San Diego County Board of Supervisors elects Terra Lawson-Remer as chair

San Diego County Board of Supervisors then-candidate Terra Lawson-Remer speaks to union workers at a car rally downtown on Referendum Day File photo by Chris Stone Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer was elected chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday in a - - vote with Monica Montgomery Steppe and Paloma Aguirre selected as vice chair and chair pro tem respectively Lawson-Remer Montgomery Steppe and Aguirre who was earlier sworn in as District supervisor voted in favor while District Supervisor Jim Desmond opposed the appointments Their colleague Joel Anderson who previously served as chair pro tem abstained Lawson-Remer previously vice chair served as acting chair following the departure of Nora Vargas from the District seat Every member of this board brings a real commitment to masses utility she mentioned before the vote She cited the board s unanimous approval of the fiscal year - budget last month as an example of consensus Lawson-Remer added that with a full board the county can advance major priorities for residents fight for constituents and deliver on the agenda I think of this as a very pivotal moment for our region disclosed Lawson-Remer adding that families are counting on us to really build a force field around our region to protect people s rights and our quality of life I hope we can continue working together Lawson-Remer added Desmond revealed he was a no vote because District hasn t held the chair or vice chair position in more than four years Although both are home to cities Portions of Districts and feature unincorporated areas while the other three districts are considered as more urban He added the larger unincorporated districts have been under- represented in leadership positions and that the chair position used to be decided on a rotating basis We are the representatives of these large areas he commented Desmond also criticized the diminished role for his district in terms of committee positions which supervisors approved by a - vote which Desmond also opposed Desmond also noted that four years ago when he was incoming vice chair his constituents were stripped of about of committee assignments In a declaration after the vote Desmond reported it was outrageous and unacceptable that North County the largest and the majority diverse region in San Diego County spanning over square miles and home to hundreds of thousands of residents now has zero representation on San Diego Association of Governments the Local Agency Formation Commission and the county Water Authority These boards make critical decisions that impact our infrastructure transportation water supply and the daily lives of North County families Desmond declared Yet through blatant political partisanship I ve been removed from these supposedly non-partisan boards leaving North County voiceless in decisions that shape our future Desmond added The very people who preach about diversity equity and inclusion are practicing the exact opposite by silencing anyone with a different perspective North County deserves a seat at the table especially as we face rising costs water reliability concerns transportation failures and expansion pressures In an email after the vote Lawson-Remer s spokesman Spencer Katz revealed she had no response to Desmond s criticism The chair vice chair and chair pro tem positions are decided by formal vote as we saw in the present day Katz stated During masses comment several speakers called for Desmond to be made chair County resident Becky Rapp mentioned Desmond brings a much-needed voice and perspective for San Diego s unincorporated communities areas that are too often overlooked in county-wide decisions She added that time and time again these areas are ignored and deserve equity and leadership North County resident Kevin Stevenson disagreed and announced Lawson-Remer Montgomery Steppe and Aguirre were the best choices as they are the the greater part suited to guide San Diego County through this tough moment that we are right now living under