As California’s primary election approaches, voters in two San Diego City Council districts will help decide who will fill seats being vacated by term-limited council members. Residents in Districts 2 and 8 told NBC 7 that housing affordability, rising rents and environmental concerns are among th eir top priorities. There are 11 candidates running across the two districts. Seven candidates are seeking the District 2 seat currently held by Jennifer Campbell, while four candidates are running for the District 8 seat currently held by Vivian Moreno. District 2 includes Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Old Town, Midway, Mission Bay Park and Clairemont. Affordable housing has been a major issue throughout the district, particularly in Clairemont, where accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, projects have generated significant debate among residents. “New units that they allow without taking into account all of the considerations that we used to take into account of, like where are you going to park your car,” Tim Tower said. Other voters pointed to the broader challenge of keeping up with rising costs. “I mean, we’re barely making ends meet, and my husband and I have two really good jobs, and it’s just really hard to get by these days, and we find ourselves digging into our savings more and more,” Sandra Uhren said. District 8 includes Barrio Logan, Egger Highlands, Grant Hill, Logan Heights, Memorial, Nestor, Ocean View Hills, Shelltown, Sherman Heights, Southcrest, Otay Mesa, San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley. Voters there expressed many of the same concerns about housing and affordability. “The main thing is to lower the payments of rent,” Jose Maria Aguirre Sandoval said. “I rent right now, and it’s almost the same to pay [for] a house,” Bernie Vasquez said. Voters in District 8 also highlighted the ongoing cross-border sewage crisis affecting communities near the U.S.-Mexico border. “The problem with the sewage, you know,” Vasquez said. “To me, they don’t want to put money into those type of things. I don’t know. It’s sad,” Aguirre Sandoval said. Residents said the odor and contamination linked to the long-running cross-border pollution problem remain major concerns and hope the district’s next council member will help address the issue. Elections will also be held for San Diego City Council Districts 4 and 6, both of which have incumbents seeking office. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less