text: The Sanders milk chocolate snowman is a fun and delicious way to celebrate the holiday season. 11.25 ounces of solid milk chocolate molded into the shape of an adorable snowman.
  The District 1 race, which covers the northeast portion of San Diego County’s second-largest city, pits incumbent John McCann against challenger Mark Bartlett, a case manager who works with homeless veterans.
  In the District 2 contest to represent the northwest part of town, former AT&T executive Jill Galvez faces retired firefighter Steve Stenberg. Neither has ever been elected to public office.
  All four candidates want to increase public safety by hiring more police officers and firefighters. They also want to address projected budget deficits by bringing more businesses to Chula Vista to broaden the tax base.
  Despite the similarities, the candidates have different views on multiple issues ranging from marijuana regulations, union labor, and Chula Vista’s future.
  McCann, 50, was elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 2002. He has a master's degree in economics and is in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
  McCann, 50, was elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 2002. He has a master's degree in economics and is in the U.S. Navy Reserve. (Courtesy photo)
  “I have spent my entire life trying to bring up the image of Chula Vista,” he said. “If we want to bring companies here and have them invest here and stay here, we have to have a positive image. We can’t be that drug city that everybody has negative impressions of.”
  “I support a regulated market over the illegal market that currently operates in Chula Vista,” he said. “I think if we oppose something, we need to come up with a solution to actually address the issue. When we regulate, we bring enforcement.”
  Before the City Council approved the recreational marijuana regulations, they cited the growing number of illegal dispensaries as one of the primary reasons behind it. Their thinking was that tax revenues from a legal market could be used to take enforcement actions against the illegal market.
  Another area the two candidates disagree on is union labor. Bartlett is a big proponent of labor unions and would like to see more Project Labor Agreements in Chula Vista.
  Project Labor Agreements, or PLAs, are pre-hire contracts in which cities agree to work exclusively with labor unions on future projects.
  Mark Bartlett works with homeless veterans. He co-founded a nonprofit that helps convicts transition to civilian life and an organization that provides pet food and supplies to homeless veterans with pets.
  Mark Bartlett works with homeless veterans. He co-founded a nonprofit that helps convicts transition to civilian life and an organization that provides pet food and supplies to homeless veterans with pets. (Courtesy photo)
  “I support open and fair competition,” he said. “Union labor, non-union labor, mix labor, you should all be able to compete. That’s the American way.”
  McCann was first elected to the council in 2002. He was not able to finish his second term because he was called to Iraq as part of the Navy Reserves. McCann was elected to the Sweetwater Union High School District from 2010 to 2014 and rejoined the city council in 2014.
  Both candidates in the District 2 race want to restore the northwest part of Chula Vista to its former glory.
  That is the oldest part of Chula Vista and was largely forgotten as the city expanded eastward in the 2000s. The district also has the Bayfront, which city officials view as a major part of their economic future.
  Jill Galvez, 50, is a business owner. She has a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. (Courtesy photo)
  Galvez, who cut costs and increased revenues while overseeing AT&T branches throughout Southern California and Hawaii, says her corporate experience will help her tackle the city’s deficit problem. She wants to do regular spot audits in the city to find ways to cut expenses and make government more efficient.
  Stenberg, a retired firefighter, likes to lead by example. He remembers how Chula Vista’s Third Avenue was the heart of downtown before businesses moved out and some of the buildings fell into disrepair.
  When he retired, he and some partners wanted to open an ale house in Chula Vista. Everyone told him to open it on the east side because that’s where all the development was. Stenberg chose to open it on Third Avenue.
  Since he opened the Third Avenue Ale House, several breweries and coffee shops have opened down the street.
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