The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board interviewed four of the candidates in the San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1 race ahead of the March 3, 2020, primary election in which the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election in November. Below is the transcript of our Oct. 29, 2019, interview with Nora Vargas, who is running to succeed Greg Cox in a district that represents residents in Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and National City. This interview was transcribed using the digital transcription service Temi and checked for accuracy by a staffer. To call any errors to our attention or to ask any questions about our interviews, please email matthew.hall@sduniontribune.com with the subject line “election interviews.”
Union-Tribune: So thanks for joining us. Tell us why you decided to run for supervisor this year.
Nora Vargas: Well, first let me just say that I’m really happy to be here. I, last time I was here was for the Immigrants Who Make a Difference in the County story and I was featured in that story and my dad, um, still has a copy of it and shares it with everybody. So it makes us really proud. So thank you for the great work... I’m an immigrant. I was raised in the South Bay in District One and I went to Montgomery High School and Southwestern College and I have been very active in my community for about 30 years in numerous capacities. I’ve served a member of Congress. I’ve worked with the California Legislature, I’ve worked at the local level. I currently serve as the vice president of community and government relations for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, the largest reproductive health care provider in the region.
And I’ve been on the board of Southwestern College since 2013 and I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it is getting for our students and for our communities to basically survive in our region. It’s, um, harder and harder to live with one job, right? We have, we see students, who are sleeping in their cars, faculty members who are also, you know, don’t have homes. Uh, we know that our transportation issues for our district are getting harder and harder because it takes long time to get from San Ysidro to Chula Vista or anywhere else. And the County has an opportunity to really have an impact in the future of the County and what we’re doing. And I decided that it was time, um, after 25 years or so for the County to have someone who can represent this community, who’s from the community and who has the expertise, not only at an executive level, but also the organizing experience of bringing people together to be able to advance... a much more... an agenda that really is going to be representing the communities that we serve. And so I started my campaign about a year ago and it’s been a really exciting opportunity to see the number of people who are coming out and supporting the work that we’re doing. And, um, you know, I think we really do as a County need to focus on creating a plan that is a families first equity action plan to really focus on the issues that are impacting the district. And I want to be the person who does that work on behalf of District One.
Meet other candidates in the race below.
The candidates running for San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1 are Rafael Castellanos, state Senator Ben Hueso, Sophia Rodriguez, and Nora Vargas.
Q: What do you think of the job that Greg Cox has done?
A: You know, I’ve had an opportunity to work with Supervisor Greg Cox. I think that we have, um, there’s a lot of good things that he’s done, but I also think there’s a lot of more work that we could do. You know, this county, uh, unfortunately it takes five votes to, uh, move the county forward. And we’ve seen that the reality is that the priorities of the communities that are underserved and in indigent communities have really not been a priority. Right. There’s been some programs that have been working, but I think there’s more we can do. We are leaving a lot of money in on the table, right? We have a $6 billion budget, $2 billion budget reserves. And in addition to that, according to the CPI and some of the other work, uh, you know, organizations that are doing the research are leaving roughly about a billion dollars when it comes to the services that we should be providing on CalFresh, CalWORKs, and Medi-Cal. And those are, those should be our priorities. And there’s some outreach that’s being done, but I think we could do better. And I think that, you know, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has done a really exceptional job in a very short amount of time and pushing this county to really do what it’s supposed to be doing, which is really providing the services for the communities. And I think that together we can take it up a notch.
Q: Any particular services or programs that you would prioritize?
A: Yes, absolutely. So health and human services is the biggest component of the budget for the Board of Supervisors. $2.2 billion, right? And out of all the candidates, I’m the only person who has that expertise in health and human services. We don’t know, uh, what healthcare is going to look like depending on the presidential race and, or some of the changes that Governor Newsom is proposing. And so we need somebody on the Board of Supervisors who understands the importance of advocating for increased Medi-Cal rates, right? So that we can have more partners in the community, number one, we have to make sure that not only, um, people have access to CalFresh, but we de-stigmatize the access to some of these resources because we are actually sending money back to the federal government and this is money that we should have, um, in our communities, right? That we should make sure that people have those resources. We’re under enrolled in CalFresh and CalWORKs and I do want to make sure that we’ve used the current infrastructure that’s in place to be able to, um, do this work, right? We have school boards and you know, those are safe spaces for parents and for our young people to be able to get access. And so I think there’s a lot that we can do to make sure that those specifically around health and human services that we could be doing a lot more work to be able to ensure that people have access to those resources.
Q: Fletcher and Desmond have gotten good marks, especially Fletcher, but the fact is you still have County leaders in place who thought their response to hepatitis A was great. So do you think you need to change the staff?
A: I think one of the first things that we need to do is make sure that we prioritize the staff of the County, right? So it’s not just the administrators, but you know, I would absolutely look into the leadership and, but in the end it’s really the board of supervisors that should be leading the way. It is our vision. And I’ve been a member of a governing board and I’ve been a member of an executive team at Planned Parenthood and I serve on CalSTRS. It is our role and our responsibility to create, you know, those priorities and identify what those values are, right? As elected officials, our budgets should represent our values and our priorities for the district. And the staff is supposed to implement those priorities. And that’s what’s what, what has been doing, right? That staff has been implementing the priorities of a very different board of supervisors. I know that together with Supervisor Fletcher and, uh, we can actually make a difference and really prioritize the things that matter to District One. And I’ve done it before and I know that I can do it again
“We need somebody on the Board of Supervisors who understands the importance of advocating for increased Medi-Cal rates.”
