Raul Campillo

Raul Armando Campillo (born October 4, 1987) is an American attorney and politician who has served as a member of the San Diego City Council since 2020, representing District 7.

A former public school teacher, civil litigator, and criminal prosecutor, Campillo represents the neighborhoods of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Linda Vista, Grantville, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, Tierrasanta, Lake Murray, and parts of Mission Valley.

Early life and career Campillo was born in San Diego, California and raised in El Cajon. He graduated from University of San Diego High School in 2005. He then obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University.

Campillo joined Teach For America after college and taught as a fifth grade teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, while completing a Master's degree in education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He later returned to Harvard, where he earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

After law school, he joined the law firm O'Melveny & Myers, where he practiced litigation and conducted white-collar criminal investigations. He later returned to San Diego to work as a Deputy City Attorney under then-San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott.

Campillo ran unopposed for re-election in the 2024 San Diego City Council election, winning the election in the March 2024 primary. In January 2025, Campillo stated that he was “seriously considering” a run for mayor of San Diego in the 2028 election.

Campillo was removed the Land Use and Housing Committee in December 2025, which the San Diego Union-Tribune described his removal as a "decision to punish Councilmember Raul Campillo for being the most honest elected leader in City Hall." However, City Council President Joe LaCava contended this was to allow Councilmember Stephen Whitburn a seat on the Committee.

Political positions Homelessness Campillo voted in favor of a city council ordinance in 2023 that allowed police to remove homeless encampments on public property if city shelter beds were available, which passed in a 5–4 vote. Campillo has been a proponent of creating "safe sleeping" sites where individuals who live out of their vehicles can park.

Trash Fee Campillo was a vocal opponent of the City Council's decision to charge for trash collection for the first time in a century. Campillo later unsuccessfully proposed in 2025 a regulation to require service fees be fully calculated and communicated to the public before being put before voters through ballot initiatives.

Public safety Campillo amended a city ordinance to allow San Diego Police Department's collaboration with federal task forces. Campillo has vocally supported the implementation and usage of controversial Flock Safety automatic number-plate recognition cameras used by the San Diego Police Department and also to prohibit dissemination of that data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies. Campillo rejected removing the contract in order to save library and recreation center funding during the San Diego budget during the 2026-27 cycle.

Personal life Campillo lives in the Del Cerro neighborhood of San Diego with his wife, Nadia Farjood Campillo, and their son and daughter. Campillo is Catholic.

In 2023, Campillo and his family were hit in a vehicle collision involving a drunk driver, though no serious injuries were reported.

Electoral history