Nora Vargas
Vargas in 2021
Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byNathan Fletcher
Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
In office
January 5, 2021 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byNathan Fletcher
Succeeded byTerra Lawson-Remer
Member of the
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
from the 1st district
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
Preceded byGreg Cox
Personal details
BornOctober 14, 1971
Tijuana, Mexico
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Chula Vista, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of San Francisco (BA)
Claremont Graduate University

Nora E. Vargas (born 1970/1971) is an American politician serving as a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from District 1 since 2021. She was elected Chair on January 10, 2023.[1] She is the first immigrant and first Latina elected to the body.[2][3]

Early life and education

Vargas was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in Southern San Diego County. She graduated from Montgomery High School then attended Southwestern College before transferring to the University of San Francisco where she earned a Bachelor's degree in politics.[2] and graduate work in women's studies from Claremont Graduate University.[4]

She has worked at various non-profit organizations and was Vice President of community and governmental relations at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.[5] Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the California State Teachers' Retirement System in 2015 and she served on the Southwestern College board.[2][6]

San Diego County Board of Supervisors

Vargas was elected to succeed longtime District 1 Supervisor Greg Cox in 2020, defeating State Senator Ben Hueso in the general election. The district includes Chula Vista, Coronado, and National City as well as the San Diego communities of Barrio Logan, San Ysidro, and Otay.[7][8] She was sworn in on January 4, 2021, and selected to be Vice Chair of the Council.[9][6]

Electoral history

2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors primary election for the first district[10]
Candidate Votes %
Ben Hueso 32,263 29.29
Nora Vargas 20,767 18.86
Rafa Castellanos 17,934 16.28
Sophia Rodriguez 16,634 15.10
Alex Galicia 13,232 12.01
Henry Belisle 4,035 3.66
Camilo Marquez 2,679 2.43
Tony Villafranca 2,591 2.35
Total votes 110,135 100.00
2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors general election for the first district[11]
Candidate Votes %
Nora Vargas 131,783 56.58
Ben Hueso 101,133 43.42
Total votes 232,916 100.00

References

  1. ^ "Nora Vargas voted in as county Board of Supervisors chair". KPBS Public Media. 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  2. ^ a b c Mendoza, Alexandra; Clark, Charles (November 28, 2020). "San Diego Supervisor-elect Nora Vargas sets stage for more Latinas, and a focus on health, equity". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Peters, LAMonica (March 28, 2021). "Women's History Month: Nora Vargas, the 1st Latina San Diego County Board Supervisor". KFMB-TV. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Davalos, Carlos (May 2, 2013). "New board member sworn in". The Star-News. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "Women Who Impact San Diego". San Diego Metro Magazine. May 29, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Rivlin-Nadler, Max (February 8, 2021). "This Latina landed a seat on the powerful San Diego County Board of Supervisors — a first for her community". The World. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Nikolewski, Rob (November 3, 2020). "Nora Vargas maintains lead against Ben Hueso in District 1 county supervisor race". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nora Vargas projected to win San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1". KUSI-TV. November 4, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Billing, Karen (January 7, 2021). "Lawson-Remer sworn into SD County Board of Supervisors". Encinitas Advocate. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "County of San Diego Presidential Primary Election – Tuesday, March 3, 2020 – Official Results (San Diego Portion Only)" (PDF). San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "County of San Diego Presidential General Election – Tuesday, November 3, 2020 – Official Results (San Diego Portion Only)" (PDF). San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

External links

Members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Categories