By: Dan Walters (Cal Matters)

As it happens, San Diego is in the midst of a political evolution. The city and the surrounding San Diego County have been politically conservative for most of its history, and the rural portions of the county still are. But the city has turned blue, thanks to a political awakening of its Latino population, organizational efforts by unions and demographic and economic changes.

Kevin Faulconer, the latest in a long, but not unbroken, string of Republican mayors, is nearing the end of his tenure and the next mayor will almost certainly be a Democrat, with Assemblyman Todd Gloria and city Councilwoman Barbara Bry the chief contenders.

The early skirmishing between the two reflects San Diegans’ endemic fears of being victimized by powerful interests outside of the city.

Bry is positioning herself as the protector of San Diego’s single-family neighborhoods against efforts by rapacious developers and politicians in Sacramento to force it to accept higher-density housing.

She accuses Gloria of doing their bidding by voting for a controversial bill that would allow some housing projects to bypass local regulation. The legislation, Senate Bill 330, was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk last week.

As SB 330 was going to the governor, however, Gloria ginned up another bill in the final days of the legislative session that simultaneously plays on San Diegans dislike of Los Angeles and benefits his labor union backers.