— Nora Vargas
Q: Since you mentioned CalSTRS, I might as well bring up CalSTRS. In 2014, the legislature adopted the bailout for CalSTRS and it rapidly increases the amount that districts have to pay in a way that many districts right now are saying is unaffordable. In the meantime, every time we run editorials saying CalSTRS is still underfunded, we get letters to the editors from CalSTRS like retirees, who say, well, they never say that. All we ever get is stuff saying how great CalSTRS is doing. And so I went on the CalSTRS webpage. And in fact if you go on the CalSTRS webpage, you wouldn’t get a hint that their fund may be underfunded and face trouble meeting future obligations. So as a member of the CalSTRS board, what do you say to this criticism that CalSTRS is putting out rosy scenarios that don’t tell its pensioners the reality?
A: Well, I’m not sure that I would call it rosy scenarios. I think what I would say is that what we are doing is that we have a plan in place to be able to meet, um, the very clear expectations that the legislature has, you know, created for us. We do an annual report where we have to report back to, uh, all the, you know, the legislature about where we are at and we right now are set to meet our, our goals by the 2040 deadline. And so I am confident, you know, we are institutional investors, we are long-term investors. The market has been doing very well, but we are prepared for recessions and we’re preparing for everything because our first priority is to make sure that their teachers and their beneficiaries have the pensions that they deserve, that they worked so hard for. So, you know, we have very smart people, uh, who are doing this work everyday to make sure that we meet our goals.
Q: So bringing that same question over to the County... the County has been very proud of its financial footing. You mentioned it has a very large reserve. How big do you think the county’s reserve should be... is it too large?
A: I do think it’s too large. I mean, the fact is that, you know, $2 billion in reserves, um, you know, saving it for a rainy day I think goes against the fact that we actually are in a situation right now where, you know, we have, you know, 8,000 people are homeless in the County of San Diego. You know, 4,000 of them are unsheltered, you know, we have a housing crisis in our communities and the County could be doing better. Right. We have you, when it comes to mental health, we have, you know, we’re supposed to have 1600 beds and we only have about 700. And there’s a vote that’s going to happen today about whether or not we have 60 more beds. Uh, I think we have a responsibility as a County to really, you know, uh, use some of those resources. And, and I’ve been working very closely with Invest in San Diego families to make sure that, um, the different groups that are engaged, right, the community stakeholders are part of the discussion about what should we be doing with these resources while still continuing to be solvent. And you can do that, you can do that. Right? So, you know, one thing that I’ve said to folks before is, you know, when I voted to divest from private prisons at CalSTRS we did it before CalPERS did it. You know, we did it after a very methodical process of trying to figure out how was this going to impact the fund. Right? And that’s what you do. You do the research, you do the work, you get, you make sure that you have the background information. You still need to be solvent to be able to manage the budget, but you can still use additional dollars to be able to, to do the work that needs to be done.
Q: On the private prison vote... I read, I haven’t seen... I don’t make a habit of watching CalSTRS meetings. Some do... But the chief investment officer had a report on it that said that you could be seen crying as you discussed... along with a second member of the board... as you discussed, your pending vote to divest from two companies whose facilities have used immigrant detainees... I guess my question for you is, you know, there are two types of politicians. I guess there are many types of politicians, but you could say that there are those that wear their emotions on their sleeves and those that are a little more distant and um, aloof, not in the negative sense, but why was that vote so emotional for you? And are you the former kind of politician that is really emotionally invested in these things? I mean, you don’t see politicians crying every day.
A: Well, unless you’re Lorena Gonzalez... both of us cry. So I would say to you that I can only be my authentic self and I am somebody that, um, for the last three years have dedicated my life to my community. Um, if when that vote was taken was when we were first seeing the images of children in cages and to have the power, you know, and the access to be able to sit somewhere and make a decision that I knew was going to have an impact in our communities meant a lot to me. And it makes me emotional when I talk about it because how is it possible that in the fifth largest economy in the world, children are hungry and, um, people are treated inhumanely and I’ve been working very closely, very closely with our asylum seekers and with our refugee communities in, um, for almost 30 years. So for me, this is personal. This is about our communities. This is about black and brown children who are being, you know, um incarcerated and I don’t do this because I’m a politician. I do this because I’m a public servant. I do this because I believe that government can work for people. I believe that government actually should be there for our communities. And for many years, our communities haven’t had a voice, right? We don’t get to actually do the advocacy work. And so it’s a very personal issue and everything that I do, I do with that in mind, that there are people that are working two jobs... trying to figure out how to take care of their children and I have the privilege and the opportunity to sit on a board where we manage, you know, close to $240 billion in our assets and I can make tough decisions that are going to have an impact in the future of our young people in our communities. And to me that is something that makes me very proud.
