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.
Serving National City and west Chula Vista
See whether you live in Area 1Close. Affordable. Ours.
Southwestern belongs to the South Bay. My job is making sure the families who live here can actually afford to attend it.
Robert Moreno
Meet Robert
I got my own start here.
Southwestern College is where I got my own start. I grew up in National City, graduated from Sweetwater High, and came here because it was close to home and I could afford it.
I studied journalism at Southwestern and wrote for The Sun, then transferred to San Diego State. I spent the early part of my career as a watchdog reporter for the Star-News, covering city council and school board meetings across National City and Chula Vista — including this one. I work for the County of San Diego now, and I live in Chula Vista with my family.
I spent years reporting on boards like this one, so I know what it looks like when nobody is paying attention. I read the agenda, I ask the questions, and I keep one thing in front of every vote: what does this do for a student trying to finish? I also served as a Chula Vista Redistricting Commissioner, drawing the district lines our neighborhoods vote in today.
Putting students first
100%
of Robert’s Governing Board pay goes to SWC Cares.
SWC Cares runs the Jag Kitchen food pantry, the Cares Closet for clothing and diapers, and emergency grants for students who hit a bad week.
It is a small thing next to the need. It keeps students enrolled while the board works on the parts that take longer to fix.
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
South County still has no public university of its own
Chula Vista is one of the largest cities in California without a public university campus of its own. For families in National City and west Chula Vista, finishing a bachelor’s degree has meant a long commute, leaving home, or not finishing at all.
That is starting to change, one program at a time, and it is why the degree work above matters. Southwestern now offers its own bachelor’s degree in transborder building design and technology, and beginning in fall 2026 UC San Diego will teach a public health bachelor’s program on the Southwestern campus.
It is not enough yet. A partnership is not a campus, and a campus is what South County has been asking for. Every program we bring here is one more student who does not have to choose between a degree and staying home.
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
- Jose RodriguezNational City Councilmember, District 2
- Michael InzunzaChula Vista Councilmember, District 3
- Rudy LopezSweetwater Union High School District Trustee
- Alma SarmientoNational School District Board Member
- Barbara AvalosNational School District Board Member
- Delfina GonzalezOtay Water District Director, Division 2
- 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.
- Mon, Oct 5County begins mailing a ballot to every registered voter.
- Mon, Oct 19Last day to register online to receive a ballot in the mail.
- Through Nov 3Missed the deadline? Same-day conditional registration is available at any vote center.
- Tue, Nov 3Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked today or earlier.
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