Dear Neighbor, 

As we continue through the second half of 2024, we reflect on the incredible progress we have made together on some of our city’s toughest issues, while laying the foundation for a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable city. 

On housing and land use, the approval of Blueprint SD and updated community plans in Hillcrest and University City are facilitating the production of more homes and jobs that are connected to transit. This not only helps us meet our housing goals, but also continues our efforts to address both homelessness and climate change. 

We continue to make progress to combat homelessness with the California Coastal Commission's approval of H Barracks, located near the San Diego Airport, being used for a new Safe Parking site to help people who are living in their vehicles. People living in their cars is a growing segment of our homeless population, and with this approval we will begin the site preparations for a program that will provide a safe place and access to supportive services that will help end their homelessness for good. 

While the two aforementioned are top issues, San Diegans regularly remind me of their desire to see road repair – and I agree. I’m proud to report that we've continued to accelerate road repairs, with a total of 939 miles of repairs completed since I took office. We also completed the most ever slurry seal mileage in the City’s history in fiscal year 2024—250 miles!  

On public safety, we’ve successfully rolled out nearly 500 Smart Streetlights and Automated License Plate Readers, and these investigative tools have already helped solve crimes and led to significant improvements in crime prevention and response, with the tools directly leading to 117 arrests and recovery of $1.67 million in stolen goods.  

On the environmental front, we established an innovative electric vehicle-charging partnership to install EV charging stations at hundreds of City facilities with no upfront cost to the City, making the distribution of EV chargers across San Diego more equitable.  

Finally, I’m thrilled to announce that the City's credit ratings were upgraded to AA+, a testament to our strong financial stewardship and commitment to San Diego’s long-term prosperity. 

These are just a few highlights from a year that so far has been full of progress. We have much more work ahead, and I’m confident that together, we will continue to build a brighter future for all San Diegans. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

San Diego continues to uphold its reputation as one of America's safest big cities, according to new midyear national crime statistics. 

The latest data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association reveals that violent crime in our city continues to trend downward. Homicides have decreased by an impressive 47%, rapes are down by 17%, robberies have dropped by 6%, and aggravated assaults have declined by 1%. These numbers reflect the hard work and dedication of our San Diego Police Department.  

One of the key contributors to this positive trend has been the implementation of innovative programs like the Smart Streetlight system. Since its rollout earlier this year, the system has aided in over 160 events, leading to 117 arrests, the recovery of six guns, and an estimated $1.67 million recovered in stolen goods.  

We are working hard to ensure that San Diego stays on this positive trajectory. Public safety will always be a top priority for me, and I'll continue to support and invest in effective strategies that keep our city safe. 

With ongoing collaboration between our law enforcement agencies and the community, we are confident that we can maintain and even improve upon these encouraging trends. San Diego’s commitment to safety is unwavering, and I am so proud of the progress we've made together. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a legislative package of 10 bills aimed at tackling organized retail crime into law. 

This comprehensive legislation strengthens our ability to protect our community from theft and vandalism while ensuring that law enforcement have the tools they need to keep our neighborhoods safe. 

One of the key elements of this legislation is AB 2943, a new law that introduces a classification for possessing stolen goods valued over $950 with intent to resell, which now carries a prison sentence of up to three years. This law allows the aggregation of thefts from different retailers to be prosecuted as grand theft — a felony charge — particularly in cases involving repeated offenses or large quantities of stolen property. 

I want to thank Governor Newsom and the Legislature for taking action to combat these crimes occurring throughout our state. Organized retail theft is a significant trend that we need to reverse, and these laws will help.  

I’m also grateful to our law enforcement and retail partners for their collaboration in this vital endeavor.  

I’ve been clear: we will not tolerate lawlessness in our city. And, as I said in my 2024 State of the City address, we should be locking up criminals, not laundry detergent. These new laws are going to make easier to disrupt these criminal enterprises and protect businesses, workers, and communities. 

