The San Diego County Board of Supervisors punted a vote on who will succeed Nora Vargas as chair after competing motions to elevate either Terra Lawson-Remer or Jim Desmond to the role failed in votes down partisan lines.

The county Board of Supervisors should approve a special election rather than a political appointment to fill the District 1 seat vacated by Nora Vargas, a candidate said Tuesday.

A special election would cost taxpayers around $5 million, similar to the special election held after Nathan Fletcher vacated his Supervisor seat in 2023.

The county Board of Supervisors should approve a special election rather than a political appointment to fill the District 1 seat vacated by Nora Vargas, a candidate said Tuesday. Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said residents of that South County district should choose the new supervisor.

The county board should seek a special election rather than appointing someone to fill the District 1 seat, a candidate told supervisors Tuesday.

Re-elected San Diego County supervisors were sworn in Monday morning — with the exception of Nora Vargas, who decided last month not to serve her second term. Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson both took the oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony at the County Administration Center after winning second terms in November.

Monday was the last day in office for San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas and a handful of elected officials are competing for her seat.