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<h2>Why I'm Running for Mayor</h2><h4>I'm running for Mayor to bring my record of collaboration, results, and respect to Encinitas City Hall. I believe in more than local control. I believe in local action. Together, we can create the Encinitas we love to call home.</h4>

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<h2>Proven Record</h2><ul><li>Two-term elected school board trustee — Encinitas Union School District (EUSD), 2016–2020, and San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD), 2022–present</li><li>Three-time Board President — once at EUSD, twice at SDUHSD; currently SDUHSD Vice President</li><li>Completed the <a href="https://www.csba.org/TrainingAndEvents/MastersInGovernance/Masters-in-Governance#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Masters in Governance</a> program, California School Boards Association (CSBA)</li><li>Led one of the region's first safe returns to in-person learning during COVID-19 as EUSD Board President</li><li>Delivered SDUHSD's first swimming pool and pushed adoption of new electric school buses</li><li>Drove energy-efficiency upgrades and renewable energy into SDUHSD's facilities master plan — saving taxpayer dollars</li><li>Senior Management Analyst with the City of Solana Beach — nearly a decade in local government across the City Manager's Office, Finance and other Departments</li><li>Master of Public Administration from USC | Bachelor's in Environmental Sciences from UVA</li></ul>

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Vote Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026

<h2>A Vision for Encinitas</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/4bd3541d-be0d-412e-a26f-614e722c88c0/19ca1749-195d-48c3-bc01-82253ab12a10.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C3072%2C4096&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="25" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">Encinitas thrives when people participate. When neighbors rewild a canyon with native plants. When volunteers care for a median or clean up the beach. When a resident with a good idea isn’t buried in red tape. I envision more public spaces, fewer bureaucratic barriers, and more opportunities to build community together.As Mayor, I will foster a city that empowers residents and welcomes respectful political discourse. I believe we have more in common than social media chatter might have us believe.

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Rimga Viskanta Announces Campaign for Mayor

Viskanta Enters Mayor's Race

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<h2>Meet Rimga!</h2>Building community begins with personal connection and conversations--not digital debate and divisiveness.

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Public Safety and Infrastructure are foundational to a well-functioning city. I'll use my accounting and budgeting experience inside local government to maximize available funding for these areas.Through conversations with residents, the concerns below have surfaced again and again. <a href="mailto:voteforviskanta@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What’s top of mind for you</a>?

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<h2>Climate Readiness — Preparing, Not Pretending</h2>Sea level rise, hotter summers, wildfire risk, and changing rainfall patterns are already here. As Mayor, I will prioritize coastal adaptation, fire-wise neighborhoods, and practical climate resilience strategies. Sustainability isn’t a slogan—it’s infrastructure, planning, and stewardship of what we love about Encinitas.

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<h2>I will advocate for you!</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/d91d61ce-d957-4e2f-b228-036f231b6a4c/d91d61ce-d957-4e2f-b228-036f231b6a4c.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C4284%2C5712&amp;w=1500" alt="Candidate in front of Capitol" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">As a School Board Trustee I had the opportunity to advocate at the federal level on behalf of California school districts as part of a California School Boards Association non-partisan contingent. I will use my advocacy skills to fight for federal and state legislation that improves our community and against laws that hurt us.

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<h2>This is home!</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/bbc6bdb4-3bfb-4e6f-8143-ff418b26e277/bbc6bdb4-3bfb-4e6f-8143-ff418b26e277.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C3268%2C2614&amp;w=1500" alt="Young girl surfing" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed"><h5 style="text-align: left;">my daughter taking surf lessons at Moonlight in 2014!</h5><h4 style="text-align: left;">I’ve called Encinitas home for twenty years. My three children were raised here — preschool through high school, my youngest born at the Scripps Encinitas on Santa Fe Drive. Our family memories are rooted in this town.</h4>YMCA swim lessons, soccer, volleyball, and karate practices. Afternoons wandering around the Botanic Garden. Playing under the palm tree at Moonlight Beach, watching vibrant sunsets, surfing, cycling, Turkey Trots, yoga, and all that is quintessential Encinitas.

"I believe in more than local control. I believe in local action.With nearly a decade of experience inside local government plus two terms as an elected school board trustee, I'm ready to deliver safer streets, smarter growth, and put community first. I'll bring respect and collaboration to City Hall — welcoming all viewpoints and partnering with our community to create the Encinitas we love to call home."

