Steve Padilla

Steve Padilla is a California politician. He served as mayor of Chula Vista from 2002 to 2006 after defeating Mary Salas. Prior to being mayor, Padilla served two terms on the city council from 1994 to 2002. Padilla lost his bid for reelection to Republican Cheryl Cox. Padilla is a Democrat. He is openly gay [1].

Early life

Padilla was born in Chula Vista. Shortly after his birth, his father joined the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Vietnam. Upon returning home from his tour of duty, he father was killed in an automobile accident. Padilla's mother became a successful single mother and provided Padilla with a positive role model.

Padilla was a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout, and eventually got involved with the Chula Vista Police Explorer Scouts. After graduating from Bonita Vista High School, he became the youngest cadet accepted into the Southwestern Police Academy. A police officer for thirteen years, he was promoted to Detective, specializing in domestic violence and child abuse.

While a police officer, Padilla returned to school, received his bachelors degree in Public Administration. He served on the Committee for Open Space and Environment, The Board of Ethics, The Safety Commission, and became president of the Police Officers Association.

City Council

Padilla was elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 1994. Padilla supported and helped bring about the hiring of a new City Manager and the implementation of a new city-wide ethics training. He won reelection by a large margin in 1998. Around the time of his reelection, Padilla divorced and was awarded sole custody of his three-year-old daughter. He retired early from the police department and began teaching high school full-time in Chula Vista.

Mayor

Padilla ran against political ally Mary Salas and was elected the 38th Mayor of Chula Vista on November 5, 2002. As mayor, Padilla hosted an annual Beautify Chula Vista Day that rallies business owners and local volunteers to paint over graffiti and pick up litter on city and private properties. He also launched the Give a Book drive resulting in the donation of more than 100,000 books to underprivileged children throughout San Diego County. He is credited with re-energizing efforts to bring a four-year university to Chula Vista. Under Padilla, Chula Vista was selected as the US site for the University Park and Research Center (UPRC), beating out many other major metropolitan cities in the country. On March 28, 2006 the Council approved the National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities. This facility is the first segment of the UPRC and will research energy-efficient technologies.

Padilla's focused on revitalization involving the addition of parks and open spaces, the widening and repair of older roads and highways, as well as the redevelopment of Chula Vista's urban core. Working with the San Diego Unified Port District, Padilla was instrumental in initiating the Bayfront Master Plan, an effort to develop 500 oceanfront acres to accommodate public parks, hotels, restaurants, shops and new housing.

In July of 2005, Padilla was appointed by the Speaker Fabian Nunez of the California Assembly to the California Coastal Commission. He also is a member of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors, the regional transportation commission for the region, and chairs the SANDAG Public Safety Committee. As Chairman, Padilla worked with Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, and Fire and Emergency Medical professionals on issues of criminal justice and public safety for the region.

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