As a third-generation San Diegan, Terra Lawson-Remer is proud to represent District 3 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. 

Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is an economist, attorney, grassroots organizer, and educator who has dedicated her life to working for social, environmental and economic justice.

Terra has served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama Administration, written award-winning research books, taught graduate students as a professor of public policy, and worked with the United Nations, World Bank, Amnesty International, and governments worldwide to advance sustainable development and economic inclusion.

Growing up in San Diego, Terra’s first job in public service was nearly 25 years ago, as a San Diego City Council staffer. After graduating from Yale and earning her law degree and PhD on a full scholarship to NYU, she worked around the world as an economist to create jobs, restart businesses, and generate economic activity after a crisis.

A passionate environmentalist, Terra helped the World Bank create its Climate Finance program, which funds billions of dollars of clean energy projects around the world, and worked to develop policies to cut pollution from oil drilling and mining as a Senior Advisor in the US Treasury Department under the Obama Administration. 

Terra was elected by a wave of grassroots support in November of 2020, and was sworn in to office on January 4, 2021, becoming the only LGBTQ+ member of the Board. As Supervisor, Terra Lawson-Remer is taking bold action and forging strong and effective working relationships with her fellow Supervisorial Board members and community partners.

Terra understands that the issues of transportation and traffic, affordable housing, and environmental sustainability in our County are inextricably interconnected, and must be addressed with a bold plan. That is why she was proud to author and pass a proposal for a Regional Sustainability Plan with the goal of achieving zero carbon by 2035. This made San Diego County the largest region in the Country to commit to the ambitious target. She is also advancing innovative solutions to address our affordable housing crisis.

Supervisor Lawson-Remer has also brought forward significant policy proposals to reform the region’s incarceration system to reflect Smart Justice best practices, including free phone calls for incarcerated individuals, and the expansion of Mobile Crisis Response Teams instead of armed law enforcement. She has spearheaded the launch of San Diego County’s new Immigrant Legal Defense program to protect due process of law.  She has fought for Small Business Relief Grants, rental and eviction protections for tenants, and a Youth Jobs Corps to tackle youth underemployment and provide good jobs in the green economy.

Terra lives in Encinitas with her young daughter, EevaKai. She is also a certified emergency medical responder (EMT), and in her free time, she takes kids on backpacking trips to teach teamwork, personal resilience, and respect for nature.