New District 1 Supervisor Chosen

Well that was over quicker than two shakes of a lamb's tail. The Registrar of Voters reported that the vote counting for the District 1 Election could take as long as 30 days. Not so!

The election's final day of voting was Tuesday, July 1st.

We happened to be at the Bonita-Sunnyside Fire Station that evening for the Sweetwater Community Planning Group meeting. As we arrived, we saw people putting their votes in the ballot box located at the fire station. These SCPG meetings usually go on until around 9pm. This particular meeting started a little after 7pm and was over at 7:40 . . . a record at less than 40 minutes.

So as we were leaving, we saw the poll workers standing around waiting to collect the ballots from the ballot box at 8pm when the polls closed. We were curious. Would they really wait until 8pm to collect the votes? You betcha! 8pm on the dot!

So before we get into the results, what did this Special Election cost the taxpayers?

According to the Board of Supervisors Meeting Minutes from 01.14.25, it cost the taxpayers between $4 Million and $6.6 Million. You can thank former-Supervisor Nora Vargas for that tidy little sum. Had she vacated before the final certification, Alejandro Galicia would have been the District 1 Supervisor. and all this nonsense and waste of money could have been avoided.

Funds for special election(s) to fill the vacancy are not included in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Operational Plan in the Registrar of Voters. If the Board chooses to call a special election to fill the vacancy, anticipated costs could range from $2.0 million to $3.3 million per election, for a total cost range of $4.0 million to $6.6 million if both a primary and general special election are required. Total costs will depend upon whether the Board chooses a Vote Center model (ranging from $2.9 million to $3.3 million per election) or all vote-by-mail election (ranging from $2.0 million to $2.4 million per election). —San Diego County Board of Supervisors Meeting Minutes from January 14, 2025, page 2

Here are the results of the District 1 Special Election as of July 2, 2025 at 10:30pm:

[Click on image to enlarge for easier readability.]

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann conceded on Wednesday morning and called Mayor Aguirre to congratulate her.

"I am deeply grateful to all the many volunteers who supported my campaign. Their hard work and dedication mean a great deal to me . . . Despite the outcome, I am proud that my campaign presented a clear statement in support of reducing the cost of living, getting the homeless off the streets and keeping our community safe. These are the principles that have guided me as mayor of Chula Vista and will continue to be important objectives as I work on behalf of the city I love." —John McCann in his concession speech

The Imperial Beach City Council has 60 days to appoint someone as Mayor or schedule a special election after Mayor Aguirre resigns her position.

Paloma Aguirre is expected to be sworn in as District 1 Supervisor by late July.

Nearly 650,000 residents living in Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, East Village, Golden Hill, Grant Hill, Lincoln Park, Memorial, Mount Hope, Mountain View, Nestor, Sherman Heights, Southcrest, Stockton and unincorporated areas in South County, including Bonita, Sunnyside, Lincoln Acres, East Otay Mesa, La Presa and parts of Spring Valley will be happy to finally have representation on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

"Today belongs to the working-class people of District 1, a nuestra gente trabajadora. Who now have a fighter at the county Board of Supervisors who will hold the line against the Trump administration.” —Paloma Aguirre

The Board of Supervisors is officially nonpartisan. In the past six months, it has been two Democrats and two Republicans and much difficulty with decision making. With Democrat Aguirre winning the position, the Board shifts to a 3-2 advantage for the Democrats. It may be "nonpartisan", but each political party has their own opinions on major votes such as sanctuary cities and spending.

The Registrar of Voters expects to certify the final election results by July 31, 2025.

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