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Dear Neighbor,
Over the next few days, I’ll be in South Korea with the San Diego World Trade Center and other civic and business leaders from San Diego and Tijuana.
South Korea is a natural partner for San Diego. We share complementary strengths in the life sciences, semiconductor and clean energy sectors. The country is already a force in the global economy, and its impact is expected to grow in the years ahead. That’s why we’re working to build relationships and promote our binational mega-region now.
South Korean companies already employ approximately 850 San Diegans – and we want to get that number even higher. In addition, we hope to attract new companies to invest in the San Diego-Tijuana binational region.
I’m excited for the next several days, which are packed with meetings that will advance business collaborations for San Diego companies and opportunities for our workers to prosper.
As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor.
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New Operation Doubles Down on Stopping Fentanyl from Entering the Country
Standing at our San Diego-Tijuana border last week, the federal government announced a major new operation to crack down on fentanyl.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched Operation Apollo, a national initiative to disrupt illicit fentanyl trafficking and save lives.
This CBP strategy complements DHS’s strategic plans and advances President Biden’s Unity Agenda Strategy to beat the overdose epidemic.
Troy A. Miller, CBP’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, announced the updated strategy alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement partners at a news conference at our San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Miller explained that Operation Apollo represents a whole-of-government approach and a sustained strategy to go after the transnational criminal organizations that are trafficking this poison into our communities.
We’ve seen the impacts of the illicit fentanyl crisis firsthand in our city – and here in San Diego we’re tackling the issue with enhanced enforcement, targeted prosecution strategies, participation on multi-agency task forces and awareness campaigns about the dangers of fentanyl.
Last November, I issued an Executive Order directing city staff to prioritize the fentanyl crisis. Since that order took effect, our San Diego Police Department has increased arrests for fentanyl dealing by 63%. SDPD also trained three fentanyl-sniffing dogs to help with their operations.
In this year’s budget, the City allocated $5 million in our opioid settlement funds this year to fund 66 shelter beds with drug treatment services in partnership with the County at our CHRT and Safe Haven shelters; a drug diversion program to connect users to treatment; and purchasing fentanyl testing equipment that enables officers to test substances for fentanyl in the field.
I have also worked to change state laws to increase penalties when the actions of dealers result in death. While two such bills failed to gain passage this year, I am determined to keep advocating to get this done in Sacramento.
We appreciate the partnership with all the agencies working to combat illicit fentanyl. We really do need a whole-of-government approach if we’re going to reverse this trend that’s killing San Diegans and supercharging our homelessness crisis.
Read more about Operation Apollo here.
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New Safe Sleeping Site is Helping People Get Off the Streets
People are steadily moving in to the City’s new Safe Sleeping site at O Lot in Balboa Park.
As of Monday morning, 45 individuals were enrolled.
“I love it here,” said Jerri, a senior who’s one of the new residents at the new Safe Sleeping site. “The tent's so big, it feels almost weird having all that space. It's got windows. It's got a floor. We've got laundry.”
The O Lot has three tiers that can accommodate a total of 400 tents, each with enough space for two people and their belongings. To help with inclement weather conditions, we have provided insulated tents that will help regulate internal temperatures, and City crews built four-inch platforms to raise them off the ground.
In addition to the tents, this program provides on-site meals, restrooms, showers, laundry, storage, case management, basic needs assistance and resource referrals. People can be referred to the Safe Sleeping Program through the City’s Coordinated Street Outreach Program or by San Diego Police Department. Couples or partners can enter the program together, and domestic pets are welcome.
The O Lot builds on the success we’ve seen at our first Safe Sleeping site at the City’s Central Operations Yard at 20th and B streets, which is sheltering nearly 150 people while also helping them access the services that will help them end their homelessness.
The site is being operated by Dreams for Change, and Downtown San Diego Partnership.
Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis in San Diego, and we are treating it as such. It’s inhumane to let people languish on our streets in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, which is why the City is following the plan laid out in our Comprehensive Shelter Strategy and tackling this crisis from every possible angle.
Our Safe Sleeping sites are just the latest effort to get people out of unsafe encampments and on the path to permanent housing.
