You asked and we heard you. A free bulk trash drop-off event is coming to Navajo residents next month!

These events are always a huge hit, so mark your calendars and share with your neighbors. This bulk trash drop-off event will be on Saturday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. or until dumpsters are full. It will be at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center. Please review the flyer below to read which items will and will not be accepted.

I hope to see you there!

Del Cerro recently received some fresh pavement as part of the Transportation’s in-house Mill-and-Pave crew work.

In Del Cerro, the in-house Mill-and-Pave crews completed repairs on Wenrich Place between Wenrich Drive and Lance Street. I’ve been a staunch supporter of funding our Mill-and-Pave team, as it’s one of the most efficient and low-cost methods we have for making repairs on San Diego’s worst streets.

Thank you to the Transportation Department for always being a good partner in these repairs, which mean a lot to our community. Take a look at the results below!

It's that time of year again!

The Linda Vista Multicultural Affair is quickly approaching. On Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the 6900 block of Linda Vista Road will host a parade, food vendors, live entertainment, a beer garden, retail vendors, carnival rides and a kid zone in the celebration of community and multiculturalism. This is the 41st year of the Linda Vista Multicultural Fair, a staple in the community and one of my favorite days every year.

This year's theme is "Rooted in Community," a message that deeply reflects Linda Vista's enduring connection to the exchange and appreciation of neighbors' and friends' cultures. It is a message worth celebrating now more than ever.

Mark your calendars and get ready for a day of fun and communal joy. I hope to see you there.

Last week, The San Diego Union Tribune reported on an exciting project coming to Mission Valley—a north-south connection bridge over the San Diego River, which will ease traffic around Snapdragon Stadium and create a new access point to the Fenton Parkway Trolley Station.

This bridge is a great example of coordination and partnership across agencies to create a long-needed public good, as City Council voted unanimously to transfer the land to the Transportation Department, and dedicate it as a public right-of-way.

I have no doubt that the project will benefit District 7 residents, and I’m pleased to see this important step in the process complete. The bridge is anticipated to be finished next year and will surely have a positive impact on our community. I look forward to sharing an update once it is done.

Big news for San Carlos residents. The City's in-house Mill-and-Pave crews began work on Cowles Mountain Boulevard--a street I hear from many of you about--in mid-February with plans to complete milling, paving and striping soon. The work is being done between the City Boundary (where it becomes La Mesa) and Lake Aldon. It is .87 lane miles and includes street segments with PCIs as low as 8.14.

Our ability to get to projects like these with our in-house team makes all the difference for residents who drive, bike and rely upon this street every day. Thank you to the Transportation team for your work on this project. I look forward to sharing photos of the finished work.

Just before the New Year, residents in Serra Mesa took part in a mini bulk item cleanup hosted by the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department (ESD). ESD provides these opportunities throughout the district, with this one allowing Serra Mesans the opportunity to dispose of 3.11 tons of waste. I extend a big thank you to ESD staff for organizing this service and to the residents who took advantage of it.

Interested in having a Mini Bulk Cleanup on your block? ESD hosts one to two a month and determines the location by referencing a running list of residential requests. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with your request. We are happy to pass your street name along to ESD.

Tierrasanta Community Council and Planning Group are seeking residents to serve on their board. If you are a Tierrasanta resident, or work in the community, please email Shamoon.tcc@gmail.com for more information.

The TCCPG are active in planning events like concert in the parks and provide recommendations to the City of San Diego on items impacting Tierrasanta. It's a fantastic way to be involved in the betterment of your neighborhood and I hope you consider applying.

In last month's District 7 Dispatch, I put a spotlight on Tierrasanta Village as an outstanding resource for seniors living in Tierrasanta. Today, I'm excited to share that their Living Well Resource Fair, a hugely successful and well-attended event last year, will be back on Wednesday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to noon. It will be hosted at The Seventh-day Adventist Church at 11260 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Designed for adults 65+, this informative and engaging event will feature community health and lifestyle resources, the Live Well on Wheels (WoW) bus, opportunity drawings, and expert presentations such as Elder Fraud Prevention. Registration is required, which you can do here.

I'm proud to have funded this event through a Community Projects, Programs and Services grant. I have no doubt that Tierrasanta Village's Living Well Resource Fair is an enormously beneficial service for our community. I wish them great success in organizing and hosting this year's event.

