Background
Salas was born in 1948 in Chula Vista.
Salas was born in 1948 in Chula Vista.
San Diego State University.
She is a former California Assembly member who represented the 79th Assembly District from 2006 to 2010. She ran for the California State Senate in 2010 but lost. In 2012 she was elected to the Chula Vista City Council, a position she previously held from 1996 to 2004.
She was elected Mayor of the city of Chula Vista in 2014.
In 1996 she became the first Latina elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 1996. She was re-elected in 2000.
As a councilwoman, she chaired the University Working Group to establish a higher education center in the region and co-chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee for the “San Diego County Preschool for All.” She gained a reputation as a member who was willing to speak her mind. She fought to expand Chula Vista"s participation in cultural arts
She was termed out of the city council in 2004.
In 2012 she ran for re-election to the Chula Vista City Council, representing District 4. In the November runoff election she defeated Linda Wagner, 57.6% to 42.3%. Mary Salas became the first Latina Mayor of Chula Vista, California in December 9th, 2014.
Salas was elected to the in 2006, defeating Jean Roesch.
She represented the 79th district which includes the communities of National City, Coronado, Imperial Beach and parts of Chula Vista and San Diego. Salas was appointed Chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs in 2007.
She also served on the following standing committees: Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy. Water, Parks and Wildlife.
And the Committee on Health.
She was re-elected in 2008. In 2010 she campaigned for California State Senate but lost narrowly to Juan Vargas. The Sacramento Bee reported in 2011 that Salas had multiple accidents in her state-issued vehicle during her time in the Assembly, resulting in four claims costing taxpayers nearly $28,000.
Salas served as a member of Chula Vista"s Civil Service Commission and Planning Commission. She served as a member of the Sweetwater Authority Board of Directors in 2006.