San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s office requesting a federal investigation into his fellow board members.
The letter concerns the retirement of a county lawyer, Claudia Silva, and ongoing litigation.
“While I acknowledge that these incidents remain unproven,” reads the letter, “the seriousness of the claims in San Diego County demands an impartial review to ensure public trust and transparency.”
The letter references an article that appeared in local news organization La Prensa, which claims that Silva’s firing came as the Board of Supervisors tried to quietly settle a wrongful termination lawsuit that alleges at least two of its members acted improperly, if not illegally.
Silva was reportedly given the choice to retire or be fired last week, according to the article, which goes on to claim that chair Terra Lawson-Remer terminated Silva in the hope of getting more amenable legal advice to settle a pending wrongful termination lawsuit that could disclose unethical behavior.
Every county supervisor except Jim Desmond attended the private meeting where Silva was given a choice to retire or be fired, the report says.
“The allegations outlined in the recent La Prensa report, combined with concerns about a wrongful termination lawsuit and the perception of unethical conduct, point to a pattern that warrants federal scrutiny,” Desmond said.
“I respectfully request that your office review the La Prensa allegations and consider an independent investigation to determine if any misconduct or violations of law have occurred.”
Citing anonymous sources, La Prensa reported that Silva’s exit, which was described publicly as a retirement, was actually a forced departure related to conflicts over the lawsuit filed against the county, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, and former Supervisor Nora Vargas.
That lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of ex-Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Michael Vu, claimed that Lawson-Remer and Vargas refused to support a plan that was already in place for him to succeed his retiring boss, CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer.
Vu claims he faced discrimination and was demoted with “a substantial cut in pay” after not agreeing to make another county official, Paul Worlie, the assistant CAO, at Lawson-Remer’s request.
Vu, who resigned last October, also accused the supervisors of defaming him in their responses to his allegations, which he said made him appear “unfit to practice his profession as a trusted high-level county executive and manager.”
Both Vargas and Lawson-Remer denied the allegations after Vu filed a legal claim last year.
Lawson-Remer said in a statement at the time, “This is not the first disgruntled employee who has filed a lawsuit when they did not get hired for a job.”
Vargas, who was also accused in the lawsuit of not supporting Vu because of his ethnicity, said, “I unequivocally deny making any statements that promote or condone discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or national origin… The allegations made against me are not only false but totally contradict my values and record of public service.”
Silva’s exit came shortly after a closed-session meeting regarding her job performance, which was not attended by Desmond. David J. Smith was appointed acting county counsel last month.
This story was updated Monday, August 4, 2025 at 2:36 p.m. City News Service contributed to this report.
