San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas has announced her decision to step down from the board at the end of her term, Jan. 6, 2025.
"Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term," she said in a statement Friday.
Vargas won reelection to the District 1 seat in November, earning 62% of the vote. The district includes Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, National City and San Ysidro.
Vargas’ office has not responded to requests for additional details about the security concerns. Public records show the county paid more than $38,000 for a month of services from Allstate Security for Vargas in October.
A spokesperson from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said in an email that there are "no known or active threats toward Chairwoman Vargas or any of the County Supervisors."
"In recent years, we have noticed an increase in contentious public meetings and less civility in general," they wrote. "Some of these interactions rise to the level of threatening behavior and criminal conduct. We investigate these incidents thoroughly and take appropriate action."
County Board of Supervisors meetings have become increasingly rowdy in recent years, with Vargas calling for a recess as recently as Dec. 10 due to a screaming person in the gallery during a contentious public speaking session regarding an immigration policy.
Earlier this year, a University of San Diego study found that nearly 70% of female elected officials in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties reported threats and harassment.
"Forty-six percent of the women who we surveyed said that they considered leaving public service as a direct result of the threats and harassment," said Rachel Locke, an author of the report. "That compares to about 39% of men."
Locke said the type of harassment women experience is different, too.
"Women tend to be harassed or threatened in ways that are much more about their appearance, about their family, and in ways that have much more of a sexual undertone to them," she said.
Despite the more frequent vitriolic disruptions at the meetings, Vargas said she was proud of the work she had done.
"Some of my proudest accomplishments include spearheading disaster response and recovery efforts, navigating the complexities of the pandemic, and driving systemic change so that our government serves all members of our community, not just a select few," Vargas said in her statement.
Vargas was elected to the board in 2020, replacing former Supervisor Greg Cox on Jan. 4, 2021. She is the first Latina to serve on the board.
She succeeded then-Supervisor Nathan Fletcher as board chair after his resignation amid scandal.
Vargas has been away from the board several times this year for unspecified reasons and has dealt with health issues resulting from nodules on her vocal cords.
What happens next is not entirely clear with her no longer being sworn in to the board in January. The two Democrats and two Republicans remaining on the board may be hard-pressed to agree to a temporary candidate to fill Vargas' seat, which could cause a snap election in 2025.
"I greatly appreciate Chair Vargas' service to the county and our community, and I hope she finds resolution to the challenges with which she is grappling," Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said in a statement. "As Vice Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, let me assure you that the work and new direction of the county will continue moving forward."
