Dear Neighbor, 

There’s nothing quite like the energy in San Diego when our Padres are taking on the Dodgers! 

It’s one of baseball’s great rivalries, and I’m incredibly proud to see our entire city rally behind our team. From the sea of brown and gold in every neighborhood to the roar of Petco Park echoing throughout Downtown, it’s clear that San Diego’s love for the Padres is alive and thriving. 

Our Padres embody the spirit of this city—determined, resilient, and always ready to take on big challenges. It’s moments like these that bring our community together, uniting us in pride and passion for our home team.  

Whether you’re watching from the stadium or gathering with friends and family at home, we’re all behind the Padres as they fight for victory against our historic rivals tomorrow night.  

Let’s keep that spirit alive and show the world what San Diego is all about. Go Padres!  

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed seven key bills into law that were sponsored by the City of San Diego, culminating in a successful 2024 state legislative session. 

These new laws will address critical challenges in San Diego, including stormwater channel maintenance, homelessness, and behavioral health.  

Here’s a summary of these new laws: 

• Assembly Bill 2501 by Assemblymember David Alvarez: This bill allows for expedited review of permit applications for critical infrastructure projects focused on storm channel maintenance, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem restoration. This will ensure we can quickly respond to environmental challenges and protect our communities. 

• Assembly Bill 3024 by Assemblymember Chris Ward: Known as the "Stop Hate Littering Act," this legislation strengthens protections against the distribution of hateful propaganda in vulnerable communities. It enhances the Ralph Civil Rights Act of 1976 by providing new legal tools to hold offenders accountable and prevent terrorizing acts in the form of hateful flyers and symbols. 

• Assembly Bill 3227 by Assemblymember David Alvarez: This law eliminates administrative delays for routine stormwater channel maintenance. By streamlining processes and exempting certain projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), it allows us to more efficiently maintain infrastructure and prevent flooding during extreme weather events. 

• Senate Bill 689 by Senator Catherine Blakespear: This bill cuts red tape for the development of bike lanes, transit lanes, and pedestrian walkways along California's coastline. By simplifying traffic study requirements and accelerating local coastal plan amendments, we’re making it easier to build the infrastructure needed for safer, more sustainable streets. 

• Senate Bill 1072 by Senator Steve Padilla: This measure clarifies the process for crediting customers who challenge water, sewer, and trash collection rate structures. It ensures that future customers won’t be required to cover refunds for past customers, making the process fairer and more transparent, and ultimately lowering costs for residents. 

• Senate Bill 1238 by Senator Susan Eggman: This law expands the types of facilities for treating substance use disorders, mental health rehabilitation centers and psychiatric facilities. It ensures people struggling with addiction can access the care they need in a timely manner. 

• Senate Bill 1361 by Senator Catherine Blakespear: This critical legislation prevents frivolous legal challenges from delaying or blocking shelters and services for homeless residents. It allows cities like San Diego to move quickly in getting people off the streets and into shelter, helping them transition to permanent housing faster. 

These new laws are a testament to our effective advocacy at the state level and our shared commitment to tackling San Diego’s most pressing challenges. From improving stormwater infrastructure to getting people off the streets, this legislative success helps ensure a brighter future for all San Diegans. 

When I became mayor, I vowed that San Diego would compete with America’s other large cities and get our fair share of dollars out of Sacramento and Washington, D.C. We have fulfilled that promise. 

Since taking office in December 2020, my administration has secured more than $1 billion in grant funding across 293 grant awards. These federal, state, and local investments are making a real difference in our city, funding priorities like economic development, homelessness services, emergency preparedness, road repairs, public safety, and water reliability. 

Our success in securing these resources is helping us build more housing, get unsheltered San Diegans off the streets, and continue fixing the roads that desperately need attention. This would not have been possible without the strong partnerships we’ve built with our delegations in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Together, we are moving San Diego forward. 

To support this effort, my administration has made strategic investments, hiring two full-time grant coordinators, launching improved software to streamline citywide applications, and creating a regional working group focused on securing infrastructure grants. 

This is progress, but we’re focused on doing more to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans, and we’ll continue aggressively pursuing the resources to make that happen. 

I’ve made it my mission to increase shelter options for San Diegans experiencing homelessness, and I’m proud to share that our Safe Sleeping Program is expanding by nearly 50%. 

This innovative, low-barrier shelter option will now add 235 more tents, providing more people with a safe, secure place to stay while they work toward housing.  

The Safe Sleeping Program, launched in June 2023, is one of the most impactful programs in our City’s efforts to address homelessness and unauthorized encampments. With this expansion, we will have 750 tents at two City-run sites located near Balboa Park, accommodating individuals and their partners or caretakers. Through this program, unsheltered San Diegans have access to housing navigation services, meals, transportation, and other essential support. 

The expansion of Safe Sleeping was made possible by a unanimous vote of the City Council and is part of our updated Comprehensive Shelter Strategy. Since last year, we’ve added space for 930 people to our city’s shelter options, with the Safe Sleeping expansion being another crucial step forward. 

The plan, developed by the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department (HSSD) and the San Diego Housing Commission, will also prioritize other critical shelter programs, including Safe Parking and diversion services.  

Our efforts are making an impact, particularly with people who were resistant to entering shelter; over 70 percent of the participants are those who have accepted shelter for the first time. So far, 88 program participants have already been connected to housing, with more on the way. While housing placements remain our ultimate goal, expanding shelter capacity ensures that we provide immediate, safe options for those working to end their homelessness. 

This expansion is another demonstration of our city’s commitment to finding real, actionable solutions to homelessness. 

The San Diego Tourism Authority’s 2025 Tourism Accelerator application is now open. 

This program is a great opportunity for small businesses owned by women, veterans, people of color, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQIA+ community who want to tap into the tourism industry and elevate their businesses to the next level. 

The accelerator includes a year of mentorship, training and advertising valued at more than $15,000. 

The application for the 2025 Tourism Accelerator Program is open now through Nov 8, 2024. 

We are bringing back the Boards and Commissions Lunch + Learn! Join Chida Warren-Darby, Director of the Office of Boards and Commission, from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, for an hour webinar on how to apply to serve on a City of San Diego board, commission or committee, gain insight into what some of these advisory bodies do and more about serving.  

Please register here and bring your questions (which you can pre-submit) by emailing  cwarrendarby@sandiego.gov. 

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is gearing up for the summer of 2025 by recruiting seasonal lifeguards. Swim tryouts are scheduled for Oct. 10, 11, 12, and Jan. 16, 17, 18, 2025, at 8 a.m. at Ventura Cove. 

To qualify for an interview, candidates must swim 500 meters in under 10 minutes. 

With over 40 miles of shoreline to patrol, SDFD lifeguards are essential to ensuring the safety of millions of visitors. Interested candidates should apply online two weeks before their tryout date.