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Mayor of San Diego

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For Mayors of San Diego prior to 1850, see List of pre-statehood mayors of San Diego.

Mayor of the City of San Diego
Seal of San Diego
Flag of San Diego
Incumbent
Todd Gloria
since December 10, 2020
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderJoshua Bean
Formation1850
Salary$206,000 annually
WebsiteOffice of the Mayor

The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms.

There have been 36 people who have served as mayor in San Diego since 1850, when California became a state following the Conquest of California. Prior to the conquest, Californios served as mayor of San Diego during the Spanish and Mexican eras since 1780. From 1852 to 1888, the city was run by a board of trustees and there was no elected mayor. However, the president of the board was called mayor as a courtesy.

The most recent election was held in November 2024, and Todd Gloria was re-elected as the 37th mayor of San Diego.

History

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The position of mayor was created when San Diego was first incorporated on March 27, 1850. However, the city went bankrupt in 1852, only two years after incorporation. As a result of the bankruptcy, the State of California dissolved the government and replaced the mayor and city council with a board of trustees.[1] The mayoral position was later re-established with a new charter in 1887.[2] This charter was replaced with a permanent City Charter on May 6, 1889, using the strong mayor form of government.

In 1931, a new charter was adopted using a council–manager government with a citywide mayor as leader of the city council.

In November 2004, voters approved Proposition F, returning San Diego to the strong mayor form of government on a five-year trial basis. This was made permanent in June 2010 with the passage of Proposition D.[3]

Scandals

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Then-mayor Roger Hedgecock was forced to resign his post in 1985, after he was found guilty of one count of conspiracy and 12 counts of perjury, related to the alleged failure to report all campaign contributions.[4][5] After a series of appeals, the 12 perjury counts were dismissed in 1990 based on claims of juror misconduct; the remaining conspiracy count was reduced to a misdemeanor and then dismissed.[6]

A 2002 scheme to underfund pensions for city employees led to the San Diego pension scandal. This resulted in the resignation of newly re-elected Mayor Dick Murphy[7] and the criminal indictment of six pension board members.[8] Those charges were dismissed by a federal judge in 2010.[9]

In 2005, two city council members, Ralph Inzunza and Deputy Mayor Michael Zucchet – who briefly took over as acting mayor when Murphy resigned – were convicted of extortion, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for taking campaign contributions from a strip club owner and his associates, allegedly in exchange for trying to repeal the city's "no touch" laws at strip clubs.[10] Both subsequently resigned. Inzunza was sentenced to 21 months in prison.[11] In 2009, a judge acquitted Zucchet on seven out of the nine counts against him, and granted his petition for a new trial on the other two charges;[12] the remaining charges were eventually dropped.[13]

In July 2013, three former supporters of Mayor Bob Filner asked him to resign because of allegations of repeated sexual harassment.[14] Over the ensuing six weeks, 18 women came forward to publicly claim that Filner had sexually harassed them,[15] and multiple individuals and groups called for him to resign. Filner agreed to resign effective August 30, 2013, subsequently pleaded guilty to one felony count of false imprisonment and two misdemeanor battery charges, and was sentenced to house arrest and probation.[16][17]

In 2016, Mayor Kevin Faulconer entered into a lease-to-own agreement for San Diego's new City Hall at 101 Ash St. The building is uninhabitable with Asbestos and other issues. 101 Ash has become synonymous in San Diego with political scandals and bad real estate deals. The city overpaid for the property by $30M. It then botched renovations and eventually discovered its own real estate broker had also been working for the building's seller.[18]

Duties and powers

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The mayor serves as the official head of the City of San Diego for all ceremonial and civil purposes. The mayor has the authority to approve or veto council actions, subject to a two-thirds vote veto overrule. Under the strong mayor system, the mayor has sole authority to appoint and dismiss the city manager and to direct and control the city manager as permitted by the city charter. The mayor also has the authority to dismiss the chief of police or the chief of the fire department subject to a council overrule. The mayor may recommend measures and ordinance to the city council, but may not vote on these items.

