SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas was well on her way Wednesday to capturing a second term -- leading challenger Alejandro Galicia by a resounding margin.
In results as of early Wednesday, Vargas had about 62% of the votes compared to Galicia's approximately 38%. Vargas' tally was 71,393, while Galicia stood at 43,503, according to the county Registrar of Voters in numbers released after the polls closed Tuesday night.
Vargas was first elected in 2020 to replace Greg Cox, a longtime board member termed out of office. She is the first Hispanic woman to serve on the board.
Though supervisor seats are nonpartisan, Vargas is a Democrat and Galicia a Republican. Currently, the board's makeup is three Democrats (Vargas, Monica Montgomery Steppe and Terra Lawson-Remer, who was also up for re-election), and two Republicans (Joel Anderson, also seeking re-election, and Jim Desmond).
Anderson and Lawson-Remer were also on track Wednesday to retain their seats, which would maintain the board's current ideological bent.
In an emailed statement, Vargas said she was running for a second term because "San Diego County needs bold, effective leadership. As your supervisor, I've delivered real results for our community."
She said her top priorities will be "to address housing, behavioral health, environmental justice, and economic prosperity to ensure a healthier, more equitable San Diego County."
Vargas said her first-term top accomplishments included securing $1.5 million to launch a public transportation program for young people; declaring a state of emergency in the Tijuana River Valley in response to environmental and public health concerns; a program providing permanent housing for more than 1,000 veterans; and investing over $30.3 million to increase housing supply "and expand programs that ensure everyone has a place to call home."
She took over the chair's position in early 2023 from Nathan Fletcher, who resigned his District 4 seat in May of that year following accusations he sexually harassed and assaulted a former Metropolitan Transit System employee. Fletcher has denied all accusations.
Vargas' colleagues elected her to a second term as chair in January. Along with the supervisor seat, Vargas serves as chair of the San Diego Association of Governments.
A Chula Vista resident, she was endorsed by numerous local elected officials, including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and fellow Supervisors Montgomery Steppe and Lawson-Remer; several members of the county's congressional delegation; labor groups including Service Employees International Union Local 221 and San Diego County Firefighters, Cal Fire Local 2881; and Democratic Party groups including Labor Dems and the San Diego County Democratic Party.
Galicia, a military veteran who owns BPI Plumbing, has not held elected office, but two years ago ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate from District 18. Originally from Huntington Park, Galicia described himself on his campaign Facebook page as a "retired citizen-soldier" who hoped to continue serving his community.
Galicia had been endorsed by the Republican Party of San Diego County and said he did not seek any other endorsements.
District 1, located in the county's southern half, serves some 630,000 residents and is home to three municipalities: Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and National City.
It also includes the city of San Diego neighborhoods of Barrio Logan, Chollas View, East Village, Golden Hill, Grant Hill, Lincoln Park, Logan Heights, Memorial, Mount Hope, Mountain View, Nestor, Otay, Palm City, San Ysidro, Shelltown, Sherman Heights, Southcrest and Stockton.
In addition, the district includes the unincorporated communities of Bonita Sunnyside, La Presa, Lincoln Acres and East Otay Mesa.
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