County Supervisors Set To Decide How To Fill Empty District 1 Seat

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday is scheduled to decide how it will fill the District 1 seat that became vacant earlier this month after Chair Nora Vargas' surprise announcement that she would step down and not serve a second term, despite winning reelection in November.

There are several options facing the board, including holding a special election, appointing someone to replace Vargas or doing both.

Late last month, following a resounding reelection victory, Vargas said she would resign on Jan. 6 — the date her first term ended.

"Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term," she said in a statement at the time. "It has been my honor to serve in public office during unprecedented times, including the past four years on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The five-member board currently has four members.

Terra Lawson-Remer is acting chair after a vote last week to pick a new leader failed.

Lawson-Remer, officially vice chair, was nominated by Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe to be chair, to succeed Vargas. Supervisor Jim Desmond nominated himself as chair, but that attempt failed on a tie vote. He and Supervisor Joel Anderson voted in favor, while Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe opposed.

With the departure of Vargas, a Democrat, the board's current makeup is two Democrats (Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe) and two Republicans (Anderson and Desmond). The board is considered a nonpartisan governing body.

Vargas was elected to the board in 2020, replacing former Supervisor Greg Cox on Jan. 4, 2021. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the board.

She succeeded then-Supervisor Nathan Fletcher as board chair after his resignation amid scandal.

It remained unclear what Vargas' "personal safety and security reasons" were, but she was away from the board several times last year for unspecified reasons and has dealt with health issues resulting from nodules on her vocal cords.

Supervisor meetings have become increasingly rowdy in recent years, with Vargas calling for a recess as recently as Dec. 10 due to a screaming person in the gallery during a contentious public speaking session regarding an immigration policy.

If Tuesday's decision does call for a special election, multiple South County officials have either officially put their names forward or have teased it — including Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, San Diego City Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Chula Vista City Councilwoman Carolina Chavez.

— City News Service