Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties.

[1] Fellow republican Steve Francis was considered the main opponent to incumbent Jerry Sanders by local reporters.

Memorably, after an April debate in Balboa Park, instead of shaking Francis's hand, Sanders privately said "Fuck you, Steve" instead.

In response to questions about the incident, Sanders claimed that he was frustrated with Francis trying to "buy the office" with his personal fortune and conducting push polls impugning his record as mayor.

[6] Because Sanders won a majority of the votes in the June primary, there was no need for a runoff in the November general election.