As of Friday, there are four people who have shown interest in running to replace Chair Nora Vargas on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors at the end of her term.

Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson were sworn in for their second terms. Vargas did not attend the ceremony. Her former employees said they had not heard from her.

A special election would cost taxpayers around $5 million, similar to the special election held after Nathan Fletcher vacated his Supervisor seat in 2023.

The list of potential candidates in District 1 is getting longer, and the remaining four supervisors will meet next week to discuss next steps.

The county Board of Supervisors should approve a special election rather than a political appointment to fill the District 1 seat vacated by Nora Vargas, a candidate said Tuesday.

Re-elected San Diego County supervisors were sworn in Monday morning — with the exception of Nora Vargas, who decided last month not to serve her second term. Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson both took the oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony at the County Administration Center after winning second terms in November.

Terra Lawson-Remer will continue as acting chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, after a vote Tuesday to pick a new leader failed.

Vargas announced she was stepping down back on December 20th, just weeks after winning re-election, citing security and safety concerns