Sierra Club San Diego backs Rimga Viskanta in Encinitas mayor’s race

Sierra Club San Diego has endorsed Rimga Viskanta for mayor of Encinitas, citing her environmental record in local government and school board service. The endorsement gives Viskanta a boost as she pitches herself as a climate and open-space-focused candidate in the August 1, 2026 race.

Why it matters: - Sierra Club San Diego is one of the region’s most established environmental organizations. - The endorsement signals that the group views Rimga Viskanta as a credible environmental leader in Encinitas. - Environmental protection, climate resilience and open-space preservation are central issues in a heavily built-out coastal city.

What happened: - Rimga Viskanta’s campaign for mayor of Encinitas announced the endorsement of Sierra Club San Diego on August 1, 2026. - The endorsement adds support from a group that seeks to elect environmental champions at every level of government. - Viskanta is running on the theme of Building Community Through Local Action.

The details: - Sierra Club San Diego uses a candidate review process that includes an environmental record check, a detailed questionnaire and an interview. - The organization reserves support for candidates it judges to be genuine leaders on environmental issues. - Viskanta holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. - Her early environmental work included wildfire mitigation with the Colorado State Forest Service. - At the City of Solana Beach, Viskanta oversaw the update of the city’s Climate Action Plan and staffed its Climate Action Commission. - Viskanta drafted Solana Beach’s single-use plastics ordinance and green building reach codes and helped bring both to adoption. - She implemented California’s organics recycling requirements and helped coordinate a regional approach so nearby cities could share public education and resources. - Viskanta prepared the city’s resolution supporting safe storage of spent nuclear fuel from San Onofre and Congressman Mike Levin’s efforts to protect the region during decommissioning. - As a San Dieguito Union High School District trustee, she helped create the district’s sustainability team and supported the transition to electric school buses. - Viskanta said Encinitas is already heavily built out, which makes protecting remaining natural areas and strengthening ecological resilience more important. - Viskanta also said conservation should include bringing nature back into developed areas and choosing policies that reduce environmental harm. - Viskanta says she would prioritize protecting remaining open space, strengthening Encinitas’s resilience to a changing climate and continuing her sustainability work if elected mayor. - Viskanta describes herself as a longtime Encinitas resident with nearly a decade of local government experience and two terms of elected school board service. - More information is available on Viskanta’s campaign website. - The campaign also listed its social accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Between the lines: - The endorsement helps Viskanta connect her campaign to a recognizable environmental brand in a race where land use and climate policy can matter to voters. - Sierra Club San Diego’s process suggests the group is using a formal screening standard rather than a broad political endorsement. - Viskanta is framing environmental protection as both preservation of remaining open space and adaptation of already developed neighborhoods.

What’s next: - Viskanta is making open space and climate resilience part of her pitch to voters as the mayor’s race moves forward. - The Sierra Club endorsement may help shape how environmental issues are discussed in the Encinitas campaign. - Voters can review campaign materials on the candidate’s website and social pages.

The bottom line: - Sierra Club San Diego’s endorsement gives Rimga Viskanta a clear environmental credential as she seeks to lead Encinitas.