Dear Neighbor, 

Enforcement of our Unsafe Camping Ordinance begins today. It will, at first, focus on parks and schools, at which encampments are prohibited at all times regardless of shelter availability.  

The San Diego Police Department will continue to follow a progressive enforcement model, which always includes an offer of shelter at each of the three contacts with a person experiencing homelessness. 

It’s important to note that enforcement contacts typically occur after our outreach teams have had dozens of contacts with people in encampments to also offer shelter and services.

This enforcement effort will take time, and we won’t see major change overnight, but with consistent work, I am confident conditions on our streets will improve.

The Unsafe Camping Ordinance is just one part of how we’re addressing homelessness at the City and comes after we’ve added several new shelters with hundreds of beds, as well as the new safe sleeping site. Our Comprehensive Shelter Strategy is guiding us as we create more shelter options, and continue to offer everyone who enrolls in these sites wraparound services that will help them on their path toward permanent housing.  

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

Mayor Gloria’s Executive Order Results in Hundreds of New Affordable Homes  

In January, right before my State of the City address, I signed an Executive Order that directed City staff to review and permit 100% affordable housing projects within 30 days.  

What was taking up to six months (or more) to complete, I was requiring be done in days.

I’m pleased to tell you this order has led to the expedited permitting of 628 new affordable homes with another 1,271 on the way. The first five projects permitted, again resulting in a total of 628 homes, are in Encanto, Clairemont and Rancho Peñasquitos.

This urgency is a testament to our City’s commitment to treating homelessness like the crisis it is by prioritizing the creation of more affordable homes. 

My executive order also provides incentives and waivers to 100% affordable housing projects and calls for expeditiously filling vacancies in the city’s Development Services Department to help get permits done quickly. DSD has since launched the "Affordable Housing Permit Now" program, which makes it easy for developers to get that guaranteed 30-day turnaround time, plus other enhanced services including access to specialized review staff, dedicated project managers and rapid issue resolution. 

We all know that housing is what truly ends homelessness. And while we've made incredible progress on expanding the City’s shelter capacity, that’s just one piece of the puzzle that is addressing homelessness. Once people accept shelter, we must help get them into permanent homes. These projects being expedited by the City are specifically set aside for San Diegans who are extremely low-income, such as those who were formerly unhoused.

This new, expedited affordable housing program is just one way the City is helping supply affordable homes to San Diegans. My “Homes for All of Us” initiative is also working to create new housing programs, revise outdated codes, incentivize construction and spur the development of more new homes near transit. 

The goal? Every San Diegan deserves to have a roof over their head at a price they can afford. 

Restoring a Place to Play at Mount Hope Park

Kids and families in Mount Hope and nearby communities are once again enjoying the play structure at the Dennis V. Allen Park. 

In 2021, the playground was burned down in an act of vandalism. City staff worked diligently but ran into some delays due to pandemic-related supply-chain issues. By this past spring, they were able to complete a replacement playground and it’s been open to the public since then. 

Over the weekend, I celebrated the new playground at the Peace in the Park Youth Summer Party and backpack giveaway put on by Big Animals SD, the City of San Diego's Parks and Recreation Department and the San Diego Police Department. It was wonderful to see this park fully open to the residents and especially the children of Mount Hope and surrounding neighborhoods.

Dennis V. Allen Park is named in honor of Dennis Allen, who served as president of the Race Relations Society and helped expand employment opportunities for San Diego's Black community. It has become an important community meeting place that brings people together and helps build a sense of community. 

I look forward to bringing even more improvements to this important park in the future

All San Diegans deserve great community spaces and I’m committed to ensuring we invest in every neighborhood’s parks.

New Kensington Streetlamps Shining Bright  

The City has installed 43 of the 57 new streetlamps in Kensington, replacing the rusty, lead-filled lights that no longer function

A community member recently posted on the social media site Nextdoor to praise the City for our careful attention to ensuring these new lights are replicas of the ones they are replacing

"I have to say, they look like exact replicas of our old lamps!” the post reads. “I am so pleased, excited and thrilled. Our neighborhood will finally be well lit for our evening walks. Beats a number of them looking old decrepit, with chipped paint, and practically a safety hazard.

As the work continues in Kensington, the neighborhood will see workers repairing the sidewalk and doing other pavement restoration work, plus coordinating with SDG&E to ensure these lights keep Kensington bright well into the future. 

One Pill Can Kill: Stay Informed, Stay Safe 

In my regular check-ins with our San Diego Fire Department and San Diego Police Department, one topic almost always comes up: illicit fentanyl

This poison is posing serious danger to our communities, killing hundreds of San Diegans each year.

It is a deadly synthetic opioid that’s 50 times more potent than heroin, and it’s making its way into counterfeit pills and other drugs distributed by predatory dealers.

Parents should know that kids are buying these counterfeit pills over apps like Snapchat and other social media -- and then dying because what they purchased has been laced with illicit fentanyl. Deaths from fentanyl-related overdose have increased dramatically over the past four years in San Diego County, especially among 15–24-year-olds, so don’t wait until it’s too late.

Our law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to combat this crisis, but I want to make sure families are educated about the dangers. Parents, talk with your kids about the dangers of fentanyl and buying pills from the internet and social media. Tell them how common it is for drugs bought illegally to contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. 

The scary reality is this: One pill can kill.

Remember every action against this illicit drug counts. If you think you are close to someone at risk of an opioid overdose, consider picking up Naloxone, the overdose reversal medication, which is available across San Diego County at several locations.   

Together, San Diego can put an end to the dangers of illicit fentanyl. 

Addressing Our Mental Health Crisis from All Angles  

Two years ago, San Diego was proud to support Assembly Bill 988. Authored by Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, the bill was signed into law and helped ensure that Californians had early access to 988, an emergency response line for mental health crises. 

The 988 service launched a year ago. Since then, our state has become the national leader in 988 implementation, with double the calls of any other state. If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 988 for 24/7 free and confidential support

Along with 988, the CARE Act, Senate Bill 43 and efforts to increase mental health beds, California is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach and working hard at every level of government to transform California's behavioral health system

Together, we can continue innovating and implementing new, creative and effective solutions to our mental health crisis.