by Tessa Balc / Times of San Diego / Feb. 19, 2026,
To little surprise, Richard Bailey has announced that he’s running for the District 2 seat on the San Diego City Council. All that’s left to do is file the forms.
After sending out campaign-style mailers, announcing a ballot measure to remove trash and parking fees — which has yet to materialize — and relocating to Point Loma, the former mayor of Coronado said on Wednesday that he’s planning to seek the council seat.
In his Instagram announcement, Bailey asked for support for what he described as a “non-partisan, policy-focused, back-to-basics” campaign. As mayor of Coronado he was affiliated with the Republican Party. He has since re-registered as an independent.
Over the last year Bailey has positioned himself to move the needle in San Diego politics through viral Instagram videos which focus on quality-of-life issues that don’t follow stringent party lines.
He has been clear about an aim to influence policy rather than politics. His distinction between the two is that politics has to do with theatrics or “flash.”
In a December interview with Times of San Diego, Bailey was coy about the prospect of running, but quipped, “never say never.”
He’ll be entering a race where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1. The number of people with no party preference is nearly equivalent to the number of registered Republicans.
The race for District 2, represented by Councilmember Jen Campbell since 2018, is becoming crowded. As of Feb. 19, there are 8 people who have filed the necessary campaign disclosures in the race.
Three of those people disclosed contributions for their campaigns. In the last year, Josh Coyne raised $93,000, Nicole Crosby gathered nearly $35,000 and Marissa Havlik has received over $30,000.
Bailey and any others who plan to run for the seat must file by March 5. Eventually the race will narrow down to two candidates, after a jungle, or nonpartisan, primary with everyone, regardless of party affiliation, in the same field.
The District 2 city council seat represents Clairemont, Midway, Mission Beach, Mission Bay Park, Old Town, Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
Three time Trump support = Republican.
He changed his address and party affiliation, just so he can run in District 2. This is just about his career, and we are just a steppingstone. He doesn’t give a damn about District 2. He would ditch us in 2 years to run for mayor.
But curious is his plan to drive homeless to Coronado now?
Those “campaign-style mailers” were likely illegal.
I beg of everyone – please, please consider the comparative realities of Coronado and San Diego. The population of Coronado, in total, is less than 25,000 people. Every individual San Diego City Council member represents nearly 150,000 people.
The frequent fliers of the OBRag comment section hold some well-earned bitterness about the professional political class running San Diego today – I beg of you, again, recognize the same impulse in Richard.
Similarly, there are weekly calls in this forum to return to a city manager form of government – let’s introduce some intellectual consistency by recognizing that Bailey’s claims on how he addressed homelessness in Coronado disregard the highly effective city manager who actually does the work.
population difference didn’t stop Aguirre from becoming county supe. Connecting with the voters will tell.
Republican fifth column
I receive his various electronic communications. He breaks down issues into easily understandable parts and then clearly articulates his “take” on the matter. I see a focus on policy and solutions, rather than ideology, which describes nearly everyone else. We are in serious trouble and it’s a mistake to focus on broad “conservative vs liberal” ideologies. It’s time for actual execution and effectiveness, which seem almost non-existent in the current administration. I’m keeping a very open mind on this guy and so far he stands above the others IMO
No one is focusing on “conservative vs liberal” anymore; we’re focusing on those who believe in the Constitution, rule of law, democracy versus those who believe in an American fascism and its enablers. Anyone who still agrees with Trump and likes what ICE is doing is in a minority and is an enabler; anyone who is still a Republican without denouncing Trump is an enabler.