CHULA VISTA.- The absence of mention of topics such as arts and culture, community concern about the imminent closure of the Scripps Mercy Hospital delivery unit, as well as the negative impact on the community from the adoption of Senate Bill SB10 California and the Republic Services labor negotiations were some of the topics on which Democrat Christine Brady, who ran to represent District 4 in the last primary elections, expressed her feelings after attending the Chula Vista City Council meeting.
“Of the primary candidates who sought votes on March 5 for Districts 3 or 4, I was the only one present at that meeting. It was packed, with residents and employees concerned about the impending closure of the Scripps Mercy Hospital delivery unit, the negative impact on the
community of the adoption of California Senate Bill SB10, and Republic Services labor
negotiations.”
The engineer, and a Chula Vista resident for 25 years, said that “Scripps doctors and nurses
spoke up requesting that the city help them ask the state to require a community impact report before the closure. The Scripps birthing unit is the only service providing prenatal and postnatal care to low-income and uninsured mothers and premature babies in the South Bay.”
On the other hand, she noted that “California Senate Bill SB10 allows an R1 single-family
property to be built with ten additional residential units without providing on-site parking. 97% of properties in Chula Vista are considered to be near transit-rich corridors and would be subject to loosening zoning restrictions or code requirements if the City decided to adopt SB10.
The adoption of SB10 would be irreversible and would prohibit the City from regaining control of residential zoning. Residents were unanimous in their disgust and called for the rejection of SB10, not wanting their streets to become parking lots nor for their home values and quality of life to diminish. The irreversibility of SB10 also made it unacceptable.”
Regarding the issue of Republic Services garbage truck drivers, she stated that “the company
hired to remove waste by the City of Chula Vista requested the participation of the City in their labor negotiations. They claim their strike during COVID was unsuccessful and they continue to work in non-air-conditioned trucks, earning seven to eight dollars less per hour than drivers for other garbage services.
Brady also indicated that the quarterly general fund budget (around $262 million) was
presented at that meeting.
“The City had an additional $3.2 million in revenue. However, they claimed this money was
used to cover additional police overtime pay and damage caused by the January 22 storm and
some pay increases. Parks and Recreation had an additional $933,000 in revenue due to
expanded programs.
As always, nothing was dedicated to Arts and Culture,” she stressed with
concern as the latter is one of the issues that Brady has put on the table for more than three decades during which she has promoted the creation of schools, artistic programs, and service institutions.