San Diego leaders and community advocates were recognized at City Council as part of the City’s annual Women of Distinction ceremony. 

This year’s citywide honoree is Maria C. Chavez, immigration legal director at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. With more than 17 years of experience in immigration law and nonprofit leadership, Chavez has dedicated her career to helping immigrant families navigate the legal system, stay together, and access opportunities in San Diego. 

In addition to Chavez, nine women nominated by City Councilmembers were honored for their leadership and service across San Diego. The honorees represent a wide range of fields including community advocacy, youth development, business leadership, education, and support for military families. 

The Women of Distinction recognition began 10 years ago and builds on a tradition I started while serving in the state Legislature. Each year, the ceremony highlights women whose work strengthens neighborhoods, supports families, and expands opportunity across San Diego. 

Parking meters across San Diego are doing more than managing parking. They are helping fund real improvements in neighborhoods. 

Revenue from meters is being reinvested directly into traffic safety upgrades, street repairs, and infrastructure improvements in the communities where the meters are located. After the City Council allocated $1.8 million in parking meter revenue last fall, City crews began accelerating work across neighborhoods like Downtown, Mid-City, and Uptown.

Since February, the City’s transportation crews have installed new or updated crosswalks at a dozen locations, added 59 pavement legends like “STOP,” “SLOW SCHOOL CROSSING,” and “PED XING,” to guide drivers and improve safety, installed 31 traffic signs, and completed other traffic safety upgrades. 

These improvements build on other ongoing neighborhood upgrades funded by parking meter revenue, including streetlight repairs, pothole repairs, and sidewalk reconstruction. 

City electricians have restored over 1,500 streetlights across Community Parking Districts since late October, improving visibility and safety for residents and visitors alike. Road crews have also repaired over 2,800 potholes by working overtime shifts on weekdays and Saturdays to accelerate repairs. 

Sidewalk improvements are also underway. In Uptown, City crews replaced more than 150 feet of curb and gutter and rebuilt about 1,000 square feet of sidewalk at Third and University avenues, improving accessibility and safety in a busy commercial area. 

Additional work continues across the city. Crews are preparing to mill and repave the intersection of Imperial Avenue and 16th Street in Downtown, addressing a stretch of roadway that is currently in poor condition, in preparation for Padres’ Opening Day later this month. 

To help residents understand how your parking fees are being used, the City has begun placing stickers on meters that read: “Your parking meter dollars fund neighborhood improvements.” 

These projects reflect a simple commitment: reinvesting local parking revenue back into the neighborhoods where it is collected and delivering safer streets, better infrastructure, and visible improvements for San Diegans. 

A federal judge has dismissed a legal challenge to San Diego’s inclusionary housing ordinance, affirming the City’s ability to require new housing developments to either include affordable homes or contribute fees that help fund affordable housing programs. 

San Diego’s inclusionary housing law has helped support thousands of affordable homes across the city by requiring developers to set aside units for lower-income residents or pay into the City’s housing fund. Those funds are then used to support affordable rental housing, accessory dwelling units, and housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 

The court’s decision reinforces the City’s authority to adopt policies that expand housing opportunities and promote economic inclusion. As San Diego works to tackle its housing crisis head-on, tools like inclusionary housing help ensure that as we build more homes, we also create opportunities for more families to live in the communities they call home. 

San Diego’s efforts to tackle the housing crisis received an important boost in Washington, D.C., as the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the most significant federal housing legislation in two decades. 

This bill, which still needs to be acted on by the House and signed by the President, would remove barriers that make it harder to build new housing and aims to expand the nation’s housing supply. By encouraging policies that make it easier to develop homes, the legislation supports the kind of work cities like San Diego are already doing to address rising housing costs and prevent homelessness. 

As I said in my State of the City address earlier this year, San Diego is doing its part to build more homes and reform outdated rules, and the federal government must get into the game as well. Cities across the country are stepping up to address the housing shortage, and federal leadership is essential to matching the scale of this challenge. 

In last week’s trivia feature, we asked: Which historic San Diego home, built in 1857, was the city’s first two-story brick building and later served as a general store, a commercial theater, and even the San Diego County Courthouse? 

Here’s how you voted: 

▪️ The Marston House — 26.80% (26) 
✅▪️ The Whaley House — 68.04% (66) 
▪️ Villa Montezuma — 5.15% (5) 

The correct answer is The Whaley House. Built in Old Town in 1857 by Thomas Whaley, the building was San Diego’s first two-story brick structure. Over the years it served many purposes, including a general store, courthouse, and theater. Today it stands as one of the city’s most well-known historic landmarks and a reminder of San Diego’s early days. 

This week’s question: Spring is arriving in San Diego, and that means flowers are beginning to bloom across our parks and neighborhoods. Which San Diego park is home to the famous Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, where thousands of roses bloom each year? 

▪️ Balboa Park 
▪️ Kate Sessions Park 
▪️ Mission Bay Park 

Answer below or send your guess to AskTheMayor@sandiego.gov and check back next week to see if you got it right. 

There is important relief available for San Diego homeowners impacted by the 2024 storms and flooding. 

The Governor’s Office has confirmed that the January 2024 San Diego flood qualifies under the expanded CalAssist Mortgage Fund program. That means eligible disaster-affected homeowners may now receive up to 12 months of mortgage payments, paid directly to their mortgage servicer, with assistance totaling up to $100,000 that does not need to be repaid. 

The expansion increases the relief period from three months to a full year and broadens income eligibility so more families can qualify. This support is designed to help homeowners stabilize while they rebuild, navigate insurance claims, and recover from disaster impacts. 

Homeowners can review the full list of qualified disasters and apply at www.calassistmortgagefund.org. 

Downtown’s Civic Center Plaza is getting a vibrant refresh with Plaza Central — a new series of pop-up events bringing food, music, and art to the heart of the city. The activations are free and open to the public every Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a lively preview of the area’s long-term revitalization. 

 
Learn more about Plaza Central events.