Dear Neighbor, 

This week, I had the honor of becoming President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

That is a proud moment, but what matters most is what it means for us as San Diegans. 

When I ran for this office, I was clear that San Diego deserved its rightful seat at the table. In this new role, our city will work with mayors from across the country on the issues residents care about most: building more homes to bring down housing costs, keeping neighborhoods safe, and making life more affordable for working families.

Those priorities are not abstract. They are the same issues I hear about from San Diegans every day. People want to know that they can afford to live in the city they love, that their neighborhoods are safe, that their streets and sidewalks are being fixed, and that government is focused on the basics that make daily life better. 

As President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I’ll use this platform to elevate San Diego’s approach, learn from other cities, and push for federal action that helps cities build more homes, reduce costs, improve public safety, and invest in the infrastructure our communities need. 

San Diego has already shown what is possible when we cut red tape to speed up housing approvals, invest in public safety, and stay focused on practical solutions. Now, we have an opportunity to bring that perspective to the national conversation and make sure the needs of cities like ours are heard in Washington, D.C. 

I’m proud to represent San Diego in this role, and I’m focused on making sure this work benefits the people who call our city home. 

As always, my priority is San Diego, and it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

What People Are Misunderstanding: 

San Diegans might’ve heard that the City is spending $4 million on a “temporary lifeguard tower” at Mission Beach and wondered why that price tag seems so high. That is a fair question. But the $4 million is not just the cost of one tower. It reflects a larger emergency project needed to keep lifeguard operations running safely at one of San Diego’s busiest beaches. 

What’s Really Happening: 
The $4 million is not just the cost of one temporary tower. It reflects a larger emergency public safety project needed to keep lifeguard operations running safely at one of San Diego’s busiest beaches. 

The actual hard construction cost for the temporary observation tower and office trailer is about $2.5 million. Another roughly $500,000 went toward design and permitting. The remaining costs include structural assessments, crack monitoring of the existing lifeguard station, emergency shoring, stabilization work, utility connections, site preparation, room conversions, and other work needed to keep lifeguard operations functioning while the aging station continues to deteriorate. 

This Mission Beach lifeguard station is not one of the City’s seasonal lifeguard towers placed on the beach during the busy summer months. While the tower structure itself is temporary, this site is one of nine permanent lifeguard stations strategically positioned along San Diego’s coastline. 

The station is staffed 365 days a year, with lifeguards on duty and actively patrolling the beach. During the summer months, lifeguards are generally on duty from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

The City also places 19 additional seasonal lifeguard towers along our coastline during the high season. Seven of those seasonal towers are in the Mission Beach area. 

The temporary Mission Beach lifeguard tower is a practical solution to keep lifeguard operations running safely and efficiently while the City works to move the permanent replacement facility through the Capital Improvements Program.  

This is not a quick-and-easy- cosmetic project.  

The facility had to be built on sand in a harsh coastal environment, which required additional engineering, foundation work, anchoring and utility connections to make sure it was safe, stable and functional for lifeguard operations. 

There was not a cheap, prefab structure the City could simply purchase and place on the beach either. It required site-specific design, engineering and permitting, including coordination with the California Coastal Commission, because the facility is being installed in the coastal zone and must meet safety, access and coastal requirements.

Again, the $4 million includes the temporary lifeguard facility, emergency safety improvements and stabilization of the existing lifeguard station, utilities, site preparation, permitting, engineering, and other related work needed to keep lifeguard operations running and protect the public. 

Here’s More Context: 
Mission Beach is one of San Diego’s most visited coastal communities, and the lifeguard station near Belmont Park supports some of the most important public safety work in the city. 

The temporary tower does not mean Mission Beach is moving to seasonal staffing or reduced lifeguard service. It allows year-round lifeguard operations to continue while the City works toward a permanent replacement for the aging facility. 

Instead of waiting until a permanent replacement was funded, designed and constructed, the City developed a solution for lifeguards to do their job and protect beachgoers. 

San Diego has many aging public facilities that need major repairs or replacement. Years of deferred infrastructure needs cannot be solved overnight. And before a public safety facility reaches the point where it can no longer safely serve the public, the responsible thing to do is act. This is also why San Diego needs sustained funding for infrastructure. Temporary emergency fixes are not a substitute for the long-term investments needed to repair and replace aging City facilities before they reach this point. 

The City is moving forward on the permanent solution. The proposed May Revision to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes $2 million in Mission Bay Park Improvement Funds for the Mission Beach Lifeguard Station Replacement project, which will support design and construction of the replacement facility. That funding is part of a phased approach to replacing the aging station at 3141 Ocean Front Walk while the temporary facility keeps year-round lifeguard operations running safely in the meantime.  

