The San Diego City Council District 1 race is heating up, with incumbent Councilmember Scott Peters, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger, Phil Thalheimer, both vying for the district’s gay vote.

“The gay vote is significant in District 1 and that’s why both Peters and Thalheimer are making at least some effort to court it,” said Stephen Whitburn, president of the San Diego Democratic Club (SDDC). “Nationally, estimates of the GLBT vote in the 2000 presidential election ranged from 4 to 8 percent. In District 1, that number is probably higher because areas with academia, culture, technology and money tend to have relatively high concentrations of GLBT citizens. So the gay vote in District 1 is enough to swing the election in a reasonably close race.”

Thalheimer, a small business owner and philanthropist, has been endorsed by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, the statewide chapter of Log Cabin Republicans and City Commissioner Julia Legaspi.

“We endorsed Thalheimer because he’s an inclusive Republican,” said Garrick Wilhelm, state political director of Log Cabin Republicans. “He’s someone who is true to the Republican values but also is supportive of our issues.”

Assemblymember Christine Kehoe and Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins have endorsed Peters for reelection.

“I have endorsed Scott Peters because I believe he has been extremely supportive in meeting the needs of our older urban communities,” Atkins told the Gay & Lesbian Times. “Scott has shown great interest in issues that affect the residents of District 3, including affordable housing, police and fire protection, and making sure our older infrastructure needs are being met. I believe that Scott has earned the respect of not only the residents of his district but those citywide, and I know that when reelected he will continue to serve San Diego well.”

Peters has either ridden in the parade or participated in the Stonewall rally five out of the last six years. Thalheimer rode in this year’s Pride parade for the first time.

Like Peters, Thalheimer supports needle exchange programs and medical marijuana use when prescribed by doctors. In addition to formally signing his opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) after being asked to do so by San Diegans Against Marriage Discrimination, Thalheimer has come out in favor of AB 205 – the California Domestic Partners Rights and Responsibilities Act set to take effect Jan. 1.

“I am opposed to any discrimination in our society, and believe that gay couples should have the same legal rights and privileges as straight couples,” Thalheimer told the Gay & Lesbian Times.

“His lead pilot in his company is transgender,” Wilhelm said. “What more evidence do you need that someone is inclusive than the hiring practices in their own business?”

However, Thalheimer scored 53 out of 100 on the SDDC’s candidate questionnaire this year. “Thalheimer opposes same-sex marriage, civil unions, gays in the military, gay adoption, hate crimes legislation and more,” Whitburn said. “He wrote that whether he’d hire a GLBT staff person ‘depends on the position they applied for.’ Peters is certainly better for the GLBT community than Thalheimer would be and the SDDC will be communicating that to voters.”

Peters, an SDDC member, declined to complete the candidate questionnaire this year. “In light of recent events at City Hall, there are new and serious questions about the propriety of an elected official making commitments with regard to specific issues or projects in exchange for some consideration,” Peters said in a letter sent to the SDDC regarding the questionnaire. “Because your questionnaire was submitted to me as part of a process that could lead to an endorsement and, presumably, contributions from your members, I think it is not appropriate for me to respond at this time.”

Peters said he opposes a federal constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage and supports civil unions.

The Boy Scouts’ preferential lease in Balboa Park has been a hot-button issue and a litmus test by which many in the GLBT community judge city council candidates.

“Some people felt that [Thalheimer] had the wrong stance on the Boy Scouts issue, and he put that to rest very quickly,” Wilhelm said. “He believes that the Boy Scouts should be paying fair market rent if they’re going to be in the park, and that’s the way it should be. That’s kind of a more moderate view. The radical view is that the Boy Scouts shouldn’t belong anywhere, no matter how much they pay, or that they should be there for free.”

Thalheimer’s opinion on the Boy Scouts lease issue is in direct contrast to Peters, who voted in favor of allowing the Boy Scouts to retain their $1-a-year lease in the park despite openly discriminating against gay and atheist members, a decision which Peters still sticks to. Though he is generally regarded as having a good voting record on GLBT issues, his vote in the Boy Scouts case angered many in the GLBT community.

“I made a hard choice between my personal opposition to the Scouts’ policies and my desire not to disrupt a program that serves thousands of San Diego young people,” Peters told the Gay & Lesbian Times about his vote. “Subsequent to that decision, the Scouts’ national office reversed itself and claimed religious status, thus creating insurmountable constitutional issues with the lease. As a result, I was part of the council majority that agreed to a settlement with the ACLU that removes the city from any further defense of the lease.”

That case is now on appeal and the Boy Scouts remain in Balboa Park pending that appeal.

Both Scott and Thalheimer’s courting of the GLBT vote is less aggressive than the efforts of 76th Assembly District candidates Lori Saldaña and Tricia Hunter, but like the 76th Assembly race, the GLBT community is split on their endorsements of the District 1 candidates.

“In this campaign, Peters and Thalheimer have courted the GLBT vote recently by being visible during Pride weekend and speaking with some GLBT leaders about their support for the community on various issues,” Whitburn said. “The candidates in the 76th District Assembly race have made the GLBT vote a more substantial component of their campaigns, appearing at community events and receptions and, in Lori Saldaña’s case, attracting significant financial support from the GLBT community.”

Republican 76th Assembly District candidate Tricia Hunter supports civil unions over same-sex marriage. A Republican, Hunter has been endorsed by Dumanis and Log Cabin Republicans. Saldaña, a Democrat, has been designated one of the San Diego Democratic Club’s priority candidates, and scored 100 percent on their candidate questionnaire.

Both Saldaña and Hunter rode in this year’s Pride parade, Hunter for the first time. Saldaña has marched in previous Pride parades with the Sierra Club’s GLBT contingent, which she helped start.