Imperial Beach is looking to fill a vacant mayoral seat and there’s more than one possibility its City Council can navigate in these circumstances.
At the first regular meeting in August, Imperial Beach council members will determine if a new city leader will be decided through direct appointment or via an application followed by an appointment. If the council fails to fill the position by Sept. 20, the city must hold a special election that would cost upward of $250,000.
To date, no council member or other city resident is openly campaigning for the position.
Council members have not expressed a preference for direct appointment, appointment after applications, or a special election.
The mayor’s seat in Imperial Beach became vacant on July 22 following Paloma Aguirre’s resignation to become a San Diego County supervisor. Aguirre previously served as councilwoman and was elected the first Latina mayor of Imperial Beach in 2022.
Aguirre was sworn in as the new San Diego County District 1 supervisor that day for a term ending in January 2029, following Nora Vargas’ departure from that seat in December.
The city’s agenda for the next City Council meeting says the council could name the next mayor of Imperial Beach as early as Aug. 6 for a remaining term ending in November 2026.
However, the council may also decide to consider appointment discussions at a future time.
The city manager’s office has prepared a report that outlines how the council may choose to fill the vacant mayor’s seat, pursuant to Government Code section 34902.
“Staff requests that the City Council conduct the process for an appointment or provide direction to staff to draft the necessary documents to call a special election for the vacancy in the office of the mayor,” says a city report.
At this time, it is not certain which direction the council will take.
Appointment process
There are two appointment options the city can pursue.
Any person that is an Imperial Beach resident, a registered voter and is at least 18 years of age meets the legal requirements to be eligible for appointment as mayor.
That includes current council members, former city leaders or other citizens.
The four-member council can make what’s called a direct appointment by selecting any eligible person via a majority vote.
If that happens, the new appointee would be sworn in at a future meeting.
Another direction the council could take is to accept applications and then make an appointment.
Tyler Foltz, city manager for Imperial Beach, said the mayor’s vacancy must be filled by appointment within 60 days.
For this reason, the city report lays out a timeline for the council to effectively meet the deadline on Sept. 20.
During that time city staff would advertise a Mayor Vacancy Application Form for interested persons, interview applicants and appoint a candidate by early September.
“This schedule would also allow for time in the event an appointment cannot be made so that the council could call a special election,” says the report.
Special election
If the council fails to appoint a new mayor, it must move forward with an election to fill the vacancy 114 days thereafter.
For either an appointment or election, the person stepping in as mayor would serve until the end of the former incumbent’s term.
The seat will be up for election in the next general municipal elections on Nov. 3, 2026, according to the city’s website.
The nomination period for a mayoral candidate and two City Council members to represent District 1 and District 3 begins in July 2026. All three elected officials would serve four-year terms expiring November of 2030.
The report says it would cost the city $250,000 to $400,000 to hold a single special election to fill a vacancy in the mayor’s seat.
It also identifies April 14, 2026 as the next established election date for the special election.
Subsequent considerations
If the council selects a current member to fill the vacant mayor’s seat, then that vacancy would lead to a second round of decisions.
Whether by appointment or special election, city code mandates that the replacement council member be a resident of the district where the vacancy occurs.
Councilmember Mitch McKay, who represents District 3, said a special election for a member of the council might have to follow a mayoral special election if a council member fills the vacant mayor’s seat.
Last December, council member Carol Seabury became Imperial Beach’s mayor pro tempore for 2025, filling in when the mayor is absent or unable to act, according to the city’s municipal code.
Representing District 1, Seabury is mayor pro tempore for a one-year term until duties rotate to a different member of the City Council.
Seabury said the council will be discussing the item at the Aug. 6 meeting.
District 2 Councilmember Jack Fisher and District 4 Councilmember Matthew Leyba-González could not be reached for comment about the likeliness of an appointment or a special election determining the next Imperial Beach mayor.
McKay did not offer personal thoughts regarding any decision.
“There will be ample opportunities for public comment and discussion by council prior to any possible action,” said McKay.
The city will livestream its next regular City Council meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Council Chambers, 825 Imperial Beach Blvd.
