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Mayor John McCann (Born 1968) is an elected official, Navy Veteran, a successful small-businessman, and is the current Mayor of the City of Chula Vista, the 78th largest city in the United States since 2022.

McCann has been a dedicated public servant, first being elected to two terms to the Chula Vista City Council in 2002 and 2006. During his second term on the City Council, as a Lieutenant in the Navy Reserves, he was mobilized to fight in the Global War on Terrorism, in Mosul, Iraq. When McCann returned home to Chula Vista, he successfully ran for the Sweetwater Union High School Board of Trustees in 2010. McCann then was re-elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 2014, serving two more terms.

In 2022, McCann became the 41st mayor of the City of Chula Vista. As mayor of the second largest city in San Diego County, he leads the five-member Chula Vista City Council.

Under John McCann’s leadership, Chula Vista has become one of the safest cities in San Diego County, California, and the United States with a population of over 200,000 residents.

McCann was leader in master planning the Chula Vista Bayfront Planning efforts that now has a $1.3 Billion 5 star Gaylord Hotel Resort Convention Center under construction and looking to open in 2025.

McCann continues to serve our country as a Commander in the Navy Reserves. John lives with his wife, Mylissa, and four children in Chula Vista.

Early Life and Education
McCann is a third-generation Chula Vista resident. John McCann was born on June 2nd, 1968 to parents Karen McCann and William McCann Junior. McCann’s parents were divorced when he was a very young child. McCann’s mother worked at Rohr Industries/Goodrich Aerospace for almost 30 years and his dad served for 28 years in the Navy and two tours in Vietnam before he retired.

McCann and his sister, Rhondel McCann, grew up in a single income household. John grew up in Chula Vista off of Orange Avenue where he played Little League at Max field and learned how to swim at Loma Verde Pool. He graduated from Parkview Elementary School, Bonita Vista Middle School, and then he graduated from Bonita Vista High School. He was classmates with Congressman John Duarte.

John McCann later attended San Diego State University (SDSU) and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and minored in English. During his undergraduate studies, he worked during the summer for the Department of the Navy in Washington D.C.

The following year, he later worked at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office researching the FDIC insurance fund. In his senior year of college, he received the Center for Public Economics Scholarship.

Working in the technology industry, McCann saw the changing economy and wanted to give back to the community by teaching in the evenings. He attended weekend classes at the University of California, San Diego and received his Adult School teaching credential. He taught at several South Bay Adult Schools as well as a part-time adjunct professor at Southwestern College. The principal noted his class always had a wait list of 20 people because of how much his students enjoyed his class.

Military Service
John McCann joined the U.S. Navy Reserves in February 2001 as a member of the enlisted ranks as an Aviation Storekeeper. McCann was assigned to a Navy Reserves Commander Navy Air Forces Supply Unit in Coronado, California. McCann completed his initial training in Great Lakes, Illinois. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks on America, McCann worked extra drill to assist in surging the U.S. Aircraft Carriers to defend the homeland.

McCann received his commission as a Naval Officer and completed his training as a Supply Corps Officer in Athens, Georgia. McCann was mobilized to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Global War on Terrorism in 2009, serving in Mosul, Iraq for one year.

In addition, during heightened tensions with North Korea in the Pacific, McCann served in South Korea during joint U.S. and South Korean Exercises. John continues to serve as a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve.

During his military career, McCann was awarded the Meritorious Medal, two Joint Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal. McCann continues to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserves as the rank of Commander.

Mayor John McCann being a Navy Veteran has been active in Veterans issues in the City of Chula Vista. McCann serves on Veterans Home of California in Chula Vista Foundation. McCann is an active member of several Chula Vista Veteran Organizations being a life member of American Legion Post 434, life member of the VFW Post 2111, life member of Fleet Reserve Association Branch 61 and the Marine Corps League.

Mayor and City Council Service (2001 to Present)
Mayor John McCann is dedicated to a life of community service to his hometown of Chula Vista. McCann’s  solution-oriented approach has prioritized public safety, neighborhood infrastructure improvements, decreasing traffic congestion, and support of local businesses. As a City Councilmember and now Mayor McCann has led efforts in making Chula Vista one of the safest cities with a population of over two hundred thousands residents in the United States.

In the 1990’s, McCann was recruited and selected to serve on several city commissions. McCann served on the Planning Commission, Economic Strategy Committee, Housing Advisory Commission, and Beautification Committee for the City of Chula Vista.

McCann was first elected to Chula Vista City Council in 2002. Serving two terms while being mobilized to service in Iraq at the end of his second City Council term.

