HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020/06/09 City Manager's Reports - Retirement Announcement/Update
DATE: June 9, 2020
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Gary Halbert, City Manager
SUBJECT: Update Memorandum
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When I sent you my retirement announcement three months ago, I could never have imagined what
would transpire in the coming weeks. Within days, we were in a state of emergency driven by the
COVID-19 pandemic. And now, as we face the challenges of re-opening, we are working with our
community in support over the past two weeks of nationwide protest over systemic racism and police
misconduct.
Your staff has been outstanding during this time and I offer my heartfelt thanks and share my pride with
their tireless and always highly professional efforts. Our frontline essential workers have gone above
and beyond to provide top quality services to our community throughout the pandemic, both in-person
and virtual.
Based upon positive public health data, San Diego County has been given the approval to move forward
more quickly further into Stage Two of the State’s Resilience Roadmap. The local data for Chula Vista
is also showing a positive trend. We will coordinate our re-opening activities with the County and our
sister cities and strive to be generally in stride with our regional partners. It should be noted, however,
that the South Bay communities have experienced significantly higher exposure to the coronavirus and
re-opening activities will need to be closely monitored for adherence to social distancing, necessary face
coverings and proper sanitization. This will be challenging for Chula Vista without additional funding
resources. The County and City of San Diego have received well over half a billion dollars of direct
CARES Act funding to aide in addressing the impacts of COVID-19. The County has shared $25
million of their CARES Act allocation with the cities throughout San Diego on a per capita basis. We
are grateful to the County for this funding. However, Chula Vista is home to over eight percent of the
County’s population and yet we are receiving less than one percent of the CARES Act funding that has
been provided to our region. And this is while Chula Vista is experiencing an infection rate that is
nearly double the county wide infection rate. I am very concerned that we do not have enough resources
to properly address a rebound in infections that may occur with re-opening activities. We implore our
State representatives to include direct funding for Chula Vista and other cities facing similar challenges
in the FY20-21 State budget.
Over the past two weeks, community members across our nation have gathered in protest of intransigent
systemic racism and police misconduct. Chula Vista stands in support of those protests locally,
nationally and internationally. While these gatherings have been largely peaceful, there have been some
instances in our region where protest activity has become destructive and our hearts go out to those
affected communities. Please be assured that we have carefully planned and prepared to support
peaceful protests within our community and minimize potential violence.
Chula Vista has made significant strides in addressing social equity and health disparity issues that have
their roots in systemic racism. This is demonstrated in Chula Vista being ranked second nationally by
New American Economy for immigrant integration into American cities. And we received top scores in
Inclusivity and Community. While we have made progress, there is still a long journey ahead. Our
hearts and minds are with our community in this time of unity and protest.