The Nora Vargas Honeymoon Is Over

Supervisor Nora Vargas entered office with high expectations. She was the first Latina to represent heavily Latino District 1, which runs from San Diego’s southern neighborhoods, through National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Her win also helped deliver Democrats a majority on the board for the first time in decades. Leaders then promised significant improvements on everything from homelessness to public health emergencies like the Tijuana River sewage crisis.  

But just four years into her tenure, much of Vargas’ luster has worn off – particularly among some of the constituents and allies that helped secure her victory. In the second installation of this year’s Beef Week series, South County reporter Jim Hinch details how the breakdown occurred.

From a sense that she’s been unresponsive to constituents’ concerns or slow to act on issues she campaigned on fixing, to perceptions of aloofness, some South Bay activists and political operators are souring on the supervisor. Those reservations even led the Imperial Beach Democratic Club to rescind its endorsement of her earlier this year.

Jim Hinch | November 27, 2024 | Voice of San Diego

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