First results from District 1 supervisor race show McCann, Aguirre headed for runoff

Initial returns in a closely watched special election for a vacant seat on the county Board of Supervisors show that mayors of two South County cities appear headed to a runoff in July.

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre were leading a field of seven by comfortable margins.

McCann captured 43% of the vote and Aguirre 31% in the first batch of balloting. San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno was a distant third with just 13% of the vote.

If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two will head to a runoff on July 1.

The election was held just five months after voters had trooped to the same polls and re-elected former Supervisor Nora Vargas. But on Dec. 20, Vargas abruptly quit, leaving her seat vacant when the new year began and prompting supervisors to call  a special election to replace her. 

Aguirre, Moreno, McCann and Chula Vista City Councilmember Carolina Chavez were all seen as the top tier, and were joined by Elizabeth Efird, Louis Fuentes, and Lincoln Pickard. 

Key issues in the campaign were the cross-border sewage crisis, housing, economic development and cost of living issues. District 1 residents were bombarded with mailers and ads as candidates Moreno and Aguirre slugged it out.

Aguirre was endorsed by labor unions representing county workers and the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, an umbrella organization of numerous unions. 

Moreno was backed by a different union representing construction workers. That set up a bruising battle between the two Democrats. 

While the race is nominally nonpartisan, control of the Board of Supervisors — now split with two Republicans and two Democrats — hangs in the balance, as well as key issues affecting South County voters like homelessness, crime and the looming battle over a proposed landfill. 

McCann, a Republican endorsed by the county Republican Party, is expected to be one of the top two finishers. Aguirre is a registered Democrat who also secured the endorsement of the local party.

The vote count is expected to be updated again Thursday.