It was a standing-room-only crowd in the Vista Irrigation District boardroom on January 28, 1963, as Vista officially became a city.
After a nearly 4-1 vote by the populace in favor of incorporation, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors was charged with verifying the ballots and approving a resolution naming Vista as San Diego County’s 12th incorporated city.
At 9:49 a.m. on January 28, Helen Kleckner, clerk of the Board of Supervisors, received a phone call from Sacramento that the resolution had been filed. It was official.
Time for the ceremony had been set at 10:00 a.m., but County Clerk Bud James was a bit late so things didn’t get underway until he arrived at 10:15 a.m. and made the formal pronouncement at 10:30 a.m.
The newly elected Vista City Council had already met, sized up the scope of work ahead, and unanimously elected Joseph H. Fotheringham as the first mayor.
The two top vote-getters in the council race were Justin Goostree and Joe Fotheringham, followed by Harold Wakefield, Col. Frank Gillette and Terry Hildebrand.
After their swearing-in ceremony, it was noted by Fotheringham in his acceptance speech that local citizens were already contacting him and the other councilmen with their problems “at all hours.”
At 3:30 p.m. that same afternoon, in similar ceremonies, San Marcos officially became the county’s 13th incorporated city.
