Terra Lawson-Remer
Official portrait, 2021
Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byNora Vargas
Member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for the 3rd district
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
Preceded byKristin Gaspar
Personal details
Born
Terra Eve Lawson-Remer

July 1978 (age 45)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
Parents
  • Shari Lawson
  • Larry Remer
RelativesAlexa (sister)
ResidenceEncinitas, California
Education
AwardsGrawemeyer Award (2019)
Websitewww.terralawsonremer.org

Terra Eve Lawson-Remer (born July 1978) is an American politician currently serving as the Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. She has served on the Board since 2021 and was elected Vice Chair on January 10, 2023.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, Lawson-Remer previously worked as a professor at The New School and the University of California, San Diego, and as a senior advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department.

Born in San Diego, Lawson-Remer grew up in the Mission Hills neighborhood and attended La Jolla High School. Lawson-Remer graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in ethics, politics, and economics in 2000, later attending New York University, where she received a Juris Doctor and Doctor of Philosophy. After her education, Lawson-Remer worked for the World Bank and the U.S. Treasury Department during the Barack Obama administration. She then became a professor at The New School and the University of California, San Diego, teaching public policy.

In 2020, Lawson-Remer campaigned to become a supervisor in the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, successfully defeating the Republican incumbent Kristin Gaspar. By winning the supervisory seat, Lawson-Remer shifted control of the Board of Supervisors toward the Democrats for the first time in a generation.

Early life

Terra Eve Lawson-Remer was born in July 1978 in San Diego, California.[2][3] Her father, Larry Remer, was born in Montclair, New Jersey, to a Jewish family and worked as an investigative journalist who would become a political consultant later in his career.[2][4][5] Lawson-Remer's mother, Shari Lawson, worked as a lawyer.[5] Her parents met each other while organizing protests in opposition to the Vietnam War and eventually married in July 1977 with Earl Ben Gilliam, a San Diego County Superior Court judge, officiating their marriage.[2][4] Lawson-Remer's paternal grandparents were Herbert and Beverly Remer. Herbert owned a company that imported goods mostly from Switzerland and Scandinavia and served in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II as part of the United States Navy. Meanwhile, Beverly was a schoolteacher in the Bronx who worked toward desegregating the city's schools.[2][4] Lawson-Remer's maternal grandfather, Frank Lawson, served in the United States Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton and killed in action during the Korean War in 1950.[5] Lawson-Remer has a sister named Alexa.[6]

Lawson-Remer grew up in Mission Hills and graduated from La Jolla High School in 1996.[4] In 2000, Lawson-Remer graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in ethics, politics, and economics. She later attended New York University, where she received a Juris Doctor in 2006 and a Doctor of Philosophy in political economy in 2010.[7]

Early career and activism

Lawson-Remer rappelling Plaza Hotel in a protest against the Republican National Convention, August 26, 2004

While president of her high school class in 1994, Lawson-Remer participated in a student walkout in opposition to Proposition 187, a ballot measure related to illegal immigration in California. Her involvement in the walkout prompted the school administrators to strip Lawson-Remer of her class presidency.[4] In 1999, Lawson-Remer protested against a World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, resulting in police arresting her.[8] Lawson-Remer was one of nearly 14,000 law students in 2003 who submitted an amicus curiae in Grutter v. Bollinger, voicing support for affirmative action in college admissions.[9]

On August 26, 2004, Lawson-Remer participated in Operation Sybil, a New York protest against the upcoming Republican National Convention,[10] rappelling the Plaza Hotel to place a sign in opposition to president George W. Bush. New York police arrested her and several other co-organizers, charging them with felony and misdemeanor charges of assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass.[11][12] Lawson-Remer said Bush and vice president Dick Cheney were "taking [the country] in the wrong direction" and accused them of deception on the Iraq War, healthcare, and the economy.[10]

