NEWSLETTER FROM OUR LEADER—Guest Blog
by Todd Gloria, San Diego Council President, Councilmember, District 3--I
had a great weekend at events in District Three and throughout San Diego. I appreciate all of the neighbors who took
the time to talk to me about their concerns at the 125th anniversary of University
Heights, CityFest, Philippine Cultural Arts Festival, and Human Rights Campaign
dinner. It was abundantly clear that San
Diegans are beyond ready for business to move forward at City Hall. I could not agree more. The good news is, even though it hasn’t been
the lead media story, your City Council and our City employees have been
accomplishing a lot on your behalf. Here
is some of the news that has been overshadowed in recent weeks, plus some
upcoming involvement opportunities I hope you’ll consider. As always, I welcome your input, feedback,
and questions on these and any other issue on your mind.
City of San Diego Invests in Small Businesses
Last week, I joined local
businesspeople to celebrate the completed improvements at some local businesses,
which were partially funded by the City of San Diego’s Storefront Improvement
Program. Improvements made at the
Belching Beaver Tasting Room, located on 30th Street in North Park, include new
paint, new roll-up windows, a preserved neighborhood mural, and new exterior
light fixtures. The City provided a grant of $5,000. The total project cost was
$19,831.
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| Todd Gloria |
These investments by the
City may seem minor, but they contribute to improved community character and
demonstrate a meaningful way we can strengthen our local economy.
The City of San Diego’s
Storefront Improvement Program revitalizes building facades visible to
customers, neighboring merchants, and residents. The City of San Diego provides
design assistance and financial incentives to small business owners who wish to
make a creative change to their storefronts.
More details are available online.
San Diego Officials Meet
with Current and Incoming Tijuana Mayors
Last Wednesday,
Councilmember David Alvarez, other regional leaders, and I traveled to Mexico
to meet with the current mayor and incoming mayor of Tijuana and strengthen the
regional relationship between the two cities.
On the short trip, I
participated in a meet and greet with Tijuana Mayor-Elect Dr. Jorge Astiazaran
Orci’s staff and then met with Mayor Carlos Bustamante at Tijuana’s City Hall
before returning to San Diego. After visiting with Tijuana City Councilmembers
in May with Councilmember Mark Kersey, I understand that it’s critical to also
build relationships with Tijuana’s incoming mayor.
City Council Approves Prevailing Wage Ordinance
The San Diego City Council
approved a prevailing wage requirement on City public works projects on July
30.
San Diego will benefit from
the implementation of this prevailing wage ordinance. The City Council’s action
will result in higher-quality work and more middle class jobs for our region.
The ordinance requires the
City and its departments, boards, and agencies to advertise and include
specifications requiring compliance with the State prevailing wage law in
contracts for public works, which generally include construction,
reconstruction or repair of public buildings, streets, and utilities. Prevailing wage would impact all projects
above $25,000 for construction and above $15,000 for maintenance, alteration,
repair, or demolition work, and the requirements will go into effect on January
1, 2014. It will not apply to contracts
that reimburse work started before January 1, 2014.
Prevailing wage is known to
result in safer and better monitored work sites; on-time completion; properly
trained apprentices; and fewer construction defects, change orders, and cost
overruns. Further, by providing appropriate compensation, workers providing a
public service do not have to live in poverty.
As we ramp up our
investment in streets, sidewalks, and public facilities, prevailing wage makes
common sense and fiscal sense. I am
confident in the positive impact prevailing wage will have on our City and our
local economy.
As part of the action, I
added performance measures to the prevailing wage Equal Opportunity Contracting
implementation plan that can be tracked and reported out as part of the Labor
Compliance Program in December 2014.
I am glad that San Diego
has joined over 40 other charter cities in California with prevailing wage
requirements.
North Park Jack in the Box Update
Like many North Park
residents, I am offended by the current Jack in the Box project at 2959 Upas
Street. The project is not only
inconsistent with the Greater North Park Community Plan, but also fails to take
advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to implement good planning
principles at a prime location.
When the original proposal,
which sought deviations from the Greater North Park Community Plan, was
presented, the North Park Planning Committee rightly opposed the project. I informed company representatives at that
time that I would not support their proposal unless they satisfied the
community’s concerns. The Planning
Commission also recommended that the project be denied.
Instead of heeding the
suggestions of the community and the Planning Commission, Jack in the Box chose
to resubmit their project through the City’s Development Services Department as
a “remodel” under Section 12.7.1 of the Land Development Code, even though the
project, to all appearances, is a complete rebuild. This allowed the project to be permitted
without any review or approval by the City Council.
The Land Development Code
must be changed so that this scenario cannot be repeated. I have requested via memorandum that City
staff research potential changes to the law to prevent this from happening
again. I expect staff to solicit input
from the Community Planners Committee and other stakeholders and report back to
the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee this fall with suggested
changes.
Even though efforts through
the Mayor and City Attorney have not resulted in work being stopped at 2959
Upas Street, I continue to advocate for changes to the Land Development Code to
stop this from happening in the future.
North Park Community Project Honored
The North Mini-Park &
Associated Streetscape Improvement Project earned an Award of Merit from the American
Planning Association’s California Chapter.
I applaud the community’s dedication to this project and agree it's
deserving of this honor.
Get Involved!
What Needs Fixing in your
Neighborhood?
Following the agenda set
for me by neighbors in 2008, investing in our streets, sidewalks, water and
wastewater systems, and public buildings remains high on my priority list. While assessments and studies are necessary,
the input from San Diegan continues to shape the way we address these
neighborhood needs. I encourage you to
get in touch with your local community planning group to give your input on
capital improvement projects before they submit their priority projects to the
Community Planners Committee on September 24.
In addition, if you haven’t already tried it out, there is an app
allowing citizens to pinpoint concerns at
http://infrastructure.opensandiego.org.
North Park – Mid-City
Regional Bike Corridor Project Workshop
Please attend the community
workshop and encourage others interested in livable, vibrant streets to join
you. Your input is critical to the
design process. Project information is
available online.
August 27, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Queen Bee’s Art and
Cultural Center
3925 Ohio Street
North Park
Central Library Grand
Opening
Save the date San
Diego! Our new Central Library grand
opening is set for Saturday, September 28 at 11:00 a.m. I hope to see you there!
11th and K Streets
Downtown San Diego
Ceremony: 11:00 a.m. -
12:00 p.m.
Tours and Festival: 12:00 -
5:00 p.m.
Thank you for the
opportunity to serve,
Todd
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