Confirming the breaking news presented here on the FlashReport by San Diego County Correspondent Barry Jantz, the following release just came over the transom…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Wainio John@TheSanDiegoGroup.com
David Bejarano to be next Chula Vista Chief of Police
Campaign for Sheriff Ends
Chula Vista, CA. August 11, 2009 – David Bejarano today announced that he has accepted the opportunity to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Chula Vista. "The decision was based on the ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to return to my passion of being a local municipal Police Chief for the community that my family and I have ‘called home’ for almost thirty years," said Bejarano.
Bejarano is excited about making a public safety contribution for the Chula Vista Police Department and the community where he is active through various non-profit organizations, a community bank, and as a Trustee for the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
Today’s announcement also means Bejarano will end his campaign for San Diego County Sheriff. "I simply could not ignore this opportunity at this stage of my law enforcement career," states Bejarano, "and I love being a cop, not a politician." He further explains that "Elected officials have a tough job, particularly the need to campaign on a full-time basis."
His initial plans were to only pursue one opportunity at a time; however, the police chief vacancy occurred after the filing as a candidate for Sheriff. Bejarano says, "My family and I are humbled and grateful for the early support received for the Sheriff’s campaign and we sincerely appreciate all those who supported my candidacy. I’ve asked our treasurer to close our campaign committee and arrange to have the balance refunded to contributors."
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2:00 am Update: The Union-Trib has the story.