Supervisor Dianne Jacob was named chairwoman of the County Board of Supervisors for 2014 Tuesday in the Board’s first meeting of the new year.
Board members voted unanimously to appoint Jacob as chairwoman, Supervisor Bill Horn as vice chairman and Supervisor Dave Roberts as chairman pro tem for 2014.
Supervisor Greg Cox, who served as the Board’s chairman in 2013, said that the County had accomplished a lot in 2013.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors traditionally rotates the chairman’s position annually among the five supervisors.
Cox thanked the rest of the Board, county employees, volunteers and his staff before handing the chairman’s gavel over to Jacob. As new chairwoman, Jacob will outline the County’s 2014 goals at the annual “State of the County” address Jan. 29.
“Today at the dawn of a new year I’m very proud to say that 2013 was a very good year for the County of San Diego,” Cox said.
Just a few of the accomplishments Cox noted: providing for the health and safety of San Diego County’s 3 million-plus residents; maintaining the County’s stellar financial standing despite the slow national recovery from the great recession; continuing to keep the public safe and skillfully manage California’s public safety “realignment,” which pushed responsibility for thousands of state prisoners on counties; and continuing to advance Live Well San Diego — the County’s initiative to improve the health and lives of all residents — by enlisting the support of cities, schools, businesses and agencies.
“I want to thank you Mr. Chairman,” Jacob said to Cox before accepting the gavel, “you’ve done an outstanding job leading the Board of Supervisors for 2013.”
Jacob said Cox had also attained an unprecedented and important personal accomplishment in 2013 that would benefit the County and its residents— being appointed to the California Coastal Commission, the state agency overseeing various issues regarding the state’s coast.
“That is a great honor,” Jacob said, “for us and the County — not just the Board of Supervisors — for the entire region, to have you in that position.”
In addition to outlining the County’s goals for the coming year, the Board’s chairman or chairwoman becomes the official voice of the Board. They also preside over Board meetings, appoint other supervisors to various committees and field requests from the other supervisors to place items on the Board’s agenda.
