Chula Vista Mayor Wades into Horse Arena Debate

Media
Jan 8
1 min read

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann on Tuesday came down firmly on the side of horse owners in a heated local debate over renovation of a city park that has pitted advocates for sports fields against South San Diego County horse owners.

At a Tuesday morning press conference, McCann urged city staff to preserve a decades-old horse arena at Rohr Park, a 60-acre park on the city’s border with Bonita that for decades has served as a regional recreation hub.

Late last year, city staff abruptly removed the park’s decades-old horse arena from a proposed park overhaul that could begin as early as this year. A proposal unveiled in November replaced the arena with soccer fields and a skate park, citing “sports equity for all youth” as a top goal of the park overhaul.

Horse owners in Bonita and surrounding communities decried the move and have bombarded the city with letters, emails and public comments at meetings.

On Tuesday, McCann, who is up for re-election later this year, sided with the horse owners. He urged city staff to restore the arena, calling it a “valuable resource [that] supports responsible horse ownership, training and education benefiting not just our local community but the entire region.

”A city spokesperson said planning for Rohr Park is ongoing and the city would take community feedback into account before settling on a final proposal.