Budget approved, words of disapproval for councilwoman

Chula Vista Councilwoman Jill Galvez listened while the city's cultural arts manager, Lynnette Tessitore, addressed the council Tuesday night.

Chula Vista residents filed into the city council chambers on June 4 to voice their support for the proposed 2019-20 budget and to condemn the idea of cutting city staff.

The proposal was approved by council on May 21, and the council formally voted to adopt the budget without much deliberation on Tuesday night.

The budget, among other things, is balanced at nearly $400 million, includes a 15% reserve, no staff cuts, a full “rainy day fund,” and money set aside for public safety officials.

The final vote was 4-1, with council member Jill Galvez being the lone “no,” vote. Galvez had also voted against the budget in May, with her reasoning being that there was not enough funding going towards hiring public safety.

Galvez had also caused a stir when she publicly eliminated her office’s senior council aide position, held by Robert Moreno, and proposed that the job of Lynnette Tessitore – Chula Vista’s cultural arts manager – be eliminated and absorbed.

This decision – which had been met with audible murmuring – did not appear to be well-received, and the possibility of a recall effort was circulated by multiple media outlets in the days that followed.

During a public hearing for the budget on Tuesday, residents, many of whom were involved in the cultural arts community or knew Tessitore in some way, spoke in support of both Tessitore and cultural arts.

Taylor Ward, a cultural arts commissioner for the city, said the call to eliminate the cultural arts manager position was an attack on the entire art community.

“Our community is taken aback by your dismissal of the benefits arts and culture bring to a society,” Ward said, at the podium. “We, the arts and culture workers, are not against hiring police or fire employees, we value their contributions like you do not value ours.”

Tessitore – who had been in attendance and spoken before Galvez called for her position – once again was present and spoke at the podium, where she thanked her supporters.

“I am humbled beyond words to say the least,” Tessitore said. “The showing of support for me, the position of cultural arts manager, and the very important work that I do, most especially in these times.”

Galvez also received backlash from the public for her public dismissal of the position held by Moreno, also in attendance, and who said he was “humbled,” by the support he has received from the community.

Galvez did not respond during the meeting, but spoke on Wednesday, saying that she does support and care about cultural arts in the city.

“I fully support the arts, and there really wasn’t much contradicted in terms of last night’s testimony from the folks that are receiving cultural arts grants from the city,” Galvez said.

“I’m happy that they are all contributing to cultural arts in Chula Vista.”
Galvez also expressed her support for the cultural art grants given each year by the city’s Cultural Arts Commission.

“I absolutely was not proposing to cut our city sponsored funding of all the incredible cultural arts activities that take place throughout Chula Vista.”