Jerri was sleeping on Commercial Street before she enrolled in the City’s new Safe Sleeping Program. She said she had been saying no to offers of shelter because she wasn’t interested in sleeping in a congregate setting so close to other people
“I don’t do crowds,” Jerri said. “I don’t do people. Forget it, I just couldn’t do it.”
Jerri said the tents are perfect for more introverted people like her who prefer to be alone. She says she is now ready to connect with a caseworker and begin her work of finding a permanent home.
“I just want to say thank you to whoever decided to do this, because this is awesome.”
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Addressing a Longtime Parking Problem
The City is cracking down on vehicles left parked on the street for more than 72 hours.
It’s one of the complaints we hear the most from residents. Illegally parked vehicles often block sidewalks, bike lanes and crosswalks, putting pedestrians and cyclists at risk
It's already against the law to leave a car or truck in the same spot in the City of San Diego for more than three days, but we have long struggled to enforce that rule because people were often moving their vehicles a very short distance to reset the 72-hour clock.
That’s why we’re proposing amending the city’s municipal code to require people to move their vehicle at least half a mile instead
These amendments will strengthen enforcement efforts and ultimately help keep our public roadways open and accessible for everyone.
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New Road Repair Projects Begin in Rancho Peñasquitos, Sorrento Valley and Torrey Hills
Several City of San Diego communities will soon have improved and safer streets thanks to the start of a new slurry seal project, part of an overall effort to repair and resurface roads citywide.
The City will begin resurfacing streets in and around Rancho Peñasquitos, Sorrento Valley and Torrey Hills. Preventing the deterioration of streets is vital to improving the overall condition of San Diego’s network of roads.
It reduces the need for a more costly asphalt overlay and reconstruction for badly deteriorated streets. Slurry seal is often completed in phases over several days or weeks, and multiple slurry seal projects are happening across the City simultaneously.
The latest slurry projects will be completed, weather permitting, over the next three weeks.
For a list of the roads being resurfaced as part of this project, visit Inside San Diego.
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New Supportive Housing in San Ysidro
Milejo Village, a new affordable housing project in San Ysidro, is set to celebrate its grand opening on Nov. 2.
Developed by Jamboree Housing Corporation in partnership with our San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) and the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, Milejo Village offers 64 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments that will enable individuals and families to end their homelessness.
The project includes comprehensive, dedicated onsite supportive services to help ensure the seniors and families living in Milejo Village have the resources they need to be successful and remain stable and secure in their housing.
Supportive housing projects like this one are a proven solution to ending homelessness. I appreciate Jamboree, the County and the SDHC for their work on this innovative supportive housing project that is already changing the lives of its residents.
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GETTING IT DONE: FIXING OUR STREETS | |
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Fixing Streets in El Cerrito and College Area
The City of San Diego remains committed to fixing the damn roads – and we are doing so across the City! Check out these recently sealed roads in and around El Cerrito and the College Area.
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International Pride Event Organizers Converge in San Diego
I was honored to help welcome the InterPride World Conference to San Diego! This annual event brings together LGBTQ+ leaders from 40 countries and 190 cities. It serves as a platform for progress and a commitment to a more inclusive world. It’s been 40 years since InterPride held its meeting and conference in San Diego, and I was proud to see San Diego Pride win the bid host the event here again. San Diego is one of the most inclusive cities in the world, and this event gave us a chance to show that off.
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The Women Leading the Way Toward a Greener Future
I had the opportunity to celebrate San Diego’s leadership on sustainability at the World Woman Sustainability Agenda, which was held in our city this year. Our City's Climate Action Plan is truly one of the most ambitious in the nation, so I had the chance to talk about the progress we’re making and highlight the women who work at the City who are helping lead the way to a better, more sustainable San Diego.
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San Diego’s Worker-Friendly Energy
I was happy to help welcome the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ leadership conference to San Diego. We are a worker-friendly city, and our partnerships with the building and construction trades – including our Sheet Metal Workers – have never been stronger. Here in San Diego, we know that when workers do well, our economy does well.
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Thanking the Hotel Industry for Keeping San Diego Strong
I had the opportunity to welcome the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the California Hotel and Lodging Association to their annual conference held here in San Diego. We have a lot to be proud of in San Diego when it comes to tourism. As Mayor, I can’t overstate how important tourism and hospitality is to our region. The revenue the City gets from tourists who stay in hotels, shop and dine out enables us to invest in the infrastructure that makes our city run – and helps ensure that people want to keep coming here. It’s a virtuous cycle that has kept our local economy strong for years.