On or before January 15, the mayor is obligated to communicate a State of the City address to the city council. The mayor must also propose a budget to the city council and for public review no later than April 15.[19]

The salary of the mayor was set at $100,464 in 2003.[20] In March 2012, the city's Salary Setting Commission proposed that the mayor be paid $235,000, but the city council unanimously rejected the recommendation, instead keeping the salary at the 2003 level.[21] In March 2014, the Salary Setting Commission recommended no pay increase for the mayor or city council. Instead, they recommended exploring future pay increases with additional condition that council members voting for pay increases not be allowed to benefit from the increase. This recommendation was approved by the city council in a 5–3 vote in favor of the changes.[20] In November 2018, voters passed Measure L which ties future mayoral salaries to those of Superior Court judges.[22] As of December 2020, the mayoral salary is $206,000.[23]

Election and succession

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The mayor is elected in citywide election. Elections follow a two-round system. The first round of the election is called the primary election. The top-two candidates from the primary election advance to a runoff election, called the general election. Write-in candidates are only allowed to contest the primary election and are not allowed in the general election. The mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms.[24] The mayor is officially non-partisan by state law, although most mayoral candidates identify a party preference.

If the office of the mayor becomes vacant with one year or less remaining in the term, the city council appoints a person to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs with more than one year remaining, the city council is obligated to call a special election. The candidate with the majority of the votes in the special election is declared mayor. If no candidate receives a majority, a special run-off must be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes. While the mayor's office is vacant pending a special election, the president of the city council serves as the interim mayor, with limited powers, until a new mayor is elected.[25] If for any reason a mayor serves a partial term of two years or more, it will count as one full term.[19]

The most recent election was held in November 2024. Todd Gloria was re-elected as the 37th mayor of San Diego, defeating police officer Larry Turner. Gloria had previously served as interim mayor in his role as city council president following the 2013 resignation of Bob Filner.[26]

List

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For the mayors of San Diego before statehood, see List of pre-statehood mayors of San Diego.

As of December 2024, 36 individuals have served as mayor. There have been 37 mayoralties because Edwin M. Capps served non-consecutive terms; he is counted chronologically as both the ninth and sixteenth mayor. The longest term was that of Pete Wilson, who served for eleven years over three terms prior to the establishment of successive term limits. The shortest term, not counting interim or acting mayors, was that of George P. Tebbetts, who served for less than two months before the position of mayor was abolished due to the bankruptcy of the city. Percy J. Benbough is the only mayor to have died in office. Two women have been elected mayor: Maureen O'Connor and Susan Golding consecutively. John F. Forward Sr. and John F. Forward Jr. are the only father and son to have both served as mayor. Todd Gloria is the first mayor of color, with Filipino, Latino, and Native American heritage. Gloria is also the first elected mayor to be openly gay.[26]

This list includes people who served as acting mayor or interim mayor due to a vacancy in the office of the mayor, but who were not officially elected or appointed as mayor. The acting and interim mayors are not included in the count of mayoralties.

