For as long as horses have galloped on its famous racetrack, Del Mar has managed its civic affairs with the ease of a gentle ocean breeze. However, the city now finds itself in a sea of uncertainty.
Important city matters — such as appointing a representative for Del Mar on a crucial regional planning board — have stalled due to disagreements within its truncated four-member city council.
Additionally, the city’s plan to locate state-required affordable housing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds has not gained traction, and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta is now scrutinizing the city for its rejection of an affordable housing project known as Seaside Ridge.
Complicating these issues is the city council’s surprising decision not to fill the vacancy left by Councilmember Dwight Worden, who announced in August 2024 that he would be stepping down halfway through his term due to health concerns.
The council attempted to fill Worden’s seat but could not agree on a candidate or whether to hold a special election. Consequently, they decided to leave the seat unfilled for two full years until the regularly scheduled election in November 2026.
This decision has led to deadlocked 2-2 council votes and raised concerns about whether Del Mar will have representation on the San Diego Association of Governments. This regional agency will determine key issues, including a new rail alignment through Del Mar and future bluff stabilization efforts.
Fortunately, it appears that Del Mar has been aided by SANDAG’s governing rules, which allow current appointees — in this case, Councilmember Terry Gaasterland — to remain on the board until formally replaced by their respective city councils.
This is welcome news for Del Martians, as SANDAG is currently considering several options to relocate the coastal rail line through Del Mar’s interior, a project that will very likely disrupt daily life in the city for years. This line serves as San Diego’s only rail link to Los Angeles and beyond, and it is crucial for passenger, freight and military movement. The project aims to move nearly two miles of the rail line away from the fragile Del Mar bluffs and further inland, with three of the four proposed alignments requiring tunneling under the city.
Another critical issue facing Del Mar is affordable housing. The state requires the city to plan for 113 units of affordable housing as part of the state’s 6th Housing Cycle, which runs through 2029.
To meet this mandate, the city hopes to site 61 affordable housing units—more than half of its allotment — on the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which is owned and managed by the 22nd District Agricultural Association and its board of directors.
However, after two years of negotiations, no specific site has been identified, and the board remains noncommittal about allowing any housing on the property.
The state’s October 2025 deadline for the city to have a signed ground lease agreement with the fairboard has now passed, and there is no indication of when or if that might occur.The sometimes-contentious relationship between the board and the city has certainly not helped matters.
On multiple occasions, the board has suspended negotiations with the city after council members publicly supported a rail option that would run through and under the fairgrounds, something the fair board strongly opposes due to the potential issues it would cause for the annual fair and summer horse racing season.
While the fairgrounds proposal is central to the city’s plan to appease the state, some argue that the property — situated in a floodplain — is unsuitable for permanent housing and that the city is simply attempting to place low-income housing as far away from its wealthier residents as possible.
To complicate matters, Bonta has targeted Del Mar for its refusal to allow the Seaside Ridge affordable housing proposal to proceed. The plan, submitted three years ago by property owner Carol Lazier, includes 85 affordable units designated for families with low to moderate incomes.
Lazier invoked California’s Builder’s Remedy Law, which enables affordable housing projects to advance with limited local control if a city lacks a state-approved housing plan, known as a housing element. When the Seaside Ridge plan was submitted to Del Mar in 2022, the city was still developing its housing element. In December, Bonta sent a warning letter to the city, threatening penalties if Del Mar continued to reject the project.
Beyond Bonta’s warning, Del Mar will need to defend its actions — or inactions — in court later this year. Seaside Ridge has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that city leaders have violated several state housing laws. If Seaside Ridge wins, the project could go ahead, and Del Mar taxpayers may be liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in legal and related expenses incurred by the developer..
In a similar case last year, the city of La Cañada Flintridge was forced to pay over $1 million in legal fees after unlawfully blocking a Builder’s Remedy project.
There is a lot at stake for Del Mar in the coming months and years. Will the city’s leaders successfully navigate these complex issues?
Only time will tell.
Oscar Urteaga is a San Diego native, public affairs professional and former legislative aide.
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