Q: Supervisors had a role in setting up migrant family shelter here in San Diego. Our board editorialized on that early on... not sure, maybe we had a role in making that happen. Um, lease is up at the end of the year. We’ve remained in Mexico. That shelter is getting used far less. Do you support continuing it, uh, going forward or do you think that the County should re-examine...
“I believe that government can work for people. I believe that government actually should be there for our communities.”
— Nora Vargas
A: So you know, I was part of... from the initial conversations I’ve been part of the Rapid Response Network from before it actually got created, right. Uh, in my capacity as a vice president of Planned Parenthood, we do a lot of community work, community engagement. And we knew that this was an issue that we needed to address because of the national policies that were being, uh, that were impacting our communities. And because of the school board. And, um, I was there when I got the call when people were being dropped off at the buses and trying to figure out how we brought in, you know, San Ysidro Health Center and Jewish Family Center and all these other organizations. Um, I still think these are all band-aids. These are not real solutions. I think that there’s a lot of work to be done at the national level so that we can really make sure that people understand what the differences between asylum seekers and refugees and they have a right to be here. What do we do to make sure right that we are creating these partnerships and the federal government is doing their job and making sure that people are taken care of, I think it’s a humanitarian crisis and I applaud the County for doing what they did. I mean, I went and I spoke before the County doing this work, but I think, um, we’re creating, you know, again, band-aid solutions to problems that we really need to be addressing... So putting some pressure at the federal government on this.
Q: So you think the shelter there should continue or...
A: I do.
Q: I’m always struck when I talk to Latino politicians about their social justice advocacy and the fact that very few relatively are on the front lines of the educational forum. Gloria Romero, the former Senate majority leader was ostracized by the Democratic party in 2010 when she ran for state superintendent of public schools calling for education reform. So we’ve got Lorena who’s a complete dynamo, getting so much done, but who never says anything about education even as her colleague Shirley Weber, you know, fights for reform. So where are you? Are you one of the people who like parcels it out and says I’m for social justice on this, but education hands off.
A: No, I think education is the bridge, um, to a better life. You know, I mean, I’m an immigrant. I went to... English is my second language. You know, I went to a community college and I went to a community college for three years. Right. I didn’t, you know, I... then I transferred to a university and it has, it has changed my life. Right? I believe that the only way that our communities are going to be able to advance is to be able to have those opportunities for education. And I have to tell you, I wasn’t the favorite of many groups because I really did support the governor’s, uh, funding formula change that happened at the community colleges. There was a lot of folks who were opposed to the new funding formula because they felt, uh, that, you know, it was going to put a lot more pressure on faculty. And you know, I did with faculty, what I do with any of my constituents is I sit down, I have conversations. I never blindside people. I’m very transparent and their job is to hold me accountable. But I said to them, we have to try something different because what we have is not working. Even though you know, we have at Southwestern College increased our transfer rates by about 70% to four year universities. We’ve done a lot of the work. We still have a lot of our students stuck in the system, right. That are not, you know, moving forward. And so we have partnerships with Sweetwater Unified school district. We are trying to make sure that we look at doing this work in a different way because it’s not okay that it’s taking longer and longer for young people to be able to graduate.
Q: Yeah, we thought Brown was great to try to say you have to focus on outcomes. You can’t just throw money at stuff. But of course the irony is he’s opposed to that for K to 12. So I don’t know it’s like a social justice stand for the governor ...
Q: Let me ask about Southwestern College as a trustee...Um, about three or four weeks ago we gave them... we give out cheers and jeers every week and gave them a jeer cause they had a really terrible week. They had a discrimination lawsuit filed against them, which was a bad look for members of the LGBTQ plus community and a professor resigned because... some photos, uh, that he had... a bad look for women and a black student was handcuffed... a bad look for minorities. As a trustee, do you feel like you’re, um, creating a culture of community and acceptance there? Was that just a bad week? What, what’s your role and what’s the trustee’s role there in terms of ...
A: So as a governing board member... I mean... I take full responsibility to making sure that every student who is on our campus is treated with fairness. You know, that they feel that they are welcome and that hasn’t always been the case. And so we, uh, I’m one of five trustees and we’re working really hard to change and shift the culture of Southwestern College. You know, we have a new president who’s been there two years. I’ve been there now since 2013 and we’ve had two presidents. And the reality is that moving a ship, like higher education I think is very similar to trying to move the County, right? It’s, there’s a culture ingrained in some of these institutions and for me it’s really important to make sure that we prioritize. And so we’ve added additional resources. We have a superintendent that we’re holding accountable, uh, you know, human resources vice president that has to make sure that, um, we have the tools that we need so that people are held accountable and treated fairly and equitably. And so we are doing the hard work. We’re rolling up our sleeves and we’re finding things that... You know, we have investigations and we’re making sure that they’re getting closed and, and our job is to hold the president and superintendent accountable to make sure that these things are getting done. And, um, you know, it’s not an easy thing to shift culture, but it’s also not okay to say that it’s going to take three to five years to change. Our children, our young people don’t have that time. Right. Our students, you know, when I talk about food insecurity and I talk about transportation issues and housing... Our students, they need this now. And so for me, that’s why I decided to run for the board of supervisors because I think it’s how do we address these... Issues now.
