Chula Vista is sweetening the deal for its police officers, approving a 5% pay bump for all sworn personnel as the city tries to plug a growing hole in its ranks.
The City Council voted Tuesday to approve the increase as an equity adjustment under the department’s current contract, with the raise scheduled to kick in Friday, Jan. 23. City leaders framed the move as a way to better compete with neighboring departments, ease chronic overtime and take some pressure off patrol shifts. Staff emphasized that the raise is just one piece of a broader staffing strategy now under council review.
As reported by The San Diego Union‑Tribune, Mayor John McCann said other agencies had “leapfrogged” Chula Vista on pay, and council members approved the 5% adjustment at their Jan. 20 meeting. City staff told the paper the change will cost roughly $1.3 million to the general fund this fiscal year, with most of that hit expected to be absorbed by Measure A public safety sales tax revenues. Councilmembers described the increase as a quick, targeted attempt to boost recruiting while they work on longer‑term fixes.
How the City Plans to Pay for the Bump
City officials are pointing to Measure A, the half‑cent public safety sales tax voters approved, as the primary funding source, and say some budgeted positions will be shifted into that fund to soften the blow to the general fund, according to the City of Chula Vista. Measure A was designed to strengthen police and fire staffing, cut down on overtime, and improve emergency response times, according to city materials. Staff are pitching the 5% pay adjustment as a short‑term recruiting tool while finance and human resources staff continue work on a multi‑year staffing plan.
Officials Describe the Staffing Crunch
Police Chief Roxana Kennedy told council members the department is “one of the lowest staffed for a city its size” and that officers are shouldering heavier workloads, according to The San Diego Union‑Tribune. The paper reported the department has about 268 sworn officers and roughly 28 vacancies, which union leaders say leave the force well below county averages. Union representatives also told the paper that around 40 officers have departed since 2021 and that more than 60% of the remaining officers have eight years or less on the job, a combination they say heightens the urgency to recruit and retain.
Regional Pressure: Agencies Are Competing for Officers
Region‑wide numbers help explain the squeeze. A SANDAG analysis summarized by Police1 shows San Diego County averages about 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, with many cities falling short of that mark. The gap has pushed overtime costs higher and led some departments to pull detectives and specialized units back into patrol just to maintain basic coverage. Chula Vista’s new pay move fits into a broader pattern of agencies bumping compensation or dangling incentives to keep their rosters full.
What This Means for Hiring and Day‑to‑Day Service
The city is still in active hiring mode, with recruit and lateral positions open on its employment portal. Human resources staff say the raise is intended to increase the number and quality of candidates applying for those positions. Current listings on GovernmentJobs show hiring continues as officials try to cut back on overtime. Union leaders say they hope the pay bump will draw stronger applicants and gradually ease pressure on patrol staffing and response times.
