Stephen Whitburn
OfficePresident Pro Tempore of the San Diego City Council
PredecessorBarbara Bry
SuccessorMonica Montgomery Steppe
1blanknameMayor
1namedataTodd Gloria
2blanknameCouncil President
2namedataJennifer Campbell
Term startDecember 10, 2020
Term endDecember 6, 2021
Office 1Member of the San Diego City Council from District 3
Predecessor 1Chris Ward
1blankname 1Mayor
1namedata 1Todd Gloria
Term start 1December 10, 2020
Birth placeWest Germany
Birth date1964 (age 62–63)
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)

Stephen Whitburn (born c. 1964) is an American politician, activist, and former journalist serving as a member of the San Diego City Council since 2020, representing District 3.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as president pro tempore of the city council from 2020 to 2021 under council president Jennifer Campbell.

Whitburn represents the communities of Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, Downtown, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Middletown, Mission Hills, Mission Valley West, North Park, South Park, and University Heights.

Early life and career

Whitburn was born in West Germany and grew up in multiple states, including upstate New York.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[3]

Whitburn started working for a radio station as a news reporter in Madison, Wisconsin for nine years before accepting a position with a radio station in San Diego.[4] He then worked as a public affairs manager for the American Red Cross, later taking director roles at San Diego Pride and the Southern California chapter of the American Cancer Society.[5][6]

Political career

In 2008, Whitburn ran for the District 3 seat on the San Diego City Council vacated by term-limited incumbent Toni Atkins. He came in second in the June primary behind fellow Democrat Todd Gloria, a staffer for Congresswoman Susan Davis. Gloria went on to defeat Whitburn in the general election with 54.6% of the vote.[7]

After losing the election, Whitburn served as vice chair of the City of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Task Force in 2009.[8] In 2010, Whitburn ran for the 4th supervisorial district on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Ron Roberts.[9] He would have been the first openly gay member of the board of supervisors if elected.[10] Roberts and Whitburn advanced from the primary with 47.3% and 22.3% of the vote, respectively. Roberts went on to defeat Whitburn in the general election.[11]

San Diego City Council

Elections

Main articles: 2020 San Diego elections#District 3 and 2024 San Diego elections#District 3

In 2020, Whitburn ran for the District 3 seat on the San Diego City Council vacated by Chris Ward, who ran to become a member of the California State Assembly representing the 78th district. He finished first in the nonpartisan primary election with 31.1% of the vote before defeating fellow Democrat Toni Duran in the general election with 63% of the vote.[12]

He ran for re-election in 2024, advancing from the primary election with 52.4% of the vote.[13] During the campaign, he expressed support for income-restricted housing and streamlined regulations to lower costs for housing developers.[14] He was supported by the San Diego County Democratic Party, the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO, and the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego.[15][16] He went on to defeat public interest attorney and fellow Democrat Coleen Cusack with 57.5% of the vote in the November 2024 general election.[17]

Tenure

During his first term, Whitburn served as president pro tempore of the city council from 2020 to 2021 under council president Jennifer Campbell and was described as an ally of mayor Todd Gloria.[18] He served on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System board of directors as vice chair in 2023 before becoming chair later that year following the resignation of then-chair Nathan Fletcher.[19][20]

Whitburn introduced a city council ordinance in 2023 that allowed police to remove homeless encampments on public property if city shelter beds were available, which passed in a 5–4 vote.[21][22][23] The ordinance became a model for a statewide encampment ban bill that was introduced in the California State Senate the following year.[24]

During his second term, Whitburn was reelected as chair of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System in 2025.[25] He voted against a 2025 proposal to charge for parking at Balboa Park,[26] and called for a repeal of the program after it was passed by the city council in a 6–3 vote.[27] In 2026, Whitburn negotiated a settlement to a lawsuit against the city with former city attorney Mike Aguirre and former mayor Kevin Faulconer that resulted in reduced trash collection fees and the rollback of paid parking at Balboa Park.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (District 3) | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  2. ^ Donoho, Ron (October 7, 2024). "District 3 City Council Race: Stephen Whitburn Defends Homeless Policies". San Diego Sun. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "Stephen Whitburn | Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (District 3) | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  4. ^ "Stephen Whitburn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  5. ^ Garrick, David (2020-12-03). "Whitburn plans to use collaboration, varied background to help bring San Diego council to next level". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-17. (subscription required)
  6. ^ Meehan, Vince (2022-02-04). "Your District 3 Council member". San Diego Downtown News. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  7. ^ "Election History - Council District 3". City of San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Stephen (November 14, 2023). "Letter to the Editor: Whitburn’s Response to the Politics Report". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  9. ^ James, Ron (March 11, 2010). "Local community leader Stephen Whitburn announces run for County Supervisor". sdnews.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Kyle, Keegan (September 29, 2010). "How a Supervisor’s Race Has Divided the Gay Community". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Kyle, Keegan (November 3, 2010). "Whitburn Responds to Defeat". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Carroll, John (2020-11-04). "Stephen Whitburn Wins Race For San Diego City Council District 3". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  13. ^ "San Diego County Primary Election Results, March 5, 2024". April 4, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Schulz, David (October 6, 2024). "Q&A with Stephen Whitburn, candidate for San Diego City Council". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2024. (subscription required)
  15. ^ "Stephen Whitburn wins reelection in San Diego City Council District 3 race". KPBS. November 6, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  16. ^ "2024 San Diego County Voter Guide". YIMBY Democrats of San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  17. ^ "ELECTION HISTORY – COUNCIL DISTRICT 3, CITY OF SAN DIEGO". Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  18. ^ Bowen, Andrew (October 7, 2024). "San Diego City Council races explainer". KPBS. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  19. ^ "MTS Board Elects Stephen Whitburn as Chair". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. May 18, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  20. ^ Jennewein, Chris (May 18, 2023). "City Council’s Stephen Whitburn Elected MTS Chair to Succeed Nathan Fletcher". Times of San Diego. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  21. ^ City News Service (June 13, 2024). "San Diego City Council approves Unsafe Camping Ordinance by 5-4 vote". KPBS. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  22. ^ Garrick, David (August 12, 2024). "Council candidates debate housing, homelessness and how to define crime". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2024. (subscription required)
  23. ^ Hill, Ryan (June 28, 2024). "SCOTUS's encampment decision validates San Diego's ordinance, Councilmember Whitburn says". ABC 10 San Diego. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  24. ^ La, Lynn (February 6, 2024). "Why California legislators of both parties want to ban homeless encampments". CalMatters. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  25. ^ "Councilmember Stephen Whitburn Re-elected as Chair of MTS Board of Directors". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. October 16, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  26. ^ Rudy, Paul (September 16, 2025). "San Diego City Council votes to bring paid parking to Balboa Park". Fox 5 KUSI News. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  27. ^ Ong, Jermaine (January 7, 2026). "San Diego City Councilman Stephen Whitburn calls for repeal of Balboa Park paid parking plan". ABC 10 San Diego. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  28. ^ Garrick, David (May 24, 2026). "How three men struck San Diego’s surprise deal on trash fees and Balboa Park parking". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved May 26, 2026. (subscription required)