John McCann, the Republican mayor of Chula Vista and owner of a real-estate management company and brokerage, is running for county supervisor representing District 1.
The San Diego Union-Tribune asked him and all the candidates running a series of the same questions about the big issues facing South County, and their priorities and plans if elected. Here’s what he told us.
1.) Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate?
My experience as a Navy veteran, mayor and council member of Chula Vista and lifelong Chula Vista and South County resident has prepared me to address the challenges facing our community at the Board of Supervisors.
I am proud of my leadership role in creating the Eastlake neighborhood, which was selected 10 years in a row as the best new home community. I’m a fierce advocate for transforming the Chula Vista and South Bay waterfront, including the addition of the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center and new parkland.
I have demonstrated results.
1) Fire safety: Investing in fire department and leadership during the Border 2 fire that protected Chula Vista with NO city casualties or structures lost; ing police, Chula Vista is one of the safest cities in California.
2) Getting homeless (people) off the streets: creating homeless outreach team and tiny homes bridge shelter to move homeless (people) into permanent housing.
3) Decreasing the cost of living: Fought to defeat SANDAG sales tax increase and other government waste.
2.) What are the top 3 issues facing this district and the county generally?
As County supervisor, my first priority will be public safety. I believe strongly that we must fully fund the Sheriff’s Department and ensure that deputies have the tools and resources to patrol our streets and fully cooperate with city police departments. I will also fight to fully fund the county’s firefighting resources, both with Cal Fire and with tools to assist local fire departments.
Homelessness continues to be far too prevalent in our region. County services must be deployed more efficiently to get homeless (people) off the streets. We must act with comion, but we cannot tolerate public encampments with open drug use. I ed Proposition 36 because it restored tougher standards for drug use in California.
Housing availability must be improved, both homeownership and rentals. As mayor, I prioritized homeownership, as owning your own home opens the way to intergenerational wealth, and I’m proud we are making that an option in my city.
3.) What are the first 3 things you would do in office if elected?
As supervisor, I will immediately begin working with the county firefighters to identify any new resources the department needs to keep us safe. Advance planning, before the height of the fire season, is critical. I will also work closely with the sheriff to improve funding for both street patrols and detention centers.
I will work with county staff, non-profits and city leaders to get homeless (people) off the streets. As mayor, we adopted one of the toughest homeless encampment bans in the county. I will work to impose the same rule countywide.
Finally, our housing shortage can only be addressed by adding more homes. I will immediately review all pending plans to ensure they are moving as quickly as possible. It is especially critical that we increase homeownership opportunities for the next generation. They, too, deserve to share in the American dream.
4.) What are your plans for addressing homelessness in San Diego County and in this district specifically?
As a Chula Vista council member, I worked with city leaders, the police department and nonprofits to create and approve our homeless outreach team, which has been very successful in getting homeless (people) off the streets. This reduced crime and made our neighborhoods safer. We also funded and built a “bridge shelter” that moves homeless individuals from the streets, then into more permanent housing. To improve safety for the homeless, and for (other) residents, we must adopt and enforce an encampment ban. Large street camps are a breeding ground for crime and drug use. As supervisor, I will act to shut them down.
5.) Recent wildfires in Los Angeles County have brought renewed attention to the potential effects on areas with high fire risk. Do you think the county should encourage development in rural unincorporated areas, and if so, how should it mitigate fire risks in them? Also, what more should the county do to combat the region’s housing and affordability crisis?
We should be realistic about the fire threats we face. Wildfires can strike virtually any neighborhood, given the network of canyons in our region. The answer is aggressive fire safety actions, including improved training and early deployment of resources. The recent Border 2 fire is an example of successful firefighting, as no lives or properties were lost in Chula Vista.
As mayor, I worked hard to keep our residents regularly informed on the status of the fire and potential evacuations. I am very proud of how our fire department worked with Cal Fire to keep our community safe.
To address the housing affordability crisis, we absolutely must shorten the approval time for new projects and prioritize both new for-sale homes to increase home ownership and new rental housing.
6.) San Diego County recently drew national attention for its effort to bolster its immigration “sanctuary” policies. What are your positions on immigration enforcement and goals for immigrant communities, and how should the county pursue these and respond to federal crackdowns? What is your response to the sheriff’s refusal to comply with new county policy?
As Chula Vista mayor and council member, I have opposed sanctuary city ordinances and now oppose the Board of Supervisors’ designation of sanctuary county. I strongly a path to citizenship for Dreamers and lawful immigrants. However, allowing violent criminals to stay in our community will only increase crime, with the immigrant community often being the primary victims. Sheriff Martinez was correct to oppose the sanctuary county policy. She has made it clear that she will comply with state law but work to make sure that violent and dangerous criminals are removed.
7.) Are you satisfied with the county’s handling of the sewage crisis thus far? What specific actions would you take to tackle the issue, and what relief would you seek for constituents?
The county’s response to the Tijuana River sewage crisis has been very poor. But that is also true for the federal and state governments. As District 1 supervisor, I will ramp up massive pressure on all environmental agencies to act immediately. Last year, I worked with local leaders to secure major federal funding for the South County Water Treatment plant, a critical step in solving the problem. I disagree with having this issue designated as a Superfund (site). This would slow down the process immensely as the federal government would need to determine acompany at fault, postponing the clean up for years.
8.) What else should be the county’s top priorities on public health and, separately, on behavioral health? Do you the county’s current courses of action on both, and how do you think it should improve?
First and foremost, the prevention, detection and eradication of spreadable diseases is the important core function of public health. That should remain a core function. For South County, sewage flowing into the United States from Mexico is a constant threat to public health for people near the Tijuana River Valley and along our coast and must be addressed.
The county spends more than $1 billion every year toward the region’s behavioral health needs, and I question if the programs are producing the outcomes we need, or if there are better ways to treat people with mental health issues and addiction. Effective behavioral health treatment is the best path to reducing homelessness.
9.) District 1 has borne the impacts of climate change in the form of recent wildfires and floods, as well as the health effects of climate-warming emissions. How would you improve climate resilience within the district, and how would you improve transportation options that reduce emissions?
I will put focus back to the infrastructure needed to prevent major fires and flood disasters. We need clearance — clearance of brush that fuels out-of-control wildfires, and clearance of our waterways and improvements to aged infrastructure that caused flooding of entire neighborhoods. Chula Vista is the model we should follow. In my city, the public works team cleared storm drains well ahead of the massive winter rains. As a result, Chula Vista had noflooding.
As a Metropolitan Transit (System) board member, I have been a fierce advocate for mass transit that people will actually use and for eliminating the SR-125 toll. As supervisor, I will put pressure on SANDAG leadership to leverage cleaner technology, such as electric vehicles, to give South County residents the flexibility and autonomy they need to live their lives, get their kids to school and themselves to work.
10.) The CaliBaja region — the combined economies of San Diego and Imperial counties and Baja California — is the largest integrated economic zone along the U.S.-Mexico border. How would you protect this cross-border economy as the presidential istration threatens heavy tariffs on Mexico, and how would you make the county friendlier to businesses, small and large?
A safe, efficient border crossing is key, and I commit to working at all levels of government to improve what’s needed for good people and commerce to flow between the two countries. The East Otay Mesa area is under the jurisdiction of the county, and it has tremendous potential for growth and cross border connection. To realize the full potential of the cross-border economy, we need to stimulate growth in East Otay Mesa. This would drive jobs and economic opportunity for South County, and is largely untapped. I would focus on bringing businesses to East Otay Mesa.
