Bruce Ehlers and Rimga Viskanta Compete in Encinitas Mayoral Race

Encinitas is entering the final stretch of a high-stakes mayoral race that pits incumbent Mayor Bruce Ehlers against San Dieguito Union High School District Trustee Rimga Viskanta. In a city where mayoral elections occur every two years—a rarity for North County—the contest has become a referendum on infrastructure, traffic safety, and the contentious redesign of Santa Fe Drive.

The Battle Over Santa Fe Drive

At the heart of this election is a deep-seated local divide over how the city manages its arteries. Bruce Ehlers is running for a second term by leaning heavily on his first two years of leadership. He has steered a council majority focused on the “nuts and bolts” of civic life: flooding traffic safety, upgrading parks, and pushing through infrastructure improvements.

But in Encinitas, infrastructure isn’t just about asphalt; it’s about identity. The redesign of Santa Fe Drive has sparked intense debate among residents, serving as the primary flashpoint for those who feel the current administration’s vision for the city’s layout doesn’t align with the community’s needs.

2026 Mayoral Debate Encinitas, CA: Rimga Viskanta // Bruce Ehlers

For the average commuter or business owner along the corridor, the “so what” of this race is immediate. A victory for Ehlers suggests a continuation of the current trajectory—prioritizing the council’s existing infrastructure slate. A win for Viskanta could signal a pivot in how these projects are approached, potentially altering the flow of traffic and the commercial viability of the Santa Fe Drive area.

A Divided Slate of Challengers

Rimga Viskanta isn’t running in a vacuum. She is pushing to unseat Ehlers as part of a broader effort to shift the city’s political direction. Viskanta is aligned with a slate of like-minded challengers, including Brad Lefkowits and Arielle Golden in District 3, who hope to tip the scales back toward a different philosophy of governance.

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Ehlers has countered this by throwing his support behind his own set of candidates: Ed Sprague in District 3 and Marco San Antonio in District 4. This creates a binary choice for voters—not just between two individuals, but between two distinct visions for the city’s future composition.

The stakes extend beyond the mayor’s office. Because the mayor leads the city council, the outcome of these concurrent races will determine whether Ehlers retains a supportive majority or finds himself governing from a position of friction.

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The Counter-Argument: Stability vs. Change

From this perspective, the debate surrounding Santa Fe Drive is part of the city's politics, and Ehlers points to his record of improvements to parks and traffic safety.

With the election just days away, the result will decide if Encinitas doubles down on its current path of infrastructure-led growth or pivots toward the alternative vision proposed by Viskanta and her allies.