SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The field of candidates hoping to fill the vacant Board of Supervisors seat representing South County has been set and ballots for the upcoming special election are about to go out to voters in the district.
The District 1 seat was left empty at the start of the current term by Nora Vargas, who abruptly stepped down weeks after winning re-election citing personal safety and security reasons. Now, voters are going back to the ballot box to pick her successor.
While the Board of Supervisors is technically a nonpartisan body, the race will be decisive in determining majority control. Republicans have the opportunity to take back the reins just four years after Democrats became the majority party at the county for the first time in decades.
Ballots are set to be distributed to registered voters in District 1 starting Monday, March 10. Drop-off boxes will also be made available that week throughout the district. In-person vote centers will open up at the end of March, ahead of the final day to cast a ballot on April 8.
Voter information pamphlets were distributed to the some 376,000 registered voters in District 1 over the weekend.
As the contest is a special election, there is a possibility of it heading to a runoff race between the top two vote-getters in July. A candidate would need to receive 50% of the vote to win the seat outright in April.
For those looking for more information on the race for a seat on the Board of Supervisors, here is an introduction to each of the candidates.
What does the Board of Supervisors do?
The Board of Supervisors has a wide array of responsibilities in presiding over the county, spanning executive, legislative and judicial powers.
Its primary duty is to set policies for most county departments, which largely encompass public health and safety, and unincorporated areas. The board can also direct litigation on behalf of the county, appoint people to certain roles and commissions, and approve contracts for services.
Similarly to other legislative offices, voting is based on districts, meaning residents are only able to vote for the candidate hoping to represent their area. To find out which district you live in, the county has a map showing the supervisorial district boundaries available on its website.
Who are the candidates for District 1?
Here are the candidates, listed in alphabetical order by last name:
Paloma Aguirre
Paloma Aguirre is the current mayor of Imperial Beach. Since assuming the role in 2022, the Democrat’s public profile as grown significantly, specifically for her stalwart advocacy on the Tijuana River sewage crisis.
A first-generation Mexican American, Aguirre was born in San Francisco before her family returned to Mexico. In 2001, she moved back to the U.S. to attend University of San Diego, receiving a B.A. in Psychology. She also holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
After graduating, she worked as a community organizer in south San Diego, focusing on issues tied to immigration, foreclosure and predatory lending. She also worked with the marine conservation nonprofit, WILDCOAST, before her election to Imperial Beach city council.
These issues that defined her pre-politics career are at the center of her campaign for higher office on the Board of Supervisors. Her priorities include addressing the sewage crisis, preventing rent gouging, bringing down homelessness, and “holding the line on utility costs.”
During a community forum on Sunday, Aguirre says she wants to work to ensure the county is carrying its weight on these issues, especially as it relates to the Tijuana River sewage crisis and homelessness. “It’s time we get our fair share from the county,” she said.
According to her campaign, Aguirre has been endorsed by a number of major actors in local politics like the San Diego County Democratic Party, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, the Sierra Club and Equality California.
Aguirre has also received a number of endorsements from elected officials, including: State Senator Steve Padilla, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, National City Mayor Ron Morrison, San Diego City Councilmember Jen Campbell and Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez.
Paloma Aguirre will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss her bid next week.
Carolina Chavez
Carolina Chavez is a current city councilmember for Chula Vista and the city’s deputy mayor. The Democrat was first elected to the council in 2022, becoming the first Latina to represent the city’s first district.
A journalist in her early career, Chavez pivoted to politics, serving as a policy advisor for the city of San Diego and as chair of the International Business Association Committee at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has also worked as the director of binational affairs and public relations for SIMNSA Health, one of the biggest health care providers in Baja California.
The throughline of her career has been amplifying different perspectives to ensure “all voices are included in shaping policies that impact housing, safety, health and economic development,” she says on her campaign website.
Should she be elected the board, Chavez says this would be what she strives to deliver for District 1, emphasizing ways to expand opportunity for economic prosperity, make communities safer, address homelessness, and better accessibility to affordable housing and health care.
The councilmember also says she wants to see the county act as a “safety net” for communities, investing strategically to improve the lives of residents across the county while cutting back wasteful spending.
“I’m just a person who wants to do good. I’m here to be a loud voice and represent our county properly,” Chavez told voters during a town hall in downtown San Diego on Sunday.
Chavez has been endorsed by San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Chula Vista City Councilmember Cesar Fernandez and Chula Vista Educators, according to her Instagram page.
Carolina Chavez will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss her bid next week.
Elizabeth Efird
Elizabeth Efird is an affordable energy consultant. She is a political newcomer and does not have an active campaign website, nor did she submit a candidate statement to the county.
Efird holds a B.S. in Child and Family Development from San Diego State University, according to her Instagram and LinkedIn. She also has a Master’s of Science in Child Development and an Advanced Certification in Education and Mental Health.
During a town hall for voters on Sunday, Efird says she would “listen to the community, listen to their needs and come up with a solution that benefits everyone,” should she be elected to the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Efird has not publicly received any endorsements.
Elizabeth Efird will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss her bid next week.
