Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre Wins Board Of Supervisors Seat

SAN DIEGO, CA — Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre is expected to be sworn-in to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors by late July after defeating Chula Vista Mayor John McCann in a special election to fill the District 1 seat.

Aguirre led McCann, 53.22%-46.78%, 37,324-32,805, according to final unofficial election night results released by the county Registrar of Voters. A projected 9,500 ballots still need to be counted.
The next updated figures will be released by 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Aguirre said District 1 residents "now have a fighter at the county Board of Supervisors who will hold the line against the Trump administration."

"Voters spoke loud and clear: clean up the sewage crisis, lower costs, and stand up to the chaos, cuts, and intimidation coming out of Trump's Washington," she said.

"I've spent my life, from organizing in forgotten neighborhoods to standing up as a small-town mayor, fighting for working people and to fix the sewage crisis, and I'm not going to the county to back down — I'm going to double down and deliver."

Aguirre added that "whether you voted for me or not, I'm ready to work my heart out to bring down costs, protect our health, and deliver results — no matter your income, political party or ZIP code."
She also thanked McCann "for a hard-fought campaign," along with "everyone who donated, knocked (on) doors and believed in this campaign."

Aguirre said she looked forward to working with McCann and all South County leaders.

The McCann campaign did not issue a statement following the release of Tuesday's final vote count.

Crystal Irving, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 221 — which endorsed Aguirre — said her win "means marginalized communities finally have a voice at the table, which is a turning point for District 1."

"This is people-powered change," Irving said in a statement. "The win is the result of a coalition of union members, environmental advocates and residents supporting a campaign based on our shared values."

District 1 consists of three cities — Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and National City — plus 15 neighborhoods in San Diego, including East Village, Mountain View and San Ysidro, and six unincorporated communities, including Bonita, East Otay Mesa and a portion of Spring Valley.

Aguirre is a Democrat and McCann is a Republican. The Board of Supervisors is technically a nonpartisan governing body, like all local government boards in California.

Entering Tuesday's election, the makeup of the board was split between two Democrats — Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe — and two Republicans, Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.

Aguirre told City News Service before Tuesday that she was "running to bring change to county government, to fight on the side of working people and start getting results we all need — fixing the sewage crisis, lowering energy rates and fighting crime in every community."

Born in San Francisco, Aguirre has called Southern California home since 2001 and has been Imperial Beach's mayor since December 2022.

She has been outspoken on the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem, which has led to closed beaches, along with causing serious health issues for some residents.

Aguirre said she'll "get the county off the sidelines" by funding infrastructure, demanding Superfund designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and "treating this as the public health emergency it is."

She also promised to push "for a full audit of county homelessness spending, prioritize real treatment and shelter options, and stop the cycle of failed programs that leave people languishing on the streets."

— City News Service