James Rudolph

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

James Rudolph

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Santa Barbara

Graduate

University of San Diego School of Law

Law

California Western School of Law

Personal

Profession

Attorney

James Rudolph ran for election to the San Diego City Council to represent District 1 in California. He lost in the primary on March 3, 2020.

Rudolph completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

James Rudolph earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an LLM degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, and a law degree from California Western School of Law. His career experience includes working as a business attorney.

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in San Diego, California (2020)

General election

General election for San Diego City Council District 1

Joe LaCava defeated Will Moore in the general election for San Diego City Council District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe LaCava (Nonpartisan)	61.0	42,613
	Submit photo	Will Moore (Nonpartisan)	39.0	27,250

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,863
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for San Diego City Council District 1

The following candidates ran in the primary for San Diego City Council District 1 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe LaCava (Nonpartisan)	24.1	10,335
✔	Submit photo	Will Moore (Nonpartisan)	16.4	7,054
	Submit photo	Aaron Brennan (Nonpartisan)	14.9	6,399
		Sam Nejabat (Nonpartisan)	13.7	5,884
		Lily Zhou (Nonpartisan)	9.1	3,910
		James Rudolph (Nonpartisan)	8.2	3,505
	Submit photo	Harid Puentes (Nonpartisan)	7.8	3,340
		Louis Rodolico (Nonpartisan)	5.8	2,484

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,911
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James Rudolph completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rudolph's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is James P. Rudolph and I'm running for San Diego City Council.

I was born and raised in District 1. My father opened Harry's Coffee Shop in La Jolla in 1960. My young children attend school in Carmel Valley, and I make my living as a business attorney in District 1. In other words, I'm from here. I know the issues personally.

I've worked in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State. I'm the only candidate with extensive, national-level experience. I want to use this experience to make City Hall more responsive, more efficient and more sophisticated in its decision-making process. We have an affordable housing crisis here in San Diego, and this is related to our homelessness issue. Homelessness isn't just one issue. It's THE issue. We simply must increase the supply of affordable housing while working to preserve what already exists. We also must work to create more jobs and rebuild our infrastructure. These are the issues I'll fight for every day.

I want to use my legal and business background to serve your interests -- not special interests. Let's focus on market-friendly policy options that work with the economy. It's time for more sophistication at City Hall. I'd be honored to be your voice.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable housing, homelessness and jobs. San Diego City Council can truly make a difference in all three areas. I hope to use my legal knowledge and expertise to get things going. San Diego also has a human trafficking problem. I worked on the Trafficking in Persons report while at the U.S. Department of State. I've written op-ed pieces in the San Diego Union-Tribune regarding this local problem. I want to use my city council position to bring more awareness to the growing problem.
• I was born and raised in the district. My dad opened Harry's Coffee Shop in 1960. I went to all the local schools. My children are now being raised in the district. In other words, I'm from here. The issues are not just abstract -- they are my issues. I have extensive national-level experience (U.S. Senate, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State). I'm an attorney who focuses on business law, so I'll be able to use my legal and policy expertise to ensure that the district is getting excellent representation. My public service defines me. I want to give back to my own community.
• I'm a moderate Democrat who seeks to balance competing interests. I have a background in political science and economics. I focus on sensible policies that work with the market, not against it. I have national-level experience with policymaking, and I want to use my knowledge and expertise to make City Hall more sophisticated. My dad started a business 60 years ago, and it's still going strong. I know what it takes to run a business. We need to make San Diego more attractive for businesses. Businesses create jobs. I know what it takes. I have an LL.M (master's) in human rights law. I know what it takes to balance the rights and needs of all. I will use my human rights background to address our homelessness problem.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I've been a business attorney for 14 years. I have an LL.M (master's) in international law and human rights. I'm passionate about solving three major problems in San Diego: Homelessness, the affordable housing crisis and human trafficking. We must also rebuild our streets. Enough is enough.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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