Re-elected San Diego County supervisors were sworn in Monday morning — with the exception of Nora Vargas, who decided last month not to serve her second term.
Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson both took the oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony at the County Administration Center after winning second terms in November.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to represent my district, and I love my job,” Anderson said. “I love fixing people’s problems. … and I’m so delighted to do it for another four years.”
Anderson said that while San Diego County residents may have different views, it is up to the board to create a “melting pot” to get work done together.
“It doesn’t matter whether you voted for me or not — you’re my constituent. We’re going to take care of you,” Anderson added.
“I can say with confidence that being a county supervisor is one of the most rewarding, challenging, sometimes very surprising and always fulfilling jobs that I’ve ever had — and it’s so worth it, because together, we’ve been creating the change you sent me here to accomplish,” Lawson-Remer said.
She went on to detail some of the county’s work in her first four years in office, from expanding access to affordable healthcare to creating solutions to reduce homelessness.
“None of this has been easy, and we fought every step of the way, but we’re here, and we’re not stopping,” Lawson-Remer added.
Meanwhile, Vargas, who also won re-election, concluded her tenure as the representative of District 1 at noon Monday after she unexpectedly announced last month that she would step down rather than serve her second term.
“My decision to not take the oath today for a second term was not easy, but it was necessary to prioritize my personal safety and security,” Vargas said in a statement Monday. “Thank you for trusting me to represent your needs, voices and interests. It’s been an honor to work tirelessly on your behalf.”
The remaining four supervisors will hold their first meeting of the year Tuesday to elect new officers, including a chair, vice-chair and chair pro tem.
The board is also holding a special meeting next week to decide next steps to fill the District 1 vacancy.
Its agenda for that meeting lays out the potential options for naming somebody to serve out Vargas’ four-year term, which runs to January 2029: Supervisors can appoint a replacement, call a special election or both.
An expedited schedule for appointment applications could enable the board to seat a new supervisor by early February. A special election would take place in April, with a possible runoff in July if no candidate earns a majority of votes.
In social media posts Monday, Supervisor Jim Desmond acknowledged that the board has been in this position recently — when Nathan Fletcher resigned from the board less than two years ago amid sexual misconduct allegations — and urged his colleagues to once again choose to hold a special election.
“The residents of District 1 deserve to select their next representative, for nearly a full four-year term, through a fair and transparent election process; not a political appointment decided behind closed doors,” Desmond said.
Lawson-Remer told The San Diego Union-Tribune Monday she and her fellow supervisors will decide together how to do what’s best for District 1 residents.
Her two concerns in the interim: “How do we make sure that residents of District 1 have a voice both immediately and in the ongoing four years — but also, how do we keep the work of the county moving forward until then?”
Other supervisors have not said which replacement process they prefer.
If the board chooses to call a special election, it could cost the county between $4 million to $6.6 million if both a primary and general election are needed.
However, the board could authorize either the primary or general elections, or both, be conducted by mail, which could reduce costs.
The county registrar of voters is expected to detail the estimated costs and proposed timelines at the special meeting next week.
Voting rights advocates and residents alike are urging the board to hold a special election, warning that appointing a replacement could compromise public representation and undermine credibility of the new supervisor.
Regardless of their decision, a number of potential candidates have expressed interest in Vargas’ seat.
Three Democrats — San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez — and one Republican, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, have confirmed they are running.
All four were elected to their four-year posts in 2022, so should any be appointed or elected to fill the District 1 vacancy, their departures would, in turn, leave vacancies on their respective councils, leaving their colleagues to decide how to replace them.
But until a new supervisor is chosen, supervisors will continue to conduct county business with a partial board of two Democrats and two Republicans.
With a population of more than 630,000 residents, District 1 includes Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, several south San Diego neighborhoods and five unincorporated communities, such as Bonita and Lincoln Acres.
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