SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) announced that Assembly Bill 622 – The Chula Vista University Act – passed out of the Senate Education Committee with unanimous support. AB 662 establishes the South County Higher Education Task Force—a collaborative body that will bring together representatives from the three higher education institutions, the City of Chula Vista, and other stakeholders to evaluate the governance models, funding mechanisms, and statutory changes required to create a university.
“AB 662 seeks to address long-standing educational inequities in South San Diego County by exploring the creation of a mixed-use intersegmental institution of higher education in the City of Chula Vista,” said Assemblymember Alvarez. “This bill is another step we must take to create a four-year public institution that will increase educational and economic opportunities for the families and students of South San Diego County. Together, we are writing a new chapter for higher education in the South Bay—one that is more inclusive, localized, and visionary.”
Chula Vista is the second-largest city in San Diego County, with a population exceeding 250,000, and the largest city in California without a public university offering baccalaureate degree programs. Nearly 600,000 residents in South County are without this access, an area that is commonly referred to as a “college desert.”
To address this disparity, the City of Chula Vista has taken proactive steps by initiating the development of a University Innovation District on over 383 acres of city-owned land. This ambitious project envisions a bi-national, multi-institutional hub for higher education and innovation that includes collaboration with the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community Colleges (CCC) systems. The goal is to streamline educational pathways and align programs with regional workforce needs.
For more information please download the press release here.
