The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Wednesday identified a leading candidate in the national search for a new chief administrative officer, and will announce that person’s name once negotiations are concluded.
According to Chairwoman Nora Vargas’ office, the board voted after a closed session meeting Wednesday.
If approved at a future public meeting, the candidate will replace Helen Robbins-Meyer, who retired earlier this year. Sarah Aghassi, a longtime county official, has served as the interim CAO since Robbins-Meyer’s departure.
Vargas’ office said the board expects to make an announcement on the CAO position on June 4.
“I am excited that, as a board, we have unanimously reached this stage in the selection process, and I am confident that our chosen candidate will bring exceptional leadership and vision to San Diego County,” Vargas said in a statement. “I am looking forward to finalizing the agreement and introducing the new CAO to our community. We have a lot more work to do together to build healthier, stronger communities.”
Earlier this month, supervisors held a special closed session to find a permanent CAO, who acts essentially as the county mayor. The CAO’s office compiles the budget and keeps the county running day-to-day.
Robbins-Meyer retired in January after serving in the position since 2012. She first announced her retirement in October 2022, with a planned departure in late March 2023.
However, she stayed in her position following a political earthquake involving former District 4 Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. He resigned in May 2023 in the wake of sexual assault and harassment allegations involving a former Metropolitan Transit System employee, which he has denied.
Supervisors voted 4-0 in April 2023 in favor of keeping Robbins-Meyer as interim CAO for a limited time. Last September, the board restarted the CAO search.
On Jan. 9, supervisors selected Aghassi — previously deputy CAO with 18 years total experience in San Diego County government — for the head job while the recruitment process took place.
Information about the CAO recruitment process is at https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hr/cao-recruitment-process.html.
City News Service contributed to this article.