Lawson-Remer worked for Amnesty International, PlaNet Finance on behalf of the World Bank, and as a senior advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department during the Barack Obama administration.[4] She also taught public policy as a professor at The New School and the University of California, San Diego.[13] In 2014, Lawson-Remer appeared in an episode of Vice to discuss the effects of the resource curse in Papua New Guinea.[14] Along with fifteen other applicants, Lawson-Remer applied to the Encinitas City Council in 2017, hoping to fill a seat left vacant after Catherine Blakespear became the city's mayor.[15] In 2017–2018, Lawson-Remer was a fellow at Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the Berggruen Institute.[16][17] She led the Flip the 49th campaign to defeat Republican U.S. representative Darrell Issa in California's 49th district in 2018.[18]

In 2019, Lawson-Remer received the Grawemeyer Award from the University of Louisville alongside Sakiko Fukuda-Parr and Susan Randolph for their book entitled Fulfilling Social and Economic Rights, which made a "significant contribution to world order" by "inform[ing] domestic and international policies, aid[ing] in the work of non-governmental organizations and provid[ing] a way to evaluate performance in a truly comparative perspective."[19]

San Diego County Board of Supervisors

2020 election

On January 28, 2019, Lawson-Remer announced her candidacy in the third district of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, contending for a seat held by conservative Republican Kristin Gaspar.[20] In June 2019, Lawson-Remer received the endorsement of SEIU Local 221, the largest labor union in San Diego County.[21] Escondido Mayor Paul McNamara withdrew his endorsement of Escondido City Councilwoman Olga Diaz, a fellow Democrat, on December 3, 2019, to support Lawson-Remer's campaign.[22] On December 24, 2019, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor required Lawson-Remer to revise her title in her ballot description, in which she indicated she was an attorney. However, because the State Bar of California did not license her, Lawson-Remer cannot refer to herself as an attorney without indicating the state where she has a license, which was New York in her case.[23]

Democratic U.S. representative Juan Vargas, a friend of Lawson-Remer's father, endorsed her campaign to become a county supervisor in January 2020.[24] In the March 2020 primary election, Lawson-Remer defeated Diaz to move on to the general election against Gaspar.[25] After the election, San Diego Association of Governments executive director Hasan Ikhrata made the highest possible campaign donation to Lawson-Remer.[26] Between February 16 through June 30, 2020, Lawson-Remer received more campaign contributions than Gaspar.[27]

Several months before the November election, Lawson-Remer received a deluge of endorsements from California Democratic politicians hoping to flip the Republican-held seat, including governor Gavin Newsom, State Senate president pro tempore Toni Atkins, and San Diego county supervisor Nathan Fletcher.[28] In October, Lawson-Remer received the endorsement of The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, who endorsed her Republican opponent in 2016.[29] An October 2020 Voice of San Diego poll showed that 42% of likely voters would vote or leaned in favor of voting for Lawson-Remer, as opposed to 31% for Gaspar, whose support for Donald Trump undermined her chances of reelection.[30]

On October 12, 2020, Lawson-Remer challenged Gaspar in a KUSI debate,[31] and she went on to defeat her Republican opponent on November 3 to shift the balance of power of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in favor of the Democrats.[32] Heading into the election, the Republicans held a 4–1 majority in the Board of Supervisors, ending up as a 3–2 Democratic majority afterward,[33] establishing Democratic control for the "first time in at least a generation," according to the Voice of San Diego.[34] Lawson-Remer's victory ensured simultaneous Democratic control of the San Diego mayor's office, the San Diego City Council, and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.[35]

Tenure

After winning the election, Lawson-Remer became a member of the Board of Supervisors after being sworn in on January 4, 2021.[36] The swearing-in ceremony occurred between 10 and 11 a.m., with Lawson-Remer sworn in after Nora Vargas and Joel Anderson.[37] Lawson-Remer recited the oath of office with state Senator Toni Atkins and Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit, which was done so virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[38]