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Halloween Safety
Halloween should be fun and safe for children and parents. The City of San Diego’s Fire-Rescue Department has put together these simple rules to be sure that it is:
- Purchase only costumes, wigs and props labeled flame-resistant or flame-retardant. When creating a costume, choose material that will not easily ignite if it comes in contact with heat or flame. Avoid billowing or long trailing features.
- Provide children with lightweight flashlights to carry for lighting or as part of their costume
- Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs and heaters.
- Use flashlights or battery-operated candles when illuminating jack-o'-lantern. Use extreme caution when decorating with candle lit jack-o'-lanterns, and supervise children at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o'-lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches and be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn including doorsteps, walkways and yards.
- Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, ensuring nothing blocks escape routes.
- Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torchlights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.
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Instruct children to stay away from open flames or other heat sources. Be sure children know how to stop, drop and roll in the event their clothing catches fire. (Stop immediately, drop to the ground, covering your face with your hands, and roll over and over to extinguish flames.) Cool the burn.
- Instruct children who are attending parties at others' homes to locate the exits and plan how they would get out in an emergency.
Download our free Halloween safety tips.
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Join A City Board or Commission!
We have approximately 100 vacancies across our City Boards and Commissions at the City of San Diego.
That’s 100 opportunities to step up to help serve your community and help make San Diego better for all of us.
One board we are rebooting is the Senior Affairs Advisory Board, which will serve in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and City Council on the issues that directly impact seniors in San Diego including transportation, security at home, improved intergenerational interaction, meal delivery, housing, improved City-County cooperation, and other issues as determined by the Chair.
As a member of this board, you would also have the chance to report annually to the Mayor and Council on the “State of the Seniors” within the City of San Diego.
Because of dramatic advances in science and medicine, people are living longer, healthier lives, and subsequently, the senior population has soared to become the City's fastest-growing demographic group.
It’s imperative that San Diego establish a Senior Affairs Advisory Board so people experiencing life as a senior citizen in our city can help create policies and programs that make a difference in the lives of our 65+ community.
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Improving Access to San Diego’s Municipal Code
Aiming to enhance access and capabilities for members of the public to use the City’s Municipal Code online, the City is soliciting feedback from members of the public on the functions and enhancements they would like to have available on a Municipal Code online platform.
The Municipal Code is a collection of City ordinances that have been adopted by the City Council over the years. It is a living document and is continually amended to reflect the standards expressed by the community to City leaders.
The information gathered from the public outreach will allow the City to provide residents with increased capacity to access essential municipal government documents.
The City will host two public meetings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Mission Valley Library, 2123 Fenton Parkway, and at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 at the Otay Mesa Library, 3003 Coronado Ave.
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Weigh in on Future Development in Hillcrest
The City has released its first draft of the Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment, and we’re now seeking your input.
A Focused Plan Amendment is a specific change or adjustment being made to a comprehensive land-use plan that is narrowly tailored to address a particular issue or development proposal without requiring a full-scale revision of the entire plan.
The Focused Plan Amendment amends the Uptown Community Plan. It seeks to further celebrate the LGBTQ+ history and culture of Hillcrest, while also providing new policy and regulations that will guide land use, mobility, urban design, public facilities and services, natural resources, historic and cultural resources and economic development. A summary of the amendments and more information on the amendment can be found on PlanHillcrest.org.
Please share any feedback by emailing comments to PlanHillcrest@sandiego.gov by Nov. 17.
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New Funding Opportunity for Local Artists and Nonprofits
The City of San Diego launched a new opportunity for local artists and organizations to create change-making projects that reflect local communities through a new funding program called “Impact.”
Impact aims to help create a more equitable and inclusive creative economy and cultural ecosystem by bringing resources to every neighborhood, recognizing the historical underinvestment in some areas of the City.
Guidelines for the pilot funding opportunity are available on the City’s Arts and Culture webpage. The deadline to apply is 8 a.m. on Nov. 13.
Read more on Inside San Diego.
