Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas delivered her annual update for the city in her fourth State of the City Address Tuesday night, where she highlighted all the reasons to celebrate.
Casillas Salas noted that this year the city has received many awards and recognitions for some developments happening in the city.
One of these awards deserving recognition, she said, is the California Association of Public Information Officers EPIC Award for its This is Chula marketing campaign.
Casillas Salas announced that a phase two of the This is Chula marketing campaign is scheduled to kick off soon and will add a television commercial
The mayor also touted the renaissance of the Third Avenue Village with the recent surge of brewpubs and restaurants opening, creating a vibrant downtown.
Casillas Salas also mentioned all the improvements made to infrastructure thanks in large part to the voter approval of Measure P two years ago. Because of Measure P the city has been able to repair 139 storm drains throughout the city to prevent flooding, the mayor said.
Despite all the good, Casillas Salas said Chula Vista still has issues that it must take care of.
“In the past 10 years we have reduced our work force by one-third and, due to budget challenges, very few positions have been restored,” she said. “I wish we could address the under-staffing in all departments and at some point we will.”
Casillas Salas also vouched for Measure A, a proposed half-cent general tax to be used for public safety. Despite being one of the 10 safest cities in America, Casillas Salas said Measure A is needed because of the city’s population growth.
“Measure A, which will go to voters on June 5th, will enable us to hire 43 police personnel and 36 firefighters,” she said. “Our cops and firefighters do a great job, but they are stretched thin. As our population grows, they get stretched even more.”
However, not everyone is in support of the tax measure.
A half-hour before Casillas Salas delivered her speech about a dozen protestors stood in front of City Hall to protest the proposed half-cent sales tax increase.
The protesters wore shirts with the words “Just Say No” across its chest and held signs that read “Just Say No.”
Just Say No Chairman Russ Hall said he does not like the fact that Measure A is a general tax that would go to general fund because the council can ultimately spend that money anyway it wants.
“If you go to a 2/3 vote (which would earmark the money for public safety) it would certainly be favorable for us,” he said. “It’s a whole different ballgame.
