Are Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio Running for San Diego Mayor?

Acting Mayor Todd Gloria and former Councilman Carl DeMaio are both expected to announce today whether they will seek to replace Bob Filner, who resigned in disgrace after nine months as the city's chief executive, while a county supervisor ruled out a mayoral run.

If DeMaio enters the race, it will mark the second attempt for the 38- year-old Republican, who narrowly lost to Filner in a runoff last November. Gloria, a 35-year-old Democrat and the City Council president, would be making his first run for mayor.

A run for mayor by Gloria and DeMaio would pit two prominent and openly gay politicians against each other in the race to lead the nation's eighth largest city.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Ron Roberts, who has run for mayor unsuccessfully in the past, announced he would not seek the post.

"I made this decision after much discussion with my family and close supporters," Roberts said. "I will be forever grateful for their confidence."

The city of San Diego race will attract candidates who understand the issues at City Hall, and the county still has some unfinished business, he said.

Councilman Kevin Faulconer said he will announce his decision Wednesday in a news conference on Harbor Island.

DeMaio and Gloria both planned to reveal their decisions today -- the first regular working day for Gloria as acting mayor since Filner stepped down amid allegations of various degrees of sexual harassment by 19 women. Gloria assumed office when Filner's resignation became official at 5 p.m. Friday.

"I'm ready, I'm anxious to get to work," Gloria said. "I have, like every other San Diegans, been frustrated by what's not been getting done the last number of months, and I'm really excited by the opportunity to actually start doing that work again."

He said one of his first actions would be to order a top-down review of city departments to make sure city policies are being followed. He also plans to talk to members of the mayor's staff and decide who he wants to keep.

Chief of Staff Lee Burdick, Assistant Chief Operating Officer Nelson Hernandez, Council Liaison Francisco Estrada and Director of Community Outreach Linda Perine left their posts on Friday.

Gloria will lead the city with limited powers until a new mayor is seated. A special election, which could cost around $6 million, is set for Nov. 19.

Through Friday, 15 people have declared their intention to run. Among the best known is former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who finished a close third in the June 2012 mayoral primary behind Filner and DeMaio.

Fletcher, an Independent who left the Republican Party after it endorsed DeMaio last year, corralled the first endorsements in the race to replace Filner. On Thursday, he announced endorsements from the unions that represent the city's white collar workers and firefighters.

Since leaving the political arena, he has worked as an executive for Qualcomm.

Upon narrowly losing to Filner in November, DeMaio set his sights on Congress, saying he would challenge Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, next year. About 10,000 votes separated Filner from DeMaio out of more than 320,000 votes cast.

—City News Service