After returning home, McCann was elected as a School Board Trustee of the Sweetwater Union High School District from 2010 through 2014. During his single four year term, McCann was appointed twice to be President of the School Board by his fellow board members.

McCann then returned to the Chula Vista City Council in 2014 for his third term on the Chul a Vista City Council and was reelected for his fourth in 2018. McCann served as Deputy Mayor four different times under three Mayors during his time as a City Councilmember.

In December 2022 McCann was elected the 41st Mayor of Chula Vista.

Public Safety

McCann has been a staunch supporter of Law Enforcement. McCann has voted to hire more police, increasing the number of officers from under 200 to over 270. Under McCann’s guidance, Chula Vista doubled the number of police patrols and implemented police body-worn cameras, which has moved the City of Chula Vista into the Top 10 Safest Cities with a population of over 200,000 in the United States. McCann supported building a new police station in the early two thousands and supported building a new substation on the eastern side of Chula Vista.

Under McCann’s leadership, the City of Chula Vista has built six new Fire Stations out of the total number of ten Fire Stations. Fire Station 3, Fire Station 5, Fire Station, Fire Station 6, Fire Station 7, Fire Station 8 and Fire Station 10. The City of Chula Vista is currently revamping Fire Station 1.

Neighborhood Infrastructure

McCann spearheaded the first sidewalk project building sidewalks in our older communities and led efforts to repave decaying streets. Under McCann’s leadership 26 new parks have been built, including two new parks in Chula Vista’s older communities.

In 2003, McCann was a part of the City Council that master planned the Chula Vista Bayfront. The Bayfront had been traditionally industrial. The master plan included increasing future public access to walking and hiking trails, a new recreational vehicle park, resort hotels with a convention center, retail and restaurants. In 2023, the construction of the $1.2 billion Gaylord resort hotel convention center started on the Chula Vista Bayfront that will create 4,000 new jobs.

Supporting Local Business

Mayor McCann worked to streamline the permitting processes to support individuals and local businesses to make Chula Vista a small-business-friendly city. McCann assisted with more than 300 new businesses opening.

McCann voted to create a 100 acre Chula Vista Innovation District that will attract thousands of high-paying professional jobs. This will expand educational opportunities in the South Bay with the opening of the SDSU and Library in Millennia.

McCann opposes additional sales taxes and protected homeowners’ property tax increases by supporting Proposition 13.

McCann opposes the mileage tax that has been proposed by the San Diego Association of Government (SANDAG).

Homelessness

In 2016, supported Chula Vista’s efforts to establish the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) ensuring vulnerable homeless get services they need. McCann also collaborated to build and open a 66-unit bridge shelter with wrap-around services called Otay Village. In addition, McCann successfully passed a local ordinance prohibiting sexually violent predators from being in parks.

Veterans

In 2017, Mayor McCann took the initiative and led efforts in successfully naming city streets, in a new community in Otay Ranch, after fallen service members from Chula Vista community who served in the Global War on Terrorism, in order to honor them and recognize them for their ultimate sacrifice.

At his 2023 State of the City Address, Mayor McCann announced he was working to have a Filipino-American Veteran Memorial Park in Otay Ranch.

Personal Life
McCann met his wife Myssie Wyllie, a four-generation South Bay resident, at a housewarming party after undergraduate college. Myssie served several years as the treasurer of the Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Bonita Unit and was a member of the Chula Vista Child Care Commission. Her parents owned Tomatoes Restaurant in Bonita from 1991-2001. The McCann’s married in 1998 at the Bonita Valley Baptist Church. The couple have four children, one grandson, three dogs and run a small property management business. The McCann’s are a tight-knit family having supported youth soccer, local theater plays, and family game nights. The McCann’s are a soccer family with the oldest three children playing soccer from a young age. Their youngest daughter acts in theater and musicals.

McCann served on several non-profit Board of Directors including the South Bay Family YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club of Chula Vista, the Bonitafest committee and AYSO soccer. McCann has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Chula Vista and Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce. McCann and Myssie have been continuous volunteers in raising money for Nine Girls Ask? (a 501(c)3 organization looking to eradicate ovarian cancer), Children’s Hospital, and The American Cancer Society.

In 2013, Mayor McCann almost lost his life in a car accident on Telegraph Canyon Road. A speeding car driving almost twice the speed limit crashed into the driver’s side of McCann’s vehicle. The vehicle accident was determined to be 100% the speed driver’s fault. The recovery and healing was a long and difficCINEMAult process as McCann was put into a medically induced coma, treated in the ICU, several weeks in the hospital, and several months of rehabilitation to recover from his injuries.