SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two candidates remain in the special election race for the vacant seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors representing South County, and voting is already underway.
The runoff for the empty District 1 seat, which was set after no candidate received enough votes to win outright earlier this year, pits two South Bay mayors against each other: Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Mayor John McCann.
Both are vying to serve the remainder of the term former Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas abruptly vacated in the weeks after winning re-election.
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Moreover, the race is going to be decisive in shaping majority control of the technically nonpartisan body the next few years. Republicans have the opportunity with McCann to take back the reins just four years after Democrats became the majority party at the county.
Ballots were distributed to registered voters in District 1 last Monday, June 3 with early voting beginning via mail and drop-box shortly after. In-person vote centers will begin opening up on Saturday, June 21, ahead of the final day to vote on Tuesday, July 1.
For those looking for more information on the race for a seat on the Board of Supervisors, here is an introduction to both remaining 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 earlier this year, 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, Equality California and a number of local union chapters.
A coalition of several of these unions — like SEIU and the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO —have set up an independent political action committee in support of her campaign. County records show more than $590,000 has been raised by the PAC for outside spending, largely on mailers.
Aguirre has also received a number of endorsements from elected officials, including: Senator Adam Schiff, Reps. Juan Vargas and Sara Jacobs, State Senator Steve Padilla, National City Mayor Ron Morrison, and San Diego County Supervisors Monica Montgomery Steppe and Terra Lawson Remer.
Chula Vista City Councilmember Carolina Chavez, one of the other Democrats who ran for the District 1 seat, similarly endorsed her.
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 earlier this year, 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 a number of groups like the San Diego County Republican Party, Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln Club of San Diego and the San Diego Association of Realtors, according to his campaign.
He has also received the endorsement of a number of former and current elected officials, including Greg Cox, who held District 1 seat before Vargas; Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson; County Assessor Jordan Marks; and State Senator Brian Jones, among others.
As far as outside spending goes, two independent political action committees have been set up to expressly support McCann’s candidacy, county campaign finance records show.
Collectively, these committees have raised over $456,500 with donations mostly coming from organizations in and around real estate spaces, like the Southern California Housing Association and Building Industry Association of San Diego County, as well as the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses.