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<h2>Leadership Built on Experience</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/f1a8fdd7-834f-42b4-b95c-00e5815b16c8/3f9450ee-7587-46c3-9fdd-3c85f1f1f75a.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=340%2C327%2C2495%2C3724&amp;w=1500" alt="Mom with three kids" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="25" variant="framed">While I have worked in the private sector, my professional passion has always been local government — where elected officials are our neighbors and policy decisions are felt immediately and personally. That passion has also shaped how I've shown up as a volunteer over the years, serving on facilities bond oversight committees, school site councils, and as PTA President at Ocean Knoll.Over my career at the City of Solana Beach, I worked across every department in city government, culminating as a Senior Management Analyst in the City Manager's Office and Finance Department. I partnered with state and federal agencies, nonprofits, neighboring cities, and residents to move ideas from concept to delivery. The work spanned climate action, homelessness, and improving how government delivers services. That's where I learned how city hall really works: through people, partnerships, and follow-through.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/e06798b2-9fac-4ed3-80bb-4b3a2119b357/e06798b2-9fac-4ed3-80bb-4b3a2119b357.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C315%2C315&amp;w=1500" alt="Gavel" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="25" variant="framed">In 2022, I was elected to the San Dieguito Union High School District Board with a promise to bring stability, good governance, and consistent leadership. I delivered on that promise. Selected by my colleagues as Board President twice and currently serving as Vice President, I led the district through complex and often contentious decisions with respect, transparency, and community involvement — including leading the Board to invest in the district's first swimming pool. That decision was unpopular with some of my strongest supporters. But good governance isn't about taking sides. It's about judgment, evidence, and long-term benefit.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/3e6a8ac9-4272-4dda-81f0-7026d803d343/1ae8e3ba-a453-4505-8d71-cf929eca60d3/b1e90ae0-5406-44d7-881d-a94c8d0f3af2.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C4028%2C2704&amp;w=1500" alt="Candidate in front of swimming pool" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="42" variant="framed">I championed the district's first districtwide sustainability committee — bringing together students, staff, and city sustainability managers to learn from each other across jurisdictions. During the facilities master planning process, I drove practical sustainability measures into the plan — energy efficiency, lower-cost renewable energy, and native landscaping — saving taxpayer dollars while reducing environmental impact. That's the kind of practical, cross-boundary collaboration I want to bring to City Hall.

<h2>Your donation helps me reach our community.</h2>The maximum contribution allowed by city ordinance is $500 per person, per election for the Mayor’s race.Sign up with a donation processor and then on your Pages sidebar, click the Link icon on the Donate page and add the link to your donation page. Some common options for donation processing include:<ul><li><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ActBlue</a></li><li><a href="https://www.campaigndeputy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campaign Deputy</a> </li><li><a href="https://goodchange.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoodChange</a></li><li><a href="https://numero.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numero</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ngpvan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NGP VAN</a></li></ul>

<h2>Housing - Growth That Makes Sense for Encinitas</h2>I will lead honest conversations about the real tension in housing policy: In the United States, we rely on homes as long-term investments (we want values to go up!). At the same time we want housing to remain "affordable" (prices within reach). What I know for certain: We cannot count on large-scale private developers to solve the affordable housing crisis!Encinitas needs housing that reflects our community’s rate of growth, infrastructure, and environmental constraints, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions imposed from afar. I will work collaboratively with state and regional leaders—but also challenge housing policies that are illogical, disconnected from local realities, and failing to deliver true affordability.As Mayor, I will work with regional and state leaders to rethink and reform density bonus laws, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process, and other state housing mandates that have produced unrealistic and often counterproductive outcomes for communities like ours.I will fight for affordability through tax and lending reforms, alongside public subsidies that support low- and very-low-income housing—not a tunnel-vision focus on increasing supply at any cost, but a more practical, honest approach to housing that actually works.

<h2>Regional Homelessness Solutions— Ensuring Community Safety &amp; Dignity</h2>As Mayor, I will prioritize regional coordination, faster intervention, and clear pathways that keep time on the street brief and non-recurring. Encinitas must be safe and humane for all — residents, businesses, and those who find themselves without shelter. That means enforcing the law when behavior in public spaces threatens safety or quality of life. Compassion and accountability are not opposites — they are both necessary. Public spaces must remain safe and accessible, and residents and businesses deserve responsiveness when problems arise.Our goal should be dignity, stability, and permanent solutions — not scapegoating, and not pretending the problem disappears when someone unsheltered is issued a citation and pushed out of view.