No. Mayor Term in office
Elections 		Party[a]
1 Joshua Bean
1818–1852
(aged 33–34) 		June 17, 1850 January 14, 1851 Independent
1850
2 David B. Kurtz
1819–1898
(aged 78–79) 		January 14, 1851 January 10, 1852 Whig
1851
3 George P. Tebbetts
1828–1909
(aged 80–81) 		January 10, 1852 February 28, 1852 Independent
1852
Office abolished (1852–1888)[b]
4 William Jefferson Hunsaker
1855–1933
(aged 77) 		January 3, 1888 November 13, 1888 Workingmen's
1887[c]
— Martin D. Hamilton
1855–1922
(aged 66–67) 		November 13, 1888 May 6, 1889 Republican[d]
N/A[c]
5 Douglas Gunn
1841–1891
(aged 50) 		May 6, 1889 May 4, 1891 Republican[d]
1889
6 Matthew Sherman
1827–1898
(aged 70) 		May 4, 1891 May 1, 1893 Republican
1891
7 William H. Carlson
1864–1937
(aged 73) 		May 1, 1893 May 3, 1897 Independent
1893, 1895
8 David C. Reed
1847–1928
(aged 81) 		May 3, 1897 May 1, 1899 Republican
1897
9 Edwin M. Capps
1860–1938
(aged 77) 		May 1, 1899 May 6, 1901 Democratic
1899
10 Frank P. Frary
1856–1911
(aged 54) 		May 6, 1901 May 1, 1905 Republican
1901, 1903
11 John L. Sehon
1862–1913
(aged 50) 		May 1, 1905 May 6, 1907 Democratic
1905
12 John F. Forward Sr.
1851–1926
(aged 75) 		May 6, 1907 May 3, 1909 Republican
1907
13 Grant Conard
1867–1919
(aged 52) 		May 3, 1909 May 1, 1911 Republican
1909
14 James E. Wadham
1865–1930
(aged 64–65) 		May 1, 1911 May 5, 1913 Democratic
1911
15 Charles F. O'Neall
1875–1929
(aged 53) 		May 5, 1913 May 3, 1915 Democratic
1913
16 Edwin M. Capps
1860–1938
(aged 77) 		May 3, 1915 May 7, 1917 Democratic
1915
17 Louis J. Wilde
1865–1924
(aged 58) 		May 7, 1917 May 2, 1921 Republican
1917, 1919
18 John L. Bacon
1878–1961
(aged 82) 		May 2, 1921 May 2, 1927 Republican
1921, 1923, 1925
19 Harry C. Clark
1883–1950
(aged 67) 		May 2, 1927 May 4, 1931 Republican
1927, 1929
20 Walter W. Austin
1880–1951
(aged 70) 		May 4, 1931 May 2, 1932 Republican
1931
21 John F. Forward Jr.
1876–1938
(aged 61) 		May 2, 1932 August 2, 1934 Republican
1932[e]
22 Rutherford B. Irones
1877–1948
(aged 70) 		August 2, 1934 February 1, 1935 Republican
N/A[e]
— Albert W. Bennett February 1, 1935 May 6, 1935 Republican
N/A[e]
23 Percy J. Benbough
1884–1942
(aged 58) 		May 6, 1935 November 4, 1942 Republican
1935, 1939[f]
— Fred W. Simpson November 4, 1942 November 30, 1942 Republican
N/A[f]
24 Howard B. Bard
1870–1954
(aged 83) 		November 30, 1942 May 3, 1943 Democratic
N/A[f]
25 Harley E. Knox
1899–1956
(aged 57) 		May 3, 1943 May 7, 1951 Independent
1943, 1947
26 John D. Butler
1915–2010
(aged 94) 		May 7, 1951 May 2, 1955 Republican
1951
27 Charles Dail
1909–1968
(aged 59) 		May 2, 1955 December 2, 1963 Democratic
1955, 1959
28 Frank Curran
1912–1992
(aged 79) 		December 2, 1963 December 6, 1971 Democratic
1963, 1967
29 Pete Wilson
Born 1933
(91 years old) 		December 6, 1971 January 3, 1983 Republican
1971, 1975, 1979[g]
— Bill Cleator
1927–1993
(aged 65) 		January 3, 1983 May 3, 1983 Republican
N/A[g]
30 Roger Hedgecock
Born 1946
(78 years old) 		May 3, 1983 December 5, 1985 Republican
1983, 1984[h]
— Ed Struiksma
Born 1946
(77–78 years old) 		December 5, 1985 June 3, 1986 Republican
N/A[h]
31 Maureen O'Connor
Born 1946
(78 years old) 		June 3, 1986 December 7, 1992 Democratic
1986, 1988
32 Susan Golding
Born 1945
(79 years old) 		December 7, 1992 December 4, 2000 Republican
1992, 1996
33 Dick Murphy
Born 1942
(81 years old) 		December 4, 2000 July 15, 2005 Republican
2000, 2004[i]
— Michael Zucchet
Born 1969
(54 years old) 		July 15, 2005 July 18, 2005 Democratic
N/A[i]
— Toni Atkins
Born 1962
(62 years old) 		July 18, 2005 December 5, 2005 Democratic
N/A[i]
34 Jerry Sanders
Born 1950
(74 years old) 		December 5, 2005 December 3, 2012 Republican
2005, 2008
35 Bob Filner
Born 1942
(82 years old) 		December 3, 2012 August 30, 2013 Democratic
2012[j]
— Todd Gloria
Born 1978
(46 years old) 		August 30, 2013 March 3, 2014 Democratic
N/A[j]
36 Kevin Faulconer
Born 1967
(57 years old) 		March 3, 2014 December 10, 2020 Republican
2013–2014, 2016
37 Todd Gloria
Born 1978
(46 years old) 		December 10, 2020 Incumbent Democratic
2020

Presidents of the Board of Trustees

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After San Diego's bankruptcy in 1852, the State of California took over city government and ran the city with an appointed board of trustees during 1852–1888. The president of the board was called mayor by courtesy, although there was no official office of mayor.[1] When the office of president was vacated due to death or resignation, the board of trustees would choose a president pro tempore to preside over meetings until a permanent president could be elected by the board.[27][28]