Q: You segued into my follow up question. That’s a great example of a culture that has issues. They’re trying to be resolved. It’s not happening fast enough as some would like. So how would you speed things along at the County, given your background and kind of where you’ve come from, how would you help that happen faster...
“We have to bring back the county into the communities, meet people where they’re at.”
— Nora Vargas
A: You know, so out of all the candidates that are running, um, I’m the only one that has experience on both sides of the table, right? So I’ve been on the side where I’m actually an executive for an organization that’s a $70 million organization. So the numbers are a little bit smaller, but yet you get direction from a board of directors and an executive, right? Uh, that is leading the charge to make sure that we are providing healthcare services for our communities. And I’ve been on the other side of the table as a governing board member and, or a CalSTRS member. I get to work directly with the chief executive officer to be very clear about what our values are and our priorities are. So the first thing that I’ve done in any of these roles is really make sure that we have an overall vision of who we want to be and what we want to be, right? ... And how are we going to accomplish that. So it’s not just creating a plan to say, this is, we want to be the best San Diego ever, and we want to have a... you know, an equity plan for our communities. But it’s really about, you know, what are the, what are the measurable goals that we’re going to accomplish and how do we use data to make sure that we are, um, meeting what the County is supposed to be doing, which is really providing services in our communities for those that need it the most. And I feel very confident that it’s the work that I can do. And holding, you know, accountability to you know... being transparent is critical and important and making sure that we’re holding everybody responsible to meet with, um, stakeholders. If you ask most people in the communities, people don’t know what the County does, right? They don’t even know that the beautiful building that we have is a County building in the middle of, you know, 1600 Pacific Highway. And so we have to bring back the County into the communities, meet people where they’re at, and really make it about ...this is the place where you go when you have a need, right? And it’s really us, a place that’s going to provide you the services and access to services that you may need while you’re trying... in transition to where you need to be. Um, and I feel... And I know and I’ve done this work before, right? And I can tell you stories of people like... Knew this at Southwestern College who was a homeless woman working, uh, who was living in her car after her rent increased by $250 in Imperial Beach. And she could only pay for it for up to like three months after that she ended up sleeping in her car with her daughter. And if it wasn’t for our food pantry, if it wasn’t for the wraparound services that were available for her, if it wasn’t for the fact that she was able to connect to medical, certain medical services, um, she wouldn’t really be able to get back on her feet. Right. Cause that’s what people want. Nobody wants to be in, stay in sort of using, um, access to services for the rest of their lives. People need to have access to them so that they can get their feet off the ground and then keep doing, you know, having a good quality of life. And so she did and got to give her her diploma... During the summer. And it was a fantastic feeling and you know, and I wanna, you know, multiply that because we can do that. We can do that in this County. We just haven’t made it a priority.
Q: The city... the region’s experiencing a mental health crisis and it manifests itself in a lot of people out on the street, as you mentioned. There’s people, like you mentioned, they just can’t afford next month’s rent. There’s a large number of them that are on the street because they have a mental health crisis. So how do you think that, how do you assess where the County has been, where it’s going?
A: You know, I think, you know, they’re taking a vote... the supervisors are taking a vote today. Um, and it was really, you know, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher prioritizing, you know, County land to make sure that we’re being able to provide, you know, another location for hospital beds. And I think that that’s the kind of leadership we need. We need to be able to be creative. You put our land use to good use and do what our mandate is to really provide, you know, health care, mental health care... access to our communities. And so like I mentioned before, there’s about what 1600... there’s a need for 1600 beds in this County. We have about 700 right now. Um, there’s a lot of discussion. You know, we only have beds in... Paradise Hills are the only ones, uh, hospital are the only ones in, in the South Bay. So there’s a need across the County. And there was... And I know there’s a lot of controversy about where we build our mental health facilities, but the truth is, is that we need to address the issue of destigmatizing mental health in our communities... our communities of color, particularly, we don’t talk about it, right? People don’t, it’s not common to go to therapy. How do we make sure, how are people going to be diagnosed if people don’t have access to healthcare? So I think it’s really looking at this from a really like a wraparound services. You know, this concept of a hub where you’re able to come in. That Supervisor Nathan Fletcher is recommending, I think that’s how we do, do this and do it better where you can come in, we really get into the, the why of somebody’s being homeless. The why of somebody, you know, why are they in mental distress? Is it, you know, PTSD is it, uh, you know, domestic violence issues, veterans issues, what are the issues that got you to where you are right now? And how do we help you get the services that you need so that you can, um, continue on and transition into, you know, your communities again. And so it’s, it’s a multiprong issue in my, uh, perspective and one that has to be a partnership with communities. So we have, you know, we talk about mental health and then we talk about homelessness in a different separate area. And then we talk about housing in a different way. And I think all of them are really combined, right? I mean, many of the folks that we talked to around the mental health issues are folks... many of them have come.... there’s a lot of poverty. There’s a lot of not having access to basic healthcare. So I think it’s important that we look at it from a bigger, a bigger lens.
