Community Event Alert!

Please consider volunteering with the Parks and Recreation Department and San Diego Canyonlands for Navajo Canyon Habitat Restoration on Saturday, September 28 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Join Park Rangers to improve the health of the San Diego River Watershed by removing weeds and watering.

This effort is part of a larger project to enhance “7.2 acres of wetland/riparian and upland habitats within the canyon.” I’m incredibly thankful for the Parks and Recreation Department and San Diego Canyonlands for their continued work on Navajo Canyon and to all of the residents offering their support through volunteer work! To read more about this project, click here.

Last month, I had the opportunity to tour the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant, which supplies drinking water to much of central San Diego. The Alvarado Plant, located next to Lake Murray, has a capacity of 120 million gallons of treated water per day and houses San Diego’s Water Quality Laboratory, where our water is routinely tested to ensure it remains safe and clean for all.

I’m incredibly grateful for the dedicated work of Public Utilities Department staff to ensure our water is clean and safe for all to use. Thank you for taking the time to show me around and thank you for everything you do!

Community Event Alert!

Mexican Independence Day is soon, and Love, Linda Vista invites the community to celebrate at the Linda Vista Farmers Market on Thursday, September 19th at 4 PM. This event will feature the usual fresh produce and delicious regional food alongside some live performances, kids' activities, and plenty of fun. To find more details, visit their Instagram page here. Thank you to the entire team at Love, Linda Vista for hosting these events for everyone to enjoy!

Morena resident, A-Bel Gong, will serve as District 7's representative on the Resiliency Advisory Board for the City of San Diego. The Resiliency Advisory Board will advise the City of San Diego on issues of climate resiliency, wetlands health, conservation, and biodiversity. A-Bel is more than qualified as Climate Research Manager for University of San Diego's Regional Climate Collaborative. They boast a BA degree in Environmental and Ocean Sciences, as well as a Masters of Science in Environmental and Ocean Sciences. Thank you, A-bel, for your commitment to San Diego's climate resiliency and your advisement on these critical issues.

Good news, Mission Valley! Friars Road recently received a repaving. The Transportation Department recently treated Friars Road with full overlay, which will keep the road in great condition for some time to come. Big thank you to the City crews who work diligently to keep our roads in the best condition possible. Take a look at the results below!

San Carlos is looking good! The Transportation Department has been hard at work throughout the community repairing roads in poor condition. Residents on Bisby Lake may have noticed the City’s in-house mill and pave team providing a portion of their street with a repair. Their work restored the road from “failed” condition to good condition, which highlights our need for continued, swift, in-house action to maintain San Diego’s infrastructure. I’m incredibly grateful for the Transportation Department’s innovation on, and commitment to, keeping our roads in the best condition possible.

The road leading up to Shira Field at Lake Murray was also recently resurfaced by City crews with the Parks and Recreation Department. Big thank you to those crews and the residents who advocated for its repair. Take a look at the before and after results below.

Kitchens for Good, a District 7 non-profit located in Serra Mesa, provides culinary, baking, and hospitality training, career preparation, and networking resources to jobseekers that might experience barriers to employment. Over 700 people who were formerly incarcerated, experienced substance abused disorder, homelessness, or other difficulties have gone through Kitchen for Good’s apprenticeship program. That's over 700 people who have been given the support to find meaningful employment.

Kitchens for Good nominated their Career Services Manager, Malia, for Local Luminary this month. Joanna Larson, their Director of Programs, shared the following about Malia: "Malia has excellent rapport-building skills, which show in the strong engagement of her caseload. She can handle difficult conversations with grace, respect, and empathy." Thank you, Malia, for your dedication to providing people a path to employment and developing our workforce here in San Diego. Your impact does not go unnoticed.

I encourage everyone to visit Kitchens for Good’s website, linked here, to learn more about their apprenticeship program, book a cooking class, purchase used kitchenware, and much more.

Community Event Alert!

9/21/24 Day is this month! My team and I look forward to the festivities. Tierrasanta Foundation has a great event lined up, including a talent show, live music, food, and more. See the information below or visit the Tierrasanta Foundation website to learn more.

Join us for an evening filled with food, games, live entertainment and plenty of photo ops! You will not want to miss 92124’s GOT TALENT where our neighbors showcase their skills with winners featured on our web pages and social media. Or dancing to the beat of San Diegos #1 Live Band Republic of Music. Everyone is invited to this free Community Extravaganza brought to you by The Tierrasanta Community Partners including: The Tierrasanta Foundation, The Tierrasanta Junior Women’s Club, The Kiwanis of Tierrasanta, and Tierrasanta Community Council.

More than a dozen Tierrasanta residents attended a Green Bin 101 workshop hosted by my staff and a representative from the Environmental Services Department. Residents learned about recycling and green bin usage best practices, strategies for reducing waste, and creative methods for solving common problems like smells and pests. Residents also provided advice to one another and offered input to my staff and the Environmental Services Department. Big thank you to everyone in attendance and to all of those who emailed their tips and tricks; your participation is appreciated!

Some exciting news is coming out of Mission Trails Regional Park this Thursday, September 5th. I’ll be joining the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, the Parks and Recreation Department, and community members at the Cowles Mountain staging area to deliver the news. If you would like to join, the press conference will begin at 10:00 AM. Feel free to bring friends and family, and don't hesitate to come clad in hiking gear.

Lace up those hiking boots, fill your water bottles, pack some snacks, and get ready to Hit the Trails!

The City of San Diego invites residents to provide their thoughts on the Bicycle Master Plan, which is receiving a large update based on community feedback and regional planning goals. The Bicycle Master Plan was created in 2013 to memorialize goals and plans for a City-wide network of bike lanes.

Beyond encouraging residents to bike instead of using their cars, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, bike lanes also make roads safer by prompting drivers to drive with more awareness. This overarching update will "will refresh the City’s bicycle facility recommendations and prioritization of active transportation projects to meet the City’s Strategic Plan and Climate Action Plan goals with increased emphasis on equity and serving areas with the greatest needs." I’m grateful for the City’s progress on the targets laid out in the Master Bike Plan and encourage District 7 residents to participate in this next update. You can find the survey and more information here.

One of San Diego’s strengths is its lively arts and culture sector. From the Linda Multicultural Fair, to an upcoming jazz festival, to incredible productions of Shakespeare at the Old Globe Theatre, the City of San Diego is a proud host to, and sponsor of, these events.

The Arts, Culture and Community Festivals (ACCF) funding program derives from Transient Occupancy Tax funds, which are allocated, by City Council offices, to local nonprofit organizations. The application for City Council's Fiscal Year 2025 ACCF allocations is now! Applications will close September 13, 2024.

Who can apply?

Nonprofit organizations with a legally tax-exempt status that represent the goals of Arts, Culture, and Community Festivals funding as identified in Council Policy 100-23. Organizations and projects should align with the following purposes:

Provide access to excellence in culture and the arts for residents of, and visitors to, San Diego.
Enrich the lives of the people of San Diego and build healthy, vital neighborhoods.

Organizations may also apply using an eligible fiscal sponsor.

If you intend to apply, or would like to learn more, please reach out to my Staff Assistant, Emma Palmer, at ejpalmer@sandiego.gov

Sincerely,