BOB FILNER, FORMER SAN DIEGO MAYOR AND CONGRESSMAN, DIES AT 82
By Karen Pearlman
Photo,left: Bob Filner on Election Night 2012, when he won election as San Diego Mayor
(April 28, 2025) San Diego -- Bob Filner, who served as San Diego’s 35th mayor and as Congressman representing San Diego and border regions in East County, died April 20. He was 82.
A fierce advocate for civil rights, his decades-long career in public service was marked by notable accomplishments and controversy,culminating in his resignation from the mayor’s office amid a scandal of multiple allegations of sexual harassment. He later pled guilty to charges of false imprisonment and battery.
Yet throughout his life, he remained a passionate, sometimes combative, champion for the underdog and fierce advocate for civil rights.
His early exposure to the civil rights movement would shape much of his worldview: at just 18 years old, Filner was jailed in Mississippi for participating in the Freedom Rides. He was one of the youngest activists at the time to risk his life for racial justice.
Photo, right: Congressman Filner proudly displays his mugshot from his arrest in the 1960s as a Freedom Rider who traveled to the South to advocate for the Civil Rights Act.
Here in East County, Filner helped Potrero residents in their successful fight against Blackwater’s effort to build a paramilitary training camp.
Ph
oto, left: Then-Congressman Filner speaks at victory celebration in Potrero in 2007, after Blackwater cancelled plans for a paramilitary training facility in the rural East County town.
He was a big supporter of sustainable energy, speaking at a United Green conference in San Diego, but also urged the Secretary of Treasury to withdraw support for the Ocotillo Wind Farm after ECM notified his office of documentation suggesting the project would not sustain the power promised, but it was later built.
Van Collinsworth, leader of Preserve Wild Santee, posted on Facebook,"Bob Filner made important contributions to our efforts to defeat the Quail Brush power plant proposed for Mission Trails Park expansion area. He backed our early efforts to establish Community Choice Energy in San Diego. Bob Filner was responsible for assigning a City Planner (Melissa Garcia) to me to work with during the process of creating the Scenic Highway Designation for SR52 through Mission Trails Park."
Born Sept. 4, 1942 in Pittsburgh as Robert Earl Filner, Filner grew up in Queens, N.Y., graduating from Forest Hills High School. Filner earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1963, a master’s degree in history from the University of Delaware in 1969, and then a doctorate in history from Cornell in 1973. While at Cornell, he worked on The Cornell Sun student newspaper and took part in civil rights demonstrations.
Filner moved to San Diego after college and became a professor of history at San Diego State University, where he taught for 20 years.
He quickly gravitated toward public service. Filner's first elected office was as a San Diego School Board Member, serving from 1979 to 1983. Although Filner was the only Democrat on the Board, his colleagues elected him Board President in 1982.
From early on, Filner championed educational equity and bilingual education initiatives, but his ambitions soon took him to higher office.
From 1987 to 1992, Filner served on the San Diego City Council, winning re-election in 1991 with more than 70 percent of the vote. That same year, he served as Deputy Mayor of San Diego.
In 1992, Filner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 50th District and was immediately named to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Photo, right: Filner at Stand-Down event to help homeless veterans in San Diego, along with Governor Gavin Newsom
He was reelected five times from the 50th District and then served an additional five terms in the House of Representatives from California's 51st District.
In November 2010, during the 51st Congressional District election returns in downtown San Diego, after Filner was declared the winner by a 20-point margin, a mob of supporters of his opponent, Nick Popaditch, cornered and spat on Filner.
Video by the Chula Vista Star News revealed that Popaditch cursed at Filner, called him a liar and made no efforts to calm down an increasingly virulent mob that forced Filner out of Golden Hall’s Election Central and into the lobby.
Then-San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders’ security detail ultimately rescued the Congressman from the mob, CityBeat reported.
Through more than 20 years in Congress, Filner built a reputation as an outspoken liberal, often bucking party leadership in his advocacy for veterans, labor unions and civil rights.
As chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he pushed for expanded benefits and healthcare for American service members. His tireless focus on veterans’ issues, fueled by a deep sense of obligation to those who served, was seen as one of the hallmarks of his congressional career.
In 2012, Filner returned to local politics, defeating incumbent City Councilman Carl DeMaio to become San Diego’s first Democratic mayor in two decades, promising to put neglected neighborhoods ahead of entrenched downtown business interests. His victory was hailed as a potential turning point for the city, promising a progressive shift after years of conservative leadership.
Photo, right: Filner was hailed as "the people's mayor" at an inaugural event, where he was presented with a Hawaiian lei in welcome
But Filner’s time as mayor was cut short.
In 2013, multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, prompting widespread outrage and calls for his resignation from across the political spectrum.
After resisting for weeks, Filner ultimately stepped down under a settlement with the city. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the harassment allegations, ending his political career.
Photo, right via 10 News: Filner pleads guilty, after resigning as Mayor
In the years following his resignation, Filner largely withdrew from public life. He occasionally granted interviews expressing regret for his actions and discussing the challenges of rebuilding his personal life.
Friends and supporters remember Filner as a brilliant but flawed figure -- a man whose passion for justice and change was real and lasting, even as his personal failings left a complicated legacy.
Civil and human rights advocate and political analyst Shane Harris shared a statement with media about Filner, saying he was “deeply saddened to hear of former Mayor Bob Filner's death.”
“Mayor Filner was a vocal advocate for civil rights and in his early days of activism before politics he even marched for civil rights in the south,” Harris wrote. “During his time in Congress as well as during his time as San Diego Mayor he led on initiatives that sought to create economic opportunity and equitable outcomes for those who were excluded. Although he faced a moment of disgrace during his resignation as San Diego Mayor in 2013, I hope that he found grace and peace in God almighty.
“I had the chance to connect with him over the years since his days as Mayor and most recently at the celebration of life for Dr. Willie Morrow in 2022 and he seemed like he was finding peace. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and may he rest in peace.”
Filner was divorced from his first wife, Barbara (Christy) Filner, with whom he had two children. He is survived by his son, Adam and daughter, Erin; two grandchildren; a brother, Bernard Filner; and his former wivees Barbara Christy and Jane Merrill.
Private services are planned.