More information about City budgeting and this capital project can be found here. 

What This Means for You: 
The temporary Mission Beach lifeguard tower keeps lifeguard services operating at one of San Diego’s busiest beaches while the City works toward a permanent replacement. 

This project is not about building something flashy. It is about keeping people safe. 

New federal data highlighted by the State of California shows San Diego is making measurable progress in reducing homelessness, with the region ranking 12th nationwide for the largest decrease in unsheltered homelessness. 

This is an important sign that our strategy is moving in the right direction. We’ve expanded shelter options, opened safe sleeping and safe parking programs, strengthened encampment response, invested in outreach, and stayed focused on connecting people living on our streets to safer, more stable situations. 

Homelessness remains one of the toughest challenges facing our city, and I know San Diegans want to see faster progress. So do I. But this recognition shows that the work we’re doing is making a difference, and we’re going to keep pushing to help more people move off the streets and into shelter, services and housing. 

Just in time for summer, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Swimming Pool in South Encanto is back open following the first major renovations to the facility since it opened in 1969.  

The pool, one of the busiest in the City’s aquatics system before it closed for upgrades in November 2024, reopened to the public on June 2 and will once again serve as a place for families, seniors and kids to cool off, exercise, learn to swim and enjoy community programming. 

The first phase of improvements included resurfacing the pool deck, replacing flooring and windows, installing a new roof and HVAC system, upgrading lighting and plumbing, adding new restroom lockers and making other needed repairs. A new ADA lift has also been ordered to improve accessibility for swimmers. 

This long-awaited project was supported by a $2 million State of California grant spearheaded by Sen. Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson, along with additional funding for swim lessons, recreation programming and free pool days from Rep. Sara Jacobs, the CEK Foundation, Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego and the American Red Cross. 

Thanks to support from the CEK Foundation, free admission passes are available at the pool on Tuesdays through Saturdays in June, and on Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. 

More improvements are planned in the months ahead, including new fencing, signage and pool equipment, while the pool remains open to the community. 

We celebrated the grand opening of The Bel, a new 100% affordable housing community in Hillcrest that is now welcoming residents into 80 brand new homes. 

All of the homes at The Bel are priced for households earning 50% of the area median income or lower, helping more San Diegans live in one of our city’s most walkable and vibrant neighborhoods. 

The Bel was made possible through our Affordable Housing Permit Now program, which I created to cut through red tape so we can cut more red ribbons on projects like this. Since launching, the program has helped permit 6,746 homes citywide, with an average staff review time of just nine days. 

Housing affordability starts with housing production, and The Bel is another example of how we are building more homes to bring down housing costs. 

Last week’s question: In honor of the start of Pride Month, what year marked San Diego’s first permitted Pride march and rally? 

Here’s how you voted: 

▪️ 1974 — 20.19% 

✅▪️ 1975 — 27.88% 

▪️ 1983 — 51.92% 

The correct answer: 1975. San Diego’s first Pride march took place in 1974, but it did not have a parade permit. The first permitted Pride march and rally happened the following year, in 1975, with a 400-person march that started at Newtown Park and ended with a rally in Balboa Park. A little tricky, I know, but that’s what makes it a good trivia question. 

This week’s question: In honor of graduation season, which Baseball Hall of Famer was a student at San Diego State University? 

• Tony Gwynn 

• Ted Williams 

• Trevor Hoffman 

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

Recent fires in San Diego are an important reminder that fire season is now year-round— and being ready is a shared responsibility. 

San Diego Fire-Rescue is prepared to respond, but residents can help protect their families, neighborhoods and first responders by signing up for emergency alerts, preparing a Go Kit, knowing evacuation routes and clearing dry brush and other flammable materials around their homes. 

Learn more and get the full Ready, Set, Go! wildfire preparedness resources here. 

The City is currently delivering new light blue recycling bins to households eligible for City-provided trash and recycling service. The updated bins are more durable, easier to identify, and equipped with scannable tags to improve service reliability and accountability. 

Deliveries will take place on regular collection days and continue citywide over several months, with some households receiving their bins later this year. Crews will also remove older dark blue bins, which will be recycled and repurposed. Residents can expect notifications ahead of their delivery and can look up their estimated timeline online. 

After customers receive their new light blue recycling bins, the City will collect only from those new bins. Until then, the City will continue servicing old containers to avoid disruption in customer service. Collection of recycling materials will remain bi-weekly.

And an update on black trash bins: Starting July 1, 2026, the City will no longer collect trash from black bins. This applies only to black bins at this time. You must have a City-provided gray bin to receive service. Homeowners: confirm at http://sandiego.gov/trash. Renters: contact your landlord/property manager.

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.