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City of San Diego Solicits Feedback on How to Improve Digital Customer Service
The City of San Diego wants to hear from residents about its plan to improve the digital customer experience. Over the next six weeks, staff from the City’s Performance and Analytics Department will attend various community meetings to share its Digital Customer Experience Strategy (DCX).
A first-of-its-kind strategy, the DCX identifies gaps in how the City of San Diego currently serves people, suggests tangible ways to improve, and provides long-term recommendations to meet -- and ultimately exceed -- customer expectations.
Customer service is a key operating principle of the City’s Strategic Plan that aims to value residents, customers and employees by designing solutions and services that put people first. In addition to attending a DCX information session, people are encouraged to fill out the online survey in English or Spanish.
Informational presentations will be on the agenda at the following community meetings:
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023
Information sessions will also be hosted on:
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023
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Council District 5 DCX Information Session, 6 p.m. at Ed Brown Center, 18402 W Bernardo Dr, San Diego, CA 92127.
Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023
- Citywide Digital Information Session, 6 p.m. on Zoom.
To learn more, visit the City’s website at www.sandiego.gov/digitalcx.
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Volunteer Crisis Interventionists Needed
The San Diego Police Department Crisis Intervention program is looking for volunteers to assist fellow San Diego residents during traumatic times in their lives. The Program was developed 30 years ago to provide short-term emotional and logistical support to individuals in the City of San Diego who've experienced traumatic events such as suicide, homicide, overdose death, or other serious life-altering incidents.
No experience is needed! All you need is a desire to help others. A comprehensive 100-hour training course will provide you with the skills needed to perform this valuable and rewarding service. Classes will be held on 1/20/24, 1/27/24, 2/10/24, 2/17/24, 2/24/24 & 3/2/24.
After that, there is a 20-hour-per-month "On-Call" commitment plus a short monthly meeting. If you're interested in discovering more, please join the San Diego Police Department for an Information Meeting on October 19th at 6:00 p.m. or October 21st at 10:00 a.m. at San Diego Police Headquarters at 1401 Broadway in Downtown San Diego.
Questions? Contact Officer Iversen at 619-446-1017 or to find out more about what Crisis Interventionists do here.
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San Diego K-12 Students Invited to Submit Essay for Annual ‘Mayor for a Day’ Contest
The 2023-2024 “Mayor for a Day” contest is now live!
The “Mayor for a Day” contest aims to foster and encourage leadership in young people living in San Diego.
City of San Diego K-12 students are invited to submit a brief essay (approximately 500 words) or short video (no more than 3 minutes) on how you would make the City of San Diego a better place if you were the Mayor.
The selected winner will be given the opportunity to shadow Mayor Todd Gloria and other City Departments for a day and will be included in the State of the City address in January of 2024.
Please submit an essay or video by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 15, 2023.
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Beware of Water Update Scam
In response to recent reports of City of San Diego residents receiving a “water update” notice at their homes, the City is warning people to be aware.
The notices, which include a request to “Please call us ASAP,” appear to be from a private company that has no association with the City of San Diego and is not authorized to perform any work on behalf of the City. Residents contacted by the company are urged not to agree to services and not to provide personal information.
Report any suspicious personnel to the San Diego Police Department at its 24-hour non-emergency line at 619-531-2000 or Public Utilities Department’s emergency hotline at 619-515-3525 as soon as possible. Public Utilities Department customers can also contact the City’s Water Quality hotline at 619-668-3232 or email drinkingwaterquality@sandiego.gov during business hours.
Read more about this issue on Inside San Diego.
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San Diego Businesses Invited to Apply for Award-Winning Tourism Accelerator Program
The San Diego Tourism Authority is excited to announce the launch of its 2024 Tourism Accelerator program. San Diego travel and tourism hospitality businesses owned by women, veterans, people of color, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQIA+ community are invited to apply to the high-impact program that includes a suite of services and benefits valued at over $14,000.
Tourism Accelerator participants can expect a complimentary SDTA membership for one year, access to education, mentorship, alumni, and networking opportunities. This initiative helps local businesses reach the next level and achieve better results while encouraging inclusion and equity within the tourism economy.
Now in its third year, prior cohorts have seen success and emphasize the program’s potential to help small businesses to tap into the tourism industry.
Apply today! The deadline to apply is Nov. 22, 2023.
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Office of the Mayor
202 C St., 11th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-6330
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