ESCONDIDO — Bill Horn, a longtime San Diego County supervisor who represented North County, died Friday at age 83 while surrounded by loved ones.
According to the county, Horn, who served on the Board of Supervisors for 24 years, left behind “a legacy of public service, leadership and dedication to the community.”
“Our thoughts go out to his loved ones and friends at this difficult time,” San Diego County Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton said in a statement honoring the late supervisor. “Bill was committed to the public, as a leader on the Board of Supervisors and as a veteran who served the nation in the military. We honor his memory and the impact he made.”
A native San Diegan, Horn was born in his grandparents’ home on the corner of Second Avenue and Elm Street in downtown San Diego.
After graduating from San Diego State University, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served five years on active duty and seven years in the reserves. He was recognized several times for acts of heroism, receiving the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V.”
As the owner of a ranch in Valley Center, Horn’s passion for property rights prompted him to run for the District 5 supervisor seat, an 1,800-square-mile region covering North County from the coast to the Imperial County line.
Before serving as a county supervisor, he was elected to the Escondido Union High School District board in the early 1990s.
According to the county, Horn expanded county services for veterans and families, including those struggling with homelessness, declared 2015 the Year of the Veteran, supported major investments in wildfire and disaster preparedness, and helped bring new library branches to Valley Center, San Marcos, Vista, 4S Ranch, Fallbrook and Borrego Springs.
Supervisor Jim Desmond, who replaced Horn in 2018, said his predecessor “served North County with courage and conviction for over 20 years.”
“A combat Marine, a Purple Heart recipient, and a tireless champion for veterans, Bill helped pull this county back from the brink and build it into one of the finest in the country,” Desmond said in response to Horn’s passing. “He leaves behind a remarkable legacy and a family we’re holding in our prayers. He will be deeply missed.”
In addition to his local public service, Horn sought global opportunities to help. According to his family, he founded Emmaus Classical Academy in Uganda, a Christian-affiliated nursery, primary and secondary school that opened on a rural piece of farmland 10 years ago and has since grown to approximately 1,200 students and 75 staff members.
“My dad loved being ‘Papa Bill’ to thousands of children at Emmaus,” Geoff Horn said. “He was one of a kind: funny, decisive, stubborn, impulsive, entrepreneurial, generous, dependable and unbreakable.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
