In 1542, a fleet of three small ships set sail for the port of San Diego under the command of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. These explorations led the Spanish to claim the land, and in 1795, Chula Vista became part of a Spanish land grant known as Rancho del Rey or Rancho del Rey. When Mexico formed its own government in 1831, Rancho del Rey was renamed Rancho de la Nación or Rancho Nacional. This ranch encompassed the area now known as National City, Chula Vista, Bonita, Sunnyside, and the Sweetwater Valley.
The Spanish used this land for grazing their cattle and horses until 1845, when they ceded it to John Forster, the son-in-law of Mexican governor Pío Pico. In February 1916, the Hercules Powder Company began designing and constructing a seaweed processing plant that covered a 30-acre plot of land in Chula Vista. Schulyer suggested the name Chula Vista for the city and the San Diego Lands and Towns Company adopted it. To learn more about the history of Chula Vista, visitors can explore the Chula Vista Heritage Museum or visit the Chula Vista Public Library.
In 1888, the Sweetwater Dam was completed to bring water to the residents of Chula Vista and to their farmland. The plant was located at what is now known as Gunpowder Point, which is now home to the Chula Vista Natural Center. In total, The Star-News has been publishing stories and chronicling events of National City and Chula Vista for 140 years. Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom enacted an exemption from the Surplus Land Act for the City of Chula Vista's University Innovation District (UID) development project, which covers approximately 383 acres.
This change was brought about by Rohr Aircraft Corporation's move to Chula Vista in early 1941, a few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. On October 17th 1911, elections were held in Chula Vista to be incorporated and people voted in favor of it. The joint venture marked the combination of two legacies: The National City News published its first issue in 1903 after moving from The National City Record which published its first issue in September 1882 and Chula Vista Star founded in 1919. Before the celebration attendees visited a clinic in Chula Vista and discussed challenges organizations face when addressing food insecurity issues in San Diego County's historically underserved communities. The presentation during Tuesday's city council meeting showed that sharing a retail store was the most likely way for Chula Vista students to purchase vaping products at local gas stations and convenience stores.
According to Branscomb, local news coverage has been “seriously damaged” by consolidations of recent decades due to fewer journalists and resources available, resulting in an inevitable gap in news coverage. The impact of local media outlets on politics in Chula Vista is undeniable. From providing information about elections to covering events that shape public opinion, local media outlets have been instrumental in informing citizens about their rights and responsibilities as members of their community. They have also played an important role in helping realize the dream of having a world-class university within city limits by providing coverage on key developments related to this project.
Local media outlets have been an integral part of politics in Chula Vista since its incorporation over a century ago. They have provided citizens with information about elections and events that shape public opinion while also helping realize dreams such as having a world-class university within city limits. As such, local media outlets have had an immense impact on politics in Chula Vista over time.
