SUPERVISORS SWORN IN AS POWER SHIFTS
Democrats have a majority after November elections
San Diego County policies on climate change, public health and other issues may take a new direction after the swearing in of three new members of the Board of Supervisors: Joel Anderson (top), Terra Lawson-Remer (middle) and Nora Vargas.
SAN DIEGO
County policies on climate change, public health and other issues may take a new direction after three new members of the Board of Supervisors were sworn in Monday.
Nora Vargas, Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson joined the five-member board through remote, online swearing-in ceremonies, each vowing to work with the others on crucial issues facing the county.
The other two supervisors, Jim Desmond and Nathan Fletcher, were elected to the board two years ago.
With the addition of Lawson-Remer and Vargas, both Democrats, the composition of the board has made a dramatic political shift to the political left. Fletcher had been the only Democrat on the board until Monday.
Vargas replaces Republican Greg Cox in District 1 and Lawson-Remer replaces Republican Kristin Gaspar in District 3. Anderson replaces fellow Republican Dianne Jacob in District 2.
Vargas thanked Cox and Anderson thanked Jacob for their past service.
Vargas and Lawson-Remer each spoke for about 10 minutes, saying helping people and businesses affected by COVID-19 should be a priority.
Vargas was sworn in by her two goddaughters. At times speaking in Spanish, she thanked health care workers and others on the front line during the pandemic and vowed to help provide resources to those suffering from the disease.
“We are highly divided and polarized as a society, but here we are,” she said. “We have an opportunity to stop the rhetoric, to stop politicizing public health, and we have hope by way of a vaccine that is the safest and most effective way to combat COVID-19.”
Addressing businesses hurt by the pandemic, Vargas said she would fight to bring the relief they need to safely reopen and recover.
She also said the pandemic had highlighted exist