Incumbent McCann leads Chula Vista mayor's race after first drop of election results
In the June Primary Election, three men were on the ballot for Chula Vista’s mayoral race, with incumbent Mayor John McCann facing challenges from Francisco Tamayo and Yair Gersten.
Only two candidates will advance to the November ballot.
McCann has served in public office since 2002. Tamayo is the director of IT and cybersecurity for Calbright Community College and has served on the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board since 2014. Gersten, an analyst for the county of San Diego, would be a first-time elected official.
The candidates largely agree on some of the city’s biggest issues, including public safety and the rising cost of living.
“No. 1 is always public safety,” McCann said. “We’ve decreased homelessness by 25%.”
“Public safety and affordability,” Tamayo said. “We need to make sure that people feel safe in Chula Vista.”
“Keeping law and order is an absolute necessity,” Gersten said. “As a city, we have a huge role to play in the cost of living.”
The cost of living topped all three candidates’ priorities. McCann said he wants to help entry-level homeowners, while Tamayo and Gersten highlighted affordable housing and childcare. Tamayo wanted to incentivize developers to build entry-level homes.
2026 Primary Election
The candidates also discussed Chula Vista’s financial position, with all three pointing to the city’s balanced budget and reserves.
“We are one of the only cities in the state of California that has a balanced budget, strong reserves,” McCann said. “We need to continue that. We can’t just pull out the credit card and spend money on ridiculous things.”
“I think we have done an amazing job of managing the city budget,” Gersten said. “Great might not be good enough. We can still do a lot of things to fix a million headaches for a lot of people.”
Tamayo and Gersten both said they support continuing the city’s fiscal trajectory while investing in city services.
“I think we keep that momentum,” Tamayo said. “We need to look at the priorities and make sure that we are still in the black. But how do we prioritize our resources to serve the city?”
“I think we should keep our trajectory, ensure that we’re fiscally responsible while making these changes,” Gersten said. “Really, it comes down to having transparency, accountability and great logistics.”
The candidates also addressed Chula Vista’s recently approved Safe Neighborhood Ordinance, which limits the use of city assets to assist federal law enforcement. Tamayo and Gersten said they support the ordinance. McCann opposed it in the past.
“My job is to make sure that the entire city — all residents — are safe,” McCann said.
Public-safety leadership also became part of the conversation as Chula Vista’s long-time police chief Roxana Kennedy sued the city, four council members and the city manager, alleging defamation and harassment.
“I am one of the individuals at the city who was not part of the lawsuit,” McCann said.
“My interactions with her have been positive,” Tamayo said.
“The city is great, and I love it, and Chief Kennedy was a huge part of that,” Gersten said. “I think that if your biggest problem with your police department is that your chief is having a little bit too much fun, that is an awesome problem to have.”
All three candidates also expressed support for a new police substation in eastern Chula Vista to reduce police response times.
The biggest differences between the three may be political experience.
“Experience matters,” said McCann, who has served in public office since 2002. He’s been mayor since 2022.
Chula Vista City Council Races
Races are also being held for two city council seats, with the top vote-getters heading to the General Election in November.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.
