Supervisor Bill Horn Narrowly Secures Sixth Term

Supervisor Bill Horn today appeared to have narrowly landed his sixth term on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, beating Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood by 1,378 votes out of 56,562 votes cast.

The two Republicans in the nonpartisan race each sought to represent the coastline from Camp Pendleton to Carlsbad, along with Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos, and several unincorporated communities.

Ron Roberts was unopposed for reelection to represent the majority of the city of San Diego on the board.

Horn, 77, a former Marine officer and Vietnam veteran-turned-avocado and citrus grower, was first elected to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 1994.

Wood, 66, has served on the Oceanside City Council since 2002 following more than 30 years in law enforcement, and became the city's mayor in 2004.

Both Horn and Wood listed economic development, public safety and fiscal responsibility among their top issues, but their opinions differed drastically on the county's land use plan. The often-outspoken Horn voted against a general plan update because he said property owners' rights would be violated. The plan eventually passed.

Combined, the supervisors represent about 3 million residents and oversee a nearly $5 billion budget.

In another closely watched county election, Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg, who drew fire after he filed court papers seeking clarification on issuing same-sex marriage licenses, but later withdrew the petition, was reelected to a second term.

Dronenburg outpaced consumer attorney Susan Guinn, real estate professional George Mantor and financial analyst Jonathan Gordon.

While Dronenburg was criticized for his actions on same-sex marriage, Guinn -- who is married to her female partner -- focused her campaign on eliminating the property assessment appeals backlog, ending "bloated budget, excessive fees and over-taxation," and replacing outdated systems.

—City News Service