This year’s Parks After Dark program was a resounding success, bringing together over 25,000 San Diegans across neighborhoods like City Heights, Linda Vista, Memorial, Skyline Hills, and Otay Mesa. 

From outdoor music, theater, and movies to sports clinics and arts and crafts, these events created safe, vibrant spaces for families to enjoy summer nights at their neighborhood parks and recreation centers.  

Parks After Dark isn’t just about fun—it’s about building stronger, safer communities by activating our parks with positive, community-focused events. This program has been shown to reduce crime and increase social connections, making a tangible impact on our neighborhoods. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our dedicated City parks and recreation staff, the San Diego Parks Foundation, the County of San Diego and Price Philanthropies. These events have made a real difference in the lives of San Diego residents, and none of this would have been possible without this collaborative commitment!  

Our Transportation Department's mill and pave teams are keeping busy! Recently completing a segment of El Paseo Real in La Jolla and currently resurfacing Carroll Road in the Carroll Canyon Business Park area, the City's mill and pave team uses street condition assessment data as well as service reports to repair segments of roadway that are especially damaged by potholes and cracks.  

The permanent repairs to the roadway conducted by the mill and pave teams greatly improve pavement conditions and ensure that patch crews won’t have to return to repair potholes on that segment for years to come. 

San Diego residents receiving trash and recycling services from the Environmental Services Department (ESD) are invited to share their input through public meetings, questionnaires, and focus groups starting in early August. This initiative aims to evaluate and improve services while developing a cost-recovery fee structure. The first in-person meeting will be held on Aug. 5 at Logan Heights Library, with additional meetings scheduled across various Council Districts. A virtual meeting will be held on Aug. 24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 

In-person Community Meetings by Council District (CD); 5:30 to 7 p.m. 

• CD3: Monday, Aug. 19, Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library, 215 W. Washington St., 92103 

• CD2: Monday, Aug. 26, Point Loma/Hervey Library, 3701 Voltaire St., 92107 

• CD7: Tuesday, Aug. 27, Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library, 9005 Aero Drive, 92123 

• CD5: Tuesday, Sept. 3, Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive, 92131 

• CD1: Monday, Sept. 9, La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave., 92037 

For more information and to stay updated, visit cleangreensd.org.  

The City of San Diego just began an update to its Bicycle Master Plan. We are inviting you to visit our new website to learn about the plan update and provide feedback. 

On this website, you'll find information about the project background, its timeline, a fact sheet and interactive tools so you can provide your input. These tools are: 

• Interactive Feedback Map: Please use the map's markers to show us where you think the current bicycle system works, needs improvement or has barriers to using it.  

• Interactive Trip Map: You can also show us where you typically begin and end your bike rides so that we get a sense of the journeys you're making. 

• Quick Online Surveys: Respond to these quick surveys so that we can learn more about you, your bicycle use, and your perspective about the City’s bicycle infrastructure. 

The surveys and maps will be open for input through Tuesday, Sept. 10. 

Your opinion matters to us and will help us prepare a plan that is informed by the community. For questions, please contact sustainability@sandiego.gov. 

The Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) is a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services to lower income San Diego residents. They work to empower clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental and social systems and encourage self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. 

LASSD is asking questions to find out the most common legal problems in the community. This survey will help LASSD learn how to make their legal services easier to find and use. Your responses help meet these goals! 

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete. You can choose to remain anonymous or provide your contact information for follow-up and to be entered in a drawing to receive one of five $100 gift certificates. 

Share your voice and take the 10-minute survey about our community’s legal needs here.  

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is gearing up for the summer of 2025 by recruiting seasonal lifeguards. Swim tryouts are scheduled for Sept. 12, 13, 14, Oct. 10, 11, 12, and Jan. 16, 17, 18, 2025, at 8 a.m. at Ventura Cove. 

To qualify for an interview, candidates must swim 500 meters in under 10 minutes. 

With over 40 miles of shoreline to patrol, SDFD lifeguards are essential to ensuring the safety of millions of visitors. Interested candidates should apply online two weeks before their tryout date.