SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The technically nonpartisan San Diego County Board of Supervisors will have a Democratic member for just the second time in three decades, according to final election tallies released Wednesday.
District 4 Democratic candidate Nathan Fletcher easily defeated Republican Bonnie Dumanis in Tuesday's election, notching nearly 66 percent of the vote.
Democrat and legislative analyst Michelle Gomez did not fare as well in District 5, where Republican San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond won handily with 59 percent of the ballots cast.
The two open seats on the board were the result of termed-out supervisors Ron Roberts and Bill Horn. Roberts and Horn were the first supervisors to be termed out of office as a result of San Diego County's Measure B, which was passed in 2010. The measure established a limit of two eight-year terms for supervisors, with the five supervisors at that time being grandfathered in. District 1 Supervisor Greg Cox and District 2 Supervisor Dianne Jacob will be termed out in 2020.
Fletcher, then a Republican, served in the Assembly from 2008 to 2012, choosing to run for San Diego mayor in 2012 in lieu of running for re- election. After changing his party affiliation to Independent, Fletcher finished third in the 2012 mayoral primary to Carl DeMaio and eventual election winner Bob Filner. Fletcher finished with 24.1 percent of the vote.
Fletcher released the following statement in response to being elected by the constituents of County District 4:
“San Diego voters sent a clear message tonight: voters want a County Supervisor who will stand up for our values, fight for change and tackle the urgent issues that County Government has failed to address.
It’s now time to get to work solving the real challenges our communities face: reducing homelessness, helping the most vulnerable get the healthcare and support they need, and taking action to address the rising cost of living that is squeezing working families.
All my life, from serving in the Marines, to authoring Chelsea’s Law to teaching at UCSD, I’ve worked to serve others, listen to the people and make a positive difference – and that’s exactly what I intend to do as your next County Supervisor.
I’m humbled by the confidence voters have placed in me and honored by the support our campaign received from every community and every neighborhood in the district.
Tonight, we celebrate the beginning of a new day in County Government. Tomorrow, we start working hard to deliver the change San Diego families deserve."
Dumanis was San Diego County's district attorney from 2003 to 2017, becoming the first openly gay prosecutor in the country and the first woman to serve as DA in the county's history. She also ran for mayor in 2012, finishing fourth behind Fletcher with 13.3 percent of the vote. Dumanis would go on to endorse DeMaio in the general election.
Desmond fell roughly five points short of 50 percent during the primary election, which would have given him the win outright. Instead, he faced Gomez, who netted 22.9 percent during the primary.
Desmond has served as San Marcos mayor for 12 years. Prior to taking mayoral office in 2006, Desmond was a San Marcos City Councilman. He was endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party and serves on the boards of directors for the San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego International Airport, San Diego County Economic Development Corporation and San Diego and Imperial County Boy Scouts of America.
Gomez sits on the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and the Oceanside Housing Commission, in addition to her work as a legislative analyst. She received endorsements from the San Diego County Democratic Party and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
