Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre appear headed Wednesday for a July 1 runoff election for the District 1 Board of Supervisors seat.
The final batch of results released by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Tuesday night showed McCann leading the field of seven with 43.58% of the vote, with Aguirre second with 31.62%. San Diego City Councilwoman Vivian Moreno was the only other candidate with at least 10% of the vote, placing third with 13%.
McCann (42.40%) and Aguirre (32.32%) held onto their leads on Friday evening, when an updated vote count was released.
If a candidate receives a majority of the vote, he or she would win outright, avoiding a runoff election.
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McCann released a statement on Tuesday evening that read, "I am thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who have worked on my campaign and the thousands of voters that cast their vote for me. They know I will bring common sense back to San Diego County by supporting law enforcement to keep our streets safe, getting homeless off the streets, working to get real solutions on the Tijuana sewage issue and opposing the mileage tax."
Election results for San Diego County District 1 supervisor
The polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Here are the early results of Tuesday's primary so far:
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
| John McCann | 28,053 | 42.40% |
| Paloma Aguirre | 21,382 | 32.32% |
| Vivian Moreno | 8,915 | 13.47% |
| Carolina Chavez | 5,120 | 7.74% |
| Louis Fuentes | 1,053 | 1.59% |
| Elizabeth Efird | 1,024 | 1.55% |
| Lincoln Pickard | 618 | 0.93% |
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Aguirre issued a statement Tuesday night celebrating the results, in which she said they sent "a clear message -- voters want a supervisor who fights on the side of working people who are struggling, gets results on the sewage crisis, and pushes for the more affordable San Diego County we need."
Along with thanking voters and her fellow candidates, Aguirre made note of McCann, her apparent opponent in the July 1 runoff.
"Now, the stakes couldn't be higher. This runoff is a clear choice between Democratic values that put working people first, and a Trump Republican agenda that would be a complete disaster for all of San Diego County. We deserve leaders who fight for economic security for everyone, no matter how much money you make or what neighborhood you live in."
Seven people, including four elected officials, entered the race to replace former San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas after she suddenly announced in late December that she would not serve her second term despite winning reelection in November.
Along with McCann, Aguirre and Moreno, the candidates are Chula Vista Deputy Mayor Carolina Chavez; energy consultant Elizabeth Efird; business owner and former Imperial County Supervisor Louis Fuentes; and marketing firm associate Lincoln Pickard.
McCann, a Navy veteran and Chula Vista native first elected as that city's mayor in 2022, said on his website that Chula Vista's wildfire response has "demonstrated his ability to protect residents in times of crisis."
McCann's platform includes increased funding for law enforcement, and "fighting to lower the cost of living by cutting government waste, opposing unnecessary tax hikes, and blocking burdensome policies like the mileage tax and [San Diego Association of Governments] tax."
McCann said that if elected, he will "fight to expand health care access, job training programs, and essential services for veterans, ensuring they receive the support they have earned."
In response to the border sewage problem, McCann said he has "been actively working with local, state and federal officials to secure funding for infrastructure improvements, hold responsible parties accountable and push for long-term solutions to stop the flow of toxic waste into our waters."
Aguirre told City News Service she is "running to bring change to county government, to fight on the side of working people and start getting results we all need -- fixing the sewage crisis, lowering energy rates and fighting crime in every community."
Born in San Francisco, Aguirre has called Southern California home since 2001 and has been Imperial Beach's mayor since December 2022. She has been outspoken on the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem, which has closed beaches and caused serious health issues for some residents.
Aguirre said she'll "get the county off the sidelines" by funding infrastructure, demanding Superfund designation from the Environmental Protection Agency and "treating this as the public health emergency it is."
Aguirre said that if elected, she'll push "for a full audit of county homelessness spending, prioritize real treatment and shelter options, and stop the cycle of failed programs that leave people languishing on the streets."
With a population of 650,000, District 1 contains three cities, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and National City, along with 15 neighborhoods in San Diego, including East Village, Mountain View and San Ysidro, and six unincorporated communities, including Bonita, East Otay Mesa and portion of Spring Valley
The Registrar of Voters will have one month to certify the election. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the two frontrunners will move on to the special general election on July 1.
Find interviews with the candidates on Politically Speaking here.
Why is there a District 1 special election?
Vargas announced in late December that she would not serve her second term despite winning reelection in November.
"Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term," she said in a statement at the time. It was unclear what the "personal safety and security reasons" were, but board meetings have become increasingly rowdy in recent years, and Vargas was away from the board several times for unspecified reasons and had dealt with health issues resulting from nodules on her vocal cords.
The technically non-partisan Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to hold a special election to fill the seat. The person elected would fill the vacant seat for the remainder of the current term ending in January 2029.
