San Diego County Supervisor District 1: Time to Turn the Page
For the past 25 years the southern part of San Diego County has been represented by Supervisor Greg Cox. Term limits enacted in 2010 mean he’s not eligible to run for re-election this year.
Cox was considered the most reasonable (on open space and environmental issues) of the all-white Republican San Diego State alumni who have dominated the Board of Supervisors for decades. In 2016 he ran unopposed.
The Board is the legislative and executive authority of the County, overseeing departments, programs and budgets, along with land use in unincorporated areas. It appropriates money for programs to provide a safety net and other services for county residents.
A fundamental operating principle for the Supes for many years was austerity. As living standards have stagnated and the social safety net weakened, their focus was on building up financial reserves.
The failure to deliver needed assistance led the Service Employees International Union to organize a ballot measure instituting term limits, which passed by a supermajority.
Changing demographics in California and the self-destruction of the GOP all-but-guaranteed a change of outlook on the Board of Supervisors and 2020 is likely to be the year when Democrats, who have a 72,000 advantage in registered voters over the GOP, end up in the majority.
The District is needy for the kinds of services operated by the county, with an annual median income about $10,000 lower than the countywide median income and the highest rates of enrollment in CalFresh, CalWORKS and Medi-Cal.
Two Democrats ended up making it past the primary, Southwest College’s Nora Vargas and State Senator Ben Hueso.
The State Senator has the advantages and disadvantages of name recognition, having represented parts of the district as an Assemblyman and City Council member.
His ascension to the state’s upper house in 2012 came out of the deal making in the wake of Bob Filner’s decision to run for San Diego Mayor. (Lorena Gonzalez went from the Labor Council to Assembly, Hueso went to the Senate, Juan Vargas left his senate seat to join the House of representatives.)
Vargas comes to race without Hueso’s baggage, and the backing of a significant number of progressives active in area politics. Getting the endorsement of the local Democratic party over a senior elected official who placed first in the primary was no small feat.
However, this the South County, where politics overlaps with feuds going back decades. I’ll spare readers the details (that I’m aware of), but trust me when I say everything is not as it seems at first glance.
Reading the websites of the candidates reveals little about ideological differences. And there are negatives to be found out about both names of the general election ballot.
During Nora Vargas' seven years on the Board of Trustees for Southwestern College, there have been two major scandals. One involved the quiet dismissal of professor with a taste for photographs of sex with students; the other concerned anti-Black racism embedded in the work and learning of the college. While Vargas certainly isn’t responsible for creating the scandals, some observers feel she should have done more sooner.
Ben Hueso’s baggage, having been an elected official for many years, is bigger. He’s regarded in some quarters as an opportunist politician. Reviewing his legislative voting record it becomes clear that choosing to abstain on issues is often his way of avoiding conflicts between activists and corporate lobbyists.
Most recently, Hueso drew fire from environmental activists for a vote against and effectively killing AB345, a bill requiring regulators to establish setback buffers to keep oil drilling operations away from homes, schools, playgrounds, and hospitals.
He spoke out on the Senate floor against AB 345 before voting it down, calling the legislation a “waste of time” and a “publicity stunt” by environmental justice groups.
The people of color making up 92% of Californians who live within a mile of a well and are burdened by pollution might not agree with that assessment. From Grist:
The bill’s failure is a particular blow because the health impacts associated with oil and gas wells, in particular the increased risk of asthma, also put communities at a higher risk from COVID-19. The pollutants produced by oil and gas drilling, particularly fine particulate matter, have also been found to make the virus even deadlier. This acts as a multiplier effect for a disease that already disproportionately affects Black and Latino populations.
There’s a bunch of other negative stuff available on Hueso at The Google, but it’s all about incidents (like a DUI) that he’s been able to move past in earlier elections. His other recent gaffe involved a poorly written (maybe) piece of legislation on access to public records. It caused a stink and was withdrawn.
My choice for this seat comes down to new vs old. While Vargas doesn’t have a legislative track record, her experience at Planned Parenthood tells me she does know how to make things run.
The Board of Supervisors has a lot of lost ground to make up when it comes to social services; the election of Nathan Fletcher has started it down the road to a better place. Electing Nora Vargas means the Supes can move ahead unburdened by past political IOUs, and that’s a good thing.
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Ben Hueso
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Born in San Diego; grew up in Logan Heights. Parents were immigrants from Mexico and community activists, running an informal community medical clinic out of their home. Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus.
Education: Graduated from Point Loma High School; Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA, studied at the University of Odessa in the Ukraine, and completed post-graduate work in Community and Economic Development at San Diego State University.
Relevant experience: San Diego District 8 City Councilmember; was elected Council President and was the first Latino to serve in that position. Appointed as a Commissioner for the California Coastal Commission. Represented the 79th Assembly District (2010-2012) and the 80th Assembly District (2012-2013, due to redistricting). Has served as California State Senator representing the 40th District since March 2013.
A significant accomplishment: Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications, also chairs the Senate Select Committee on California-Mexico Cooperation; sits on the State Senate Committees of Banking and Financial Institutions, Insurance, Natural Resources and Water, and Governmental Organization.
Politics in a nutshell: Liberal
$$$$
Aggregate Fundraising Numbers for Ben Hueso: $325,903.00
PAC Support: San Diego Strong, Supporting Ben Hueso for Supervisor 2020 $116,400.00 Deputy Sheriffs' Association of San Diego County PAC $8,956.00
A sampling of links concerning Ben Hueso:
State Sen. Ben Hueso formally announces run for San Diego County supervisor
Hueso Comes Home With Lessons Learned (Like Don't Drive Buzzed)
Hueso and other lawmakers went to Maui with utilities while wildfires burned
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Nora Vargas
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Grew up in the Tijuana-San Diego region, was a Congressman’s community representative; appointed to the U.S. Selective Service in the Clinton Administration. Was also executive director of the Latino Issues Forum and founding director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs for the city of Los Angeles. Board service includes Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and the Parent Institute for Quality Education. Currently Vice President of Community Engagement, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest
Education: Attended South Bay public schools and Southwestern Community College before completing her degrees.at the University of San Francisco.
Relevant experience: Appointed to the Southwestern College Governing Board in 2013; re-elected in 2014 and 2018; appointed to the California State Teachers Retirement (CalSTRS) Board, the largest teacher retirement system in the nation.
A significant accomplishment: Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez honored Nora Vargas as her 2018 Woman of the Year,
Politics in a nutshell: Progressive
$$$$
Aggregate Fundraising Numbers for Nora Vargas: $324,140.50
$14,900 in loans
PAC Support: Friends of Nora Vargas for Supervisor 2020, sponsored by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California $3000, Stronger and Healthier Communities in Support of Nora Vargas for County Supervisor, District 1 2020 $1000.
A sampling of links concerning Nora Vargas
SC Board Trustees run for local offices: Meet Nora Vargas, County Supervisor candidate.
New South Bay Supervisor's To-Do List: Ensure an Equitable Recovery
Up Next: County Supervisors D2
Voter Guide – You’ve Voted for President, what’s next?
I’ll be writing about many ballot measures and candidates between now and the end of September. That work will be condensed into a handy-dandy voter guide just in time for your mail-in ballots to arrive. I’m the guy who coordinated San Diego Free Press’s Voter Guides over the past decade, so this won’t be my first effort. Stay tuned.
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