Meet Mayor
Paloma Aguirre

Other politicians go with the flow. Paloma Aguirre makes waves. She fights on our side and gets results.

As Mayor of Imperial Beach, Paloma has led the fight to clean up the Tijuana River sewage crisis, securing over $600 million in federal funds to stop toxic pollution from flowing into South County. While politicians made excuses, Paloma stepped up — pressuring Washington, challenging inaction, and forcing real progress.

Now, Paloma is running for County Supervisor to take on the big fights politicians are ignoring across the board – rising costs, homelessness, crime, and the real action we need on South County’s sewage crisis.

And Paloma will always fight to protect San Diego County from Donald Trump’s economic chaos, disastrous MediCal cuts and violent ICE raids, like the one in South Park that shocked our community.

No matter the challenge, Paloma acts boldly and gets results. Fighting to make life more affordable, Paloma held the line on utility rates and actually lowered our bills for 2025. And while crime surged elsewhere, Paloma worked with law enforcement to go after gangs, crack down on illegal guns, and keep IB among the safest cities in the County.

Paloma knows what it means to struggle and fight for a better future. Born in California and raised in Puerto Vallarta, Paloma watched her parents bus tables to give their family a shot at something better. In 2001, she left Mexico on her own to pursue college in the U.S., working her way through school and falling in love with her new home – Imperial Beach.

Before serving as Mayor, Paloma was a community organizer for neglected communities and marine conservationist at local nonprofit WILDCOAST, fighting for clean air, water, and access to the coast for everyone, not just the rich. Paloma was also a competitive bodyboarder – often taking on the men’s division and winning. And yea, she’s got the trophies to prove it.

In 2014, Paloma was named Woman of the Year for her relentless fight to get government to act on the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Today, she continues that fight as Mayor of Imperial Beach and Chairwoman of SD Community Power, the lower-cost, clean-energy alternative to SDG&E. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of San Diego and a Master of Advanced Studies in marine biodiversity from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD.

Paloma lives in Imperial Beach with her husband and their dog Dasha. When she’s not working, you’ll find Paloma in the water, bodyboarding the same waves that made her fall in love with San Diego in the first place.