San Diego County Supervisors will call for Nathan Fletcher’s immediate resignation at Tuesday meeting
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The San Diego County Supervisors have announced they are holding an emergency meeting regarding Nathan Fletcher, and his upcoming resignation on May 15, 2023.
Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond was the first to publicly call on Fletcher to make his resignation effective immediately, explaining that Fletcher “should not be getting paid by taxpayers, and he should not be receiving medical treatment on the taxpayer’s dime.”
A growing group of bipartisan politicians have followed Desmond’s lead, and have also called for Fletcher to resign immediately instead of his preferred date of May 15.
The bipartisan group of politicians has resulted in Chair Nora Vargas to call for an emergency meeting on Tuesday, April 11th. During this meeting, Vargas will “introduce a resolution of no confidence on Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and request for his immediate resignation.”
In a statement, Vargas said, “It’s clear to me that in order to move forward with the business of this county and to meet the needs of the people we represent.”
Fletcher was one of the most powerful men in the county when he announced on March 26 that he was entering a treatment center outside the state for post-traumatic stress, trauma and alcohol abuse, and abandoned a planned run for state Senate.
On March 29, he announced his resignation from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors effective at 5 p.m. on May 15, following a tumultuous day in which he claimed to have had an affair with a Metropolitan Transit System employee. That employee was subsequently fired and has filed suit against him, alleging sexually assault and harassment. He denies the charges.
San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera also called for Fletcher’s immediate resignation, in accordance with what the treatment facility can allow for external communication.
“I urge Mr. Fletcher to resign as soon as his treatment allows him to,” Elo-Rivera said. “Doing so is an important step toward his taking responsibility for his unacceptable conduct and allowing the community to receive the representation it deserves.”
County Supervisor Jim Desmond, one of Fletcher’s most vocal opponents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, said it was unacceptable Fletcher would stay on the board and collect $25,000 from taxpayers in the quasi-resigned period through May 15.
(Above) Supervisor Jim Desmond joined KUSI’s Good Morning San Diego Monday to explain what impact a board resolution could have on the timeline of Fletcher’s resignation.
“While the Board of Supervisors does not have the ultimate power to remove Mr. Fletcher, this resolution will serve as a powerful statement for him to resign,” Desmond said in a statement Sunday. “Mr. Fletcher has let his constituents down and should no longer receive taxpayer funds.
“Also, given these circumstances, the search for a new Chief Administrative Officer should be restarted without input from Mr. Fletcher,” he said. “This is an important decision for the future of San Diego County, and he should not have any input in future decision-making.”
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Should Supervisor Nathan Fletcher be voted off the county board on Tuesday, the remaining Supervisors will have to decide how to fill his vacant seat. Every day that District 4 lacks an active supervisor is another day that one-fifth of San Diego’s population lacks representation in one of the county’s most powerful political bodies.
The Board of Supervisors has the option to call for a special election, which could cost millions of dollars, or to fill Fletcher’s seat via appointment.
(Below) Political Analyst John Dadian joined KUSI’s Rafer Weigel to discuss the likelihood of an appointment by the board.