Q: In 2004, The Public Policy Institute of California put out a report about affordable housing programs and basically said they’re for show, they don’t solve the problem... they amount to lotteries. In 2015, Governor Jerry Brown said affordable housing programs... amount to show that don’t solve the problem. And the answer is vastly increasing housing stocks by making it easier to build homes. And yet over the last four years, Toni Atkins and others have quadrupled down on affordable housing programs that amount to lotteries in which only a handful of people get homes. So where are you? Are you one with Jerry Brown who says no, we’ve got to do all we can to jumpstart housing or do you believe affordable housing programs that have a history of failure in terms of solving the problem are the way to go?
A: I would say both and... there’s a couple of things. First, we absolutely need, you know, to build more housing. I mean, I do think that we do need to build more housing, but I believe that we need to build...anybody that tells you... oh, there’s one plan to be able to create a housing solution for this County. Um, doesn’t really understand the complexity of this issue, right? Because we need housing that’s affordable, right? For our teachers, police officers, working families, we need housing that’s available for those that are using Section Eight and vouchers. I mean, there is a, you know, years before you can get into any of those homes right now. And so what do you do in the meantime? Right? And so how... it has to be a balance. Making sure that people who are renting these homes get some incentives to be able to prioritize, uh, renting to folks who are in Section Eight. And you know, we know that the legislation just passed in California and we already hear these stories particularly I’ve heard about Los Angeles where they’re actually, you know, the city of Los Angeles is moving forward with resolutions to make sure landlords don’t start evicting people because they’ve already started evicting people before the January deadline. And so that’s where the leadership of a board of supervisors can really take effect, you know, and saying, you know, this is not going to be acceptable. We have to make sure that we have enough housing, that we have affordable housing, right? Housing that’s affordable. And we have to make sure that we find ways to work with landlords and developers to address this issue. Because, you know, what happens is we start building like we’re doing in Chula Vista and it’s these luxury homes that everybody’s very proud of. And you know, we do want to have more housing built in these areas. But the reality is that, you know, I went to a meeting where they said, you know, you’re going to have access to a yacht. Well, the working families of South Bay really don’t need access to a yacht. What they need is access to actual homes, right? One of the biggest things that you’ll find in the South Bay is there’s a lot of intersectional intergenerational living, right? So, you know, like I take care of my dad, I, you know, my sisters and I, we all figure it out together. You know, um, that’s what’s happening in the South Bay. You have families living together because it’s... our seniors are living longer and it’s harder for them to find resources for them to be able to access those services. You know, they help with childcare because childcare is too expensive in our communities. And then you have people like me in the middle who are the sandwich trying to put everything together to make sure that people are surviving and thriving. And so for me, when you talk about housing, it’s not either or, right? And then there’s the red tape we talk about, you know, it’s hard to build sometimes in different areas depending on where you are. And so, um, it’s a much more complex issue and one that I’m willing to tackle on firsthand with numerous people.
Q: I completely agree with you. I know how complicated it is, but it’s also bizarre that the state of California. the County of San Diego... don’t follow what’s worked in other places. In Tokyo, they have dormitory style housing in which young professionals share kitchens and bathrooms and they’re very popular and they’re much cheaper than the norm. In Japan and in great Britain, about 50% of new construction is prefab, which is so much better than it used to be. So why don’t we have prefab be the default for accessory dwelling units? Why don’t we just drop those prefab homes in backyards across the County or in churches like they want to do? Seems to me the County sticks to the narrow when there are other solutions that other countries, other cities are using to great effect.
A: The density issue, a really important issue, right? Multi-use, all of these things. But there has to be also additional funding for infrastructure, right? So people talk about building, but where are they? Where are we building that? Is it, you know, do we have, we’re trying to reduce our carbon footprint. How do we do that? How do we make sure that the houses that are being built are close to jobs and how do we bring those jobs into the South Bay and our communities? And I think that’s the role of the board of supervisors in partnership with the cities, right? Because the uniqueness of the board of supervisors is that you have all these, you have 18 cities throughout the County, specifically in the South Bay. You have... you know, Chula Vista is the second largest city in the County of San Diego. You have National City and... District 8, right? Which is all the way to the border. And so, you know, how do we make sure... The city of Coronado, the city of Imperial Beach, how do we make sure that we’re working together to make sure that we’re advancing a regional plan on each of these issues, but they’re not just regional plans. We’re coming and we’re meeting, but really doing something, making like the tough choices and tough decisions. And I will say, right, I mean, what some of what we’re seeing at SANDAG right now is as a result of the legislation that, that, you know, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez carried. And that’s what we have to do. We had to have bold ideas. We had to be able to shake the system up. If we wanted things to get done early. We cannot keep doing, you know, same old, same old cause our communities, you know deserve better.
Q: We’re seeing now a lot of houses burn in fires up and down the state. Where are you in terms of what the County should be doing in terms of building houses in fire risk areas?
A: Well, I mean, you know, we saw it with Paradise and we’re seeing it today, right? I think we shouldn’t be building in urban sprawls. I mean, I don’t think we should.
Q: So does that mean don’t build in the back country at all or...
