Interim Supervisor Is Sworn In

The wife of a former San Bernardino County supervisor who resigned last month to join the governor’s cabinet will temporarily fill her husband’s post, the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday.

After a unanimous vote, Patti Aguiar was sworn in Tuesday to be an interim supervisor, replacing her husband, Fred Aguiar, who left last month to be Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s secretary of State and Consumer Affairs.

Patti Aguiar, a marketing and business director for a Montclair hospital, will have all her husband’s former duties and receive the same salary and benefits until the position is filled by election in November. She was one of 10 candidates who were interviewed by board members Tuesday at a three-hour meeting.

Applicants included Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa, Ontario Mayor Gary Ovitt and Montclair Councilman William Ruh. Also applying were Patrick King, a field representative for state Sen. Nell Soto; Maurice Ayala, a school board member from Chino; Mamadou Diallo, a job developer from Ontario; Michael Milliner, an analyst from Ontario; Salvador Salazar, a planner from Chino; and Helen Seagull, a paralegal hearing representative from Ontario.

Patti Aguiar is an elected member of the Chino Valley Independent Fire District, a special district that serves Chino, Chino Hills and nearby unincorporated areas.

She was one of only four candidates who promised not to campaign for the permanent post in November. That played a role in her selection because Supervisors Gerald Eaves, Bill Postmus and Paul Biane said they did not want to appoint someone who would run for the post and have an advantage in the November election.

Ulloa and Ovitt both intend to campaign for the seat in November.

Aguiar said she intends to move to Sacramento to be with her husband after completing the job.

Postmus nominated Aguiar, saying she is well respected in the district. Biane said he believes Aguiar will carry on the policies of her husband.

The meeting was the last for Eaves, who is resigning before pleading no contest next week to a felony charge of conspiracy to violate the state’s conflict-of-interest laws. The board plans to appoint an interim supervisor to fill his post next month.

Eaves wiped tears from his eyes as friends and constituents praised him for his 26 years in public office