Wishing a very happy 80th birthday to our beloved constituent and community advocate, Mickey Zeichick! A long time resident of San Carlos, Mickey has served as Chair of the San Carlos Area Council for numerous years and is a friend to many in the Navajo area.

So great to be able to stop by Mickey’s wonderful birthday celebration this past weekend — here’s to many more!

Thank you to everyone who came out to this weekend’s Coffee with Campillo! We had a packed house — more than 60 neighbors joined us for a lively and thoughtful conversation on the issues that matter the most, from infrastructure to public safety and much more.

As your City Councilmember, I’m proud to prioritize community engagement and rely on your input to do the job right — every one of you is an important partner in this work.

Recently, Tuxedo Road and several other surrounding streets were repaved in San Carlos, delivering a smoother ride for residents. Nothing beats the way it feels to drive on a road that looks like that!

Repairing and maintaining our infrastructure is something I think about and work on every single day because I know just how important of a priority it is for our neighborhoods — and I’ll continue to get more streets repaved all over District 7.

When retired firefighter John Zeto Jr. heard gunshots in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, he didn’t hesitate — he followed the sound. What he found was Colt Johnson, dehydrated and near death from heatstroke, having fired his gun in a desperate attempt to signal for help.

Zeto gave Colt his last two liters of water, slung him over his shoulder, and carried him three miles over rugged terrain — then drove him 20 more miles to get him electrolytes and relief from the heat.

But this wasn’t a one-time rescue. Since retiring, Zeto has quietly taken on a new mission: carrying extra supplies and helping hikers in trouble on Arizona’s toughest trails. Whether it’s a sprained ankle or a life-or-death emergency, Zeto stops every time.

“When somebody’s in trouble,” he said, “I can’t imagine somebody not doing everything to help.”

Mr. Zeto — thank you for reminding us what it means to show up for strangers with courage, humility, and heart.

This week, the City Council took decisive action to finalize San Diego’s budget — partially overriding the Mayor’s veto to protect what matters most to our communities. I voted in favor of this compromise because among other things, it restored funding for wildfire prevention and kept all nine city reservoirs open for the community to enjoy — including Lake Murray.

We’ve heard loud and clear from residents: brush management is essential as we enter fire season, and our reservoirs aren’t just water sources — they’re places where families fish, boat, and connect with nature. I’m proud we stood up for both public safety and quality of life.

The final budget isn’t perfect — no budget ever is — but it reflects your voices and protects core services while keeping a close eye on fiscal responsibility. Throughout this process, I have advocated for us to be thoughtful about our spending — to ensure that we focus on what cities do best: protect public safety, maintain infrastructure, and foster good jobs and a strong local economy. I believe that in this budget, we have by and large protected those priorities with the limited budget dollars that we have.

As always, thank you for continuing to speak up and shape our city’s future.