DESMOND: SANDAG, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TOP PRIORITIES FOR 2020
Freshman supervisor says mental health crisis units, road projects are goals
When Jim Desmond was elected to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors about a year ago, he won on a campaign that praised the county’s sound financial footing but stressed the need for greater investment in mental health, housing and transportation.
Now, a year into his tenure on the board, the former mayor of San Marcos has continued to define his work largely by those issues.
“It’s been what I expected plus a lot more,” said Desmond, reflecting on his first year during an interview last week. “It’s very different from being mayor. The county is vast and has many issues, but we focused on issues where we thought we could make a difference.”
One of two new members to join the Board of Supervisors earlier this year, Desmond replaced longtime Supervisor Bill Horn, who for 24 years represented the region’s largely North County-based District 5.
Early in his tenure, Desmond’s similarities with Horn have been hard to miss.
The first-year supervisor has been firmly pro-development, much like his predecessor, and has worked to advance housing initiatives such as streamlining parts of the permitting process.
Like Horn, he also has drawn criticism from residents for being too cozy with developers. Just last week he drew ire for allegedly working with the building industry on a failed effort to reword a ballot initiative that, if approved, would require voters to approve future large housing projects in unincorporated parts of the county.
Similar to Horn, Desmond also has proven to be reliably conservative. On the board, Desmond, a Re
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