Here's another reminder that the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation is hosting its Photo Contest right now! You can find information on the contest here.

Until April 1st, contestants may submit one photo online. There are multiple categories, including but not limited to teen and children categories, professional categories, and categories that require different subjects, like wildlife or Cowles Mountain.

This annual event showcases off the diverse talent of professional and amateur photographers alike, all of whom highlight the beauty of Mission Trails Regional Park. Last year, I enjoyed viewing all of the photographs in their gallery and sharing certificates of recognition with the winners. I look forward to seeing all of the entries this year and sharing my congratulations with those who win!

A lot of key policy moments went down in February. Here's a recap:

My Transparency and Accountability Proposals Died at Rules Committee

I brought two proposals, aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in regard to fees, to the Rules Committee. When I first brought these proposals forward in November, a San Diego Union Tribune Editorial and a separate Opinion piece both supported my proposals, noting that “these two reforms should be the first step toward a culture change at City Hall” and that “the mayor and City Council should join with Campillo in a sincere effort to regain credibility lost following the trash-fee fiasco by adopting these three reforms.” Further, after receiving feedback from former City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, I even strengthened the proposal and closed a potential loophole.

Unfortunately, four of my City Council colleagues rejected not just my proposals, but the very notion that the City Council should operate differently than it did over the past three years. After the proposal was killed, the Union Tribune’s Editorial quoted me as being “spot-on” in my response to my colleagues’ criticism that my policy would slow down the City Council as we put forth ballot measures with new fees: “Shouldn’t we be extremely thorough, to know how policies are going to impact people?” I said. “I don’t think speed is more important than diligence.”

Here is my full statement on my local fee transparency initiative being rejected by the Rules Committee:

“I voted no on the Trash Fee last year, and I even called it what it was: a bait and switch. My intent was to pass a policy that would make sure a bait and switch never happens to San Diegans again, but my four colleagues on the Rules Committee just buried that idea.

“I am frankly shocked that my colleagues didn’t support my proposal to require the City Council to transparently inform the public of exactly what the fees are prior to voting on them.

“San Diegans, who live in one of the most expensive places in the country, deserve leaders that go above and beyond on transparency and accountability. This is common sense. This Council should not hide fees from the public. And today, they ran and hid.”

Announcing my Safe Routes to School Initiative

For the last year, many of you have stopped me in the grocery store, at Costco, at the library, and even hiking in Mission Trails, to tell me about a dangerous event you saw or experienced from young people riding e-bikes irresponsibly. So, this week, I announced my Safe Routes to School initiative to introduce new e-bike regulations aimed at improving public safety for children and families across the City of San Diego, covered by a great CBS8 segment you can watch here.

The initiative seeks to increase safety for children as well as reduce reckless riding and incidents by imposing passenger restrictions and an age limit of 12 years. If approved, passengers would only be allowed if the e-bike is specifically designed to accommodate multiple riders with a permanent second seat and children under 12 years of age would not be allowed to operate e-bikes.

The proposed regulations would also promote education-first enforcement, strengthening youth training and accountability. A comprehensive public outreach campaign would be launched following City Council approval of the regulations. The new regulations would:

Offer education-first diversion (safety course).

Require 30-day public outreach before adoption.

Align with new state authority for local regulation.

In terms of next steps, the proposal will first need to be approved by the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on March 11 at 2 p.m. and then be brought to the full City Council for final approval.

To voice your support, please click here to send a pre-written email to the entire Public Safety Committee. You will just need to update your name and community.

Last week, I kicked off my yearly Town Hall events with two well-attended stops in Navajo and Tierrasanta. Guests of all ages and backgrounds brought their insights and questions aimed at bettering their communities and improving City of San Diego processes. From advocating for bathrooms at Lake Murray, to proposing AI as a tool for City employees, you brought meaningful discussions and I deeply value the opportunity to reflect with you on your needs.

By the time that you receive this, I will have already hosted a Linda Vista Town Hall and will be gearing up to host my last Town Hall in Serra Mesa. You can attend that tonight, Tuesday, March 3 at 6:30pm at the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library. Thank you to everyone who has attended so far. Your participation and interests are critical to my role as your Councilmember.

Sincerely,