Political positions

Lawson-Remer supported lifting San Diego County's ban on businesses selling recreational cannabis in unincorporated areas, favoring market regulation instead of prohibitive policy.[39] On climate change, she wanted to put together a plan that involved adopting a Community Choice Aggregation program setting a timeline for 90% clean energy, support for mitigation banking, and other initiatives.[40] Lawson-Remer suggested providing incentives for developers building affordable housing as a means to resolve San Diego's housing crisis.[39] She supported the implementation of smart growth to curb sprawl.[41] Lawson-Remer said that racism in the United States continued to be a problem locally and nationally.[39] She opposed outsourcing the jail medical and mental health services of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.[40] Lawson-Remer criticized San Diego County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing the county as unready to handle outbreaks.[42]

On the United States' investment in multilateral development banks, Lawson-Remer supported continued investment in these financial institutions on the basis that such investment develops and maintains national security.[43] She argued that the G20 lacked legitimacy as an international actor because of issues surrounding the institution's transparency and accountability, believing that the G20 needed greater involvement of the people whose policies they affect.[44]

Personal life

Lawson-Remer resides in Encinitas, California, where she raises her daughter Eeva Kai as a single mother.[4][45] Lawson-Remer is non-binary and pansexual.[46] Explaining why she became a politician, Lawson-Remer cited Hillary Clinton's loss in the 2016 United States presidential election.[4] Lawson-Remer's sister, Alexa, works as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell.[6] In 2018, the National LGBT Bar Association named her sister one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.[47]

Electoral history

2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors primary election for the third district[48]
Candidate Votes  %
Kristin Diane Gaspar (incumbent) 72,598 42.82
Terra Lawson-Remer 52,899 31.20
Olga Diaz 44,063 25.99
2020 San Diego County Board of Supervisors general election for the third district[49]
Candidate Votes  %
Terra Lawson-Remer 176,594 58.12
Kristin Diane Gaspar (incumbent) 127,259 41.88

Publications

  • Fukuda-Parr, Sakiko; Lawson-Remer, Terra; Randolph, Susan (January 2, 2015). Fulfilling Social and Economic Rights (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199735518.

