Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre on Monday announced her intention to run for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, hoping to fill the seat that will be vacated next month by current board Chair Nora Vargas.
"Whether it's our long-neglected sewage crisis or working people's financial struggles, our communities are calling out for real leadership and change," Aguirre said. "I've fought for change when our communities have been ignored and taken on inaction in both parties, including my own. I'm ready to take that fight to the county level."
She said her record of creating housing and fighting for clean air and water in the beach community make her an ideal candidate.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
"Maybe because I used to bodyboard competitively, I'm not afraid of making waves," Aguirre said. "I've gotten results on the sewage crisis by standing up to the status quo, not going with the flow. As supervisor, I'll bring that same willingness to challenge politics as usual to fight for South County's families and future."
However, what will be done with the empty seat when Vargas' term expires on Jan. 6 is yet to be decided. Just 10 days ago, more than a month after a resounding reelection victory, Vargas announced she would not sit for her second term on the board.
Local
"Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term," she said in a statement. "It has been my honor to serve in public office during unprecedented times, including the past four years on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors."
There are multiple options facing the board, including holding a special election, appointing someone to replace Vargas or doing both.
Vargas was elected to the board in 2020, replacing former Supervisor Greg Cox on Jan. 4, 2021. She is the first Hispanic woman to serve on the board.
She succeeded then-Supervisor Nathan Fletcher as board chair after his resignation amid scandal.
The two Democrats and two Republicans remaining on the nonpartisan board may be hard-pressed to agree to a candidate, interim or otherwise, to fill Vargas' seat.
Aguirre and Vargas recently butted heads over a request to the Environmental Protection Agency to look into the Tijuana River Valley for a possible Superfund designation.
That request followed a supervisor vote delaying the proposal to seek the designation, a 1980 law that lets the EPA clean up contaminated areas -- such as the infamous Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer decided to act independently, gathering hundreds of signatures on a petition addressed to EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman -- a petition signed by Aguirre.
"The time for half-measures and excuses is over. Our communities have endured decades of toxic exposure, and every day we delay puts more lives at risk," Aguirre said. "We demand swift, decisive action -- everything in our power must be done to secure the resources, protections, and justice our residents deserve.
"The EPA must act now to designate the Tijuana River Valley as a Superfund site. Our Southbay communities have a right to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and live without fear of contamination. We owe it to every family, every child, and every resident who's been forced to live with this toxic pollution for far too long."
Vargas said a rash decision without robust community feedback could bite the county and its residents in the future.
"The declaration of a Superfund site isn't a "silver bullet" that will solve all of our issues overnight, and in fact, can pose many problems of its own, she said. "For starters, many communities surrounding these Superfund sites have experienced dramatically declining property values.
"It can also create long periods of uncertainty for local residents and businesses, including potential relocation. These are all valid concerns that we must take into consideration. And I will make sure that our community voices are heard throughout this process."
