SAN DIEGO, CA (April 16, 2025) — In a sweeping and impassioned address delivered tonight from the heart of Balboa Park, Acting Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer unveiled a bold local agenda to defend democracy, protect essential services, and fight back against a national tide of authoritarianism, corporate capture, and federal collapse.

Speaking before a packed house at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Lawson-Remer’s 2025 State of the County Address called on local leaders and communities across the country to rise to this moment of democratic crisis — and offered San Diego County as a national model for resistance that is pragmatic, values-driven, and rooted in urgent, local action.

“When federal leadership fails, local government must lead,” said Lawson-Remer. “Standing-up to institutions that harm the public good — whether it’s Walmart or Washington D.C. — is one of our core duties.”

A Local Battleplan for National Crisis

Lawson-Remer’s “Local Battleplan” outlines specific, proactive strategies to confront federal dysfunction and protect San Diegans from the fallout of failed leadership in Washington. Among the new policies and proposals unveiled:

• Reinvestment of excess County reserves to strengthen public health, staff emergency labs, and respond to climate and disease threats
• A new Consumer Financial Protection Division — filling the gap as federal watchdogs are gutted by political appointees
• Expanded behavioral health care treatment through the “Care Before Crisis” plan — doubling addiction and behavioral health treatment slots to 32,000
• A new local revenue strategy to raise $1 billion annually for healthcare, housing, public safety, and child and elder care — with public audits and oversight
• Legal protections for immigrants, including San Diego County’s nationally-recognized Immigrant Legal Defense Program
• Litigation against corporate landlords and new policies to stop price-fixing, illegal evictions, and speculative rent hikes
• A proposed one-time transfer fee on the top 1% of real estate transactions to fund affordable housing for working families, seniors, and first responders
• A county-run Medicaid health plan to protect healthcare access for more than 900,000 San Diegans — and cut out profiteering insurance middlemen
• Lawsuits against polluters, Big Tech, and Big Pharma — holding corporations accountable for toxic waste, ghost guns, youth mental health exploitation, and the opioid crisis
• A proposed ban on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS) in all County purchases — and legal action against manufacturers

A Vision of What Local Leadership Can Be

Lawson-Remer, an organizer, economist, attorney and educator, grounded her remarks in her own struggles as a single mom, and the legacy of civil rights trailblazers like the late Leon Williams. She reminded San Diegans that the institutions and protections we now take for granted — from food safety to clean water, labor rights to fire codes — had to be won by people who refused to accept injustice as inevitable.

“This moment calls for courage and bold ideas,” Lawson-Remer said. “For us to imagine the world as it should be, and to fight to make the impossible, possible”

Lawson-Remer was elected to a second term in 2024 with a decisive victory over former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, affirming broad support for her progressive policy agenda. Now representing 3.3 million residents — in the nation’s largest border county — she is offering San Diego as proof that local governments can rise to the challenge, even as federal institutions falter.

Photos from the event HERE

Watch the entire address HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/4bkpCOcPfm

Read a full transcript of the speech HERE

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Initial reactions from prominent regional leaders and community organizers applauded Lawson-Remer’s speech. 

Mike O’Dean, President, Deputy Sheriffs Association: “San Diego County is losing deputies to other regions where the cost of living is lower, and housing is within reach. We can’t keep our communities safe if we can’t keep our deputies. Too many of our members are being priced out of housing in the very communities they’ve sworn to protect. Our sheriff deputies and our entire county workforce need and deserve affordable housing. If we want to recruit, and more importantly retain the best, we need to make sure deputies can afford to live here.”

Tamera Kohler Chief Executive Office, Regional Taskforce on Homelessness: "Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer offered a clear and courageous vision for how local government can lead — even when others fall short. Her unwavering commitment to what works — housing, prevention, and coordination — gives us hope. In this moment of crisis, we’re proud to stand with her to build a San Diego where everyone has a place to call home."

Erin Hogeboom, Director, San Diego for Every Child: "Supervisor Lawson-Remer understands that strong communities require bold investments in families and care. We applaud her leadership and are aligned in efforts to find smart local revenue solutions to support services that San Diegans depend on."

Tim Ross, San Diego County Firefighters Union President: “When wildfires ignite or severe weather threatens our region, the residents of San Diego rely on our unwavering commitment — and we deliver, time and again. Yet true public safety requires more than emergency response tools; it demands strategic leadership, proactive planning, and sustained investment. These are the priorities Supervisor Lawson-Remer is steadfastly advancing. At a time when others are stepping back, Supervisor Lawson-Remer is reaffirming her commitment to what matters most: safeguarding public health and safety, and ensuring every family has the opportunity to thrive”

In response to the Supervisor's comments regarding federal Medicaid threats; Chris Howard, President & CEO, Sharp HealthCare: "Medicaid is the foundation of our healthcare safety net — and when it’s threatened, hospitals see the consequences first. Federal cuts to this lifeline would be catastrophic for San Diego families. We share Supervisor Lawson-Remer’s vision to protect access to care for everyone in our region."