<h2>Traffic Safety - A City Designed for People</h2>As Mayor, I will deliver safer streets designed to protect children who want to navigate our community independently as well as neighbors who are unable to drive. Encinitas should not be a cut-through corridor for speeding cars from neighboring cities who only want to reach the freeway. We must plan not only for today’s vehicles but tomorrow’s mobility — e-bikes, shuttles, driverless cars, and a town where slowing down is a feature, not a flaw.

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Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026 — building community through local action. A government accounting and sustainability professional with nearly a decade in local government, two-term elected school board trustee, and three-time Board President. Endorsed by Congressman Mike Levin and the San Diego County Democratic Party.

Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026 | Safer Streets. Smarter Growth. Community First.

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Rimga Viskanta's priorities for Encinitas: traffic safety, smarter growth, regional homelessness solutions, and climate readiness. Community First. Progress with Purpose.

Priorities | Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026

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News, endorsements, and updates from the Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor campaign. See the latest press coverage, endorsements, and what's happening on the trail.

News & Updates | Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026

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Get to know Rimga Viskanta — Former Senior Management Analyst at the City of Solana Beach, two-term elected school board trustee, three-time Board President, and twenty-year Encinitas resident running for Mayor in 2026.

Meet Rimga | Rimga Viskanta for Encinitas Mayor 2026

Meet Rimga

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Housing

ENCINITAS, Calif. – Today, San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) Board Trustee and former Encinitas Union School District (EUSD) Board member Rimga Viskanta announced her campaign for Mayor of Encinitas.“I’m running for Mayor to bring my open-minded, forward-thinking, and practical leadership style to tackle the challenges facing Encinitas today, while strengthening our community as we plan for our future together.” Viskanta said.“As Mayor, I’ll focus on results and bringing people together to tackle housing, traffic, climate change, and homelessness. I understand how city government works from the inside, and I know how to turn good ideas into real outcomes. I’ll lead with transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to move Encinitas forward.” said Viskanta.A 20-year resident of Encinitas who raised three children in the city, Viskanta’s experience makes her uniquely qualified to address the issues facing Encinitas.Viskanta has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the community. She was elected to the SDUHSD Board in 2022 and served as Board President until <a href="http://2024.In">2024.In</a> 2016, she was elected to the EUSD Board, and served as Board President in 2020. Under Viskanta’s leadership, EUSD was one of the first districts in the region to reopen classrooms and bring students back to in-person learning.Professionally, Viskanta’s career has spanned private and public sector roles, including a decade in local government including as staff at the City of Solana Beach where she worked with city agencies, nonprofits, and residents to solve coastal city problems and turn ideas into action, on sustainability, homelessness, and improving government services. Additionally, she has 20 years of experience with multi-family residential property management and accounting.“I will draw on my experiences from staff-level implementation, regional coordination, and experience building consensus to be ready on Day One to take on the issues facing Encinitas and deliver real results,”said Viskanta.As Mayor, Viskanta will focus on safer streets, housing solutions that fit Encinitas, and regional strategies to address homelessness. She will also lead on climate resilience and community involvement—preparing for real environmental risks while empowering residents, volunteers, and neighborhood groups to help shape the city’s future.For more information about Viskanta’s platform and vision for Encinitas, visit <a href="http://voteforviskanta.com">voteforviskanta.com</a> and @voteforviskanta on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The campaign can be reached directly at <a href="mailto:voteforviskanta@gmail.com">voteforviskanta@gmail.com</a> and ‪(760) 239-9921.

San Dieguito Union High School District Board Trustee Rimga Viskanta Launches Campaign for Mayor of Encinitas

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Climate Resilience

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Community Conversation--Environmental Focus

<ul><li><a href="https://www.northcoastcurrent.com/encinitas/2026/02/schools-trustee-viskanta-seeks-encinitas-mayors-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary);">North Coast Current</a></li><li><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/ncpipeline/p/sduhsd-trustee-to-challenge-ehlers?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;utm_medium=web" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary);">North County Pipeline</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/19/school-board-member-is-running-for-encinitas-mayor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text-accent-secondary);">The San Diego Union Tribune</a></li><li><a href="https://thecoastnews.com/viskanta-enters-encinitas-mayors-race-challenging-bruce-ehlers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Coast News</a></li></ul>

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Viskanta Enters Encinitas Mayor's Race

A city designed for people. As Mayor, I will support safer streets designed to protect children biking to school and seniors crossing safely.&nbsp;

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