Greg Cox - Biography

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Since joining the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 1995, Greg Cox has worked tirelessly in pursuit of one goal – to better serve the public.

Cox began his public service career as a teacher in the Sweetwater Union High School District. He was elected to the Chula Vista City Council and later served two terms as Mayor of Chula Vista. His expertise was tapped by the Governor when he was appointed Director of Local Government for the Office of Planning and Research. Cox also built successful businesses in the private sector, where the bottom line matters most.

As a member of the Board of Supervisors, Cox oversees a regional government with a budget of $5.19 billion, providing services for 3 million people. Cox’s leadership has helped move the County through comprehensive budget and management reform. The County of San Diego, the sixth largest county in the United States, is now recognized as one of the best managed urban counties in the nation and holds one of the highest credit ratings of all counties in California.

Greg Cox is the only elected official in California to have been elected by his peers to serve as both the President of the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities. Greg Cox was also acknowledged as “Legislator of the Year” by a number of state and local organizations throughout his career. This year, Greg Cox was elected by his colleagues to serve on the board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

During his tenure on the Board of Supervisors, Greg Cox helped launch our region’s Reverse 911 and AlertSanDiego mass notification systems, which were widely credited for saving lives and assisting in the mass evacuation of more than 515,000 people during the 2007 Firestorm. He has also been instrumental in the development of 2-1-1 San Diego, which played a major role in providing information to fire evacuees and other residents affected by the emergency.

Supervisor Cox has made our communities safer by combating the growing threat of identity theft and protecting children from sexual predators. He has also developed a regional strategy to fight gang violence and battled violators who flaunt public health and environmental laws.

He beefed up efforts to keep young people in school, off drugs, and away from a life of crime through innovative delinquency diversion programs. He has improved neighborhoods by upgrading ball fields, libraries and community centers, and creating after-school programs for kids. Greg Cox has also worked to protect vulnerable members of our society by directing more County resources towards foster children and by working to prevent elder abuse and prosecute those who commit it.

Supervisor Cox has championed efforts to protect the environment and conserve natural resources by creating large regional parks and preserving open space. He was the driving force in establishing the Chula Vista Nature Center as well as the South San Diego Wildlife Refuge. Cox also helped launch Project Clean Water, the most comprehensive attack on stormwater pollution in regional history.

Cox co-chairs the 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation, which advocates for federal funds for projects and programs that encourage people to switch from driving to walking and bicycling, thus reducing toxic auto emissions that pollute our air.

Supervisor Cox has worked with federal and local offices regarding the design and construction of the new San Ysidro Port of Entry and associated infrastructure to enhance international commerce and trade.

In 2009, Supervisor Cox was praised by local environmental groups for his work on protecting coastal watersheds and beaches. He led a regional effort with all the coastal cities in the County to seek emergency funding to restore the Beach Quality Safety Program. Supervisor Cox flew to Sacramento to speak before the State Water Resources Board and successfully secured funding to preserve critical monitoring of our region’s beaches, bays and waterways.

Supervisor Cox represents the more than 642,000 people of the First District, which extends from the Pacific Ocean in the West to the Otay and San Miguel mountains in the east and from Crown Point on Mission Bay to the U.S./Mexico international border.

A graduate of Chula Vista schools, Greg Cox received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from San Diego State University. His wife of 34 years, Cheryl Cox, currently serves as Mayor of the City of Chula Vista. Together, they are committed to public service and are enormously proud that they have instilled in their two daughters, Elizabeth and Emily, the importance of serving the community.