Councilmember Joe LaCava

Councilmember Joe LaCava represents San Diego City Council District 1, which includes the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, and a portion of University City west of the I-5.  

A San Diego native, Joe’s values are rooted in his upbringing by working class Italian immigrant parents. His father was a blue-collar factory worker and his mother a seamstress.   

Joe graduated from SDSU and is a licensed civil engineer. Since then, his career has spanned from public infrastructure to private housing to public policy. He has worked locally, across the western states, and internationally.   

He has lived in San Diego’s District 1 since 1983 with his wife Lorene, a recently retired public school teacher, where they raised their two daughters.   

Joe is a community leader on diverse issues such as housing, police and community relations, climate change, and, infrastructure to name just a few. Over the past 20 years, he has sat on nearly 30 civic boards, planning groups, and commissions.   

As a councilmember, Joe serves as the chair of the City’s Environment Committee and vice chair of the Active Transportation & Infrastructure (ATI) and Land Use & Housing (LU&H) Committees. He is also a member of the Budget & Government Efficiency Committee and the Rules Committee.