South County’s University Vision Gains Ground, But There’s More Work Ahead

For more than three decades, our community has shared a dream: to build a university that reflects the promise, talent, and future of Chula Vista and South County.

Across California, every major city the size of Chula Vista already has a public four-year university. Yet here in the second-largest city in San Diego County, home to nearly 300,000 residents, most of them Latino, multilingual, and first-generation college-goers, students still must leave their city to earn a bachelor’s degree.

For too long, that has meant too many never return, and too many never finish.

There are changes taking shape. Chula Vista is redefining what local access to higher education means through a community-driven partnership with Southwestern College, the state Legislature and regional universities. Together, they’ve connected workforce demand to degree planning, creating an ecosystem designed for South County’s future.

Data from the city of Chula Vista and Southwestern College’s University Now Initiative revealed that 147 high-demand careers don’t have a local talent pipeline. That information is helping to shape university recruitment and academic planning for the 400-acre University and Innovation District, envisioned to serve 20,000 students and create 8,000 innovation jobs.

Now, with Assembly Bill 662 and the new South County Higher Education Planning Task Force, this collaborative vision moves from planning to implementation—laying the groundwork for a sustainable, multi-institutional, binational university district that grows with and for the community.

Let’s be clear: Some recent headlines about CSU San Marcos, UC San Diego, and SDSU offering bachelor degrees in South County might suggest the university dream is already fulfilled and that the Southwestern College University Center is the university itself. It is not.

The University Center is the incubator, not the finish line. It is proof of concept: a bridge between today’s students and tomorrow’s university. And while demand already exceeds capacity, this is only the beginning.

Our community deserves more than a handful of degree options, and our regional economy needs more than what Southwestern College, the only public higher education institution in South County, can currently provide. The data is clear: South County needs thousands more workers with bachelor’s degrees in health care, technology, engineering, and education. Without a full-scale university presence, those jobs and those futures will continue to go elsewhere.

Chula Vista’s university will not look like any other in California. It will be a binational, multi-institutional, innovation-driven campus that connects leading universities with high-impact industry partners to develop the talent, research, and solutions that will shape the region’s future economy. This model will connect research to real-world workforce needs, expand economic opportunities, and anchor the city’s growth as a hub of innovation for generations to come.

This is not a story of “either/or,” it is a story of “and.” We can celebrate the programs now taking root at Southwestern College and relentlessly pursuing the larger goal: supporting the Task Force’s work, turning its recommendations into action, and preparing to finally break ground on a next-generation university campus in Chula Vista that redefines higher education through partnership and innovation.

Each milestone brings us closer to the vision generations of residents have championed, a university that belongs to its people, serves its region, and transforms its future.

The time to finish what we started is now.

About the Authors

Senator Steve Padilla represents California’s 18th Senate District, which includes Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Coronado, and southern San Diego and previously served as Chula Vista mayor.

Assemblymember David Alvarez represents California’s 80th Assembly District, which includes Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, Lincoln Acres, Bonita, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, along with the cities of Chula Vista, National City and Imperial Beach.

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre represents San Diego County’s District One, which includes Chula Vista, National City, and southern San Diego.

Mayor John McCann proudly represents the City of Chula Vista, the second largest city in San Diego County, with a population of nearly 300,000 residents. Mayor McCann has been a dedicated advocate for education, serving twice as President of the Sweetwater Union High School District and as an adjunct college professor.

Governing Board President Don Dumas represents Southwestern Community College District, the only public institution of higher education in South County serving more than 500,000 residents, and has served as a high school teacher for 17 years.

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