¶ How To Win Against Jim Desmond
Jim Desmond is an out-of-touch millionaire who wants to be elected to Congress to fight for Donald Trump instead of the people of California’s new 48th district. Desmond has made it clear he supports Donald Trump’s agenda, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that slashed health care and food assistance for Californians. He even defended the Trump administration’s policies that raised prices on Southern Californians, like tariffs. He defended the war in Iran that contributed to high gas prices, saying “no pain, no gain.” He even went so far as to vote against his own proposal so that he wouldn’t be on the record saying Trump’s policies had caused costs to skyrocket in California. Desmond accused Democrats of “fear-mongering” about DOGE even as the agency made cuts that weakened seniors’ ability to access services and hindered health research in Southern California. As a Mayor and County Supervisor, he has been investigated over conflict-of-interest allegations and allegations that he accepted campaign contributions too close to a vote on a controversial development project. Desmond’s time in public service has demonstrated that he is out of step with the needs of San Diegans.
¶ Desmond Supported A bill That Took Health Coverage From Southern Californias
- Desmond was endorsed by Donald Trump and Mike Johnson, the masterminds behind the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Desmond touted his support from Trump and claimed he was going to “bring common sense back to California.”
- Desmond defended the “Big Beautiful Bill” on the day it passed and criticized his previous Democratic opponent for not supporting it. The bill threatened health coverage for at least 17 million Americans, including nearly 12 million people on Medicaid. More than 32,000 Californians in the old 48th congressional district were at risk of losing their health coverage as a result of passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
- Then while serving on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Desmond opposed the formation of a county fiscal planning subcommittee in response to federal budget cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” claiming it was “political fear-mongering.” It was estimated the county could lose $300 million in annual funding for programs like Medi-Cal and SNAP.
Message: Desmond supported a bill that cut health coverage for Southern Californians to give tax breaks to billionaires.
¶ Desmond Supported a Bill that would trigger cuts to medicare
- Desmond backed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which would trigger nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts absent future congressional action. There were nearly 7 million people in California enrolled in Medicare.
Message: Desmond would be another vote in Congress to slash services for seniors.
¶ Desmond Backed The Largest SNAP Cuts In History that were hurting california county health departments
- Desmond defended the “Big Beautiful Bill” on the day it passed and criticized his previous Democratic opponent for not supporting it. Then while serving on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Desmond opposed the formation of a county fiscal planning subcommittee in response to federal budget cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” claiming it was “political fear-mongering.” It was estimated the county could lose $300 million in annual funding for programs like Medi-Cal and SNAP. In 2024, there were an estimated 25,617 households in CA-48 that relied on SNAP benefits to afford groceries.
Message: Desmond wanted to be another vote in Congress to cut food assistance Southern Californians rely on to afford groceries, all to give billionaires tax breaks.
¶ Desmond Supported The Trump Administration Policies that Raised Costs On Southern Californians
- As a county supervisor, Desmond voted against his own housing proposal after a Democrat added an amendment with language criticizing Trump’s policies that led to rising prices, such as tariffs. Tariffs were contributing to higher costs in Southern California that worried people involved in wildfire rebuilding efforts. They were also raising costs on San Diego restaurant owners and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Interim President and CEO said tariffs would have a “very direct impact on the cost of living for your average San Diegans.”
- Desmond defended Trump’s war in Iran that led to higher gas prices nationwide, but especially in Southern California. In San Diego in March 2026 gas reached $5.61 per gallon. Desmond responded “no pain, no gain,” when asked about the increasing cost of oil amid Trump’s war in Iran.
Message: Desmond was eager to back Trump’s economic agenda that led to more hardship for Southern Californians.
¶ Desmond Defended Trump’s Department Of Government Efficiency which weakened social security services and cut health research funding
- Desmond defended Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and claimed it was not cutting Medicaid or Social Security. He also accused Democrats of fear-mongering even as DOGE cuts forced mass layoffs and longer wait times for seniors at the Social Security Administration. Effects from DOGE-era cuts lingered at Social Security offices across the nation even a year later.
- DOGE also threatened $1 billion worth of funding for public health, mental health, and scientific research projects in California. That included research into mental health care and HIV/AIDS at San Diego State, which was trying to establish itself as a top tier research university.
Message: Desmond was willing to back an agenda that hamstrung services for seniors, cut thousands of jobs, and threatened critical research across California.
¶ Desmond Voted Against Protecting San Diegans From Scams, Junk fees, and Predatory Financial Practices
- In March 2026, Desmond was the only San Diego County Commissioner to vote against creating a Consumer Fairness and Public Protection Unit to crack down on junk fees, scams, and predatory financial practices.
Message: Desmond was the only county commissioner to vote against protecting San Diegans from scams, junk fees, and predatory financial practices.
¶ Desmond Was Investigated For Accepting Donations From Individuals Related To A Development Project He Greenlit As Mayor
- While serving as Mayor of San Marcos, Desmond was accused of accepting campaign donations from people who had a financial interest in a development project he voted on in violation of city law. Desmond received four separate campaign donations from individuals connected to the project. A 2018 complaint claimed Desmond accepted those campaign donations the same year he voted to greenlight the unpopular development project. An outside lawyer determined there was no cause to investigate further because the contributions were made to Desmond’s county supervisor campaign, which was not subject to city law.
Message: If elected to congress, Jim Desmond would be just another DC swamp creature.
¶ The California Fair Political Practices Commission Investigated Desmond For CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST Violations
- In 2024, Desmond was investigated by the California Fair Political Practices Commission over a conflict of interest complaint. The complaint was related to his work on the “No on G” political committee.. They also investigated a campaign donation made to him by someone who worked at a housing company he voted to provide funding to. Desmond’s spokesperson called the investigation a “desperate political stunt.”
Message: If elected to congress, Jim Desmond would be just another DC swamp creature.
¶ Issue Briefs
¶ Desmond Supported Policies That Hurt Everyday Californians
Desmond Supported A Bill That Took Health Coverage From Southern Californians
Desmond Defended Poilicies That Put Southern California Seniors At Risk
Desmond Supported Taking Food Assistance From Southern Californians
Desmond Defended Policies That Raised Costs On Southern Californians
Desmond Was The Only County Supervisor To Vote Against A Proposal To Crack Down On Scams, Junk Fees, And Predatory Financial Practices
Desmond Was Investigated For Accepting Donations From Individuals Who Had A Financial Investment In A Development Project He Greenlit As Mayor
The California Fair Political Practices Commission Investigated Desmond For Conflift-Of-Interest Violations