McCann wins second term as Chula Vista mayor; Preciado clings to 618-vote council lead

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann won a second term Nov. 3, beating school board trustee Francisco Tamayo by nearly 10,000 votes in the Registrar of Voters' Nov. 6 unofficial count.

McCann, a Republican, had 36,371 votes, or 57.94%, to 26,402, or 42.06%, for Tamayo, a Democrat and trustee of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, in the update the registrar posted at 5:46 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The results are unofficial, and counting continues; the registrar projected about 390,000 ballots still outstanding countywide and set its next update for Nov. 9 by 6 p.m.

Tamayo told KPBS he called McCann on election night to concede after early returns showed McCann with a wide lead.

"As I say, this is Chula Vista's decade," McCann told KPBS on election night. "I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues and the regional partners to making Chula Vista even better."

McCann told Voice of San Diego he would represent "everyone from Democrats to Republicans to independents" and focus on potholes and police and fire service. "I'm focused solely on doing the mission of the city and increasing the quality of life for citizens," he said.

During the campaign, Tamayo criticized McCann for not taking a stronger stand against federal immigration enforcement. On election night he told KPBS, "We can have political parties, we can have our preferences. But at the end of the day, we're governing for the whole city, and the whole city includes our immigrant neighbors." He also said McCann had earned a second term, KPBS reported.

McCann raised and spent more than $350,000, while Tamayo raised about $18,000, KPBS reported, citing campaign finance filings.

McCann remains the lone Republican on a council where Democrats hold the other four seats. Races are officially nonpartisan.

Two council seats were also on the ballot.

In District 1, which covers neighborhoods east of Interstate 805 including Eastlake, Bonita Long Canyon and San Miguel Ranch, Councilmember Carolina Chavez led certified public accountant Greg Martinez 10,010 votes, or 57.16%, to 7,501, or 42.84%. Chavez is seeking a second term in the seat she has held since 2022.

In District 2 in western Chula Vista, Councilmember Jose Preciado led Angelica Martinez, a substitute teacher, 7,216 votes, or 52.24%, to 6,598, or 47.76%. The 618-vote margin makes District 2 the closest of the city's races. Voice of San Diego described Martinez as a Republican; Preciado and Chavez are part of the council's Democratic majority.

City Attorney Marco Verdugo ran unopposed and received 48,603 votes.

Chula Vista voters also face a higher sales tax if countywide Measure B holds its lead. The half-cent county surcharge, ahead 52% to 48% countywide in the Nov. 6 update, would push Chula Vista's rate from 8.75% to 9.25%, based on state tax tables effective Oct. 1. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that initial returns showed nearly 58% of Chula Vista voters backing Measure B.

McCann has served on and off on the City Council for two decades and was first elected mayor in 2022. He lost a race for an open seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 2025.