Former Councilmember Chris Cate named Chamber CEO
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Former City Councilmember Chris Cate in 2017. Photo: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
Former San Diego Councilmember Chris Cate will be the next CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Why it matters: The Chamber is the voice of businesses in San Diego public affairs. Along with funding campaigns and causes, it's also a lobbying force in City Hall, and often acts as the region's proxy in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Driving the news: The organization's management council voted Wednesday morning to select Cate as the organization's new leader, set to begin on June 1.
- In December, Jerry Sanders announced he was ending his 12-year term as CEO, effective at the end of 2024. Sanders, a Republican, was previously the mayor and chief of police.
- Jessica Anderson has served as the interim CEO this year.
Between the lines: Cate, a Republican, will now steer a right-of-center organization in a city that has undergone a dramatic shift to the left over the course of his career.
- He departed from office in 2022 as the council's lone Republican, eight years after he was elected and joined a slim partisan minority with a GOP mayor and city attorney.
- Every elected official in the city is now a Democrat.
What he's saying: Cate nonetheless maintained productive working relationships with Mayor Todd Gloria and his Democratic colleagues — he was reelected in a Democratic-majority district — and told Axios that will be an asset to the Chamber.
- "(Local electeds) know me as a person — they know how I operate. So even if we disagree, there is a trust factor," he said. "They know what they get when they work with me."
What's next: Cate said he's prepared to focus on areas without a partisan valence.
- "I'm cognizant of the fact that voter registration has shifted dramatically in our region," he said. "But we need to be a leader for growth in the San Diego-Baja region, and housing, water, infrastructure, those are issues that cut across party lines but can significantly impact job growth."
Yes, but: He said it would be premature to name specific policy discussions that he expects to prioritize as leader before taking office and meeting with Chamber staff and the board.
What we're watching: Cate said he also hopes to elevate the Chamber as a resource for small businesses — outside of its political involvement — to help them overcome obstacles and grow.