Nora Vargas
# Nora Vargas

Nora E. Vargas (born 1970/1971) is an American politician serving as a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from District 1 since 2021. She was elected Chair on January 10, 2023. She is the first immigrant and first Latina elected to the body.

## Early life and education

Vargas was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in Southern San Diego County. She graduated from Montgomery High School then attended Southwestern College before transferring to the University of San Francisco where she earned a Bachelor's degree in politics. and graduate work in women's studies from Claremont Graduate University.

She has worked at various non-profit organizations and was Vice President of community and governmental relations at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the California State Teachers' Retirement System in 2015 and she served on the Southwestern College board.

## San Diego County Board of Supervisors

Vargas was elected to succeed longtime District 1 Supervisor Greg Cox in 2020, defeating State Senator Ben Hueso in the general election. The district includes Chula Vista, Coronado, and National City as well as the San Diego communities of Barrio Logan, San Ysidro, and Otay. She was sworn in on January 4, 2021, and selected to be Vice Chair of the Council.

### Electoral history

2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors primary election for the first district :

| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| Ben Hueso | Ben Hueso | 32,263 | 29.29 |
| Nora Vargas | Nora Vargas | 20,767 | 18.86 |
| Rafa Castellanos | Rafa Castellanos | 17,934 | 16.28 |
| Sophia Rodriguez | Sophia Rodriguez | 16,634 | 15.10 |
| Alex Galicia | Alex Galicia | 13,232 | 12.01 |
| Henry Belisle | Henry Belisle | 4,035 | 3.66 |
| Camilo Marquez | Camilo Marquez | 2,679 | 2.43 |
| Tony Villafranca | Tony Villafranca | 2,591 | 2.35 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 110,135 | 100.00 |

2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors general election for the first district :

| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| Nora Vargas | Nora Vargas | 131,783 | 56.58 |
| Ben Hueso | Ben Hueso | 101,133 | 43.42 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 232,916 | 100.00 |
