North County voters decide new county supervisor today

Voters in San Diego County’s District 5 will cast ballots today to select the next member of the Board of Supervisors. The race pits San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones against Kyle Krahel, a deputy chief of staff to Representative Mike Levin. The position is being vacated by Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond, who is leaving office after serving two terms.

The district covers a large area in North County, containing the cities of Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista. It also includes Camp Pendleton, agricultural land, forest land, and a portion of the coastline. Recent estimates place the resident population between 685,000 and 700,000. The region also encompasses the La Jolla, Los Coyotes, Mesa Grande, Pala, Pauma/Yuima, Rincon, San Pasqual, and Santa Ysabel tribal reservations.

The district includes numerous unincorporated communities where the county government provides primary services such as law enforcement and public health. These areas include Agua Caliente, Borrego Springs, Fallbrook, Lake Henshaw, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, Valley Center, and Warner Springs. The Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan body, but ideological differences have appeared in public discussions since 2020.

Jones, a Republican, has served as San Marcos mayor since December 2018. Before that, she spent 11 years on the city council. Raised in El Cajon and Ramona, she has lived in San Marcos for more than 30 years. She studied at Grossmont Community College and holds a real estate license. She has also served on the San Diego Association of Governments and other public agencies.

Jones says her goal is to cut costs and demand measurable performance. She stated that she would focus on lowering insurance rates for public safety and fire protection, providing practical housing, and rejecting unfunded mandates. She noted that the county budget has grown more than 40% over the last six years. As mayor, she created the city’s first efficiency department and identified over $1 million in savings. She plans to apply this model to the county to reduce overlapping functions.

Jones opposes Measure A, which would change the county charter and expand term limits. She calls the proposal self-serving politics and says it gives supervisors too much power to hire and fire key department heads. She also opposes Measure B, a $400 million sales tax increase intended to address the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis and boost funding for child care and public safety. She believes current leaders could find 5% in budget savings to cover the cost instead.

Krahel, a Democrat and Oceanside native, earned a government degree from Harvard University. He is a former county Democratic Party chair and has not held elected office before. His campaign lists climate, homelessness, housing, and transit as key issues. He told City News Service by email that programs failing to show results after a review period should be restructured or ended. He plans to begin with a line-by-line audit of the $9 billion county budget.

Krahel proposes a regional system for homelessness where cities share data. He supports using county-owned land and vacant buildings for shelters like Safe Villages and cabin communities, paired with on-site behavioral health care and job services. He wants to fast-track accessory dwelling units and reduce permitting fees to lower housing costs. He supports using Measure B funding to expand child care and ensure families are enrolled in Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

Krahel supports Measure A but opposes the provision allowing supervisors to serve up to three four-year terms. He wants an independent ethics commission, auditor, and budget analyst. He supports Measure B, calling the situation dire due to federal budget cuts, but wants strict public reporting on outcomes. He says the Behavioral Health Services and Planning and Development Services departments need improvement to reduce long wait times and permitting delays.

Desmond is running for the 48th Congressional District seat alongside Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member. The county’s Office of Evaluation and Performance Analytics has a 20-staff team and a $20 million budget. Jones said this office has produced no savings after five years. Krahel said he would hold the line on new county fees and make sure government makes life cheaper rather than adding another bill.