East County Supervisor Joel Anderson is running for county treasurer-tax collector on a reform mission.  

Anderson, a Republican who’s often crossed the political aisle to work with Democrats since his time in the state legislature, said he’s heard about the office’s shortcomings since longtime Treasurer Tax Collector Dan McAllister stepped down last summer. Anderson said he decided others are qualified to hold the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors but that he’s got the bipartisan working relationships, finance degree and management experience to improve the Treasurer Tax Collector’s Office.  

The county’s treasurer-tax collector oversees the collection of property, transient occupancy and cannabis taxes, manages county investments and disburses funds to school districts. 

“The question is can I have a better impact, a more meaningful impact in the new position? That’s why I’m running,” Anderson said. 

Among the issues he wants to tackle: reported delays and costly penalties for San Diegans mailing in checks, lacking resources and insufficient support for workers in the office. 

Anderson points to recent endorsements from a broad swath of organizations as evidence that others also believe he can help. Among the list of the roughly half dozen he trotted out this week: electrical workers’ union IBEW Local 569, Cal Fire Firefighters Local 2881, Carpenters Union Local 619, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. 

Anderson is for now set to face appointed veteran Democratic staffer and now-appointed interim Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Cohen, Republican Party of San Diego-endorsed candidate and Certified Public Accountant Shirley Nakawatase and former Oceanside City Treasurer Victor Roy in the June primary. 

Notable: If Anderson wins, he’d be leaving his county seat two years before he terms out. His victory would leave a vacancy on the county board and could trigger a costly special election. The election would follow a string of special elections following the departures of former supervisors Nora Vargas in 2024 and Nathan Fletcher in 2023. 

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