Looking good, Del Cerro.  

 

Fresh pavement arrived in Del Cerro last week, giving residents along Capri Drive, and residents who utilize Navajo Road, a smoother ride. The handful of Navajo roads repaved were part of a larger project led by the City’s Transportation Department. Take a look at the results below. 

 

A huge thanks to our Transportation Department for all of your hard work in Del Cerro and throughout the district.

Here’s another reminder that one of our favorite days of the year is fast approaching: The Linda Vista Multicultural Fair! 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. 

Linda Vista is slated to receive some fresh pavement as part of the Transportation’s in-house Mill and Pave Crew work.   

 

In Linda Vista, the in-house Mill and Pave crews are currently making repairs on Janney Court, a previously failing road on our Pavement Condition Index. 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. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of the results when it is done.

Last month, I had the opportunity to do a hardhat tour of the Snapdragon Stadium and SDSU/Avalon Mission Valley project, an enormous project that will boast sustainable, transit-oriented housing, sports and entertainment spaces, and an innovation campus. 

 

As Chair of San Diego’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations, and as a Councilmember who represents a large portion of Mission Valley, I’m incredibly excited about this development. Big investments in living, working, innovative neighborhoods are bringing housing online and stimulating our economy – a win-win. I cannot wait to watch this project progress and I’m thankful to the many teams working to bring it to life. 

I had the pleasure of stopping by Paradise Yogurt, a family-run frozen yogurt shop that has operated in Mission Valley for 35 years. I visited as part of my monthly small business outreach, which allows me an opportunity to connect with local businesses and discuss how the City of San Diego can best support their success. 

 

If you have not been to Paradise Yogurt, I highly recommend you bring friends or family to try it out. I had two smoothies – the Pot of Gold and Caribbean Blast – which were both delicious. If you don’t want to take my word for it, just ask Padres legend Trevor Hoffman, who still visits regularly. 

 

Thank you to owner Julie Tice for having me by. I look forward to bringing my family back for more of your award-winning smoothies, bowls, and yogurt! 

In March, residents in San Carlos 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 Navajo residents the opportunity to dispose of 5.39 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. 

This month, I’ll be attending an exciting event that I know Serra Mesa is anxiously awaiting – the Grand Opening of Ruffin Canyon Trail.  

 

Following the completion of the trail itself at the beginning of the year, Parks and Recreation worked to get a bridge built and to coordinate the upcoming Grand Opening with local groups. Now, the long-awaited day is almost here.   

 

My staff and I have worked extensively with the Parks and Recreation Department to get this done for the community and I’m incredibly thankful for their work to see it done. The Serra Mesa community will, undoubtedly, make great use of this trail as a place to bring family for outdoor time and recreation! 

In March, we had the privilege of recognizing two Tierrasanta Girl Scout troops for their outstanding community work. 

 

The first troop, Troop 4343, reached out to me with concerns about e-bike safety and riding habits of their peers at school. It was good timing, as they reached out right around the time that I planned to bring my e-bike regulations proposal to the Public Safety Committee.  

 

Troop 4343 attended that Public Safety Committee meeting to present their findings on e-bike safety and share what steps they are taking to keep Tierrasanta e-bike riders safe. Their testimony was moving and insightful. I can confirm that everyone in Council Chambers that day was very impressed. Thank you, Troop 4343, for your hard work and for your help in moving my proposal forward! 

Just down the road, Girl Scout Troop 4698 beautified the neighborhood with a mural on the electrical box outside of the Tierrasanta Library. If you have not gone by to check it out yet, I highly recommend you do. As you can see below, it’s an absolutely wonderful addition to the neighborhood. 

 

In recognition of their work, I named them as our Local Luminary for the month of March. My Deputy Chief of Staff, Vic, stopped by a meeting to present Troop 4698 with commendations and thank them on my behalf and I’m looking forward to soon meeting with Troop 4698 myself.  

Last month, a historic heat wave brought dangerous hiking conditions to Southern California. Heat-related illness and rattlesnake encounters are both situations that hikers should be cautious of and prepared to handle should they occur. Below are two guides on heat-related illness prevention and detection and best practices for rattlesnake encounters. 

 

The Mayo Clinic has a great, comprehensive article on recognizing and preventing heat-related illnes. article is particularly helpful because it outlines medications and medical conditions that increase risk. At the bottom of the page, it also outlines tips for staying cool in the heat. One of the best ways to prevent heat-related illness is to avoid it entirely by choosing to hike at earlier hours or choosing trails with tree coverage, like Mission Trails Oak Canyon trail. 

 

The San Diego County Parks and Recreation website has a helpful page and accompanying brochure on rattlesnakes: what to do if you hear or see one, how to interact a rattlesnake (which is to not interact with it at all), and how to handle a bite if you are bitten. You can find that webpage here. 

Two of the policies I proposed to committees in March made it over their first hurdles and are moving on for further development, discussion, and approval. Below is a breakdown on both of them. 

 

E-Bike regulations 

In March, my e-bike regulations aimed at improving public safety for children and families across the City of San Diego unanimously passed the City Council’s Public Safety Committee. The e-bike regulations will be brought to the full City Council for final approval in the coming weeks. If approved, a comprehensive public outreach campaign would be launched to promote education-first enforcement while strengthening parent and youth training and accountability. 

 

The regulations seek to increase safety for children as well as reduce reckless riding by: 

• Imposing an age limit of 12 years for class 1 and 2 e-bikes. 

• Allowing passengers only if the e-bike is specifically designed to accommodate multiple riders with a permanent second seat. 

• Offering education-first diversion (safety course). 

• Requiring 30-day public outreach before adoption. 

Watch a news clip describing my policy and assessing public opinion on it below.

A proposed measure to keep beaches and bays free 

 

I brought forward an initiative to the City Council’s Rules Committee that would place protections directly into the City’s Municipal Code to ensure that parking at local beaches and bays shall remain free unless and until the voters decide otherwise. The Committee voted in favor of the proposal, deciding to advance the item to a second Committee discussion for further consideration. If approved at the second reading, the item would advance to the full City Council for final approval and be placed on the ballot in November.   

 

I brought this item forward in hopes of making sure the City does not repeat the same mistake we saw with the proposed parking fees at Balboa Park. This is about making sure access to our most treasured public spaces remains clear, protected, and accountable to the people of San Diego – and it’s just one part of a larger series of transparency and accountability initiatives I will be bringing forward in an effort to clean up City Hall and ensure we have the right protocols in place moving forward. 

 

Currently, the City does not charge for parking in beach and bay parking lots that it owns and operates. The proposed ballot measure would add a new section to the San Diego Municipal Code states parking in City-owned beach and bay parking lots shall remain free of charge.    

 

Codifying this policy in the Municipal Code would help preserve access to beaches and bays for residents and visitors while maintaining the City’s long-standing practice of providing free parking in these coastal lots. 

 

Another helpful news story, this one on beaches and bays, is below.