A California official abruptly resigned Friday fearing for her safety.
Nora Vargas serves as chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, where she has represented District 1 since 2021. Vargas made history that year when she became the first Latina, first immigrant and first woman of color in the board's history.
Her district has more than 630,000 residents and includes cities including Coronado, Imperial, Beach, Chula Vista, National City and some communities in San Diego, including parts of its downtown area.
But on Friday, Vargas said in a statement to her Instagram page she will forgo a second term despite winning re-election last month with more than 62 percent of the vote.
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"Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term," she said. Vargas did not elaborate.
Politico reported that Vargas was the recipient of intense criticism online after she supported plans that would prevent county resources from being used to support federal immigration enforcement. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions beginning on his first day in office, and his "border czar" has threatened so-called "sanctuary cities" that won't help his effort.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office told Politico it knows of no active threats toward Vargas or any other county supervisor. Even so, a spokesperson for the office said they have seen "an increase in contentious public meetings and less civility in general."
"Some of these interactions rise to the level of threatening behavior and criminal conduct. We investigate these incidents thoroughly and take appropriate action," spokesperson Kimberly King said.
In November 2021, a speaker during the public comment period referred to a county public health official as "Aunt Jemima" and told another supervisor he'd like to see her "hang from a tree."
The man's comments came during a discussion about the county's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point, he told Vargas he "couldn't wait for her arteries to clog" and that Supervisor Nathan Fletcher should "kill himself."
