CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — Chula Vista is holding primary elections Tuesday for mayor and two city council seats, with affordability and public safety emerging as the defining issues for voters.
Candidates in the mayoral, District 1, and District 2 races have laid out competing visions for how to address housing costs and police staffing in California's second-largest city.
Housing and Affordability
Mayor John McCann and his opponents are focused on attracting first-time homebuyers to Chula Vista. McCann said he is currently building more than 1,000 entry-level homeownership opportunities near the Chula Vista Shopping Center.
His mayoral opponent, Francisco Tamayo, said developers are currently building homes starting at $750,000 — a price point most first-time buyers cannot reach. Tamayo is proposing to use city-owned land to build homes priced around $500,000, paired with a down payment assistance plan.
Candidates are also pushing to limit outside buyers from purchasing homes in cash, and are exploring ways to direct those properties to first-time homebuyers instead. Sellers who want to list their homes face significant capital gains tax burdens, a factor candidates say is constraining the local housing market.
Public Safety
Despite Chula Vista's reputation as one of the safest cities in the county, candidates across all three races say the city is short approximately 90 police officers. Population growth on the east side has outpaced city resources, prompting discussions about opening a new police substation in that area.
Candidates have proposed several funding strategies to address the staffing shortage.
District 2 candidate Russ Hall discusses how Measure A tax funds are being deployed, citing that there are millions of dollars that could be used to hire more officers.
Incumbent District 2 Council Member Jose Preciado has called for increasing the transient occupancy tax to generate more revenue for city services, including public safety.
District 2 candidate Angelica Martinez said crime is highest in her district and is calling for more lighting near the trolley station, along Broadway, and near the Sweetwater Marsh to deter criminal activity.
Hall also wants to revitalize Broadway, which he said was once a thriving commercial corridor but has declined due to crime.
Economic development and technology
Candidates are also calling for a faster permitting process for small businesses. Approximately 90,000 Chula Vista residents leave the city every day to work elsewhere in the county and beyond, and candidates say keeping that workforce and economic activity local is a priority.
Some candidates, including Yair Gersten for mayor and Chuck Sanfilippo for the District 1 seat, have proposed using artificial intelligence to address city challenges and improve transparency between city leaders and residents, allowing the public to track progress on key issues.
