Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law Assembly Bill 379, legislation that makes it a misdemeanor crime again in California to loiter with the intent to purchase sex and imposes felony penalties on adults who solicit sex from a 16- or 17-year-old. I sponsored the bill, along with San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan and others concerned about rising prostitution after a 2022 state law that decriminalized loitering with the intent to commit prostitution and made enforcement harder for police.
The new law will make a real difference in our ability to disrupt child exploitation and illegal prostitution in San Diego by holding buyers and traffickers accountable – making our neighborhoods and our residents safer. It will provide prosecutors with the ability to bring felony charges against adult offenders who are at least three years older than the minor. When the adult offender is within three years of age of the minor, solicitation will remain illegal and a misdemeanor.
I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for signing this legislation into law, and also to Assemblymembers Maggy Krell and Nick Schultz for their tireless work crafting and championing this bill. This legislation is going to save lives and assist in our efforts to ensure our City can protect our most vulnerable.
As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor.
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Deadlines Approaching for Trash Service
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With the implementation of voter-approved Measure B, which allows the City to recover our costs for providing trash service to single-family homes, our Environmental Services Department (ESD) is working on a series of updates that require action by residents who receive trash service from the City.
First, if you own a single-family home in the city of San Diego that is eligible for City-provided trash service, you should have received a mailer that contains a code unique to your property and instructions on how to create an account, sign up for service and make timely selections about your collection bins.
Trash bins come in three sizes, and fees vary based on the size you select. If you make no selection, you will receive the 95-gallon trash and recycling bins (and the 95-gallon green organic waste bin, if you do not already have one). The deadline to sign up for service and choose your bin bundle is Sept. 30, 2025.
The second important deadline is for the homes currently receiving trash service that are no longer eligible for City-provided trash pickup because their property does not meet the requirements outlined in the Waste Management Regulation and the municipal code. Owners of properties that are not eligible for City-provided services need to contract with a private hauler for trash collection service.
Ineligible properties include:
- Residential properties with five or more residences on a single lot.
- Mixed-use and commercial properties.
- Properties located on private streets or within gated communities.
- Properties whose access requires the crossing of a private street or is serviced on a private street, even if the property address is on a public street.
- Properties with insufficient space to store enough City-issued containers needed to hold all trash, recycling and organics generated by the property between weekly collections.
- Properties whose entire complex is not eligible for City collection, and some residences in the complex require the use of a private hauler.
The deadline to transition to private service varies, depending on the person’s collection day. Mailers notifying property owners of their deadline offer step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition and a directory of City-approved haulers that lists the type of services they each can provide.
Like all major changes, the transition to the new cost-recoverable trash service will have its challenges along the way, but ESD and my staff are committed to making it as seamless as possible to get to the improved service of the future, and we’re here to help.
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New Round of Bridge to Home Will Speed Construction of Hundreds of New Affordable Homes
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$15 million funding available through our highly successful Bridge to Home initiative, which directs funds that must be used for housing to help affordable home builders get their projects across the finish line with critically needed gap financing.
Because affordable homes rent for below-market rates, developers cobble together a patchwork of financing sources to make their projects financially feasible. It’s not easy, and that’s why the City steps in to help – either on the tail end to complete the financing or on the front end to help with land acquisition.
I officially launched Bridge to Home in 2021. Since then, we've completed five rounds of funding, providing nearly $108 million in gap financing assistance for 24 projects totaling 2,148 affordable homes – 421 of which are set aside for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
That’s an investment of about $50,000 per apartment to get more affordable homes built faster. At that rate, I anticipate this new outlay of $15 million will create up to 300 additional affordable homes.
It’s important to note that most of this funding is from state and federal sources that can only be used to create more housing, so it doesn’t divert dollars away from other City needs – but it does help address our homelessness crisis.
So far, 140 of the 2,148 homes financing through Bridge to Home are already occupied. Another 595 homes are currently under construction, with construction beginning on an additional 47 this month.
Bridge to Home is opening the doors to hundreds of new, affordable homes and giving more San Diegans the opportunity to find housing in neighborhoods across the city, from Rancho Bernardo to San Ysidro. It’s an integral component of our broader strategy to build more homes, bring down rents, and lower the overall cost of living for San Diegans.
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GETTING IT DONE - FIXING OUR STREETS
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Looking Smooth in Scripps Ranch
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Schools have been out for the summer, but there was no summer break for construction crews fixing our roads! City crews are working hard through the summer hear to upgrade streets throughout San Diego, including this recent asphalt overlay on Atrium Drive in Scripps Ranch.
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Atrium Drive in Scripps Ranch
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Starting the School Year Off Right
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I loved seeing all the smiling faces at Assemblymember Dr. LaShae Collins’ Back to School Health & Resource Fair as kids and their families got ready to go back to school. Held at the New Creation Church in Oak Park, the event got families ready to start the school year off right with free health screenings, dental services, backpacks with school supplies, and other resources. Thanks to all the community organizations that helped make this happen!
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Celebrating Community and Affordability for Bay Park Seniors
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We cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Cerro Pueblo Apartments in Bay Park. This project preserved 46 affordable senior homes, ensuring the seniors here can age with dignity and security in the community they know and love. With the support of partners and advocates, this renovation helped preserve the apartments' affordability so these seniors could remain rooted in the communities they helped build.
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Tapping Pure Water for a Special Local Craft Brew
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I joined Alesmith and leaders from our Public Utilities Department for a very special celebration of International Beer Day, tapping the very first keg of Alesmith’s limited release beer made with water from our Pure Water reclamation North City demonstration facility. This program purifies water through reverse osmosis, so it doesn’t have the typical mineral content of San Diego tap water – and this gave Alesmith brewers the opportunity to make a dry hop lager it couldn’t brew with hard water.
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SAN DIEGO ON THE GLOBAL STAGE
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San Diego and Australia: Partners in Global Security and Innovation
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My team joined a timely U.S.-Australia roundtable that brought together top voices in tech and defense to San Diego. With insights from Australian Consul General Tanya Bennett, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the San Diego Diplomacy Council, and our Regional Chamber of Commerce, the discussion focused on Indo-Pacific security and how San Diego’s innovation ecosystem can drive future cooperation. As we build global partnerships like this, we’re positioning San Diego as a leader in defense innovation—bringing more jobs, investment, and opportunity to our region.
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State Launches CalAssist Mortgage Fund for Disaster-Affected Homeowners
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Starting June 12, California homeowners whose homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable by recent disasters—including the San Diego floods—can apply for up to $20,000 in mortgage relief through the new CalAssist Mortgage Fund.
The $105 million program, managed by the California Housing Finance Agency, offers grants covering up to three months of mortgage payments for homeowners affected by disasters that were declared a state or federal emergency between January 2023 and January 2025. These funds do not need to be repaid and will go directly to mortgage servicers on behalf of approved applicants.
Applications will be reviewed on first-come, first-served basis. Given the finite level of resources, households are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible to be considered for the program.
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Parks After Dark Brings Free Family Fun to Neighborhood Parks
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The City is partnering with the San Diego Parks Foundation to host Parks After Dark, a free summer program that transforms neighborhood parks into vibrant hubs of evening activity. Families can enjoy outdoor movies, music, games, and community resources through Aug. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the City Heights Rec Center, Linda Vista Rec Center, Memorial Rec Center and Skyline Hills Rec Center. These events support safer, more connected communities by activating public spaces after hours and making recreation accessible for all. Learn more here.
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