San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo here: Happy Friday!  

Welcome to this week’s Raul Roundup, your go-to source for the latest news, updates, and insights from our community and City Hall. 

This week, I announced my proposal to roll back the $10 per hour Downtown Special Event Parking Fees. I believe very strongly that the current policy unfairly burdens residents, workers, and small businesses. Businesses are thinking of closing and moving; workers have already begun to quit; and customers are now not showing up for restaurant reservations at an almost 20% rate (the average is about 4%).  

 

Currently, the City’s Special Event Parking Fee is $10 per hour, for up to 6 hours, and it applies across a broad area all around downtown, not just surrounding Petco Park. My proposal—dubbed the 5/5/5 Plan—will reduce the hourly special event rate from $10 to $5, shorten the enforcement window from 6 hours to 5 hours, and limit the special event parking zone to 5 blocks around Petco Park. 

 

Downtown San Diego should be welcoming and accessible and affordable—not punitive. These fees are hurting residents, discouraging customers, and forcing workers to pay premium prices just to go to work. We need to restore balance and encourage people to come back downtown. 

This week, I welcomed my new Executive Assistant on board: Samantha Houston! Samantha brings years of top-notch administrative experience, evident in how quickly and seamlessly she adapted to her role. She will be my scheduler, so any and all scheduling requests should go to her at SHouston@sandiego.gov. As always, scheduling requests may also be made here: Request a Meeting with Councilmember Raul Campillo | City of San Diego Official Website 

 

I asked Sam a handful of questions in the interest of Raul Roundup readers getting to know her a bit better. See her answers below. Welcome to the team, Sam. We are so thrilled to have you on board. 

 

What's one word your friends and family would use to describe you?

Resilient.

 

Your favorite spot in District 7?

My dad's house in Allied Gardens.

 

What is your favorite genre of music?

It's impossible to choose, so I'll narrow it down to 1980s alternative and 1930s jazz.

 

What is something you're looking forward to in 2026?

Renewing my passport!

 

A message you'd like to share with the Raul Roundup readers?

My favorite fortune cookie message: "Simplicity is the Essence of all Beauty."

Hard to believe that the L.A. fires were only a year ago. That tragedy and our own wildfire history are powerful reminders that wildfire safety, especially when we’ve got Santa Ana winds and dry weather, is a team effort.  

 

While we’ve had an unusually wet winter so far, the conditions expected this weekend still demand caution. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has an excellent guide on wildland fire preparedness. Ready, Set, Go! contains advice on creating a defensible space around your home, guidance on prepping an emergency go-bag, and tips for developing a wildland fire action plan to share with your family, friends and neighbors. 

 

Keep yourself, your family and your neighbors safe by being prepared. Enormous thank you to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for creating the Ready, Set, Go! Guide and taking preventative measures to keep our communities safe. 

The Linda Vista Update shared in this week’s issue that a Linda Vista poet, Sarah Durrand, recently published her debut poetry book. 

 

What Flowers May Come is inspired by nature, which we're fortunate to have plenty of in San Diego. The Linda Vista Update notes that readers of Durrand’s poetry “will recognize allusions to local institutions such as Tecolote canyon, seasonal hauls from the Farmer’s market, and our roaming flock of parrots.” 

 

If you’re interested in reading Sarah Durrand’s poetry, you can purchase her book here and contact her here.