Jim Desmond (CA-48) Research Report
Significant Findings
Summary from the report. Click a headline to see its findings.
Jim Desmond Supported Reckless Policies That Increased The Cost Of Living, Like The Iran War And Trump’s Tariffs, While Criticizing High Gas Prices
3 findings
- Desmond supported the Iran war even as he acknowledged gas prices would increase because of it, saying “no pain no gain.”
- February 2025: Desmond expressed support for Trump’s tariffs, which cost families thousands of dollars a year and hurt California small businesses.
- 2022-2026: Desmond often discussed California’s high cost of living and criticized high gas prices.
As Mayor And County Supervisor, Jim Desmond Drew Legal Complaints And Public Criticism For His Alleged Conflicts Of Interest And Cozy Relationships With Developers And Big Business
6 findings
- 2024: California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) opened investigations into Desmond while he was a county supervisor over allegations of conflict of interest including one related to his work opposing a ballot measure to raise the sales tax to pay for road repairs.
- 2019: As county supervisor, Desmond tried to change the language of an anti-growth ballot measure to make it easier to defeat at the behest of the Building Industry Association (BIA) and reportedly lied about BIA’s involvement.
- 2019: As supervisor, Desmond drew criticism for being “too cozy with developers.”
- 2018: As mayor, Desmond drew a campaign finance complaint after voting for two housing projects around the same time he took campaign cash from donors associated with each respective project.
- 2014: San Marcos residents accused Desmond of bending to pressure from AT&T when as mayor, he opposed a proposed ordinance to prevent cell tower farms.
- 2018-2020: Desmond told voters he would oppose the Lilac Hills Ranch Project unless it had emergency access infrastructure, but later voted to keep the project alive despite opposition from the county fire chief.
Jim Desmond Routinely Voted Against Pro-Union Efforts, Including Against Minimum Wage Standards, Worker Safety, And A Project Labor Agreement
6 findings
- 2023: Desmond voted against requiring privately-funded projects to pay traffic control workers a minimum wage but later voted for the same ordinance.
- 2023: Desmond cast the lone vote against reviewing a contract for janitorial workers who described mistreatment and unfair working conditions.
- 2022: Desmond was the only county supervisor to vote twice against ordinances to improve contractor transparency, which local labor unions supported.
- 2022: Desmond cast the lone vote against sick leave and a wage floor for all employees working on county-owned property.
- 2021: Desmond cast the lone vote against creating a county Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement which would protect pay and safety standards.
- 2019: Desmond voted against a project labor agreement with local unions for an airport construction project, calling it “discrimination,” despite being a union member himself.
Jim Desmond Liked To Live The High Life, Spending More Than $200,000 In Taxpayer Funds To Remodel His Offices And Voting Against Capping His Own Hotel Reimbursements
2 findings
- 2019: Desmond spent more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds to remodel his offices, far exceeding the expenses of other supervisors, which drew criticism of his self-styled fiscal conservatism.
- 2019: Desmond budgeted $240,000 to remodel and renovate his downtown and district offices in his first five months in office.
- Desmond’s $240,000 budget far exceeded what other county supervisors spent on office improvements.
- The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, which previously endorsed Desmond for supervisor, criticized him for running up his renovation budget.
- 2009: As an Airport Authority Board member, Desmond cast the lone vote against capping reimbursements for board members’ meals and hotel stays and argued business class flights were important.
Jim Desmond Supported Ending Birthright Citizenship And Had A History Of Fearmongering About Immigrants
3 findings
- 2026: Local news reported Desmond supported ending birthright citizenship.
- Desmond had a history of disparaging immigrants, making false claims about immigrants, and reposting extreme anti-immigrant content from far-right outlets.
- Desmond cozied up to Trump administration officials and their allies to drum up fear about the border.
Jim Desmond Supported The One Big Beautiful Bill, Which Threatened Food Assistance For More Than 5.3 Million California Residents While Adding $3.4 Trillion To The National Debt And Slashing Taxes For Multimillionaires Like Himself
5 findings
- 2026: Desmond supported the One Big Beautiful Bill.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill enacted the largest SNAP cuts in history, threatening food assistance for more than 25,000 households in CA-48.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill was projected to cut more than $44 million in revenue to hospitals in CA-48.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt.
- Desmond was a multimillionaire and the One Big Beautiful Bill gave billions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families.
Jim Desmond Supported The One Big Beautiful Bill, Which Was Projected To Kick More Than 2.2 Million California Residents Off Their Health Insurance, And Voted Multiple Times Against Protecting Health Services In San Diego County
4 findings
- Desmond supported the One Big Beautiful Bill and downplayed concerns about new requirements for Medicaid.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, slashing local hospital revenue, and was projected to kick more than 2.2 million people in California off their health insurance.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill let ACA tax credits expire, driving up health care costs for more than 1.9 million individuals in California on marketplace plans.
- 2025-2026: Desmond voted multiple times against protecting health services in light of the One Big Beautiful Bill, including voting against warning San Diego county residents about potential funding cuts to Medi-Cal.
Jim Desmond Skipped A Board Of Supervisors Meeting About Behavioral Health To Go On A Fox Show Even Though He Frequently Said Mental Health Was A Priority
2 findings
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