Chula Vista Gets New City Manager

Media
Oct 16
2 min read

After nearly four decades of public service and five years as Chula Vista City Manager, Maria Velarde Kachadoorian has announced her decision to retire in October.

According to the news item in the May 2025 Chula Vista newsletter, "City Manager Plans For Retirement":

"Kachadoorian’s career began in the Office of the Auditor and Controller at the County of San Diego. She joined the City in 1998, and has held several key leadership positions, including Director of Finance, Deputy City Manager, and Assistant City Manager, before being appointed City Manager in 2020. She is the first woman and Latina to serve in the role. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in guiding the City through the challenges of the 2008 Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic, all while advancing major infrastructure projects through the passage and extension of Measure P, expanding neighborhood services like the ambulance transport program, and promoting fiscal responsibility. Other projects underway include the Millenia Library development, expansion of SDSU Nursing and Global Campus programs to Chula Vista seeding the university efforts, new film production studios that will transform the entertainment industry, and the City’s first cultural arts center."

“As City Manager, Maria's leadership has been instrumental in realizing many achievements for the City, including the opening of the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center, managing the City through the COVID-19 crisis and instituting fiscally sound policies that have set a strong foundation for the City. I am deeply appreciative of her commitment to improving the quality of life for all Chula Vista and wish her a well-earned retirement.”—Mayor John McCann

Meet new City Manager Tiffany Allen and read her message: