CHULA VISTA MAYORAL CANDIDATE JOHN MCCANN
Chula Vista District 1 Council member John McCann, Republican, is running for Chula Vista mayor, a seat being vacated by Mayor Mary Casillas Salas because of term limits.
McCann, 53, said as a third generation Chula Vistan he has served four terms as council member, volunteered on nonprofit organizations, veteran organizations, and has been a successful business owner for 30 years, and was deployed to Iraq as part of the Navy Reserve. McCann still serves as a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves. McCann works in the business and technology management industry.
“As mayor, I will get the city back to common sense, making the priorities of public safety first, supporting small businesses and local jobs. Protecting taxpayers by opposing the damaging mileage tax and combatting homelessness.”
McCann said that is why he is endorsed by the Chula Vista Police Officers Association and the Lincoln Club of San Diego County.
McCann said he has proven experience to understand with his time on city council.
“When I was on council in the early 2000s, I built the police officer’s ranks up to 261 officers,” he said. “I was then mobilized to fight in the war in Iraq on the ground in Mosul, Iraq. When I came back and got back on the council in 2014, the prior mayor and council had cut the officers down below 200 officers. I was able to make sure that we made our way back and led the efforts to make our city the second safest city in the county. And one of the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. with over 200,000 people.”
McCann said that while he was on council in the early 2000s that they pushed the Bayfront Master Plan.
“We were successful at that, but unfortunately, because of many different issues and the economy, the bayfront did not happen in 2006 through 2008,” he said. “I was very fortunate to get back on council and we were able to attract Gaylord (construction) back into the process. This will bring in thousands of new jobs and it will help revitalize the western part of the city.”
McCann said he has worked on attracting universities to the city.
“We have been successful in getting an agreement with the University of Saint Katherine,” he said. “We also have a new school Chula Vista Christian University. We have many interested parties. This will be a long-term process, but I have been part of the council to dedicate the land to ensure we have land for the university, and I think by helping build Millenia, would be a mini Silicon Valley to bring in jobs and creating the innovation district that we will have the opportunity to have the new university, the jobs, and employment all in the same place in Chula Vista.”
McCann said prior to COVID-19, the city had over 80,000 people a day getting in their cars and leaving the city to go to their jobs.
“As a business owner for more than 30 years, I have been able to attract new businesses to the city, helped over 100 businesses open up in Chula Vista, and by having an innovation district, and having area dedicated to provide quality commercial area for businesses, which will allow new businesses and current businesses to move to Chula Vista,” he said.
McCann said businesses would pay for their own infrastructure, just as new communities pay for their own infrastructure.
“We have the SR-125. I have been successful in being able to first, help lower the rates, so we get more people to drive on the 125. Then working with SANDAG to refinance the bonds. The bonds were outrageously priced in the 14,15 an 16% interest rates and we were able to get them back to market interest rates,” he said. “Now, the goal is to be able to pay off the SR-125 to make it a freeway and have the state of California be the one to maintain it. I believe by getting a freeway on the 125, making sure we have put in the proper infrastructure for all those companies that are already designed in the plans, which will be a positive thing. So again, people will not be leaving Chula Vista to go to their employment. They can actually work in the same city that they live.”
McCann said he was part of the council that planned the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan, the land for the university, and the Millenia Master Plan.
“We have the opportunity to do great things,” he said. “I have been on the council when Eastlake, for 10 years in a row was the best new home community. And now, we can make sure Chula Vista will be a great city. Not just for today, but even get better for tomorrow.”
McCann helped to organize and participated in several community cleanups. I Love Chula Vista and Beautify Chula Vista.
In June 2021, Chula Vista resident Peter J. Watry Jr. filed a complaint against McCann for using a legal defense fund on Nov. 24, 2015, to accept contributions where he initiated a defamation lawsuit against San Diego Building Constructions Trade Council, AFL-CIO, claiming he violated Chula Vista Municipal Code 2.52.120, accepting contributions ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. In a records request from the City, it provided the original complaint with no other evidence noting where the City is in the investigation of this complaint.
McCann said that in 2014, he won the election to City Council and that lawyer John Moot failed in suing him to overturn the legal election, with Moot losing again with unanimous decision in appeals court.
McCann filed a complaint against Mayor Mary Casillas Salas to Chula Vista Human Resources saying she insulted him by calling him a “Gringo” twice, accusing her of discrimination and harassment, violating the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy by using a racial slur against him multiple times.
On Feb. 10, 2021, McCann and Salas both attended a press conference at a restaurant regarding the completion of the Third Avenue Renovation Project. At the restaurant, McCann walked over to the table where Salas and Council member Jill Galvez were seated, discussed what they had eaten, and when he made a statement of “not being able to eat spicy food,” Salas replied he could not eat spicy food because “he is a Gringo.”
Investigated by Best Best & Krieger, the investigation concluded that Salas “did not discriminate or harass Council member McCann under federal or state law or under the city’s possible,” as Salas stated her intended use of the word “Gringo” was a term of familiarity between two long-time colleagues in a light-hearted conversation about food.
However, though it found that incident did not constitute harassment or discrimination, it stated that the word “Gringo” is an inappropriate term to use in the workplace and can be considered a racial comment or slur and is not considered acceptable conduct.
In three invoices from Best Best & Krieger provided by the city, the investigation cost the city $15,838.50.
McCann said the independent investigation sided with him.
“It admonished Mayor Salas for using racial slurs and stated that using the racial slurs were against the city’s policy. The City’s Human Resources conducted the inquiry and had total control of the cost of the investigation,” he said in an email.
In 2021 the California Fair Political Practices Commissions, responded to a complaint that McCann violated Government Code section 89001, the prohibition of mass mailing sent at public expense, and sending a number of care packages to residents in his district, with face masks and hand sanitizer produced by the city to be distributed for free to residents of Chula Vista. The FPPC determined that evidence showed fewer than 200 items were delivered, the allegation was disproven and the Enforcement Division closed the matter.
