The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to hold a special election to fill the seat of embattled Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who is expected to leave office later this month.
Fletcher announced his resignation on March 29 after admitting to what he called "consensual interactions" with a Metropolitan Transit System employee who is suing him for alleged sexual assault and harassment. He has denied the allegations. His District 4 seat is expected to be vacated May 15 by Fletcher, who is in treatment out of state for a variety of issues.
The Nathan Fletcher Scandal
On Tuesday, the board had the options of a special election, an appointment, or an interim appointment and then a special election.
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Before the board voted on Tuesday, there was an extensive public-comment period, with support pretty evenly divided between holding a special election and having the board fill the seat with an appointment. At one point, one commenter was given three warnings by board chair Nora Vargas, then finally escorted out of the room.
At a little before 1:30 p.m., the board began to discuss its options. Vargas, a Democrat, as is Fletcher, quickly made a motion to start the special election process, saying she could not support an appointment process because of the length of time left in Fletcher's term: "We do have the funds to be able to do the special election."
From across the aisle, Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond seconded Vargas' motion.
"I don’t think the four of us, none of us live in that district, none of us should be saying who should be representing those people in District 4," Desmond said, adding later, "If we can spend $2 million on Nathan's security detail, we can spend money on [a special election]."
After the meeting, Supervisor Desmond's office released a statement reiterating his support for holding a special election to replace Fletcher.
"It’s important for the 700,000 people that live in District 4 to decide directly who will represent them for the next three years. The people that live in this district deserve to have their voices heard," the statement reads.
"A special election will ensure that the residents can evaluate and compare the candidates, their positions, and their qualifications rather than be decided by four politicians outside District 4," Desmond's office added.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, a Democrat, said, "We have two terrible undemocratic options in front of us today," saying she was inclined to support Vargas' motion, but not if there was only going to be a 10-15% voter turnout.
After some discussion of Lawson-Remer's concern, the board voted, unanimously, to hold the special election.
The first round of voting in the special election will take place by Aug. 15, and if no candidate receives a majority of the vote, it would go to a general election, which take place by Nov. 7.
Fletcher was one of the most powerful politicians in the county when he announced March 26 that he was entering a treatment center outside the state for post-traumatic stress, trauma and alcohol abuse, and was abandoning a planned run for state Senate. It was unclear Tuesday whether Fletcher was aware of the board's decision.
According to a statement from his office, "Fletcher is unable to respond due to the fact he is in treatment."
On March 29, he announced his resignation from the Board of Supervisors effective at 5 p.m. May 15, saying he would complete his treatment program before leaving the board. His announcement followed a tumultuous day in which he admitted to the extramarital affair.
