Supervisor Cox on Securing Another Term: 'What We Need in South County Are Good, Quality Jobs'

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA: Fortunately, election night brought no surprises for Supervisor Greg Cox.

"You never know, something could have happened," said Cox, who ran unopposed for another term on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

That did not stop him from celebrating with other candidates at Golden Hall in downtown San Diego, where he took a moment to talk with Patch about his next — and last — four years as supervisor. 

• REAL-TIME RESULTS: San Diego County's 2016 Primary Election

"I am feeling pretty good obviously," Cox said. "But with the county of San Diego we have term limits now so this will be my last term."

District 1 encompasses an area that includes Coronado, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Bonita, where there are many existing and upcoming district issues he said he is looking forward to dealing with. These include the completion of a new library in Imperial Beach, replacement of the animal shelter in Bonita, a ribbon-cutting for 22 miles of trails in the Tijuana River Valley and more, he said.

On the county level, he said a crime lab for the sheriff's department is in the works. 

Also, the board will be voting soon on whether to allocate "significant funding" for dealing with region's homelessness, he said.

"We will be particularly focusing on those with severe mental illness, which are 25 percent of the homeless population," Cox said. 

He said he supports funding for programs such as housing, drug and alcohol recovery programs and other treatment programs in the hopes many of them will once again "lead productive lives."

Circling back to South County, Cox, a former Chula Vista mayor, said he will continue to work with the district's local mayors to come up with a joint marketing campaign for an existing 2,600 acres of industrial-zoned land.

"What we need in South County are good quality jobs," Cox said. "To reverse the flow of traffic and make it a lot easier for our residents to get to work."