Re-elect · Trustee Area 1
Robert
Moreno
Southwestern College Governing Board
National City & west Chula Vista
Four years ago you elected me to put students first. The work isn’t finished. Neither am I.
Portrait of Robert
Serving National City and west Chula Vista
See whether you live in Area 1Meet Robert
I got my own start here.
Robert at Southwestern
Southwestern College is where I got my own start. It is the only board I serve on, and it has my full attention.
I was elected in 2022 to represent National City and west Chula Vista on the Southwestern College Governing Board. I ran because I know what this college makes possible for families here, and because decisions made in that boardroom land directly on students who are working, raising kids, or the first in their family to go to college.
Serving on this board is not a stepping stone for me. It is the work. I read the agenda, I ask the questions, and I try to keep one thing in front of every vote: what does this do for a student trying to finish?
I donate my board pay to SWC Cares — the office that runs the Jag Kitchen food pantry, the Cares Closet for clothing and diapers, and emergency grants for students. It is a small thing next to the need. Most people do not know how many of our students are one bad week away from dropping out.
First term
Delivering for South County
These aren’t promises. They’re votes I took, and you can look up every one.
Fiscal
A balanced budget, every year of my term
I voted to approve a balanced budget each year I have served, protecting classes and student services while districts across California cut back.
Bachelor’s degrees
Four-year degrees, close to home
During my term the board approved Southwestern’s own bachelor’s degree in transborder building design and technology, and a public health partnership with UC San Diego beginning in fall 2026.
Dual enrollment
Free college credit in high school
I voted to expand dual enrollment so Sweetwater Union High School District students earn college credit before they graduate — at no cost to their families.
Why four-year degrees matter here
600,000
South County residents live in a region with no public university offering bachelor’s degrees.
Chula Vista is the largest city in California without a public university offering bachelor’s degrees. For families in National City and west Chula Vista, finishing a degree has meant a long commute, leaving home, or not finishing at all.
Southwestern is closing that gap, one program at a time. That is what the degree work above is for. It is not an abstraction here — it is the difference between a student finishing and a student stopping.
Our students should not have to leave home to finish.
Endorsements
The people who know the work
Labor, Democratic clubs, school trustees, and community leaders across South County.
Labor
- Southwestern College Education AssociationFaculty
- California School Employees Association, Chapter 524Classified professionals
- San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor CouncilAFL-CIO
Democratic Party
- San Diego County Democratic Party
- Chula Vista Democratic Club
- Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club
- South Bay Democratic Club
Elected & community leaders
- Elva López ZepedaSweetwater Union High School District Trustee
- Francisco TamayoChula Vista Elementary School District Trustee
- Lisa CohenFormer CEO, Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce
They know my work better than anyone.
Next term
The work is not finished
Three things I will keep fighting for if you send me back.
Housing and basic needs
Rent is why students stop coming. Southwestern pursued state funding for student housing in National City and the state cut the program back before construction money arrived. I’ll keep pushing for a funded path — and for SWC Cares, which keeps students enrolled right now.
Retaining excellent faculty and staff
Competitive pay for faculty and classified professionals. Students lose when the best instructors and staff leave for another district.
Career and workforce education
Stronger training in health care, construction and the trades, public safety, and cross-border logistics — the work actually being created in South County.
Voting
November 3, 2026
Only voters who live in Trustee Area 1 vote in this race.
Am I in Area 1?
Area 1 covers National City and west Chula Vista. The district publishes the official boundary map.
View the trustee area mapRegister to vote
Registration is quick and can be done online in English or Spanish.
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Every registered voter is mailed a ballot. You can confirm when yours is counted.
Track your ballot at Where’s My Ballot