Louis Fuentes
Louis Fuentes is a former chair of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and Calexico mayor. The Republican moved to Chula Vista in 2014 and mounted an unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas in California’s 51st congressional district four years later.
Fuentes grew up in Calexico, the son of a first generation U.S. citizen who worked on farms in Imperial County. He later obtained a bachelor’s degree in development economics from UC Berkeley, a concentration that steer much of his later work.
Fuentes’ political career began in 2006, when he was elected to the Calexico city council. He served as the city’s 100th mayor in 2008, but left the role one year later due to his appointment by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.
Throughout his career, Fuentes says he has been focused on cross-border issues in San Diego’s neighbor to the east, including immigration and binational economic development — unique experience he says he could leverage, should he be elected to the Board of Supervisors.
Specifically, he has expressed intention to create programs that enhance public safety and health through better public-private service coordination, as well as those that foster economic vitality in the county’s southwestern-most district.
“There is experience I bring that I’ve had,” he said during a town hall in downtown San Diego on Sunday. “There are contacts that I’ve had to solve major issues along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Fuentes does not have any endorsements listed on his campaign website.
Louis Fuentes will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss his bid next week.
John McCann
John McCann is the current mayor of Chula Vista. The self-identified moderate Republican has been a fixture of Chula Vista local politics for more than two decades, having held various roles over the years since he first became an elected official in 2002.
Born and raised in Chula Vista, McCann holds a bachelor’s and master’s in economics from San Diego State University. Prior to entering politics, McCann served in the U.S. Navy, deploying during the Iraq War. He also worked for the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
In a conversation with KUSI on Tuesday, McCann touted his record throughout his tenure in Chula Vista city governance, describing his approach to issues like public safety, neighborhood improvements, traffic decongestion and small business growth as “common sense.”
Specifically, he points to the city’s reduction in crime under changes to the police department like its new Drone system and doubling of officer patrols, successes of its Homeless Outreach Team, and work to eventually remove the toll on State Route 125.
Should be be elected to the District 1 seat, McCann says he would bring this pragmatic approach to the county, pursuing policies that expand wraparound services for unhoused people, tackle immigration, accelerate construction of for-sale, market-rate homes in unincorporated areas and steward its resources in a fiscally responsible way.
“We need to be able to look at what are important to us, preserve those, and look at other things that are ‘nice to haves’ and look at how we can cut those instead,” McCann said.
McCann has been endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego.
John McCann will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss his bid next week.
Vivian Moreno
Vivian Moreno is a current city councilmember for the city of San Diego. The Democrat represents the city’s eighth district, which spans communities like Barrio Logan, Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, Grant Hill, Southcrest and Logan Heights.
A lifelong resident of San Diego, Moreno graduated from University of San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Prior to entering local politics, she worked as a buyer for a local metal distributor.
Moreno describes the impetus behind her political career thus far as finding ways to help historically underserved neighborhoods through things like infrastructure, housing development, and the creation of community spaces like parks and libraries that can better quality of life.
Among the accomplishments she lists to this goal are spearheading the city of San Diego’s Climate Equity Fund, organizing dozens of dumpster drop-offs to curb illegal dumping, championing a new fire station in Otay Mesa, and creating incentives for the development of middle-income housing.
As supervisor, Moreno says she wants to “[build] a better South Bay,” by focusing on these same areas — reducing pollution in the region’s communities, investing in green initiatives, supporting and enhancing public safety services, and foster housing stability and affordability through “smart investments.”
During a community forum Sunday, Moreno described her approach to these reforms as more centrist, saying “I’m kind of in the middle, I don’t know everything and I’m willing to keep my doors open to learn more what’s happening in every single individual community [in District 1].”
Moreno has been endorsed by the Chula Vista Democratic Club, Carpenters Local 619 and LIUNA Local 89. She has also received endorsements from Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, Chula Vista City Councilmember Jose Preciado, former Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas and San Diego councilmembers Kent Lee, Henry Foster III, Joe LaCava and Sean Elo-Rivera.
Vivian Moreno will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss her bid next week.
Lincoln Pickard
Lincoln Pickard is a long-time South County resident who has unsuccessfully run nearly every election cycle in the last decade to represent the area in the California legislature. Most recently, the Republican threw his hat in the ring during the 2022 race for the 80th State Assembly district.
Pickard says he is a life member of the National Rifle Association and participates in its Golden Eagle program, which focuses on youth outreach on Second Amendment issues. He is also against vaccine and mask mandates, as well as abortion access.
The candidate’s platform for his supervisorial bid spans a hodgepodge of issues to “Make California Great Again.” This includes working to promote voter ID laws the county, curb “lawless” immigration, and addressing what he describes as “disastrous mismanagement” of the state’s water supply and forests.
Should he be elected, he also says he would look to remove red tape that he argues inflate the cost of building affordable housing and work to make State Route 125 toll free.
“You watch some of the other cities around the country run by Democrats, they’re not doing too good,” Pickard said at a community forum in downtown San Diego Sunday. “It’s about time we put a Republican in there and get this cityscape back the way it used to be.”
Pickard does not have any publicly advertised endorsements.
Lincoln Pickard will appear on FOX 5/KUSI to discuss his bid next week.
