Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas delivered the annual State of the City address on May 14 inside the City Council Chambers.
Casillas Salas presented the address for the fifth time, and her 20-minute speech touched on topics such as smart city planning, bayfront development, a revitalized downtown, housing affordability and Measure A and Measure P fund usage.
Measure P – a temporary half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 – has contributed to a variety of projects around the city, including road repairs and resurfacing, rebuilt fire stations, a new fire engine and an upgraded 9-1-1 dispatch system.
Measure A, meanwhile, was a half-cent sales tax increase that passed in 2018 and was meant to go toward staffing the city’s police and fire departments.
“We have kept the promises of Measure P and Measure A,” Casillas Salas said, before going off script by concluding, “and don’t let anybody tell you different.”
The address started off with information about Chula Vista’s smart city plan, which includes a goal of transforming 40 percent of city fleets to alternative fuel vehicles by 2020, and which has contributed to the replacement of 20,000 lights around the city and the installation of 11,000 solar panels on city facilities.
Casillas Salas also touched on the city’s dedication to exploring what is known as Community Choice Energy, which would open the market for where residents are able to purchase their energy, and on the bayfront expansion project, which will transform 535 acres of vacant space on the city’s waterfront.
The mayor also restated how the city is working to create a binational university with a shared campus at the currently vacant university site — located within two miles of the United States-Mexico border — and touted the development which has been going on in Millenia, which includes construction of a new fire station and the completion of a 135-room luxury hotel.
The Chula Vista Police Department received a shout-out for its drone program — the first of its kind in the nation — which has led to nearly 60 arrests following over 400 calls for service since its activation in 2017.
“Thanks to the efforts of Chief Roxanna Kennedy and the Chula Vista Police Department, we have one of the safest cities in the nation,” Casillas Salas said.
Near the end of her speech, the mayor highlighted the city’s homeless outreach team, which has helped permanently house 91 people, touted the fire department for its improvement in response time and detailed how housing affordability has been improved by new developments in western Chula Vista and redevelopments at the E Street trolley station.
The address concluded with a call-out to everyone making a difference in the city, including community groups, volunteers and the 157 residents who serve on the cities boards and commissions.
“We all are the reasons Chula Vista is the place people want to live and has become globally recognized as a leading city, and we’re just getting started,” Casillas Salas said.
The mayor chatted with residents and city officials in the City Hall courtyard following her speech, where she told the Star-News that it is important for citizens to understand what is going on where they live.
“Many people don’t understand the complexities of a city and all the things that are happening to make life better for them,” Casillas Salas said. “Many people, all they know is their neighborhood, and they want to know that their cities and streets are good and they’re safe and they’ve got good amenities, but what does it take to make that happen.”
Residents who stuck around were treated to free food, beverages and musical entertainment from the band Moonlight Miles.
Michael Mccabe, who came from Bakersfield to retire in Chula Vista in 2017, said he was surprised by all that the city is doing.
“I was amazed at how many things I was not aware of that the city is involved in,” Mccabe said. “(Casillas Salas) painted a very optimistic portrait of the city and quite a few accomplishments that we have made in the past year, so I think it was very positive, upbeat.”
Another resident, Ricardo Oviedo, said he came out to support the city, and was pleased with the speech.
“I was really happy with everything that (Casillas Salas) said,” Oviedo said. “I was surprised by all the stuff and I really like about the bulk.”
