SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously elected Nora Vargas to serve as chair, while Terra Lawson-Remer was chosen as vice chair and Joel Anderson as chair pro tem.
Vargas, first elected in 2020 to represent District 1, succeeds Nathan Fletcher, who served two terms as chair but remains on the board.
Before Tuesday's vote, Fletcher made the motion to nominate Vargas, Lawson-Remer, and Anderson to their new leadership positions.
Last month, Fletcher announced he would not seek a third term and proposed Vargas, a fellow Democrat, as his successor.
In a speech after Tuesday's vote, Vargas said she would work "with transparency and accountability," and let county employees know their work is respected.
"It wasn't that long ago that I was on the other side of the (board) dais," advocating for children, students, teachers, and "how women and families were being impacted by a lack of access to health care," she said.
"I also shared the story of my own mother. When she became ill, my family turned to the county for the life-saving treatment she needed, and she was turned away. The system failed her, and I pledged that no family would ever go through what my family went through.
"That is why I ran to serve the communities of District 1 and all the residents of San Diego County. That is why I serve now," Vargas added.
Vargas said she wants to ensure everyone has access to health care, clean air, and water, a green workforce, and resources to help small businesses.
She also said the board will focus on expanding public transit and investing in parks.
"This is your county," she told the audience. "These are your chambers."
Referring to past contentious meetings -- often involving harsh criticism from those opposed to previous county mandates in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic -- Vargas said she wants people to disagree but in a civil manner.
"At times, our chambers have been polarizing," Vargas said. "But harassment, threats, and anti-BIPOC and LGBTQ rhetoric will not be tolerated in these chambers."
Vargas said she wants to find common ground with other elected leaders.
"With that as a guidance principle, there's very little that we can't accomplish," she added.
After giving the same speech in Spanish, Vargas said, "Now let's get to work; thank you, everyone."
In a statement, Fletcher said Vargas "has proven she is an effective and driven person with an unmatched level of care and compassion for our community. I am excited to see what she accomplishes as chairwoman of the board."
Fletcher praised Lawson-Remer for "thoughtfully (evaluating) every action our board takes and has shown she can keep things moving forward."
He also said Anderson "cares about making progress and has been a good partner on addiction treatment, mental health, and tackling homelessness."
Lawson-Remer, a Democrat representing District 3, said Tuesday's vote was "a historic day for our county."
The new vice chair thanked Fletcher for shepherding in a new era and said she was excited to welcome Vargas as chairwoman.
"We are incredibly (fortunate) to have her in this new role," Lawson- Remer said.
In a statement, Lawson-Remer described her and Vargas' roles as "a move that broke historic barriers to representation, (and) spoke to moving an ambitious set of initiatives focused on equity and environmental sustainability."
Anderson, a Republican representing District 2, also said he was excited for Vargas and that their districts share similar issues. Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican representing District 5, said Vargas "will do a fantastic job."
"You're gonna be chair of everything, so good luck," he said jokingly. "I look forward to working with you."
Desmond also thanked Fletcher for his time and effort as chairman, adding, "even though we didn't agree on everything, you put in the time and effort to get the job done."
In other organizational-related businesses, supervisors unanimously approved:
-- Caroline Smith, county Office of Economic Development and Government Affairs director, as the second alternate member on the Urban Counties of California;
-- the dissolution of eight ad-hoc subcommittees effective March 31, including Affordable Housing Solutions, COVID-19 Issues, Fiscal Management & Budget Strategy, and Schools and Summit on Aging; and
-- board, commission, and committee assignments for each supervisor. The full roster is here.
The board's regular Tuesday meeting featured a light agenda. Supervisors approved various community enhancement neighborhood grants, allowing online auctions of defaulted property and an ordinance that speeds up property receivership, based on a county department request.
