San Diego County has suffered a profound loss with Supervisor Nora Vargas’s announcement of her retirement from public service. Her decision, driven by safety and security concerns, is not only a personal tragedy but a public shame. Supervisor Vargas, a trailblazer and advocate for marginalized communities, has been an indispensable force in addressing housing shortages, public health crises, and environmental challenges. Her departure leaves a leadership void at a moment when her vision and expertise are needed most.

The circumstances of her resignation raise an unsettling question: how is it that the City of San Diego and the County Board of Supervisors cannot protect one of their most effective and valuable public officials?

Public service should not come with an unmanageable risk to personal safety. When those elected to serve are unable to do so without fear, it reflects a failure not just of governance but of the basic social contract between leaders and the institutions meant to protect them. Supervisor Vargas’s decision underscores an urgent need for both the city and county to reevaluate the security measures in place for public officials and take immediate steps to ensure their safety.

We call upon San Diego’s mayor and the County Board of Supervisors to respond publicly and transparently. What measures are being taken to address this glaring vulnerability? What assurances will be provided to ensure no other elected official is driven from service under similar circumstances?

San Diego residents and taxpayers deserve a government that can defend not only its constituents but also those who lead them. Anything less is unacceptable.

By Francisco Moreno Fimbres. Public Relations and Government Relations Executive at Grupo Calimax, former commissioner in Chula Vista, and former member of the extended cabinet of two mayors in Washington, D.C.