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The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to select District 1 Supervisor Nora Vargas as the chairwoman for 2024. District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer was also reelected as vice chair and District 2 Supervisor Joel Anderson as chair pro tempore.

Chairwoman Vargas served as board chairwoman last year, and became the first Latina to be elected chair of the Board. The chair acts as the voice of the county.

After the vote, Chairwoman Vargas thanked her colleagues for their support. She recognized all the hard work the Board had accomplished in the last year, including passing an $8.1 billion budget that addressed key issues and maintained core County services.

The Chairwoman acknowledged the Board faces challenges in the year ahead as budgets tighten around the state. She said the Board must be diligent with their resources to prioritize the health and safety of residents, and support local businesses, so they have an opportunity to thrive.

In a statement, Supervisor and Chairwoman Vargas said she was “humbled to once again receive the unanimous support of my colleagues to lead our county board. Together, we have been challenged like never before to address some of the most challenging issues facing our diverse communities. Our work and success are directly attributed to the hardworking county employees who every day recommit themselves to serving the great people of San Diego.”

She added that as budgets tighten throughout the state, “we must be diligent and smarter with our resources, prioritize the health and safety of our residents, and support local businesses so that they have an opportunity to thrive.”

In addition, “The work ahead will not be easy, but I have no doubt with compassionate, deliberate work, and collaborative spirit, that we’re going to able to once again move the county forward and our communities forward and do the great things we are meant to do as your elected officials and representatives,” she said.

Supervisor and Chairwoman Vargas was first elected in 2020 to District 1 in South San Diego, which includes the cities of Imperial Beach, National City and Chula Vista. With a focus on health, families and air quality, she is co-chair of the county’s COVID-19 subcommittee, chair of SANDAG’s Transportation Committee and of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District and a member of the California Air Resources Board.

Supervisor and Vice Chair Lawson-Remer, who made the motion to keep Vargas as the Board’s leader, said she wanted her “to be able to lead this board again, but this time under better circumstances,” and added she was honored to remain as vice chair and looks forward “to moving our county toward a more just, equitable and sustainable future for everyone.”

Supervisor and Vice Chair Lawson-Remer, an economist who served in President Obama’s Treasury Department, was elected in 2020 to District 3, which extends along the coast from Coronado to Carlsbad.

Supervisor and Chairwoman Vargas received praise from Supervisor Anderson, who noted their efforts at the San Diego Association of Governments. Vargas is the chairwoman of the SANDAG board of directors, with Anderson also serving a member.

Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, who formally replaced Fletcher last month, said she was looking forward to working with Vargas.

Supervisor Jim Desmond, who represents District 5, said he doesn’t always agree with Vargas, but appreciates her leadership.

After the selection of the new chair, Board members were appointed to various boards, commissions and committees around the region.

The County also has a wide variety of boards, commissions and committees. If you have an interest in health or social issues, criminal justice, the elderly, planning and land use, parks, libraries, housing or human relations, you can make a difference by volunteering your time.

– Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office