CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Chula Vista Mayor John McCann held his first State of the City address Tuesday evening. He focused on what the city has accomplished over the past year, big projects in the works, and key issues they're working to overcome.
"This is Chula Vista's decade," he said.
Mayor McCann delivered the annual State of the City address. First, he covered some of the city's biggest accomplishments.
"We are currently building the largest hotel under construction in the United States, the Gaylord Bayfront and Convention Center," he said.
He said the Gaylord Hotel is a $1.3 billion project providing thousands of construction jobs as well as permanent jobs. The mayor also discussed issues like the homeless crisis and what the city is doing to help it.
This year, Chula Vista opened tiny homes with 65 units that act as transitional shelter with wraparound services. The mayor says about half are occupied and expects them to be full by the end of the year.
"We've been able to get several graduates which have moved on to affordable housing," he said.
Homeless encampments and crime forced Harborside Park to close last year. The mayor didn't have any updates on its reopening but said he hopes to find positive solutions. He did have an announcement about a new park in Chula Vista the Filipino-American Veterans Memorial Park.
"We've been able to get several graduates that have moved over to affordable housing," said Oscar Sanchez Garcia, the president of the Filipino-American Military Officers Association.
The park is meant to honor Filipino Americans who have served in our military and especially the Navy.
"There's a pretty big contingency of Filipino Americans here and veterans, I believe it's not just for Chula Vista but really is a national, regional type park so everyone can enjoy it," said Ray Ricario, a Navy veteran.