The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch.

Prior to the conquest, Californios served as mayor of San Diego during the Spanish and Mexican eras since 1780.

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.

In November 2004, voters approved Proposition F, returning San Diego to the strong mayor form of government on a five-year trial basis.

This resulted in the resignation of newly re-elected Mayor Dick Murphy[7] and the criminal indictment of six pension board members.

[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.

[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.

[20] In November 2018, voters passed Measure L which ties future mayoral salaries to those of Superior Court judges.

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.

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.

There have been 37 mayoralties because Edwin M. Capps served non-consecutive terms; he is counted chronologically as both the ninth and sixteenth mayor.