Editorial:
The City of Chula Vista faces difficult times ahead with the budget deficit projected at a staggering $20 million dollars, this, after years of payroll reduction and service cut backs. On top of the budget deficit, over the next two years the Chula Vista redevelopment fund will have pay to the State $5 million dollars. The South Bay Power Plant is an ongoing issue, will it stay or will it go? These are just a few of the upcoming issues, but the city’s future is not bleak, the future for the city also presents opportunities that can be capitalized upon. The city bayfront plan is coming together, Westside redevelopment is slowly moving forward, and a four year university in East Chula Vista is on the horizon. But all this will take someone who can lead into the future.
In our opinion Steve Castañeda has shown the fortitude to move the City forward.
Castaneda’s political career has been one of challenges and overcoming the odds.
Castañeda has stood tall when he was politically attacked with frivolous charges by those who saw him as a political threat and sought any means possible to derail him. Despite these challenges and trying times Castañeda has stood tall and forthright dealing with the legal matters and maintaining a professional decorum on the dais at city hall. By all appearances he has gone about doing the job he was elected to do, working to forge council unity and moving forward on the issues facing the city.
Castañeda has played a key role in negotiating energy needs with local and state utility agencies. He has been at the forefront on health issues such as smoking in public places and childhood obesity. He played a key role in securing green space around Chula Vista and has worked to established community gardens. He has forged a partnership with private industry to refurbish little league fields. He supports jobs for the local workers.
Mayor Cheryl Cox, on the other hand, has not shown the leadership qualities required of a mayor who should be working to bring together a city council. Instead, she not only has had her hands full dealing with the Democratic majority on the council, but found herself at odds with the only other Republican, John McCann. As mayor she has already shown her inability and found lacking in the skills necessary to mold the council into a cohesive working unit.
When Ms Cox first ran for mayor it was on a platform of economic stability. She attacked then Mayor Padilla for excessive spending. The one thing she didn’t do was to lay out her economic agenda for the city and four years later we are still wondering what her economic agenda is beyond cutting city staff and seeking to jack up the sales tax by 1% over a ten year period? We are still waiting to hear her plan for generating new revenue for the city.
Under the less than watchful eye of Cox, the Gaylord Project for the bayfront, which had been on track to begin construction, fell apart under her leadership. Southwest Chula Vista residents protested and called for the recall of Cox for her support of peaker power plant in their community. The Chicano community was outraged by the shootings and attacks by the Chula Vista Police Department against Hispanics and the lack of response from the mayor’s office. Two large payments had to be made by the city for police brutality against Hispanics. Then there was the public squabble between Port Commissioner Mike Nejara when Cox wanted him removed.
Under Mayor Cox there are no longer fireworks for the Fourth of July, but she did find the money, $30,000 the same amount for the annual fireworks, to do a study on the height limit initiative while it was on the ballot, just another example of the political games Cox likes to dabble in at taxpayers expense.
There have also been the large payouts to senior staff under the Cox administration including city manager Dave Garcia, assistant city manager Laurie Madigan, and the release of Cox’s chief of staff Dan Forster who left after it was reported that he was working on city time as a consultant for his old job in Alaska and whom Cox defended.
The number of Chula Vista employees has declined from 1,250 employees to 991 while city funds have fallen from $172 million to $129 million. City general fund reserves fell to 6.1 percent, below the city mandated eight percent of operating budget.
Now Cox is asking the citizens for four more years to complete the job she started! As a city, can you afford for more years of Cox’s type of leadership? What the city needs now more than ever is a change in leadership.
Steve Castañeda has shown the type of leadership necessary to change the tone and tenure at city hall and to lead the city for the next four years which will be some trying times, but with hope for the future.
We Endorse Steve Castañeda for Mayor of Chula Vista.