SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Voters Tuesday will decide whether Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas gets a second term in District 1 -- or if she'll be replaced by Chula Vista business owner Alejandro Galicia, potentially tipping the board's makeup to the right.
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 is also up for re-election), and two Republicans (Joel Anderson, also seeking re-election, and Jim Desmond).
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.
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.
In an emailed statement, Vargas said she's 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 if re-elected 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 include 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.
Her public service/nonprofit experience includes the Southwestern College governing board, the California State Teachers Retirement System and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
Vargas was raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and then Chula Vista, where she now resides.
After attending Southwestern College, Vargas transferred to the University of San Francisco to earn a bachelor's degree in political science. She continued her education at Claremont Graduate University.
Galicia, originally from Huntington Park, describes himself on his campaign Facebook page as a "retired citizen-soldier" who hopes to continue serving his community.
He told City News Service he's running because he has "many concerns with many of the actions and decisions taken by our current elected supervisor."
"I believe my background in both public and private leadership positions will give me a better perspective on dealing with the daily challenges and I'll make better decisions," he said.
Galicia said his top three priorities would be finding solutions to the Tijuana River Valley crisis and endorsing it as a Superfund site; updating and improving the county's emergency response plan; and enhanced short- and long-term approaches to homelessness, including more affordable homes and utilizing surplus government property.
Galicia served in the U.S. Navy and then the Army National Guard, where he was a medic and transportation and logistics officer.
His Facebook page says he was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a humanitarian mission in Honduras and Nicaragua. He retired as a major in 2017.
Galicia's LinkedIn profile states he earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics from UCLA and a master's degree in transportation and logistics from American Military University in Texas.
His career includes being a consultant for the Small Business Development & International Trade Center and an account executive for Mexicana Airlines.
Galicia volunteers as a board member for the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center, a mentor/internship provider at Castle Park High School and as a national board member of the Disabled Veteran Business Alliance.
According to her campaign website, Vargas' endorsements include numerous local elected officials, including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and fellow Supervisors Montgomery Steppe and Lawson-Remer; several members of the county's U.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 told City News Service he has the endorsement of the Republican Party of San Diego County but did not seek any other endorsements.
Located in the county's southern half, District 1 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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