# President Term start Term end   Party
1 Charles P. Noell March 25, 1852 June 9, 1852 Democratic
2 James W. Robinson July 31, 1852 September 10, 1853 Democratic
3 Louis Rose September 10, 1853 April 24, 1855 Democratic
4 Jesse Julian Ames April 24, 1855 March 20, 1856
5 Thomas Collins March 20, 1856 July 14, 1857
6 Henry H. Whaley July 14, 1857 May 4, 1858 Whig
7 Thomas Whaley May 4, 1858 March 23, 1859 Whig
8 Jacob C. Bogart March 23, 1859 March 18, 1860 Democratic
9 Rufus B. Tebbetts March 18, 1860 June 30, 1862
10 David B. Kurtz June 30, 1862 March 30, 1865 Democratic
11 Andrew Cassidy March 30, 1865 April 30, 1867 Democratic
12 Joseph S. Manasse April 30, 1867 April 29, 1868
13 Jose G. Estudillo April 29, 1868 March 5, 1869
14 James McCoy March 5, 1869 May 13, 1872 Democratic
15 William J. McCormick May 13, 1872 March 31, 1873
16 David W. Briant April 21, 1873 May 21, 1874
17 E. A. Veazie May 21, 1874 December 18, 1874
18 William A. Begole February 1, 1875 May 22, 1876
19 J. M. Boyd May 22, 1876 March 7, 1877
20 D. O. McCarthy April 2, 1877 June 1, 1880
21 S. P. Jones June 1, 1880 October 5, 1883
22 John H. Snyder May 21, 1884 May 26, 1886
23 William W. Stewart May 26, 1886 June 7, 1886
23 Charles S. Hamilton June 7, 1886 April 18, 1887 Democratic
24 Martin D. Hamilton April 18, 1887 January 3, 1888 Republican

