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]
Nora Vargas | |
|---|---|
 Vargas in 2021 | |
| Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Fletcher |
| Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 5, 2021 – January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | Terra Lawson-Remer |
| Member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from the 1st district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Greg Cox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 14, 1971 Tijuana, Mexico |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Chula Vista, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of San Francisco (BA) Claremont Graduate University |
Early life and education edit
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 edit
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 edit
| 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 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nora Vargas | 131,783 | 56.58 | |
| Ben Hueso | 101,133 | 43.42 | |
| Total votes | 232,916 | 100.00 | |
References edit
- ^ "Nora Vargas voted in as county Board of Supervisors chair". KPBS Public Media. 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Davalos, Carlos (May 2, 2013). "New board member sworn in". The Star-News. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ "Women Who Impact San Diego". San Diego Metro Magazine. May 29, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Nora Vargas projected to win San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1". KUSI-TV. November 4, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ Billing, Karen (January 7, 2021). "Lawson-Remer sworn into SD County Board of Supervisors". Encinitas Advocate. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.