Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas officially declared May 1 as Law Day at a city council meeting on April 16.
The American Bar Association chooses a theme each year, and this year’s iteration of the event, first conceived by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, will focus on free speech, free press and free society.
“I, Mary Casillas Salas, the 40th mayor of the city of Chula Vista, together with the city council do hereby declare Wednesday, May 1, 2019 as Law Day in the city of Chula Vista, and urge the citizens, schools, businesses and media of Chula Vista to use this occasion to preserve and strengthen the rule of law,” Salas read.
The city first celebrated Law Day in 2012, according to records available online by the San Diego Law Library, after a proclamation was made by then-Mayor Cheryl Cox.
Chula Vista City Attorney Glen Googins spoke at the meeting, following Mayor Salas proclamation, and said it is appropriate that this year’s Law Day theme be about the first amendment.
“I think they’ve done it again in choosing a very timely amendment,” Googins said.
Last year’s theme was the importance of constitutional provisions for separation of powers, which highlighted checks and balances.
This year, the Chula Vista library will host a free event on May 6 called “Fake News, Shoddy News, Good News,” which will aim to help residents learn how to identify what news they can and cannot trust.
Joy Whatley, library director at the CVL, spoke at the meeting, and explained that it is important to view toady’s news with a critical eye.
“The freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our public discourse, but changes in technology created changes in new outlets and our relationship with the press requires us to think critically about every piece of news that we see,” Whatley read from a statement.
There will be other events in the San Diego area related to Law Day, including an event in City Heights on May 4 and an opening reception on May 2 at the Downtown Law Library.
Additionally, Googins said the city’s human relations commission is looking towards the possibility of teaming up with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union to host a series of programs which would help the community learn more about their legal rights.
“I’ve talked long about trying to translate Law Day into something that we would do here locally as a program,” he said.
