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Community leaders urge Chula Vista council not to force out Police Chief Roxanne Kennedy
Summary
Faith leaders, community advisory members and residents delivered extended public comments Feb. 10, urging the Chula Vista City Council to keep Police Chief Roxanne Kennedy in her post and asking that any personnel matters be handled privately. Speakers cited her 30-year career, innovations the department launched and the risk of destabilizing public safety.
Hundreds of residents, clergy and advisory-board members told the Chula Vista City Council on Feb. 10 that the city should not force Police Chief Roxanne Kennedy from her position.
Bishop Art Hodges, a longtime Chula Vista pastor, said he learned of discussions about the chief only hours earlier and urged the council to “resolve the differences…behind the scenes, out of the public view,” arguing that Kennedy has been “a uniter” who has led programs that made the city a regional model. “This is not the time for a change,” he said.
Other speakers echoed that view. Norma Toothman said a news story that prompted scrutiny had been corrected and warned that “corrections never travel as far or as loudly as the original headline.” Gary Sablan, co-chair of the Chula Vista Police Department’s Community Advisory Committee, listed department initiatives under Chief Kennedy — including a drone-as-first-responder program, body-worn cameras, open-data efforts and expanded homeless outreach — and said he and other advisory members believe her on-the-job performance has been “stellar.” Longtime resident Jesse Navarro, a member of the department’s Citizens Advisory Board, said he moved to Chula Vista because of the chief’s leadership and urged the council to back her.
Speakers including pastors Ruben Rodriguez, John Sorrentino and Rocky Martinez, and dozens of other residents, described Kennedy as a stabilizing figure who has guided the department through protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and organizational modernization. Several asked that any personnel or disciplinary matters be negotiated privately and that the council prioritize unity and public safety.
Not every comment was limited to the chief. Some residents raised related concerns about city transparency and internal politics; John Acosta used his time to criticize council conduct toward a colleague, urging neutrality when appointing public members to city boards.
The council did not take public action to change the chief’s status during the meeting. After public comment the council proceeded with a separate agenda item, then later met in closed session and reported out other personnel action (the council announced a different appointment after closed session).
