Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas delivered the 2020 State of the City address via teleconference June 17, touching on the many things Chula Vista accomplished before and after the city was besieged with the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said together, the city and its citizens are enduring an unprecedented global pandemic and economic changes not seen since the 1930s and, at the same time, confronting the ongoing battle against racism and bigotry.
“These issues can bring a feeling of anxiety and despair, and of feeling overwhelmed. We see the news, watch our social media feeds, it is easy to go online and feel a gloom around us,” said Casillas Salas. “And I have seen our community light a candle in the spirit of hope as we have come together to face these challenges.”
The mayor said before the pandemic hit, Chula Vista was moving boldly toward the future.
Some of the highlights she spoke about were Chula Vista included in a statewide study for a new California State University campus, approval for the hotel and convention center at Chula Vista’s bayfront, new manufacturing facilities and jobs, the expansion of businesses in Millennia and the expansion of the Otay Ranch Town Center. With the dedication of Orion Park and Strata Park, it brought the number of parks in the city to more than 60, including the largest dog park in South Bay.
“We were on track to have $1 million in surplus and had $24 million in our operational reserve, and $7 million in our emergency reserve,” said Salas.
“But then the COVID-19 pandemic came upon us all.”
Casillas Salas said the people and the city had to shift overnight to meet this enormous challenge. She praised the Community Services Department for taking immediate action, with library staff answering 250-350 calls per day to assist the community through the county’s 2-1-1 line. Parks and Recreation established the #maskthecitychallenge, encouraging everyone in the city to wear masks and face coverings, and also delivering the to homebound and senior residents.
“When our schools closed, we took action and purchased 2,000 wifi hotspots to serve those families that are most in need during this time of distance learning,” the mayor said. “The hot spots were allocated to the library and were distributed through the Chula Vista Elementary School District.”
Casillas Salas said the Public Works Department executed coronavirus emergency response efforts and services throughout the city, providing disinfecting supply kits to public counters in open city facilities, servicing over 100 first responder vehicles and equipment critical to public safety. Working with the Economic Development Department, Fire Department, Police Department and Code Enforcement formed a local COVID-19 public health campaign and community outreach task force.
On May 5, City Council authorized a 90-day economic recovery plan, which included a $6.1 million Small Business Relief Fund, one-time loans of up to $5,000 to operating restaurants, and a $1 million rental assistance program.
“We did this because we know small businesses are the lifeblood of our community and a large part of any economic growth and prosperity that our city needs,” said Salas. “We expanded COVID-19 outreach by using speaker-equipped drones for humanitarian missions and homeless outreach with local law enforcement to share vital information to help this very vulnerable population during the ongoing pandemic. The city of Chula Vista, despite multiple crises, isn’t stopping with helping residents. Our City Attorney’s Office has drafted numerous emergency orders to protect renters in the city from eviction and to implement safety standards to slow the spread of the virus.”
Casillas Salas said this has all been accomplished with little federal or state support, with the city having to use its emergency financial reserves.
“The federal government only provided direct funding to cities with a population over 500,000 people and, under the governor’s proposal, the state will provide direct funding for cities with more than 300,000 people,” said Salas. “With no consideration about the impact of COVID-19, the federal government and the state are using arbitrary population numbers to assign funding. This is why it is so critical that all our residents complete the Census 2020 so we can get our fair share of state and federal funding.”
Salas said as the city looks forward to a path of recovery, it plans to advance vital projects that stimulate the local economy and revitalize the community.
The Costa Vista RV park is scheduled to be opened by January 2021. Bayfront development is still moving forward. The final phase of the Third Avenue Streetscape Improvements and Beautification project should be completed by October. Fire stations 5 and 9 will be rebuilt and opened in February and April 2021 respectively.
With a donation from the Lucky Duck Foundation and the city of San Diego, Salas said it will soon open up the first homeless bridge shelter in Chula Vista. “We are also moving forward with plans to help those most in need among us, our unsheltered population. COVID-19 made it glaringly clear that helping this population find and secure a home is not only the moral thing to do but also a way to help our community overcome COVID-19.”
Casillas Salas said it is still investing in its University and Innovation District and foresees it becoming a new tech hub in the region that will bring quality university education to young people and the jobs to keep those students working locally.
“But there is another challenge that impacts us and our nation, and that is the state of race in our country,” said Casillas Salas. “From the genocide of the first people, the enslavement of Africans, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1888, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the forced deportations of American citizens of Mexican descent in the 1930s and ’50s to today’s kids in cages. Way too often we see reports of African Americans and people of color who have been murdered or lost their lives for no reason. I fully support the peaceful protests seeking justice for all, including for taking the lives of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery, whether the perpetrators are police or civilian. Now is the time for self-examination.”
