Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, December 4, 2025…
- After decades of planning and setbacks, officials are laying the groundwork for something that would be the first of its kind in California — a hybrid campus that houses degree programs from multiple universities across San Diego County.
- California cities cannot choose to disobey the state’s immigration sanctuary law, according to a recent federal court ruling.
- There are currently at least 10 candidates vying to be California’s next governor, and the race appears to be anyone’s to win.
Is Chula Vista’s Dream Of A Public University Finally Coming Into Focus?
For three decades, Chula Vista officials and state lawmakers have dreamed of bringing a public university to town. But after years of starts and stops, some saw it as little more than a pipe dream. Now though, local officials feel that vision is finally beginning to take shape. City officials have laid the groundwork for a sprawling campus on 380 acres of city-owned land in the rolling hills between East Chula Vista’s suburban outskirts and the Lower Otay Reservoir.
But this wouldn’t be a typical four-year public university. Instead, it would be a multi-university campus that houses academic programs from other universities, community colleges, and even high schools across the San Diego-Tijuana region. It would also focus more narrowly on degrees that would serve major industries in the South Bay like health care and binational trade.
This wasn’t always the plan. Officials had previously hoped for a Cal State or UC campus, but the financial and political hurdles were always too high. And to be clear, a physical university campus in San Diego County’s second-largest city is still years away at the earliest. However, there is a growing sense that this new vision is more realistic than previous plans. “People have tried to do this for over 30 years, and we haven’t had the type of significant steps forward that we’ve had in the last couple of years,” said State Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-Chula Vista).
One reason for the optimism is earlier this year Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Alvarez authored that establishes a task force to explore funding for a physical campus. Also, the academic infrastructure is already being built. SDSU, UCSD and CSU San Marcos have each announced plans to begin offering degrees in Chula Vista in industries that are prominent in the South Bay – like nursing, public health, business and cybersecurity. The overall goal, Alvarez said, is to give students a better chance of getting a job swiftly after graduation. “We need to offer an education that actually gets people a job,” he said. “Not just gets them a BA, a certificate or a degree, but gets them into the workforce.”
Huntington Beach Loses Legal Challenge Of California’s Sanctuary Law
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from Huntington Beach challenging the state’s sanctuary law. That law prohibits local law enforcement from assisting with federal immigration enforcement, except in the case of serious crimes.
