Ratcheting up the ongoing political struggle over the Chula Vista bay front, the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council today announced a radio ad campaign. The message: Mayor Cheryl Cox chose the profits of an out-of-town developer over local workers.
The ad, according to a union press release, features Chula Vista construction worker Kris Mills. She says: “Who would have thought that our mayor would sell us out and put Gaylord’s profits before the people who live in her town?”
Talks between labor unions and the Gaylord Entertainment, which was chosen to build a bay-front resort and convention center, have ended bitterly twice, with the sides saying no deal can get done.
Gaylord, which was to receive a $308 million subsidy from Chula Vista and the port, blamed the breakdown on labor unions’ demands, as did Cox and business leaders. Unions say a project with such significant public participation should use local labor.
Port officials and Gaylord restarted discussions about the project but have decided not to speak publicly about their progress. The ad is set to air for two weeks on a number of local radio stations.