One District 1 Candidate Has Been a No Show in Bonita
- Susan Heavilin
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
We have two mayors currently running for San Diego County Supervisor District 1, one from Imperial Beach and one from Chula Vista. Bonita-Sunnyside, being unincorporated, has had an ongoing connection with both of these cities.
Imperial Beach
Our San Diego County Sheriff's Office is the largest law enforcement agency in the county and one of the largest sheriff's offices in the United States, with over 4,700 employees, an annual budget of over $1.1 billion, and a service area over 4,500 square miles extending to a 60-mile international border. The SDCSO—whose officers come when we have an accident or criminal situation—are housed in Imperial Beach.
Chula Vista
A large part of our commercial areas of Bonita-Sunnyside are actually owned by Chula Vista. San Diego County gave them to Chula Vista sometime in the 1960s. These include Rohr Park and Chula Vista Golf Course, to list just a few.
"Bonita, California, while politically designated as unincorporated, is closely associated with Chula Vista, and many businesses in the area serve both communities. You'll find a mix of restaurants, cafes, and other businesses in and around Bonita, some specifically listed as being in Chula Vista. "—AI
Because of this overlap, it is sometimes difficult to draw a boundary between the two. You might say we are "enmeshed" with Chula Vista.
Recent Televised Debate
In the ABC Channel 10 News San Diego debate held this past Monday evening, Paloma Aguirre said something that made my ears perk up.
"With him (speaking about opponent John McCann), you can expect rubber-stamping Trump's policies, making cuts at your cost, making sure that when things get hard and scary, like they have been . . . nowhere to be found." —Candidate Paloma Aguirre, hour-long debate video (starting at 55.22)
"Nowhere to be found"?
This statement sent my thoughts back to just a few days ago when I had received a phone call from an angry Bonita-Sunnyside resident. This person told me that one of the candidates for San Diego County Supervisor District 1 had never stepped foot in our town and they were irate.
And come to think of it, I have never met Ms. Aguirre or seen her at any events in Bonita-Sunnyside . . . ever. So I starting researching and here are a few items of what I found.
August 10, 2022—Email message from Sweetwater Community Planning Group about John McCann's upcoming presentation on Rohr Park and other items.
July 8, 2023—Cowboy Artist Mehl Lawson receives a Proclamation from Chula Vista Mayor John McCann at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center.
November 26, 2023—FB invitation message to Bonita Community from CV Mayor John McCann to Strategic Planning Community meetings (in English and Español)
January 7, 2024—FB message to Bonita Community from John McCann about heightened risk of wildfires (in English and Español)
September 7, 2024—Email message to Sweetwater Valley Civic Association members from Amanda Angulo (John McCann's office) about Mayor McCann's excitement about his upcoming participation in BonitaFest and the Melodrama. Ms Angulo is on the agenda of every SVCA meeting and updates the Bonita community as to what Mayor McCann has been accomplishing. There is no monthly agenda report from Mayor Aguirre's office.
January 24, 2025—FB message to the Bonita Community from John McCann about Border 2 Fire (in English and Español)
January 29, 2025—FB message to the Bonita Community from John McCann about two abducted children, Amber Alert (in English and Español)
February 17, 2025—Email to Sweetwater Valley Civic Association about Chula Vista Mayor John McCann's upcoming Community Meeting in Bonita. The email is from Amanda Angulo, Policy Advisor | Office of Mayor John McCann. Ms Angulo is on the agenda of every SVCA meeting and updates the Bonita community as to what Mayor McCann has been accomplishing. There is no monthly agenda report from Mayor Aguirre's office.
March 22, 2025—Invitation from Sunnyside Stables to the Bonita Community for a Meet & Greet with Mayor John McCann and Janeen Reed. It was hosted by Scotty Aurich, Scott & Wanda Aurich, Scott & Susan McMillin and the Hon. Greg Cox & Hon. Cheryl Cox.
June 2025—Message from Sweetwater Valley Civic Association about upcoming meeting with Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Deputy Sheriff, Lt. Christopher Galve.
So these ten communications show that Chula Vista Mayor/District 1 Supervisor Candidate John McCann has been fairly active in our Bonita community. I have no doubt that he will continue to do so as Mayor or our new Supervisor.
I cannot say the same for Mayor Aguirre. I could find no evidence that Mayor Paloma Aguirre had any communication with the Bonita community. She has not been seen, not even on a yard sign.
If this is what we can look forward to with Paloma Aguirre as our Supervisor, we might as well bring Nora Vargas back.
We too share your concern that Mayor Aguirre would be an absentee/no show supervisor. She is the only government representative we have in the county as unincorporated residents. As we learned from the denial of the Sweetwater Planning Group appeal of April, 2025 to the Supervisors about the approved Secure Self Storage project , the other Supervisors have no concern about our unincorporated areas(Sunnyside/Bonita/Lincoln Acres). We MUST HAVE a District 1 supervisor who is familiar with the character and needs of our part of the county, like John McCann. Mayor Aguirre would be no better than Nora 2.0 for us. JUST VOTE FOR JOHN MC CANN!!!!!