Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties. The non-partisan primary was held Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Faulconer received a majority of votes in the general election, precluding the need for a November runoff.[1]
In October 2015, Ocean Beach Town Council president Gretchen Newsom became the first major Democratic candidate to announce that she would challenge Kevin Faulconer's bid for re-election.[3] However, Newsom dropped out of the race only seven weeks after declaring her candidacy.[4]
In January 2016, former California State Assembly member Lori Saldaña announced that she intended to run for mayor against Faulconer. Although Saldaña had been a Democrat while in the state assembly, she subsequently left the party in September 2014 and intended to run for mayor as an independent.[5]