Opportunity
Creating Opportunity in Chula Vista
More Jobs, More Investment, and More Opportunity Close to Home
Chula Vista has significant opportunities for economic growth, from the Bayfront to the Innovation District and throughout our established business corridors. My economic-development approach would focus on attracting employers, helping existing businesses expand, creating good-paying jobs, and making it easier for entrepreneurs to invest in Chula Vista.
The city already has an Office of Economic Development focused on business attraction, retention, expansion, the Bayfront, and the University and Innovation District. My proposal is to complement that work by bringing more private-sector experience and outside ideas directly into the city's economic-development process.
Create a Business Development Commission
Chula Vista would not have to invent this concept from scratch.
Cities across California already use economic-development or business-development commissions to advise their city councils. Cerritos, Auburn, Oceanside, and Monterey Park are examples. Their commissions address issues such as business retention and expansion, job creation, private investment, economic-development strategy, and the needs of local businesses.
Before creating Chula Vista's commission, I would first examine how successful commissions in other cities operate:
- What authority and responsibilities do they have?
- Who serves on them?
- How do they involve small-business owners and major employers?
- What programs have actually produced results?
- What mistakes have other cities made?
- How do they measure job creation, investment, business retention, and other outcomes?
We should take the best ideas from around California and elsewhere and adapt them to Chula Vista rather than building another commission simply for the sake of having one.
The commission should include people with real-world experience in business ownership, finance, real estate, technology, development, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and other industries important to Chula Vista.
Actively Recruit Businesses to Chula Vista
One of the first questions is straightforward: Where are the businesses and jobs going to come from?
I would start by looking north—to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Chula Vista can make a legitimate economic case to companies, entrepreneurs, and employees considering alternatives to the Bay Area. Housing costs illustrate one part of that difference. California Association of Realtors data showed a Bay Area median single-family home price of approximately $1.285 million in July 2026, while Redfin reported a Chula Vista median sale price of approximately $858,000 over the three months ending August 2026. The measurements are not identical, but they illustrate the substantial housing-cost difference between the markets.
Chula Vista can also compete on quality of life, climate, proximity to beaches and outdoor recreation, access to San Diego and the international border, and the opportunity to participate in a region that still has major areas available for new development.
Rather than simply waiting for companies to discover Chula Vista, the city should identify industries and employers that could benefit from relocating or expanding here and actively make the case for Chula Vista.
Create Good-Paying Jobs in Chula Vista
Economic development should ultimately be measured by whether it creates opportunities for residents.
Many Chula Vista residents travel elsewhere for work. As the city continues to grow, we should pursue employers that provide career-oriented jobs in fields such as technology, healthcare, engineering, professional services, research, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, skilled trades, and emerging industries.
More employment centers within Chula Vista can mean shorter commutes, more economic activity within the city, and more opportunities for residents to build careers close to home.
Support the Innovation District
The University and Innovation District provides an opportunity to diversify Chula Vista's economy and attract technology, research, education, healthcare, and other knowledge-based industries.
The city should pursue partnerships with universities, research institutions, entrepreneurs, investors, and established companies that could locate operations there.
The objective should be more than filling land with development. It should be creating an employment and innovation center capable of generating jobs and investment for decades.
Make the Bayfront an Economic Engine
The Chula Vista Bayfront encompasses approximately 535 acres and is planned for a combination of commercial development, hospitality, recreation, parks, open space, and other uses.
The Bayfront presents an opportunity to attract visitors and investment while creating additional jobs and economic activity throughout Chula Vista.
One proposal that deserves careful consideration is the Pangaea sports and entertainment complex.
Pangaea is currently an early-stage proposal for the Chula Vista Bayfront centered around tennis and other sports and entertainment uses. In June 2026, the Port extended an exclusive negotiating agreement with the development team for an additional two years. The proposal has also raised environmental and land-use concerns that will have to be addressed as planning continues.
Pangaea Should Have an Anchor Before We Build It
A major sports complex can create jobs, tourism, hotel stays, restaurant activity, and other economic benefits—but only if people actually use it.
Before Pangaea moves into construction, I would want to see a credible commitment from an anchor user.
That could include:
- A professional sports organization
- A nationally or internationally recognized athlete or sports organization
- A major recurring tournament
- A collegiate or amateur sports organization
- A tournament operator committing to multiple events each year
- Another credible organization capable of generating recurring attendance and revenue
The principle is simple: establish the demand before building the facility.
A project of this scale should have a realistic business plan supported by identifiable events, users, attendance, and revenue—not simply projections that depend on the hope that events will arrive after construction.
If those commitments can be secured, a sports and entertainment destination could become another significant economic asset for the Bayfront.
Make Chula Vista a City Where Businesses Want to Invest
Attracting businesses requires more than advertising.
Businesses look at permitting time, regulations, available employees, real estate, infrastructure, housing costs, transportation, taxes, and how responsive local government is when they encounter a problem.
Chula Vista should continually examine those factors and ask a simple question:
What can we do better than competing cities?
The Business Development Commission can help answer that question by bringing business owners, investors, entrepreneurs, and other professionals directly into the conversation.
The goal is a Chula Vista where existing businesses can grow, new employers want to invest, entrepreneurs can get started, and residents have access to more good-paying jobs close to home.
