An elected City
Attorney for Chula Vista . . .
“To be, or not to
be: that is the question.” This often cited quotation from William
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is fitting here. Soon the Chula Vista City Council will
have another opportunity to grant the residents of Chula Vista the right to
vote on a ballot initiative that seeks to change the city attorney to an
elected post.
In less than one
year, concerned citizens have twice collected over 20,000 signatures to place
this initiative on the ballot. The initial signatures were disqualified when a
San Francisco attorney threatened litigation due to a technicality involving
the publication of the notice of intent to circulate the petition. The City’s
actions only furthered the resolve of community residents to have an elected
City Attorney in office and we quickly went back to the streets and collected
20,000 more signatures to place the initiative on the 2008 ballot.
We strongly believe
that Chula Vista has outgrown its current form of government. Our city is no
longer a small suburb of San Diego as it was 30 years ago when I moved there
with my husband and young family. It is now one of the fastest growing cities
in the country that deserves an evolved form of city government. Chula Vista
needs an attorney who will represent and be responsible to the people and act
in the best interests of the public, not solely in the interest of the Mayor
and City Council.
Although it is
important to ensure that someone in City Hall is looking over our City Council
and City staff, we also want to make certain that the checks and balances are
in place to oversee an elected City Attorney as well. The initiative rightfully
specifies that the City Council has to approve all lawsuits filed on behalf of
the city by the City Attorney.
Chula Vistans
deserve the opportunity to decide whether or not we want a City Attorney that
is responsible and accountable to city residents, not merely to the Mayor, City
Council and other City officials. The Mayor and Council will soon decide
whether or not to put this important issue on the ballot. We urge you to
contact them and tell them to Let Chula Vista Vote . . . “Ay, there’s the rub.”
Norma A. Cazares
Chula Vistans for an Elected City Attorney