In 2014, Mary Casillas Salas made political history in Chula Vista.
The then-Chula Vista councilwoman became the first Latina mayor in a city that’s been in existence for more than a century.
That feat, Casillas Salas said, was a dream come true.
Now, Casillas Salas, 70, seeks a second term as she is on the November ballot for re-election against Otay Water District Director Hector Gastelum.
“I’m running for re-election and the highest privilege for me, the biggest honor, has been to serve as mayor of this community,” she said. “To serve a community that I was born in; to serve in a community where my grandfather was born and were my grandparents had moved almost 100 years ago in 1919. So, for me it’s been a big privilege to be part of this community for so long and seeing the evolution of our city.”
Casillas Salas,70, has lead Chula Vista the last four years all while being one of the highest paid mayors in California.
The annual salary for the mayor of Chula Vista is $140,686 and $22,261 in total retirement and health contribution. However, Casillas Salas’ financial earning is no fault of her own.
Chula Vista voters in 2000 passed Prop. A, which set the mayor’s salary to be two-thirds, 66 percent, that of a superior court judge.
Casillas Salas said she’s heard concerns from constituents about the mayor’s pay.
“I understand the criticism,” Casillas Salas said about critics of her salary.
Casillas Salas said she is not opposed to changing the pay structure for the city’s elected officials.
“The formula was voted on by the people of Chula Vista many, many years ago,” she said.
“If we were to change the formula, it would require a vote of the people again. And I’m not averse to putting that on the ballot.”
Casillas Salas said as mayor she has put the city in better fiscal order with advocating the passage of Measure P and Measure A. She’s also proud that under her leadership there are now fully constructed hotels on the east side of the city.
Casillas Salas said she is also happy with the recent development of the downtown business district.
“All the businesses and restaurants on Third Avenue make it a fun place to go,” she said.
Casillas Salas said if given the opportunity to lead the city for another term, she wants to make sure some of the city’s projects that are currently taking shape are completed or have made significant progress by the time she is out of office.
With the bayfront scheduled to break ground in the near future, she said she wants to be here to help with the early development of the bayfront.
Another task she highlights is bringing a public four-year university to Chula Vista.
The city is in current negotiations with Saint Katherine University, a private school, to come to Chula Vista. But she said the city’s work does not stop at Saint Katherine as she will work diligently in attracting a public four-year university on the University and Innovation District site.
She also wants to make progress in putting a deck behind the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. She said the library recently received a $639,000 grant from the state of California to build the deck. She said the grant will pay for construction costs of the deck and the money that she raised thus far for the library deck will be spent on furniture for the deck.
Casillas Salas ends her first-term backing two voter approved sales tax measures. The city’s sales tax went from 8 percent when Casillas Salas was first elected to 8.75 percent on Oct.1 because of the approvals of Measure P in 2016 and Measure A this pass June.
Casillas Salas has received criticism for her stance on increasing the city’s sales tax, but she said it’s the people who decide if the city’s sales tax should increase.
“I can’t tax without the vote of the people. I can’t tax without the people approving it” she said. “It was the people that voted for the tax measures and the vote of the people was a reflection of their values of what they wanted. Citizens wanted good roads, they wanted their parks maintained, these were all value statements that the voters made in voting yes (on Measure P). Measure A, that wasn’t my tax that was the tax of the people that voted to support our fire and our police and make public safety a number one priority.”
Casillas Salas has 20 years of public service under her belt. She was first elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 1996, serving through 2004. She then left the council because of term limits then went on to serve at South Bay Irrigation District as a director for two years before elected to four years in the California State Assembly. She ran for state senate and lost.
