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San Diego, Calif.-  California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria announced his candidacy Wednesday to be the next Mayor of San Diego.

Gloria's announcement follows that of Councilmember Barbara Bry.

Most San Diegans know Gloria as a former city councilman who served as council president in 2013 and 2014. In his statement Gloria noted, “It’s clear that San Diego needs strong, experienced, and progressive leadership in the Mayor’s Office – leadership that has the courage to take our city beyond business as usual and solve the long-standing problems that have faced our city. That’s why I’m running for Mayor.”

And importantly, during that time, served as interim mayor between former Mayor Bob Filner’s August 2013 resignation and the March 2014 swearing-in of Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Gloria oversaw the drafting of the city’s Climate Action Plan and helped author the city’s Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Leave ordinance.

Since leaving the council due to term limits in 2016, Gloria has represented the 78th Assembly District, which includes most of San Diego proper and coastal communities like Imperial Beach and Del Mar.

Should he win, Gloria would become the first person of color and the first member of the LGBTQ community to be elected to the office of mayor in San Diego’s history. “San Diego may be America’s Finest City, but we should strive to be more than just fine. We should dare to be great."