San Diego County Board of Supervisors

County of San Diego Board of Supervisors
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
Two terms
History
Founded1850
Leadership
Chair
Vice Chair
Structure
Seats5
Political groups
Nonpartisan (de jure)
  Democratic (3)
  Republican (2)
Length of term
Four years
Elections
Two-round system
Last election
November 8, 2022
Next election
November 5, 2024
Website
Official website

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the county government of San Diego County, California. Though officially nonpartisan, three Democrats and two Republicans currently comprise the Board of Supervisors, with the latest election occurring in 2020.

History

Between 1995 and 2013, the same five people, all Republican, held seats in the Board of Supervisors: Greg Cox, Bill Horn, Diane Jacob, Ron Roberts, and Pam Slater-Price.[1] In 2012, Democrat Dave Roberts won the seat from the retiring Slater-Price, who endorsed his candidacy.[2] However, Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar, a Republican, unseated the lone Democrat in 2016, whose campaign was harmed by a workplace scandal.[3] In 2018, Nathan Fletcher defeated former San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to take Ron Roberts' seat, returning a Democrat to the Board of Supervisors.[4]

In the 2020 election, the Democrats won control of the Board of Supervisors for the first time in decades as Nora Vargas and Terra Lawson-Remer won elections in their respective supervisory districts.[5] Meanwhile, Republican former state senator Joel Anderson narrowly defeated Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, a fellow Republican, to succeed the retiring Jacob.[6]

Monica Montgomery Steppe in the recent election swore into being a part of the Council of Supervisors for District 4.[7] This election was prompted by allegations of the previous council member Nathan Fletcher for misconduct. This prompted the rest of the Supervisors to hold this election early rather than having a successor take his place. They will serve the current term until 2027 when a new election will take place then. Monica Steppe is also the first black woman to join the council ever, and is part of an historic event being this being the first time the council is governed by majority women.[8][9]

Governance

Following Proposition B's passage by San Diego County voters in 2010, county supervisors became limited to two terms of four years. The proposition did not immediately affect incumbent supervisors, whose current and previous terms did not count.[10]

Members

In accordance with Article II, Section 6 of the Constitution of California, members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors are officially nonpartisan.[11]

District Supervisor Party
1 Nora Vargas Democratic
2 Joel Anderson Republican
3 Terra Lawson-Remer Democratic
4 Monica Montgomery Democratic
5 Jim Desmond Republican

Committees

As of the term beginning January 2021, the Board of Supervisors has the following nine committees.[12]

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Committees
Committee Chairs
Affordable Housing Solutions Ad Hoc Subcommittee Terra Lawson-Remer Joel Anderson
Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board Nathan Fletcher Nora Vargas
COVID-19 Issues Ad Hoc Subcommittee
County Administration Center Building Occupancy/Waterfront Park
Multiple Species Conservation Program Review/North County Multiple Species Conservation Program Terra Lawson-Remer Jim Desmond
Polinsky Children's Center/San Pasqual Academy Nathan Fletcher Nora Vargas
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Fuel Removal Jim Desmond Terra Lawson-Remer
Schools Subcommittee Terra Lawson-Remer Nora Vargas
Summit on Aging Joel Anderson

References

  1. ^ "Board of Supervisors History". San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Perry, Tony (November 23, 2012). "Dave Roberts brings diversity to the San Diego County supervisors". Los Angeles Times. Del Mar. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Stewart, Joshua (November 28, 2016). "Dave Roberts concedes election to Kristin Gaspar". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Halverstadt, Lisa (November 7, 2018). "Nathan Fletcher Is Back". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Marx, Jesse; Srikrishnan, Maya (November 4, 2020). "Welcome to a Dem-Controlled County". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Clark, Charles T. (December 3, 2020). "Anderson wins county supervisor seat; Trotter wins Santee City Council seat by just five votes". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Monica Montgomery Steppe sworn in as San Diego County supervisor". KPBS Public Media. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Alvarenga, Emily (December 3, 2023). "With Montgomery Steppe's swearing-in, county supervisors have a key fifth vote, and plenty on their plate. Here's what to expect". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  9. ^ Jennewein, Chris (December 6, 2023). "Women Now Hold Historic Majority on San Diego County Board of Supervisors". Times of San Diego. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  10. ^ Orr, Katie (June 9, 2010). "Voters Approve Term Limits For Supervisors". San Diego: KPBS. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "Article II, Section 6 of the Constitution of California". California Legislative Information. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "ROSTER OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES 2021" (PDF). County of San Diego. Retrieved January 5, 2021.