Beach Blanket Politico

Green activist Donna Frye leading in race for mayor of San Diego

San Diego may soon get a jolt of green in City Hall. Veteran surfer chick and longtime environmental activist Donna Frye (D) took 43 percent of the vote in the city's mayoral election on Tuesday, far ahead of the 27 percent earned by her closest contender, but short of the majority needed to win without a runoff. Frye, who's served on the San Diego City Council since 2001, will now face former Police Chief Jerry Sanders (R) in a November runoff election. Last November, Frye ran as a write-in candidate against then-Mayor Dick Murphy (R). Although she got more votes, she didn't get the job; a judge threw out thousands of ballots as technically invalid because voters didn't fill in the bubble next to the line where they wrote in Frye's name. Since then, both Murphy and his replacement have resigned in a cloud of scandal, giving Frye another shot at the spot. Co-owner of a surf shop, she has long been active in local good-government and environmental campaigns in San Diego.