What does the Chula Vista Mayor do?
Chula Vista is a charter city with a council manager system. Under this system, the city council selects a city manager to oversee the day-to-day operations.
The mayor of Chula Vista mostly serves as another member of the city council — but with a few added perks. The mayor represents the city at official events and in regional bodies like SANDAG. The city’s mayor also has more of a say in what items are on the weekly city council agenda.
How much does the Chula Vista Mayor get paid?
As of 2024, the mayor's base salary is $158,545. Under the city's charter, pay increases for elected officials are tied with that of a state Superior Court judge, which usually receives an annual raise. The mayor receives 66% of a Superior Court Judge's salary.
The mayor is also eligible for a car allowance up to $1,000 per month and a cell phone allowance up to $60 per month.
Sources: California State Controller, City of Chula Vista Human Resources Department
California’s 2026 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Get general information about the election, news coverage, an interactive ballot guide and results on election day.
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Meet the candidates
| John McCann |
- Party: Registered Republican
- Professional background: McCann is the current Mayor of Chula Vista. He was elected in 2022 and has served on the Chula Vista City Council for close to two decades. He is also a U.S. Navy reservist.
- Top three priorities:
- Public safety
- Infrastructure
- Public parks
- Chula Vista Firefighters
- Chula Vista Police Officers Association
- The Republican Party of San Diego County
- Building Industry Association of San Diego County
| Francisco Tamayo |
- Party: Registered Democrat
- Professional background: Tamayo is a current trustee on the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board. He works as the Director of Information Technology and Security at Calbright College, an online community college.
- Top three priorities:
- Economic development
- Public safety
- Homelessness
- San Diego County Democratic Party
- Chula Vista Councilmembers Carolina Chavez, Jose Preciado, Michael Inzuna and Cesar Fernandez
- San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council
The issues
- McCann said he would seek to address the cost of living by advancing new affordable housing for both homeowners and renters. He emphasized his track record of fighting new taxes and fees. McCann also touted his work on Chula Vista’s planned “Innovation District,” which the city hopes will attract tech companies and more high-paid jobs to the east side of the city.
- Tamayo said he would also focus on advancing affordable housing. He said he would support using city-owned land to build homes in the $500,000 range for police officers, firefighters, teachers and nurses. Tamayo said he would also prioritize working with school districts to expand childcare access and would widen rental assistance for seniors.
- McCann has made a point of staying out of City Council discussions about Chula Vista’s response when federal immigration agents enter the city. He claims his status as a Naval reservist prevents him from talking about federal issues. McCann said he would continue to abstain from discussing the topic.
- Tamayo said he has seen immigration enforcement take a toll on students in his role as a school board trustee. He said he would partner with school districts and community organizations to create a rapid-response network to provide families with verified information and legal resources. Tamayo said he supported the city’s existing protections and would expand language access across city services.
- McCann said improving Chula Vista’s infrastructure will be a major priority for him — in particular, building more park space across the city. He said he would support development projects in underserved communities, touting the new Gaylord Resort on the city’s western side, and said he would also invest in other aging infrastructure, such as libraries.
- Tamayo said he would support using smart traffic technology, such as adaptive signal timing and real-time traffic data, to move cars through the city’s busiest corridors without widening streets. He said he would also look at collision data to identify and improve dangerous intersections, particularly around schools. Tamayo also said he would push SANDAG and MTS for better public transit routes.
Campaign finance
- As of late September, McCann had raised over $300,000 and spent almost $260,000. Most of his money comes from individual donors, according to the campaign finance data tracker The Ballot Book. The majority of McCann’s money came from outside the city, with just a quarter of his donors actually living in Chula Vista. McCann also personally loaned his campaign $10,000 late last year.
- Tamayo had raised just over $18,000 and spent over $14,000 as of late September. The majority of the money came from a $10,000 loan that Tamayo personally gave his campaign. About two-thirds of his remaining funds came from individual donors, with the rest coming from a committee tied to the Los Angeles-based labor union Western States Regional Council of Carpenters.
