Two Mayors Vie For San Diego County Supervisor Seat In Special Election

SAN DIEGO, CA — Tuesday is the deadline to cast ballots in the special election to fill the District 1 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors necessitated by Nora Vargas' late-December announcement that she would not serve her second term, despite winning re-election in November.

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann topped the field of seven candidates in the April 8 primary, drawing 43.58% of the vote. Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre earned the other spot in the runoff by finishing second with 31.62%.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A list of polling places is available at sdvote.com.

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.

The current makeup of the board is split between two Democrats -- Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe -- and two Republicans, Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.

McCann, a Navy veteran and Chula Vista native first elected as that city's mayor in 2022, said on his website that Chula Vista's wildfire response has "demonstrated his ability to protect residents in times of crisis."

His platform includes increased funding for law enforcement and "fighting to lower the cost of living by cutting government waste, opposing unnecessary tax hikes, and blocking burdensome policies like the mileage tax and (San Diego Association of Governments) tax."

McCann said that if elected, he will "fight to expand health care access, job training programs, and essential services for veterans, ensuring they receive the support they have earned."

In response to the border sewage problem, McCann said he has "been actively working with local, state and federal officials to secure funding for infrastructure improvements, hold responsible parties accountable and push for long-term solutions to stop the flow of toxic waste into our waters."

Aguirre told City News Service she is "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 said that if elected, she'll 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."

The two candidates debated June 17. The following day, they participated in a virtual "fireside chat" and offered suggestions on tackling homelessness.

They've also both dealt with accusations that have arisen during the campaign.

Aguirre recently filed a public records lawsuit against Chula Vista for allegedly failing to turn over a letter McCann authored in support of a Chula Vista woman imprisoned for fraud.

Aguirre's campaign alleges Chula Vista violated the California Public Records Act for not fulfilling its request in time for a letter McCann wrote in support of Adriana Camberos, who was convicted of running a scheme that involved illegally re-labeling energy drink bottles and fraudulently selling knockoff versions of the drinks.

McCann's letter requested commutation of Camberos' 26-month prison sentence, and President Donald Trump later commuted her sentence near the end of his first term, resulting in Camberos' release after she had served just over half of her sentence.

McCann has said he wrote the letter at the request of Camberos' brother, Andres, who attended the same high school as McCann. Camberos and her brother later contributed funds to McCann's mayoral campaign.

Federal prosecutors said that shortly after her release from prison, Camberos and her brother started up a new fraud scheme, resulting in another prosecution and their convictions last year. Camberos was sentenced in April to 14 months behind bars.

McCann's campaign says Aguirre owes property taxes related to an Imperial Beach condominium.

McCann wrote in a social media post that the property tax issue called into question Aguirre's ability to manage the county's budget.

"Paloma Aguirre refused to pay her property taxes for over four years on her beach condo," McCann said. "Aguirre will raise your taxes, but she still won't pay her own, how can we trust her to manage San Diego County's $8 billion budget?"

Aguirre's campaign has said she has been diligent in repaying the funds owed. Her campaign consultant, Dan Rottenstreich, told Voice of San Diego that Aguirre and her husband come "from a working-class background," and missed payments "like a lot of families struggling with rising costs."

Aguirre said in a statement following the lawsuit's announcement, "McCann helped get a convicted fraudster out of prison, she bankrolled his campaign, and now he's hiding the paper trail. That's not just unethical -- it's a betrayal of the public's trust. Voters deserve to know the truth before they vote."

— City News Service