San Diego Supervisors approve new consumer enforcement unit, county counsel to lead

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 on March 24 to direct County Counsel to establish a Consumer Fairness and Public Protection unit aimed at bringing civil enforcement and local remedies for consumers harmed by deceptive business practices, fraud, environmental dumping and other unlawful conduct.

Chair Tara Lawson Reamer, who sponsored the proposal, told the board the unit would “protect people, stabilize finances, protect health, and ensure that honest businesses are not undercut by those who break the law.” She said the county has restricted consumer-settlement funds available and cited SB 461 (2021) as the state authorization enabling county counsel offices to bring civil enforcement locally.

Why it matters: Proponents — including legal-aid organizations, labor unions and environmental groups — said county-level civil enforcement can fill gaps left by stretched state and federal agencies, and can recover restitution and stop local harms such as pollution in the Tijuana River watershed. Supporters pointed to other California jurisdictions that have used similar county-level authority and said the CFPP could be funded with settlement dollars rather than general-fund tax revenue.

District Attorney Summer Stefen told supervisors she supports the goal of stronger enforcement but urged more coordinated planning with the DA’s office to avoid duplication and interference with ongoing criminal investigations. “It is premature that we can do something good for the county to expand services but the way that it’s being done is rushed and without input from a key stakeholder,” Stefen said, asking for meaningful collaboration.

Board debate focused on structure and safeguards. The approved motion delegates authority to County Counsel to create the unit, to hire a director and staff “up to 30 FTEs” as a guideline (that number includes investigators and support positions), and to develop protocols to coordinate civil enforcement with the district attorney, city attorneys and the state attorney general. Supervisors added a direction that County Counsel report back to the board within 30 days on outreach and consultation conducted with stakeholders.

Supervisor Jim Desmond opposed the final motion, arguing the board should first flesh out gaps and coordination through a study and that the DA’s office should be given primary responsibility. The motion passed with Desmond voting no and the other supervisors voting yes.

The next steps: County Counsel will begin a stakeholder consultation and return to the board with an update within 30 days. The CFPP unit is intended to pursue civil remedies and injunctive relief, recover restitution where appropriate, and reinvest recovered funds into consumer protections; it is not intended to replace private counsel or act as a general mediation service.

Context and resources: Supporters noted that the county’s consumer-protection trust holds roughly $200–$220 million in restricted settlement funds that can be used for this purpose. Chair Lawson Reamer and speakers cited a range of enforcement priorities including predatory financial practices targeting seniors, insurance denials, wage and housing fraud, and environmental harms affecting coastal communities. County Counsel will be responsible for operational design and hiring, and the board directed that the new unit work collaboratively with the DA and other enforcement partners.

What to watch next: County Counsel’s recruitment for a CFPP director and the office’s plan for coordination with the District Attorney’s Office, the City Attorney, legal aid providers and community groups. Advocates expect the unit to prioritize cases with strong local impact that otherwise lack enforcement coverage.