A: I think if we’re going to build... I mean, you know, there’s a general plan that’s been created. Um, there’s a lot of work that was put into creating that general plan. There’s a mechanism to amend the general plan... that general plan. And I think it’s important to make sure that, that, um, you know, we are very clear about what is the risk that we’re willing to take. And I’m not comfortable with putting lives at risk.
Q: You have a position on this County measure the SOS measure that’s going to be on the ballot?
A: Yes. So I fundamentally understand why this initiative has been put on the ballot and I get it. But I do think that it’s a responsibility of the County to be making those decisions with the stakeholders. And there was a lot of time and resources invested in putting this general plan together and I’m not sure that this is the right solution. So I, you know, um, I don’t believe that, you know, making land use decisions at the ballot box is the right thing to do it, you know, it’s, we’ve seen what has happened in the state, the number of initiatives that come through. And so we’re legislating by initiative... it’s not, not how we should be doing this. We need to make sure we hold government accountable, that we’re really working to bring all stakeholders in and make the right decisions that way.
Q: What other issues in addition to housing, what are the other issues that are priorities in your district?
A: I think, you know, I think the health and human services issues around food insecurity is a huge issue in our district. There are, I think, what is it, 400 and can’t remember the number, 443,000, you know... People who are, you know, not having access to food in the County of San Diego, out of those, about 145,000 are young people, you know, kids 300,000 or so are adults. And so in District One, a lot of those communities, I mean, if people are really impacted and, and for me, I think that should be a priority for us. I mean, and there’s a lot more work to be done. I mean, the CalFresh program comes from the federal program, federal government. But I know that there’s more that we can do, right? Right now you get about anywhere between $15 to $100 a month to be able to purchase your food. I don’t know when the last time was that I spent only $15, $200... being able to buy groceries for a week, right? I mean that’s just... It can’t be done. And so how do we make sure that people have what they need to be able to have access to, to, um, to the services that are available for them. And, and we, right now as a County are under enrolled and we can do better and we should do better. So for me, that’s a priority. There’s no reason why in this County children should be going to sleep hungry. Absolutely not. We have to change that.
Q: One of the drawbacks to the CalFresh program, you just noted that $15... I’m hard pressed to find anybody who would be willing to go through all the effort... and it’s quite a bit of effort.
A: No, I know.
Q: They’ve made it a real challenge to go out to the building and stand in line and wait for your appointment and do all those things. And then they tell you, congratulations, you get 15 bucks. Is there some minimum they should say? I don’t know, something that actually you...
A: It’s the federal government, but you know, look, we are the lowest... In Med-Cal reimbursed Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, one of the lowest in the country, right in California. So we’re 48th or 49th in the nation. However, we were very creative as healthcare providers. We... not just Planned Parenthood, but many other healthcare providers and working with the governor and passing Proposition 56 to be able to allocate additional dollars to create a... healthcare safety net for those that are in need right now. We can do that as a County. We can work with, you know, we are one of the top 10 largest counties in the state. Why aren’t we looking together at what are the other initiatives that we can do? Right? So when you go to financial aid, why aren’t we changing the little box? The California Student Aid Commission can do that, right? So that you can just click on a box and anybody who applies for... who qualifies automatically gets it. Right now if you are a young child who is homeless as defined by the school district at Sweetwater Unified School District or any of the school districts, it’s a very different definition than the County. So there’s a lot of work that we can do very quickly where legislative changes that even though the federal government is, is the one that um, you know, is making the ultimate decisions. We can do things on the ground here in the County. We just have to prioritize them and, and really identify what those are, create those partnerships, build those partnerships with educators and our communities to make those changes happen really quickly, I mean, and people should not have to opt in. You should have to opt out. Instead what we do is we criminalize, um, access to services, right? One of the... We put a lot of money into making sure that people are not defrauding the system and what we should be doing is making sure that people are actually who need the services are getting the services right and, and that should be a priority for us as a County instead of going after people and trying to figure out, well is this real or is not real or can you show me documentation? You know, the reality is that as you said, it’s really complicated to go through a process to, you know, I don’t know when the last time you were in a Living Well Center, right? But if you go to the, to the Chula Vista Live Well Center. They’ve spent a lot of resources in there. You have to go in there and you go through a metal detector. There are security guards. It’s not a pretty place. People are hungry and people have needs and we need to change that. We need to make sure that we demystify and destigmatize the ability to get services because that’s what government is for. I mean we all pay into these taxes including the people who are asking for these services. Right.
“I’ve been working really closely ... on making sure that we try to build a four-year university in the South Bay.”
— Nora Vargas
A: What are your ideas about job creation?
