Dear Neighbor, 

A huge congratulations to the San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team on their amazing victory in Saturday’s Final Four game against Florida Atlantic University to advance to the NCAA championship! That buzzer beater moment was one few San Diegans will ever forget (myself included)!  

I love how united our city becomes when it comes to supporting our sports teams. I know our entire City has been behind the San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team as they have risen through the ranks and beat teams they weren’t expected to beat, time and time again. I think it goes to show how much we all want San Diego to be successful. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. And, GO AZTECS! 

Petco Park Named America’s Best Ballpark 

In advance of Opening Day last week, Petco Park was once again named America’s best ballpark. 

USA Today says our City’s stadium is No. 1 out of all the MLB ballparks they ranked this year. We were judged on factors like the general atmosphere of Petco Park, plus the design, location, amenities, food and overall character. 

I, for one, couldn’t agree more with their assessment! I love rooting for our Padres at Petco Park, and I'm so grateful for the partnership between the Padres and ⁦the City of San Diego. It's just one of the many public-private partnerships that helps keep this City shining.

City's First-Ever Career Fair is a Hit 

The City held its first-ever Career Fair earlier this month and it was a huge success. Nearly 2,300 applications were submitted at the fair, and City staff conducted about1,300 interviews. The turnout was so big that we ended up extending interviews to a second day. 

Through the City Career Fair process, five formerly homeless people have been hired and are now employed at local City libraries as library assistants.  

For those who applied and have yet to hear back, you should be contacted soon about the next steps. And if you missed the Career Fair altogether, the City still has hundreds of jobs available on our website, so please take a minute to check them out and apply or share the posts with someone you know who is looking for a job.

The Fight Against Illicit Fentanyl Continues  

Illicit fentanyl killed over 800 people in San Diego County in 2021 – an 18-fold increase from five years ago, when the drug first came on the scene. It’s the No. 1 cause of death for people between 18 and 45. 

Many of those who are dying from it have no idea that they’re taking it because it’s used in counterfeit painkillers or laced into other drugs by callous and reckless dealers. As the father of one young woman who was killed when she took half of a phony Percocet puts it; these are not overdose deaths; these are poisonings. I believe our laws should better reflect that crime. 

I’ve been working with State lawmakers to co-sponsor legislation aimed at cracking down on fentanyl dealers in the hopes that stiffer penalties for killing someone with fentanyl might act as a deterrent and ultimately save lives. This year, I’ve sponsored two bills that both would apply enhanced penalties for people dealing this deadly drug when their reckless actions cause death.

Unfortunately, the public safety committees in both the Assembly and Senate have chosen not to advance either bill. They’ve stalled any action for this year. By delaying this common-sense legislation, committee leaders have ultimately failed to prioritize an issue that’s killing 6,000 Californians every year.

This is disappointing news, but it’s not the end of my work on this issue. I will continue to push state legislators to pass laws that hold predatory dealers accountable.

Addressing the Housing California Conference 

Every year, Housing California holds a conference where homelessness experts, housing advocates, local and State leaders and other activists from across the state converge to talk about future strategies and current real-world programs that work to get people housed.    

This year, the conference was held here in San Diego, and I was invited to stop by to share what San Diego is doing to address homelessness and create more affordable housing. 

I’m proud to say we’ve done a lot. 

Our innovative density bonus programs exceed state incentive programs and have become a model for all of California. Our policies to encourage accessory dwelling units are working, and more people are building granny flats they can rent out. Our removal of parking minimums for housing projects near transit are encouraging developers to take on new projects. And my executive order requiring 100-percent affordable housing projects to be reviewed within 30 days has cut the time down from six months or more to just one. And those are just some of the examples I got to share with the Housing California crowd.  

Housing is ultimately the solution to homelessness. All that we’re doing to get people off the streets is futile if we can’t ultimately connect folks to housing. We’ve increased homeless shelter-bed capacity by nearly 70 percent and expanded our street outreach program, and through these efforts have moved more than 2,200 people off the street and into homes in the last year.

At the same time, skyrocketing rents caused by our housing shortage caused far more than that to fall into homelessness for the first time. That’s why I’ve partnered with City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera on a tenant protection ordinance intended to help more people stay in their homes. 

The takeaway is this: San Diego is a proud Pro-Housing City and an incubator for innovative housing ideas. We are and will continue to be a model for other Cities that are serious about combatting the housing crisis.