Paloma Aguirre

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I can’t surf Imperial Beach. I have to drive like 25 miles each way to go to the cleanest beach. The reason why I moved to Imperial Beach is — I don’t want to broadcast this — but it has the best waves in all of San Diego.

— Aguirre lamenting the pollution in Imperial Beach in 2024 [11]

On May 9, 2018, Aguirre announced her candidacy for a seat on the Imperial Beach City Council. [8] She was inspired to run for office by Imperial Beach mayor and Wildcoast co-founder Serge Dedina, whom she worked under at the non-profit. [5] [12] During her campaign in mid-2018, Aguirre engaged in a "very public spat" with Francisco Vega de Lamadrid, then-Governor of Baja California, accusing him of lacking the political will to fix the binational issue of water pollution. [5] [11] She was elected to the seat in November, finishing second (to incumbent councilman Ed Spriggs) in an at-large race that elected two council members. Aguirre became the first Latino member of the city council, despite Latinos making up over half the city's population; she said she felt "incredibly proud" of the distinction. Less than two months prior, a lawyer had threatened to sue the city for the at-large election system, claiming it disenfranchised Latino voters. [13]

On November 8, 2022, Aguirre was elected as the mayor of Imperial Beach with 45 percent of the vote, becoming the first Latino mayor in city history. [14] [15] To address the water pollution crisis, she pledged to pressure Mexican officials to fix an aging water treatment plant, to secure EPA funding, and to promote good relations with county public health officials. [4] Aguirre spent "much of her time in office seeking to wrangle money and other resources" to fix the sewage crisis and received praise for bringing both national attention and funding to the issue. [1] [16] She was a 2024 presidential elector for Kamala Harris. [17]

2025 San Diego County Board of Supervisors

On December 30, 2024, Aguirre announced her campaign to fill the District 1 seat vacated by Nora Vargas, who announced that she would not take the oath of office for a second term on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. During her announcement, she urged the EPA to designate the Tijuana River Valley as a Superfund site. [18] Aguirre later wrote a letter to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin to reiterate the request, [19] which was quickly denied. [20] However, in March 2025, she helped secure $156 million in federal funding to repair a critical wastewater treatment plant in San Ysidro. [21]

Within a week from her announcement, Aguirre was endorsed by more than 20 local elected leaders. [16] She was described as the most progressive candidate in the race and went on to receive the endorsement of U.S. Representative Mike Levin, State Senator Steve Padilla, the San Diego County Democratic Party, and various labor unions, [22] as well as organizations such as Equality California, [23] the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, [7] and the local Sierra Club. [24] On March 7, Aguirre received the endorsement of The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, which called her "the right candidate at the right time" and praised her for being "the most powerful and cogent advocate" in regards to the water pollution issue. [25]

Aguirre opposes the Trump mass deportations, saying: "We can keep our streets safe without losing our compassion or common sense." She pointed to her experience as a mayor of a border city and as a first-generation Mexican-American, stating: "neither I nor my constituents are falling for the cable news hysteria." Aguirre criticized his "harmful tariffs" as well as the pause on federal grants. [26]

Aguirre won the run-off election against Republican candidate John McCann and was sworn in at the Board's meeting on July 22. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hinch, Jim (January 9, 2025). "Imperial Beach Mayor Promises 'Good, Efficient Government' in Supervisor Bid". Voice of San Diego . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Robinson, Lucas (July 2, 2025). "Paloma Aguirre wins election for South County supervisor as John McCann concedes". San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Paloma Aguirre". City of Imperial Beach. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Emerson Smith, Joshua (December 25, 2022). "Three ways Imperial Beach's new mayor plans to tackle the Tijuana sewage crisis". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Malsbury, Erin (February 22, 2021). "2016 Knauss Fellow Paloma Aguirre: Conservationist, City Council Member and Pro Bodyboarder". California Sea Grant. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  6. Bajko, Matthew S. (October 3, 2022). "Political Notes: CA LGBTQ candidates among Victory Fund's record endorsees". Bay Area Reporter . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Paloma Aguirre". LGBTQ+ Victory Fund . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 McAllister, Toni (May 9, 2018). "Conservationist, Bodyboarder, Wildcoast Director Announces Run for Imperial Beach City Council". Times of San Diego . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  9. Soto, Julieta (December 16, 2024). "Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre named vice chair of California Coastal Commission". The Coronado News. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  10. Murga, Tammy (October 15, 2021). "State Coastal Commission's newest member joins with focus on environmental justice". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Udasin, Sharon (January 20, 2024). "Why a Mexican sewage treatment plant is sparking hope in Southern California". The Hill . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  12. Murga, Tammy (November 27, 2022). "Mayor Serge Dedina, a leading voice for the South Bay, returns to his environmental activism". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  13. Solis, Gustavo (November 7, 2018). "Imperial Beach elects first Latino City Council member". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  14. Murga, Tammy (December 8, 2022). "It's official: Paloma Aguirre becomes first Latina mayor in Imperial Beach". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  15. Zabala, Liberty (December 8, 2022). "Aguirre edges out Nakawatase in Imperial Beach mayoral race, results show". Fox 5 San Diego . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Hinch, Jim (March 11, 2025). "South County Report: South County Decides". Voice of San Diego . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  17. "November 5, 2024, General Election | Presidential Elector and Alternate Elector List for the State of California" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. October 4, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  18. "Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre throws hat in ring for supervisor seat". KPBS Public Media. December 30, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  19. Mueller, Pat (March 3, 2025). "Imperial Beach mayor pens letter to new EPA head seeking superfund status for sewage crisis". ABC 10News . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  20. Hill, Ryan (April 10, 2025). "Imperial Beach mayor's EPA superfund request for Tijuana sewage crisis denied". ABC 10News . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  21. Carroll, John (March 25, 2024). "San Ysidro wastewater treatment plant gets financial shot in the arm". KPBS Public Media . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  22. Keatts, Andrew (January 30, 2025). "Labor Council and county workers back Aguirre in supervisor special election". Axios . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  23. "Equality California Announces Upcoming Special Election Endorsements; Opposes SF Recall Effort". Equality California. February 20, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  24. Dawson, Danielle (March 4, 2025). "Meet the candidates running for Vargas' Board of Supervisors seat". Fox 5 San Diego . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  25. "Endorsement: Paloma Aguirre for county supervisor". The San Diego Union-Tribune . March 7, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  26. Alvarenga, Emily (March 13, 2025). "Q&A with Paloma Aguirre, candidate for District 1 county supervisor". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
Paloma Aguirre
Mayor of Imperial Beach Paloma Aguirre.jpg
Member of the
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
from the 1st district
Assumed office
July 22, 2025