Q: So, you know, one of the things that I’ve been a champion of at Southwestern College is really making sure that we have a solid workforce that’s competitive for the jobs of the future. And one of the biggest issues that we face with, with in the South Bay is that many of our students, we have to get them to a level of reading and math so that they can be competitive for those jobs. And so, you know, technology is extremely important, but we also have to make sure that we are retraining our communities for these new jobs. Or we talk about clean energy, we talk about, you know, climate action and you create a climate action plan and all these other different things. How do we make sure that we are retraining folks into all these new, um, these new, uh, industries so that they can be competitive as well. And so for me, it’s really a partnership between... You know, I serve on the, I’m a board member of the South County Economic Development Corporation. I’ve been a member for many years. You know, we talk about the blue economy, we talk about transportation, we talk about this, a lot of different opportunities and you know, the Otay Mesa, you know, industry, it’s an industrial zone and there’s a lot of opportunities there. People talk about building housing there, but the truth is if you have a conversation with people who are business owners in that area, what they want is infrastructure to make sure that we are getting additional businesses out in that area. It’s okay that it’s an industrial zone because that’s what it was created for. And I worked for the local member of Congress when we were doing that work. And how do we make sure that the County actually participates in that, right? We voted the County is not part of uh, the, the, the, what does it economic zone that was created in the area. How do we do that? How do we invest in, how do we make sure we’re prioritizing? So there’s a couple of different ways. Um, the other one is I’ve been working really closely as a governing board member on making sure that we try to build a four-year university in the South Bay and we have a task force and we’ve been, you know, has been a partnership and... And I would say, um, interesting partnership with the city of Chula Vista because there’s will, but I think there’s, you know, for me when they talk about bringing private institutions that are religious institutions, I have, you know, I want us to be very careful because what the last thing I want is for our students to be in debt by the time they leave, we need to make sure that our students have access to those programs and those opportunities for the future. But they also need to make sure that they can pay for them. Right. And so we’ve had conversations about being, you know, why not build a Polytech university in that area, right? Like Cal Poly... Cal Poly San Luis Opispo... where we actually are creating, you know, a hub for what the jobs of the future are. And what I always say is like, you know, we need to make sure that we’re looking at our students in our community from not a deficit model, but a model of they can do anything they want if they have the opportunity to really learn and to have access to these opportunities. And so I’ve been really excited about that work and um, and we need to do more.
Q: But I’ve been here since 2005 and I’ve heard this since, you know, basically 2005... people in the South Bay about the need for a university. So why can’t they be practical and do what others did? San Marcos was a auxiliary of San Diego State. It turned into a campus. Right now San Marcos has an auxiliary in Temecula that eventually is going to turn into its own campus. So why didn’t 14 or 15 years ago they accept the auxiliary of San Diego State down in Chula Vista as the seed for what would eventually become a full fledged SDSU. So that the thing I don’t get is that they go forward. They want, they want it all without taking intermediate steps that have worked elsewhere.
“We need to make sure that we’re looking at our students in our community from ... a model of they can do anything they want if they have the opportunity.”
— Nora Vargas
A: Yeah. So I agree with you, but I also know that... there’s been change in leadership at San Diego State University. There’s also been a lot of changes in leadership in the South Bay. I think you, you know, the South Bay that we have now with Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis and people like Lorena Gonzalez, you know... Georgette Gomez is not all the way to the South Bay, but also in that area. I mean, you have a very different vision of who we are and where we should be. And that was not always the case in the South Bay, right? I mean, you had... I remember working in the South Bay 25 years ago when you had no progressive Democrats in any of those seats, right? I mean we’re a Democratic district and so you didn’t have that and we didn’t have these ideas of how do we build more. It was always a South Bay was seen as sort of the stepchild of the County of San Diego. And you know, I’m really proud of who we are as a community because we’re a resilient community , we’re a community that has, you know, fought hard to try to get access to basic services when, you know... Our communities are very different than, you know... I remember... One thing that I never forget, right. We were making a big deal that we were having a new soccer field in San Ysidro at one of the schools when I remember, you know, traveling with the Congressman to, you know, areas in La Jolla where it was just what you do. You have, you know, areas to be able to play and all that good stuff. And so for me it’s really... Enough is enough. Like we really need to start thinking in a different way. So we haven’t been able to create a four year university with the college, with the, um, with the city of Chula Vista. And so what we’re doing right now is we are working at putting together a university center within Southwestern College. And so it’s part of our plan. You know, we had a $1 billion bond that our taxpayers provided us. And so we are actually using those resources to create a university center that is going to be modeling, you know, bringing in other opportunities and other colleges. And so we’re going to, it’s not separate from what Chula Vista is.... From what the bigger regional idea is, but it’s really let’s move forward with a center that actually starts bringing in opportunities for, for workforce development as well, now.
Q: This... Just explain that to me a little bit. Because I’ve heard about this idea, it was interesting to me. So there would be a... you’d partner with four year universities who somehow would be there on campus and my credits... tell me how it works.
A: Yeah, they will provide classes. So sort of like the, you know, how we do dual enrollment now with high schools. And so this would be with universities. And so we’re trying to identify who those partners are. We’ve actually talked about, um, having a partnership with, CETYS, the university in Tijuana because one of the things that people don’t talk about is the power of our binational community, right? We really are a global community and, and we really haven’t maximized our potential. And so, um, we are talking to... the programs at CETYS to try to figure out if maybe we can bring in some international programs around business, international business and, and things of that nature. And so it’s a very, it’s, it’s in the works. And Dr. Murillo, the president that we’ve hired is actually... executed a program like that in Lake Tahoe. And so, they just opened it up as well. And so it’s really that model and we’ve been to a couple of different places to see what that looks like. And, and we’re excited that this is an opportunity for us to do something different as we’re waiting...