References

  1. ↑ "Nora Vargas voted in as county Board of Supervisors chair". KPBS Public Media. January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Orwell, Mark (April 3, 1980). "Newsline's Larry Remer – like Jane Fonda at a Black Panther meeting". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Award Abstract #0820653". National Science Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Clark, Charles T. (December 20, 2020). "Lawson-Remer brings economics, international affairs experience to San Diego County seat". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Potter, Matt (August 14, 2019). "Jane Fonda helps an old San Diego friend". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Lawson-Remer, Terra (April 29, 2013). "Human Rights and Access to Legal Representation". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Terra Lawson-Remer". Voter’s Edge California. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Yale Student among WTO Protestors". Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. December 8, 1999. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Brief of 13,922 Current Law Students at Accredited American Law Schools as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondants, Grutter v. Bollinger, No. 02-241 (U.S. Feb. 18, 2003)". Georgetown University. February 18, 2003. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Activists Hang 60-Foot Banner On Plaza Hotel" (PDF). QuestionAuthority.org. August 26, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ Cardwell, Diane (August 27, 2004). "PREPARING FOR THE CONVENTION: DEMONSTRATIONS; For Convention, Demonstrations Start Early, as Do Arrests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Saulny, Susan (August 28, 2005). "PREPARING FOR THE CONVENTION: COURT CASES; Plaza Climbers Tell of a Grim Night in Jail". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Terra Lawson-Remer considers herself "most qualified" possible candidate for 3rd District". Escondido Times-Advocate. February 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Professor Terra Lawson-Remer featured on HBO's VICE Documentary Series". Milano School. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  15. ↑ Henry, Barbara (January 5, 2017). "Encinitas receives 16 applications for vacant council seat". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Encinitas. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Terra Lawson-Remer". Stanford University. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Terra Lawson-Remer". Berggruen Institute. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. ↑ St John, Alison (November 11, 2018). "Flip the 49th Campaign Accomplishes Its Goal: Gets Democrat Elected". KPBS. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ Sklar, Debbie L. (April 11, 2019). "San Diego Native Wins Grawemeyer Award for Innovative Human Rights Research". Times of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  20. ↑ Lewis, Scott; Keatts, Andrew (February 2, 2019). "Politics Report: The Newest Member of the Fletcher-Gonzalez Bunch". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  21. ↑ Jennewein, Chris (June 13, 2019). "County's Largest Union Backs Terra Lawson-Remer Against Kristin Gaspar". Times of San Diego. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  22. ↑ Marx, Jesse; Jimenez, Kayla (December 3, 2019). "Escondido Mayor Pulls Support for Colleague, Endorses Her Opponent". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  23. ↑ Horn, Steve (January 17, 2020). "State court: Lawson-Remer 'Misleading' on ballot description". The Coast News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  24. ↑ Potter, Matt (January 22, 2020). "Juan Vargas and the Remers go way back". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  25. ↑ Harrison, Ken (March 9, 2020). "How San Diego County voted – so far". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  26. ↑ Marx, Jesse (August 13, 2020). "One Race Could Make or Break Plans to Overhaul the Region's Transportation System". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  27. ↑ Potter, Matt (August 12, 2020). "Terra Lawson-Remer out-raises Kristin Gaspar". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  28. ↑ Harrison, Donald H. (June 16, 2020). "Democrats launch major push for Lawson-Remer". San Diego: San Diego Jewish World. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  29. ↑ Editorial Board (October 20, 2020). "Endorsement: We recommend Terra Lawson-Remer for District 3 of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  30. ↑ Marx, Jesse (October 27, 2020). "Voice Poll: Lawson-Remer Holds Major Lead in District 3 Supervisor Race". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  31. ↑ San Diego County Supervisors District 3: Kristin Gaspar vs. Terra Lawson-Remer (YouTube). San Diego: KUSI. October 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Lawson-Remer Beats Gaspar In District 3 Supervisor Race". KPBS. November 3, 2020. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  33. ↑ Kao, Irene; Blain, Ludovic (December 11, 2020). "Election shows promise for a more progressive California". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  34. ↑ Marx, Jesse; Srikrishnan, Maya (November 4, 2020). "Welcome to a Dem-Controlled County". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  35. ↑ Horn, Jonathan (November 4, 2020). "Democrats shift balance of power in county". San Diego: 10 News San Diego. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  36. ↑ "2021 San Diego County Board of Supervisors' Meeting Schedule" (PDF). San Diego County Board of Supervisors. December 8, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  37. ↑ "New supervisors to be sworn in Jan. 4". Escondido Times-Advocate. December 31, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  38. ↑ "New San Diego County supervisors take oath of office". Fox 5 San Diego. San Diego: City News Service. January 4, 2021. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  39. 1 2 3 Clark, Charles T. (October 9, 2020). "Gaspar, Lawson-Remer talk transit, cannabis, housing, and racial equity at District 3 supervisor forum". Del Mar Times. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  40. 1 2 "2020 election: Q&A with Terra Lawson-Remer, candidate for San Diego County Supervisor District 3". The San Diego Union-Tribune. October 14, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  41. ↑ Himchack, Elizabeth Marie (October 14, 2020). "Lawson-Remer challenges Gaspar for county supervisor seat". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  42. ↑ Walsh, Steve (October 12, 2020). "Control Of County's Board Of Supervisors Hinges On Third District Race". KPBS. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  43. ↑ Lawson-Remer, Terra (November 22, 2011). "U.S. Security and the Multilateral Development Banks". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  44. ↑ Lawson-Remer, Terra (February 24, 2012). "Does the G20 matter?". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Final days for Terra Lawsom-Remer for County Supervisor campaign". San Diego: KUSI. November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Terra Lawson-Remer". LGBTQ Victory Fund. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  47. ↑ "The National LGBT Bar Association Announces 2018 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 Awardees". Washington, D.C.: National LGBT Bar Association. April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  48. ↑ "County of San Diego Presidential Primary Election – Tuesday, March 3, 2020 – Official Results (San Diego Portion Only)" (PDF). San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  49. ↑ "County of San Diego Presidential General Election – Tuesday, November 3, 2020 – Official Results (San Diego Portion Only)" (PDF). San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
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