Monica Montgomery Steppe
Monica Montgomery Steppe | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors | |
| Assumed office July 22, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Terra Lawson-Remer |
| Member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from District 4 | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Fletcher |
| President Pro Tempore of the San Diego City Council | |
| In office December 6, 2021 – December 5, 2023 | |
Mayor | Todd Gloria |
Council President | Sean Elo-Rivera |
| Preceded by | Stephen Whitburn |
| Succeeded by | Joe LaCava |
| Member of the San Diego City Council from the 4th district | |
| In office December 10, 2018 – December 5, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Myrtle Cole |
| Succeeded by | Henry Foster III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Steven Steppe (m. 2020) |
| Spelman College (BA) California Western School of Law (JD) | |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Website | San Diego County District 4 website |
Monica Montgomery Steppe (born 1978) is an American politician serving as a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors since 2023, representing District 4. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2018 to 2023, representing District 4, including as president pro tempore of the city council from 2021 to 2023, and on the board of the California Reparations Task Force.
Life and career
[edit]Monica Montgomery was born in San Diego in 1978 to Clifford and Patricia Montgomery. She attended Bonita Vista High School. While in high school, she fought with school officials over a ban on wearing bandannas that she felt unfairly targeted the three percent of students who were Black.[1] She earned a Bachelor of Science from Spelman College and a Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law.[2]
Montgomery worked as a San Diego City Hall staffer for Councilmember Todd Gloria during his term as interim mayor, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and Councilmember Myrtle Cole.[1] She resigned from her position in Cole's office the day after Cole made remarks arguing police officers were justified in racially profiling Black residents.[3] After leaving the City, Montgomery joined the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties as a criminal justice advocate.[2]
She married Steven Steppe on August 22, 2020.[4]
San Diego City Council
[edit]In 2013, Montgomery was a candidate in the special election to represent District 4 of the San Diego City Council following Tony Young's resignation to lead the local Red Cross Chapter. The district included the neighborhoods of Alta Vista, Broadway Heights, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Greater Skyline Hills, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Lomita Village, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O'Farrell, Paradise Hills, Redwood Village, Rolando Park, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park, and Webster.[5] Montgomery was eliminated in the primary, coming in last in a field of nine candidates with three percent of the vote.[6]
Montgomery ran again to represent District 4 in the 2018 San Diego City Council election, challenging her former boss Myrtle Cole. Montgomery cited wanting to guide policy around development in District 4 as well as Cole's previous comments on racial profiling as the two primary factors that led to her decision to run again.[3] Montgomery came in a surprise first place in the June primary, six votes ahead of the incumbent Cole.[7] Montgomery went on to win election to the City Council in the November 2018 runoff. This marked the first time that an incumbent had failed to be reelected to the City Council since 1992.[8]
In 2023, she voted against a housing initiative to encourage construction of low-income housing in various San Diego neighborhoods, including those near UC San Diego college campuses.[9]
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
[edit]In April 2023, Montgomery Steppe began her campaign to replace Nathan Fletcher in a special election for District 4 of the San Diego County Supervisors.[10][11][12] She had a plurality of votes on August 15, but since she did not surpass 50%, a runoff election was held in November,[13][14] which she won. She became the second Black county supervisor after the retirement of Leon Williams in 1994.[15]
Electoral History
[edit]San Diego City Council
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Myrtle Cole | 4,304 | 32.3 | |
| Democratic | Dwayne Crenshaw | 2,025 | 15.2 | |
| Democratic | Brian "Barry" Pollard | 1,548 | 11.6 | |
| Democratic | Ray Smith | 1,207 | 9.1 | |
| Democratic | Blanca Lopez Brown | 1,084 | 8.1 | |
| Republican | Sandy Spackman | 1,067 | 8.0 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Williams | 1,059 | 8.0 | |
| Democratic | Tony Villafranca | 621 | 4.7 | |
| Democratic | Monica Montgomery Steppe | 404 | 3.0 | |
| Total votes | 13,319 | 100 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Myrtle Cole | 6,612 | 54.1 | |
| Democratic | Dwayne Crenshaw | 5,603 | 45.9 | |
| Total votes | 12,215 | 100 | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Montgomery | 20,180 | 57.74 | |
| Myrtle Cole (incumbent) | 14,769 | 42.26 | |
| Total votes | 34,949 | 100 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Montgomery Steppe | 17,878 | 69 | |
| Gloria Evangelista | 8,112 | 31 | |
| Total votes | 25,990 | 100 | |
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
[edit]| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Montgomery Steppe | 40,165 | 41.70 | |
| Amy Reichert | 27,781 | 28.84 | |
| Janessa Goldbeck | 23,929 | 24.84 | |
| Paul McQuigg | 4,452 | 4.62 | |
| Total votes | 96,327 | 100 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Montgomery Steppe | 60,383 | 61.6 | |
| Amy Reichert | 37,681 | 38.4 | |
| Total votes | 98,064 | 100 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Garrick, David (December 7, 2018). "Montgomery will bring 'no-excuses' attitude, policy expertise to San Diego City Hall". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "About Monica". Monica Montgomery for City Council, District 4. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ a b San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board (September 20, 2018). "Q&A with City Council candidate Monica Montgomery". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Monica Montgomery Steppe". City of San Diego Official Website. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ^ "Council District 4 Communities". City of San Diego. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Election History - Council District 4" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ Keatts, Andrew (July 10, 2018). "One Group That Wasn't Shocked by the Primary Upset in D4: D4 Residents". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ Garrick, David (November 7, 2018). "Cole, Zapf lose re-election bids in two rare instances of San Diego council incumbents being rejected". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ "At odds over where low-income homes must be built, City Council rejects sweeping package of housing incentives". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Monica Montgomery Steppe Looking to Replace Fletcher on County Board of Supervisors". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ Weil, Madison (2023-04-27). "Councilmember Montgomery Steppe discusses historic run for Fletcher's supervisor seat". ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ Candelieri, Dominick (2023-04-25). "San Diego councilmember seeks Fletcher's District Four seat". FOX 5 San Diego. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Montgomery Steppe and Reichert headed to runoff in District 4 election". KPBS Public Media. August 17, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ Mueller, Pat (2023-08-17). "San Diego County District 4 Supervisor race will go to runoff election". ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ Keatts, Andrew (March 5, 2025). "Leon Williams, San Diego's trailblazing Black leader, dies at 102". Axios San Diego. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
- ^ https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2023/11/07/complete-election-results-for-nov-7-special-election-in-san-diego-county/
External links
[edit]Members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
|  | |||||||
- Living people
- San Diego City Council members
- California Democrats
- Women city councillors in California
- 1978 births
- California Western School of Law alumni
- Spelman College alumni
- 21st-century American women politicians
- 21st-century California politicians
- 21st-century American women lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 21st-century African-American women politicians
- African-American city council members in California
- 21st-century African-American lawyers
- Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from California
- Bonita Vista High School alumni