Last week, I highlighted City of San Diego Sanitation Driver Jose Parkhill in this month’s edition of Local Luminary. My staff tracked Jose down to thank him and recognize his hard work in response to a message we received from a San Carlos resident: 

“I’m wondering if your office can find out who just picked up the black trash bins on our street today (9/8/24) at noon and get them some kind of positive recognition. They are working in 105 degree heat on a Sunday. On top of that, they were even careful enough to leave the bins standing up when they were done. We are so appreciative of them.” 

A couple weeks ago, I reflected on a budding discussion about cell phone policies in San Diego Schools. In the time since then, Governor Newsom signed a bill requiring school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to establish policy “limiting or prohibiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026.” 

As a father and former educator, I share the community’s concerns about our students’ mental health and capacity to learn, both of which have been shown to deteriorate with cell phone usage. I’ll keep an eye on how our region adapts to this new state law and provide updates with my thoughts. Last time I included this topic in the Raul Roundup, many of you replied with your thoughts as parents and teachers. I appreciate and welcome your input always! 

Recently, I was very encouraged by two headlines showing signs of positive progress in San Diego with regard to opioid deaths and crime in general. Recent reports show that opioid deaths in San Diego County dropped about 7.5% due to the availability of Narcan, harm reduction strategies, and the distribution of fentanyl test strips, while a different report by SANDAG recently showed that overall, crime continues to decline in our region. Crimes against property, for example, decreased 8% from 2022 with decreases across all categories (burglaries, robberies, larceny thefts, and motor vehicle thefts).

However, despite the fact that crime overall is down, the unfortunate reality is that we are seeing a troubling rise in hate incidents across the city. San Diego’s core values are love, respect, unity, and inclusion – and we cannot allow hate to take root. 

That’s why I held a press conference with Councilmember Stephen Whitburn in Hillcrest, a neighborhood that he represents, following multiple incidents of hate there. Together with SDPD and community leaders, we denounced hate in all its forms and urged the public to use free and confidential tools like California vs. Hate that allow people to report hate and receive support. 

The recent rise in hate is also why just over one year ago, I called a press conference with local leaders to denounce the antisemitic, homophobic and racist flyering of several District 7 neighborhoods. In that press conference, I announced work on a law that would expand the penalty for hate littering in order to curb these shameful acts.  

On Wednesday, thanks to the partnership and great legislative work of Assemblymember Chris Ward, AB 3024 - the Stop Hate Littering Act was signed into law by Governor Newsom. Hate never has a home in San Diego — and now that AB 3024 is the law of the land, propagators of hate should think twice before dropping hateful flyers, as they expose themselves to a $25,000 fine for each time a flyer is dropped with the intent to terrorize.