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Sean Elo-Rivera

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Sean Elo-Rivera
BERJAYA
President of the San Diego City Council
In office
December 6, 2021 – December 10, 2024
Preceded byJennifer Campbell
Succeeded byJoe LaCava
Member of the San Diego City Council
from the 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 10, 2020
Preceded byGeorgette Gomez
Personal details
PartyDemocratic
EducationChapman University

Sean Elo-Rivera is an American politician who has served as a member of the San Diego City Council since 2020, representing District 9.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as president of the city council from 2021 to 2024. Elo-Rivera currently represents San Diego's 9th City Council District, after winning the general election on November 5, 2024

Elo-Rivera represents the communities of Kensington, Normal Heights, and East San Diego, as well as the main campus of San Diego State University.[2]

Early life and education

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Elo-Rivera's father was a Sephardic Jew of Syrian descent, and his grandmother was an Ashkenazi Jew from Ukraine. His mother is the daughter of Catholic immigrants from Nicaragua and Panama. Elo-Rivera was raised in Orange County, California as well as in Jupiter and Palm Beach, Florida.[3]

He graduated from Chapman University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in social science and worked for a year as an English teacher in South Chungcheong, South Korea.[4] He then attended the California Western School of Law, where he obtained a Juris Doctor in 2013.[5]

Political career

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After law school, Elo-Rivera worked for the California Democratic Party on the 2014 campaign of Congressman Scott Peters. He then worked as the director of campaigns and policy for the Mid-City Community Action Network from 2015 to 2018 before becoming the executive director of Youth Will, a youth policy advocacy organization in 2018.[4]

In 2018, Elo-Rivera ran for the District E seat on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees. He placed second in the June primary with 21.3% of the vote behind San Diego city councilmember David Alvarez. Elo-Rivera went on to narrowly defeat Alvarez in the general election with 50.6% of the vote.[5]

San Diego City Council

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Elections

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In 2019, Elo-Rivera announced his candidacy for the District 9 seat on the San Diego City Council vacated by Georgette Gómez, who ran for California's 53rd congressional district. During the campaign, he emphasized his support for a city-wide plan to address climate change.[6]

BERJAYA
Sean Elo-Rivera and Terry Hoskins debate in Rolando (October 15, 2024)

Elo-Rivera came in second in the March 2020 primary behind former aide to Gómez and fellow Democrat Kelvin Barrios with 20.5% and 31.6% of the vote, respectively. Barrios suspended his campaign in September 2020 due to financial misconduct, but still appeared on the November ballot.[7] Elo-Rivera went on to defeat Barrios with 62.7% of the vote.[5]

Elo-Rivera ran for re-election in 2024, advancing from the primary election with 51.9% of the vote.[8][9] He went on to defeat retired police officer and fellow Democrat Terry Hoskins with 60.2% of the vote in the general election.[10]

Tenure

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During his first term, Elo-Rivera was elected president of the San Diego City Council in 2021, defeating incumbent Jennifer Campbell in a 5–4 vote.[11] He was re-elected as council president in 2022 and 2023 by votes of 9–0 and 5–4, respectively.[12][13]

Elo-Rivera co-sponsored Measure B, a 2022 ballot measure authorizing the city to charge for solid waste collection.[14] He introduced a temporary moratorium on no-fault evictions, which passed in a 5–1 vote.[15] He later introduced the Residential Tenant Protections Ordinance in 2023, which expanded tenant protections and restricted certain no-fault evictions; the measure passed in an 8–1 vote.[16]

Elo-Rivera voted against a 2023 city council ordinance that permitted police to remove homeless encampments on public property if city shelter beds were available, which passed in a 5–4 vote.[17]

After the 2024 election, Elo-Rivera announced that he would not seek another term as council president,[18] and was succeeded by Joe LaCava.[19]

During his second term, Elo-Rivera opposed the expansion of Waymo autonomous vehicles in San Diego, citing concerns about impacts on taxi and rideshare drivers.[20] He introduced a June 2026 ballot measure which would levy a tax on non-primary homes that were vacant for more than half of the year.[21]

Personal life

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Elo-Rivera lives in the Kensington neighborhood of San Diego with his wife, Angela and their son.[22] Elo-Rivera is Jewish.[3]

References

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  1. ↑ "Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera (District 9) | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  2. ↑ "San Diego City Council Districts". www.arcgis.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. 1 2 Harrison, Donald H. (2020-11-11). "Meet Sean Elo-Rivera, SD's newest Jewish councilman". San Diego Jewish World. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  4. 1 2 "Sean Elo-Rivera". LinkedIn. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sean Elo-Rivera". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. ↑ Melling, Daniel (2020-11-05). "Climate Candidates Notch Victories in Major City Council Races Across Western U.S." Legal Planet. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. ↑ Rivlin-Nader, Max (September 28, 2020). "Kelvin Barrios Ending Campaign For District 9 Seat". KPBS. San Diego, CA. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  8. ↑ "San Diego County Primary Election Results, March 5, 2024". April 4, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Bowen, Andrew (October 7, 2024). "San Diego City Council races explainer". KPBS. San Diego, CA. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  10. ↑ Vigil, Jennifer (November 5, 2024). "Elo-Rivera, Whitburn Easily Outpace Challengers to Retain San Diego Council Seats". Times of San Diego. San Diego, CA. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  11. ↑ Garrick, David (2021-12-06). "Elo-Rivera takes over pivotal San Diego council president post in surprise vote". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  12. ↑ Garrick, David (2022-12-13). "Elo-Rivera re-elected San Diego Council president as Democrats achieve 9-0 majority for first time". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  13. ↑ Service • •, City News (2023-12-05). "San Diego City Council names Sean Elo-Rivera council president for third straight year". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  14. ↑ Halverstadt, Lisa (2021-04-22). "One Councilman Wants to Trash the People's Ordinance". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  15. ↑ "San Diego City Council passes no-fault eviction moratorium". cbs8.com. 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  16. ↑ "San Diego City Council approves Tenant Protections Ordinance intended to combat homelessness". KPBS Public Media. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  17. ↑ City News Service (June 13, 2024). "San Diego City Council approves Unsafe Camping Ordinance by 5-4 vote". KPBS. San Diego, CA. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Scott (December 2, 2024). "Help Wanted: New Council President". Voice of San Diego. San Diego, CA. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  19. ↑ Garrick, David (December 10, 2024). "Joe LaCava named San Diego City Council president by colleagues". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2024.(subscription required)
  20. ↑ Vara, Juliette (2025-11-19). "Some city leaders push back on Waymo coming to San Diego". KUSI-TV. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  21. ↑ Rudy, Paul (March 6, 2026). "Sean Elo-Rivera on San Diego's 'Empty Home Tax'". KUSI-TV. San Diego, CA. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera". www.sandiego.gov. City of San Diego Official Website. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
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