Cup of Chisme: Nora Vargas Started a Podcast
EM - News Moderator 
Nora Vargas, former chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, has a podcast.
Vargas abruptly left the board in December 2024 after voters re-elected her to a four-year term. At the time, she cited “personal safety and security reasons” in a statement but she didn’t answer questions or respond to interview requests after that.
Local law enforcement agencies told inewsource that they didn’t get complaints about threats. ABC 10 obtained voicemails and emails from people who did not support Vargas’ efforts to keep immigration agencies out of county jails and limit information-sharing with the feds.
Her departure was so sudden, our Jim Hinch wrote at the time that her staff members only learned the news moments before it became public. He had previously written how many of her constituents — and former supporters — had soured on her leadership.
Her show is titled, “Al Grano con Nora,” which she describes as a show that focuses on the American Dream, thriving and joy. She has uploaded three episodes since Sept. 18.
She talks about breaking barriers and mentions learning along the way. She also talks about how women can own their ambition and what it means to be the first in your family to accomplish big things.
I wanted to know if she was going to explain how her departure from the board related to her encouragement to other women to own their power. So far, she hasn’t. I did learn one thing. She’s a Libra.
OK, grab some cafecito. Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
What Cops Do on Task Forces
Tomorrow the San Diego City Council will consider a proposal from Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera to protect communities from immigration enforcement.
His ordinance would prevent immigration agencies from entering certain city-owned spaces without a judicial warrant. The ordinance also calls for the city to install signs that inform people of their rights and would bar the city’s police from teaming up with federal agencies on federal task forces. Those multi-agency groups combine resources to investigate specific crimes and criminal organizations.
Councilmember Elo-Rivera told our City Hall reporter there’s not enough public information about the task forces the police participate in and what information police officers provide to partner agencies.
Our Mariana Martínez Barba got some answers from the San Diego Police Department on the number of federal task forces they joined in 2025.
On the Ground of California’s Boundary Fight
Voice of San Diego contributing photojournalist Zoë Meyers published a photo essay with portraits of the people and communities that could be impacted by California’s push to redraw its congressional maps.
She spent days in East County and spoke to residents about Proposition 50, the ballot measure before voters in November that would create new political maps and give Democrats more seats. Some told her that they didn’t know if they supported it. Others doubted that changing who represents them would improve their lives.
“You’ve really got to be self-sufficient out here,” one woman told Meyers.
Related: Sacramento reporter Nadia Lathan dug into the spending behind Proposition 50 for her latest newsletter. Read it here.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- Will Huntsberry reports that Mayor Todd Gloria said he supports ending minimum lot sizes to help build more row homes and townhomes in San Diego. The mayor, though, supports a targeted approach rather than a citywide policy change. Read more here.
- Voice contributor Tessa Balc dug into Proposition 36 data and found which cities are using it and making the most arrests per capita in the county. Read the story here.
- A community planning group is pissed that the city used some of its developer impact funds for an emergency storm drain repair. Read more here.
The post Cup of Chisme: Nora Vargas Started a Podcast appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
