CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Small business owners on Third Avenue in Chula Vista have seen a lot of change over the years. I went door to door to ask what they hoped would improve once a new San Diego County Supervisor for District One is elected.
There was a common major pain point.
"The rising cost of goods," said Ron Richie, the owner of Grind House Coffee.
"Inflation is definitely affecting a lot of people," said Maricruz, owner of Barbershop Heaven.
Owners say the cost of living prevents people from shopping locally and has forced some longstanding businesses out of the South Bay.
"My clients tell me all the time they can't afford to buy the same things they used to, they can't afford to go out with their families," Maricruz said.
"Been challenging to keep up with that and stay profitable," Richie said.
"I know for a lot of people the rent's got too high, and they had to leave. They couldn't afford to keep going," said Jenna Goff, owner of My Cup of Tea.
They say this issue goes hand in hand with a regional problem of homelessness.
"Hard for some people when they get down on their luck to crawl out of that hole when everything is so expensive," Richie said.
According to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, there are more people living on the streets in South Bay than ever before. National City saw a 9% increase from 2023 to 2024, and Chula Vista saw a 58% increase.
"It doesn't look attractive, it doesn't look sophisticated for people to be walking by our business, it pushes people away," Maricruz said.
They brought up a number of other concerns, like the Tijuana River sewage crisis and air pollution. But when I asked business owners what they wanted from their district supervisor, their answer was simple.
"It would be nice if we had somebody that paid attention to what's going on down here," Goff said.
They want a representative who listens to their concerns and has their finger on the pulse of the South Bay community.
