Bejarano is new Chula Vista police chief, ends quest for San Diego Sheriff job

I wonder if David Bejarano will resign from the Chula Vista Elementary School District board. My guess is that he didn't much enjoy working with board members Pamela Smith, Larry Cunningham, Bertha Lopez or Patrick Judd. But his loyalty to them and Cheryl Cox (whom he replaced on the CVESD board) seems to have paid off. Now that Cheryl Cox is mayor of Chula Vista, her support probably was helpful when he applied for the police chief job.



Bejarano: Will reimburse campaign contributors
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
August 12, 2009

PROFILE

David Bejarano

Age: 52

Residence: Bonita

Previous jobs: San Diego police chief, from 1999 to 2003; U.S. marshal for San Diego and Imperial counties

Elective office: Won a four-year term on the Chula Vista school board in November.

CHULA VISTA – David Bejarano, Chula Vista's new chief of police, said Wednesday he would reimburse those who contributed to his campaign for sheriff 80 cents on the dollar.

Since he incurred about $22,000 in campaign debt that he must first pay off, donors won't get 100 percent of their contributions back, he said.

“We've run a very frugal campaign,” Bejarano said during a news conference outside Chula Vista City Hall. “I talked to a lot of donors and they are fine with that.”

His campaign raised $100,402, far more than any of the other candidates.

Bejarano said he could not endorse any of his former competitors in the sheriff's race because of his new position. Instead, he said, he will focus on making Chula Vista one of the safest cities in the state and country.

Major issues in the city continue to be traffic, auto theft and spillover drug crime and violence from Mexico. He also wants to enhance the Police Department's image in the city.

“I'll be out every day meeting with the community,” he said. “We truly want to engage the community.”

In the last 50 years, Chula Vista has had only three police chiefs. Bejarano, 52, is the first Latino, a status he also achieved during his time as San Diego police chief, a job he held from 1999 to 2003.

He is excited to be returning to a police department, he said.

“I feel like a rookie going out to academy again,” he said.

After leaving the San Diego Police Department, Bejarano was named U.S. Marshal for San Diego and Imperial counties. He currently runs a private security firm and sits on the Chula Vista Elementary School District board of trustees.

He collects one public pension from the city of San Diego for his 24 years with the city's Police Department...