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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2013
LJTODAY.COM | VOLUME 18, NUMBER 36
ELECTIONWRAPUP >> MIKE AGUIRRE
4 percent
Our
wild La Jolla Photos by Don Balch
T
hat so many scientific, oceanographic and environmental organizations are situated in La Jolla is no accident. The area is teeming with flora and fauna and enjoys greater environmental protections due to its incredibly rich biological diversity. Photographer Don Balch, who spends much of his time in and around the water in La Jolla, recently caught some prime examples of just how wild the waters off the coast are. Top, a sea turtle gets eye-to-eye off La Jolla Shores.
While it’s not common to come across sea turtles, Balch said, “You can be lucky enough to see one surface — and I know where to look!” Above left, kayakers get a clear water view of leopard sharks off the Shores during the first week of November, while, above right, a leopard shark shows its spots in La Jolla Cove. Have you caught some rare or unusual photos of La Jolla’s wildlife? Send them in to ljvn@sdnews.com.
DAVID ALVAREZ
KEVIN FAULCONER
✓26 percent
✓44 percent
NATHAN FLETCHER
24 percent
The 2013 political showdown for mayor of San Diego reached a crescendo Nov. 19, setting up a runoff election sometime in February between District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer (R) and District 8 City Councilman David Alvarez (D). According to semi-official results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office — with 100 percent of the precincts counted — Faulconer was the runaway leader, collecting 44 percent of the ballots (89,043 votes), followed by Alvarez with 26 percent (52,283 votes). Democrat Nathan Fletcher, however, was barely trailing Alvarez with 24 percent (49,645 votes). However, on Nov. 20, Fletcher conceded and lent his endorsement to Alvarez in the runoff election, even though there are still 34,500 mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted, according to city spokesman Juan Alvarez. Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre did not fare well in his bid for mayor, collecting a little more than 4 percent of the vote (9,801 votes) The mail-in and provisional ballots are expected to be counted next week and could be certified as early as the end of next week, according to Alvarez. Voter turnout for the election was estimated between 30-35 percent. Thanking his major opponents Fletcher, Aguirre and Alvarez for “sacrificing their time to make San Diego better,” Faulconer said he began his campaign with a simple promise, “That together, we will restore trust and integrity to City Hall.”Now more than ever, San Diegans need a leader with a vision for this city — and the experience to make it happen; a leader San Diegans can trust — trust to lead with principles not partisanship; trust to put your city first,” Faulconer said on election night. “We took that message to the voters and guess what? You all agree.” Meanwhile, coming from single-digit support when the race kicked off to ending up with more than 25 percent of the vote on Nov. 19, Alvarez gained traction every day with a positive, grassroots campaign that focused on describing his vision for a San Diego for everyone and every neighborhood. “We started this campaign as an underdog, but we
SEE ELECTION >> PG. 22
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