What does a Supervisor supervise?

Supervisor Jim Desmond

5th District

One of the questions I get asked frequently is, “What does a Supervisor supervise?” Many people aren’t sure what a County Supervisor does, so I wanted to explain a bit about what my role is as your county representative.

The county is the local government entity for the unincorporated area (everywhere not in a city). In North County, that entails Valley Center, Fallbrook, Bonsall, Borrego Springs, Pauma Valley, and Rainbow, Ranchita...just to name a few communities. For these communities, the county is in charge of their public roads and infrastructure, law enforcement, and land-use decisions.

For the cities, which in my district are Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido, they each have a city council to determine their law enforcement, land use, roads and infrastructure.

Regionally, including all cities and the unincorporated area, county government manages social services such as child welfare and the foster care system, aging and independent services for seniors, public health, beach and water quality, restaurant inspections (the "A" grades you see in the windows); the District Attorney and the Public Defender are both county functions; agriculture, jails and courthouses, and many more functions, are run by the county across the region.

The County of San Diego also has four countywide elected positions – the Sheriff, the District Attorney, the Assessor/ Recorder/ County Clerk, and the Treasurer/Tax Collector.

That's a very basic overview of county services and functions. There's plenty more, and if you ever have a question on any topic, please don't hesitate to reach out. I work for you, so I am always here to help and assist with whatever you need, [email protected] or 619-531-5555.