Notes and references

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Notes

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  • a Party affiliation is shown for each mayor, when known. However, election of mayor under the current charter is officially nonpartisan.
  • b From 1852 until 1888, San Diego was governed by a board of trustees, so there was no official mayor.[1]
  • c William Jefferson Hunsaker resigned from office, likely due to frustration from losing a power struggle against rivals on the city council.[29] Martin D. Hamilton served as acting mayor until the next election could be held.[30]
  • d Both acting mayor Martin D. Hamilton and fourth mayor Douglas Gunn ran as Republicans on the "Citizens' Non-Partisan" ticket.[31]
  • e John F. Forward Jr. resigned from office after failing in his attempt to fire the city manager.[32] Rutherford B. Irones was appointed to finish the balance of his term. However, Irones himself would later resign after being convicted of drunk driving and a hit-and-run traffic accident.[33] Vice mayor Albert W. Bennett then served as acting mayor until a new election could be held.[34]
  • f Percy J. Benbough died in office of natural causes.[35] Vice mayor Fred W. Simpson then served briefly as acting mayor until Howard B. Bard was appointed to finish the balance of Benbough's term.[36]
  • g Pete Wilson resigned from office to join the United States Senate. Bill Cleator served as acting mayor until a new election could be held.[37]
  • h Roger Hedgecock resigned from office due to convictions on felony conspiracy and perjury charges that were later overturned.[38] Ed Struiksma served as acting mayor until a new election could be held.[39]
  • i Dick Murphy resigned from office amid criticism for his role in the San Diego pension scandal and after failing to win a majority of the votes in the 2004 election.[40] Michael Zucchet served as acting mayor for three days before he too resigned due to a corruption conviction that was later overturned.[41] A week later, the City Council elected Toni Atkins to serve as acting mayor until a new election could be held.[42]
  • j Bob Filner resigned from office amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Todd Gloria served as interim mayor until a new mayor was elected.[43]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Smythe, William (1907). "Part Five: Chapter II Political Affairs and Municipal Campaigns". History of San Diego, 1542-1908: The modern city. History Co. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  2. ^ Larson, Thomas (October 28, 2004). "Elections San Diego Style". San Diego Reader. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  3. ^ "A History of San Diego Government". City of San Diego. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  4. ^ Horstman, Barry (December 6, 1987). "Man About Town : San Diego's Ex-Mayor Roger Hedgecock Hasn't Let His Felony Conviction Get Him Down. But This Week, the Past May Catch Up With Him". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  5. ^ Abrahamson, Alan (February 2, 1992). "Bailiff's Bias in Hedgecock Trial Disclosed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  6. ^ "Hedgecock has clean slate; judge erases felony record". San Diego Union-Tribune. January 1, 1991. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  7. ^ "San Diego's Widening Pension Woes". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. June 13, 2005. Archived from the original on June 6, 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  8. ^ Strumpf, Daniel (June 15, 2005) San Diego's Pension Scandal for Dummies, San Diego City Beat via Internet Archive. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  9. ^ Hall, Matthew T. (April 8, 2010). "Five cleared in San Diego pension case". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  10. ^ Moran, Greg & Thornton, Kelly (July 19, 2005). "Councilmen Guilty". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  11. ^ "Ralph Inzunza Goes to Prison (Soon)". NBC San Diego. January 20, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  12. ^ "Appeals Court opinion, Sept. 1, 2009" (PDF). Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  13. ^ Greg Moran (October 14, 2010). "Seven Years Later, Zucchet Cleared". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  14. ^ Filner apologizes, gets professional help, San Diego Union Tribune, July 11, 2013
  15. ^ Lah, Kyung (August 21, 2013). "Another sex harassment accusation for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner". CNN. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  16. ^ "San Diego Mayor Resigns in Sexual Harassment Scandal". NY Times. August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  17. ^ "Ex-San Diego mayor Bob Filner pleads guilty to 3 charges". USA Today. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  18. ^ McDonald, Jeff. "Anatomy of the Deal: What happened on Ash Street". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "ARTICLE XV Strong Mayor Form of Governance" (PDF). City of San Diego City Charter. City of San Diego. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  20. ^ a b Walker, Mark (March 10, 2014). "No pay hikes for mayor, council". U-T San Diego. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  21. ^ "City Council Rejects Salary Hikes For Mayor, Council". 10news.com. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  22. ^ Garrick, David (November 21, 2018). "Ballot measures hiking council pay, boosting transparency approved by wide margins in San Diego". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  23. ^ Horn, Jonathan (April 17, 2020). "Despite budget cuts, San Diego's next mayor in line for massive raise". ABC 10 News. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "How To Run For Office Details". City of San Diego. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  25. ^ Dotinga, Randy (August 22, 2013). "The Differences Between an Interim Mayor and a Strong Mayor". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  26. ^ a b Garrick, David (November 8, 2020). "Todd Gloria will bring lots of firsts as San Diego's new mayor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  27. ^ "City Clerk Archives". City Clerk Reports. City of San Diego. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  28. ^ "Selected Chronological List of San Diego City Officials". San Diego History Center. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  29. ^ "William Jefferson Hunsaker (1855-1933)". Biographies. San Diego History Center. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  30. ^ "The Mayor's Resignation". The San Diego Union. November 14, 1888. p. 5. Retrieved February 26, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  31. ^ Crawford, Richard (August 25, 2011). "San Diego Pioneer Moved from Newspapers to Mayor's Chair" (PDF). San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  32. ^ "Forward to End Job August 1 Action Follows His Failure to Oust F. M. Lockwood as City Manager Three Councilmen and City Attorney in Line for Post as Municipal Head". Los Angeles Times. April 18, 1934. pp. A8. ProQuest 163211157. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  33. ^ "Hit-Run Mayor Drops Out". The New York Times. February 5, 1935. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  34. ^ "Bennett Acting Mayor of S.D. as Irones Fate Debated". Evening Tribune. February 2, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved February 26, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  35. ^ "PERCY J. BENBOUGH; Mayor of San Diego Since 1935, Ex-Head of Fire, Police Groups". The New York Times. November 5, 1942. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  36. ^ "P.J. Benbough Succumbs to Lengthy Illness". The San Diego Union. November 5, 2014. p. 1. Retrieved February 26, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  37. ^ "William E. Cleator, Was San Diego City Councilman". Associated Press. February 11, 1993. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  38. ^ Abrahamson, Alan (February 2, 1992). "Bailiff's Bias in Hedgecock Trial Disclosed". Los Angeles Times.
  39. ^ "Election Today for S.D. Mayor". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1986. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  40. ^ Dillon, Jeff (April 25, 2005). "San Diego mayor announces departure less than 5 months into second term". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
  41. ^ Coffey, Daniel (October 14, 2010). "Justice undone: Michael Zucchet and Ralph Inzunza". San Diego Daily Transcript. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  42. ^ "Toni Atkins to serve as San Diego's deputy mayor until new mayor elected". San Diego Union-Tribune. North County Times Wire Service. July 26, 2005. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  43. ^ Gustafson, Craig (August 30, 2013). "Q&A with Todd Gloria, interim mayor". U-T San Diego. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
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