On Sweetwater Road This October, the Shelter Closes and the Arena Rides On

Which Sweetwater Road landmark is actually leaving Bonita this fall?

For most of the past year, the likely answer was the equestrian arena at Rohr Park. A city draft plan once drew lighted soccer fields where it stands, and the response came from the mayor's podium, commission meetings and local blogs. It has a show on the calendar this month. The landmark with a firm closing date is on the same road. It is the County's animal shelter at 5821 Sweetwater Road, which shuts down for good on Oct. 15.

The Closure With a Date on It

The County lists its Bonita South Shelter at 5821 Sweetwater Road, Bonita, CA 91902. On Oct. 1, 2026, County Animal Services announced that its new Santee Animal Shelter at 452 Riverview Parkway opens Oct. 15. The announcement's language leaves no room for a phased exit:

"The opening will mark the permanent closure of the County's Bonita shelter. All Bonita sheltering operations will move to the new Santee location."

The building is what closes. The County says field services, licensing and community support will continue for residents of the unincorporated areas near Bonita. The Carlsbad shelter in North County also stays open. For a Bonita household, the practical change is the drive. The nearest County kennel, adoption lobby and intake desk will be in Santee instead of on Sweetwater Road.

The County describes the Santee building as a clear upgrade. It lists larger divided dog kennels, cattery spaces with better ventilation and natural light, dedicated medical and surgical suites, separate isolation and quarantine areas, outdoor play yards, an adoption lounge and more parking.

Before the move, the County is asking residents to adopt or foster animals now housed at Bonita. Fewer animals on moving day means less stress for the pets and a simpler move for staff, and early adoptions spare animals the transport and the adjustment to a new building. The Oct. 1 announcement names no closure-specific event or fee waiver. The most recent waiver came through NBC 7 and Telemundo 20's Clear the Shelters campaign, which waived County Animal Services adoption fees from Aug. 1 to 31. Anyone planning to adopt from Bonita has about 11 days left, and the County Animal Services site is the place to check current animals and foster sign-ups.

The Arena Without a Final Answer

Farther down Sweetwater Road, the Rohr Park arena sits at 4548 Sweetwater Road. The City of Chula Vista lists Rohr Park at that address and notes that a local riding club uses the park's equestrian ring. That club is Sunnyside Saddle Club, which gives the same address for its arena. The club's arena-use rules say it operates and maintains the facility under an exclusive contract with the City.

The arena's future runs through the joint master plan for Rohr Park and the Chula Vista Golf Course. In a little over a year, the story has changed several times:

The accounts don't fully agree. The September 2025 and January 2026 reports describe drafts that removed the arena. In April, the City's parks director said it had never been removed. The local blog Sunnyside Common Sense reported that equestrians turned out in large numbers at public meetings, and that the Parks and Recreation Commission did not support staff's original recommendation.

Under the City's process, nothing is settled yet. The plan must go back to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council for approval. The April 14 staff report likewise says the finished plan will return to Council. The City's project page shows no dated 2026 workshop, though May reporting said the City expects to hold another one. Anyone following the arena should watch that workshop notice more than any single headline.

Oct. 18 at 4548 Sweetwater Road

While the planning continues, the arena keeps its calendar. Sunnyside Saddle Club, a nonprofit horse show organization for youth and adult amateurs, has its Halloween fun show and costume parade on Sunday, Oct. 18, starting at 8 a.m. The classes are gymkhana style: egg and spoon, dollar bill, pole bending, keyhole and more. When the club's show page was last updated in late September, registration was listed as "coming soon."

Two weeks later, on Nov. 1, the club holds a regular show starting at 8 a.m. It offers Hunter, Jumper, Equitation and Western classes, and points count toward the club's end-of-year awards. Members can win cash and prizes at the year-end banquet. The club says its shows are meant to give non-professional riders in English and Western disciplines experience in a friendly but competitive setting.

For a neighbor who has only seen the arena from the road, the Oct. 18 show is the easiest way in. Costumed riders, timed egg-and-spoon runs and a parade show how the ring is used far better than any draft plan does.

Bonita Road Picks Up the Rest of the Month

If Sweetwater Road's October is about one building closing and one arena waiting on a decision, Bonita Road's is about a building filling up. The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center at 4355 Bonita Road, where the Bonitafest Twilight Trail Parade ended in September, is hosting a run of Día de los Muertos programs built around one exhibition.

"La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros / The Path of Our Ancestors" runs from Oct. 10 to Nov. 3, 2026. Organized by Maricruz Alvarado and Nanzi Muro, it features a community artist collective showing mixed-media works drawn from what each artist knows of Día de los Muertos traditions. The museum has scheduled three gatherings around it, plus a closing reception:

• Collaging & Commemorating, Saturday, Oct. 10, 3 to 7 p.m. Artist Monét Nyree Panza leads participants in making collages that remember loved ones who have died. Guests are invited to bring photographs to include. The workshop is open to everyone, with 25 spots, pay-what-you-can admission and advance registration.
• Exhibition reception, Saturday, Oct. 17, 4 to 8 p.m.
• Creatures of the Night Market, Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 to 9 p.m. A clothing swap, so bring clean clothes to trade, plus local artists, fashion vendors, food and spooky sounds.
• Closing reception, Nov. 2.

The workshop has the tightest limit. With 25 spots and an exhibition that opens the same day, it is the one item this month that needs a reservation.

The Bonita Optimist Club's calendar adds one more evening. Scouting America Troop 895 holds a spaghetti dinner on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with an opportunity drawing at 7 p.m. The club's fall book sale at the museum ran Oct. 3 and 4.

The Month in Order

Put together, the two roads give Bonita a full October calendar:

1. Oct. 10: The Path of Our Ancestors opens at the Bonita Museum, and the Collaging & Commemorating workshop runs from 3 to 7 p.m.
2. Oct. 15: The Santee Animal Shelter opens and the Bonita shelter at 5821 Sweetwater Road closes for good.
3. Oct. 17: Exhibition reception at the museum, 4 to 8 p.m.
4. Oct. 18: Sunnyside Saddle Club Halloween fun show and costume parade at the Rohr Park arena, from 8 a.m.
5. Oct. 22: Troop 895 spaghetti dinner, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
6. Oct. 24: Creatures of the Night Market at the museum, 6 to 9 p.m.
7. Nov. 1: Sunnyside Saddle Club points show, from 8 a.m.
8. Nov. 2 and 3: The exhibition's closing reception, then its last day.

The two Sweetwater Road items don't carry the same kind of certainty. The shelter closure is a County decision with a date. The arena is a City plan that still has to go through CEQA review, a public workshop and votes by the commission and Council. Until that happens, the clearest evidence of the arena's status is that Sunnyside Saddle Club has riders scheduled there on Oct. 18 and Nov. 1.

Changes along Sweetwater Road, from a County building closing to a park plan still waiting on Council, can shape how buyers see the homes nearby. The Dream Homes Team follows the Rohr Park process closely, and we can tell you how it bears on your property. Request a Free Home Valuation and we'll walk you through what's happening near your street.