the last day to vote in the special election primary.

The three candidates who participated are Monica Montgomery Steppe, an attorney and president pro tem of the San Diego City Council, Amy Reichert, a private investigator and founder of Reopen San Diego, and Janessa Goldbeck, a former Marine and CEO of a nonprofit helping veterans. (A fourth candidate, Paul McQuigg, a military veteran and U.S. Labor Dept. employee, RSVP’d that he would attend but said he was unable to get connectivity for the forum on Zoom while traveling overseas.)

Click the video to view highlights of the forum, listen to audio for the version aired on radio (edited slightly for length), and scroll down to read highlights.