Q: Somehow... like the four-year university opens a storefront on that campus, I go for two years to Southwestern, can I transfer my credits over? And so I got to get this four year degree from a four year university by half price... Sort of interesting.
A: Well, it’s an interesting model because I think there’s a lot changing in higher education across the state. If you look at the initiative to be able to provide bachelor degrees in community colleges... was something that was passed right... by Senator Block at the time and uh, it’s a great idea. But the challenge was that enough resources and the competitiveness and to like, so what jobs we’re providing, you know, and at Southwestern we provide some of the... we are, we actually produce some of the nurses... most of the nurses in the County. We also have all, you know, firefighters and our Police Academy. And so a lot of those services are being done there and it’s exciting to be able to look at things from a different lens
Q: Is this a program that’s being used anywhere else in California?
A: The model for the university center? I don’t know. In California there was some models I think in... Somewhere in Los Angeles... I think there’s some in an area in Los Angeles, I can’t remember what the name of the location was.
Q: Pretty cool potential partnership with Tijuana university.
A: Yes. Especially because, you know, we need to do... I think a lot more around the work that we’re doing as a binational region and really emphasize the power that we have as an economic engine on both sides of the border.
Q: How... one of the issues we’ve editorialized a lot about... and it seems like it’s gotten a lot more attention because of Mayor Dedina and others is... cross-border pollution coming across from Tijuana... what would you do to try to resolve that quicker, better?
A: So, yes. You know, I worked for the local member of Congress when we actually built the sewage treatment plan in the early 1990s. And we knew that that was only a piece of the puzzle. And so, you know, holding Mexico accountable was the largest piece of the puzzle. And so how we do that I think continues to be the big challenge that we have. You know, we’ve... I do think that this is a humanitarian issue. Like we really need to look at it from a global perspective. It’s not just, um, this is a contamination issue, but what’s happening in the border region, right? ...around sewage, air pollution, these are issues that we should be addressing from a bigger perspective. And I don’t think that we are, I think that we look at it as how do we make sure that our beaches are clean right now? It’s really the long-term implications of the work and you know, a lot of educating on both sides. And how do we bring additional resources maybe from foundations or groups to be able to help change that. And what you’re changing really is... The government of Mexico’s infrastructure and the need to really step up and do their part. And I know, you know, there’s been lawsuits and there’s additional dollars that have been brought in... But it’s going to take a concerted effort that is, goes beyond one mayor and, or one elected official, right. It’s going to have to be all of us together moving forward and trying to figure out how we solve this issue.
Q: With that in mind... Do you support the County joining these lawsuits? Should the County be...
A: Yes, absolutely. Yeah. But there has to be more, right? Suing is not the only, you know, the only option, it’s one of the options to be able to get to where we need to be.
Q: Let me ask you quickly about the jails and Sheriff Gore. How do you think of the job that he’s done? Obviously he’s been in the news for the wrong reasons. Jail deaths...
A: Yeah. I think there’s an accountability issue, right? I think Sheriff Gore really needs to talk about the why.... I’ve been to both... the County jail and I’ve been to Las Colinas and you see the difference in how, um people are treated and, and what needs to be done. I don’t, you know, one death is too many. There is no reason why people should be dying in our County jails. Uh, we need to address the issue of mental health. Uh, I don’t, you know, when I was working with the Sheriff’s department and going into these, um, and I did the, the actual walkthrough, one of the things that they mentioned is there’s a lot of people who come in with mental health issues, they’re taken care of for a little bit of time and then they end up, you know, going back out in the streets. And so it’s this revolving door and we need to address that issue specifically because I think it really does make a difference. And, uh, you know, accountability is key. I think there is no reason why anybody should be dying in our jails. And whether that’s training for police officers, whether that’s additional resources to make sure that people are trained to address some of these issues. Uh, I just, it’s, it’s really, I think, shameful.
Q: Thank you. Any other questions? Give us your 30-second close why voters should choose you.
A: You know, I grew up in the South Bay and I have seen how it’s harder and harder for communities to really just survive. And I’ve been working in government, you know, for many years as an advocate, as an organizer and somebody who has... knows how to get additional resources from the national, state and local level into our communities. But it was when my mom got really, really sick that we went to the County of San Diego and she was diagnosed with cancer and we were unable to get the services that she needed that I realized, you know, it was... it was this feeling of helplessness that I felt that I don’t want anybody else to feel, especially when we have, you know, $2 billion in reserves when we know that there are services that are available for our communities to make a difference. I want to make sure that those resources are available for our communities because it’s a safety net that should be available for everyone. And I really do believe that government should work for everyone, not just for a few. And the County can do better. We should do better. And we need to make sure that we are partnering with our communities and that we, you know, all stakeholders are at the table because it’s not okay that, you know, children are going to sleep hungry. That, you know, we have people living in cars and it’s not okay that in the fifth largest economy in the world, um, people are suffering. And so, uh, you know, we, we need to change this. We need to make sure that we shift our priorities and our budgets to make sure that our communities really get the resources that they need.
Q: Thank you.
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