A Note from Stephen...

Hello District 3!

One of the most important parts of my job as your City Councilmember is listening to you. Whether that be during the public comment section of City Council meetings, through community forums, e-mail and phone communication with our office, or saying hello around town, I take the thoughts, opinions, and concerns of my constituents and neighbors seriously.

In order to encourage public communication, I wanted to make sure you are aware of the many ways you can have your voice heard at City Hall. Sharing written or voice testimony at City Council or Council Committee meetings is one of the best ways to be heard by the Council.

As the City continues to navigate COVID-19, the public can still only participate virtually but being able to call in to meetings has made them more accessible than ever, especially for those who would not be able to make it down to City Hall.

City Council meeting agendas and log-in/participation information is here.
Council Committee meeting agendas and log-in/participation information is here.
To submit written testimony, click here.

My office is always here for you to share your concerns, or request assistance with City of San Diego services. Our team works hard every single day to discuss issues that are important to our constituents, while helping community members tackle needs they have with the City. My team keeps me informed of the concerns that you share and I appreciate the high level of engagement our District 3 residents have with our office. Please reach out to us anytime at stephenwhitburn@sandiego.gov or give us a call at 619-236-6633.

Finally, I am looking forward to our Community Conversation Tour which kicks off this Friday. These virtual forums will give community members the opportunity to ask me questions and share their concerns. I really hope to see a lot of community members join in - I can't wait to chat with you! Learn more about our Community Conversation Tour below.

Best wishes,

D3 Community Conversation Tour

Councilmember Whitburn is looking forward to launching his District 3 Community Conversation Tour in March. The tour will consist of a series of forums designed to give participants the opportunity to share their concerns and ask questions of the councilmember. See the forum dates below and click here to RSVP.

Old Town/Mission Hills
Friday, March 4, 6 - 7 p.m.

Hillcrest/University Heights
Thursday, March 10, 6 - 7 p.m.

South Park/Golden Hill
Saturday, March 19, 10 - 11 a.m.

Downtown/Little Italy
Saturday, March 26, 10 - 11 a.m.

North Park/Normal Heights
Saturday, April 9, 10 - 11 a.m.

Balboa Park/Bankers Hill/Park West/Middletown
Saturday, April 23, 10 - 11 a.m.

For more information contact Ryan Darsey at rdarsey@sandiego.gov or click here.

Honoring Tom Hom

Councilmember Whitburn participated in the unveiling of an honorary street naming for Tom Hom on February 12, located at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Market Street in the Chinese Historic District of Downtown San Diego.

Tom made local history in 1963 when he became the first person of color elected to the San Diego City Council. The popular councilmember was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Deputy Mayor and won re-election with an incredible 87% of the vote. He later served in the State Assembly - only the second Asian American elected to the state Legislature.

I was proud to be the Councilmember to bring forward the action to make Honorary Tom Hom Avenue a reality.

Tom turned 95 years old the week of the unveiling and I can't think of a better way for him to celebrate this milestone birthday. Congratulations, Tom! Our city is better because of you!

Check out video news coverage of the event here.

Point In Time Homeless Count

The District 3 Team participated in the 2022 #WeAllCount Homeless Census, sponsored by the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless. The purpose of #WeAllCount is to collect data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness in our community.

Homelessness has been a long-time problem in San Diego, and once the results of the Count are released, it will provide us with much needed data to be able to continue to provide appropriate resources, services, and help to get our unsheltered neighbors off the streets.

Learn more about #WeAllCount here.

District 3 Small Business Spotlight

Each month we will spotlight a small business in District 3 and encourage community members to support these businesses that make our neighborhoods so vibrant.

In honor of Black History Month, we are sharing a list of Black-owned businesses in the North Park neighborhood, courtesy of North Park Main Street. Please support the many Black-owned businesses throughout District 3 and San Diego year-round!

619 Barbershop
3964 30th Street

Nomad Donuts
3102 University Ave.

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant and Market
2884 El Cajon Blvd,

Louisiana Purchase
2305 University Ave.

Streetcar Merchants & Chicken Bar
4002 30th St,

Hammonds Gourmet Ice Cream
3077 University Ave.

The Wise Ox Butcher & Eatery
2855 El Cajon Blvd Ste 1

Gihon Ethiopian Kitchen
2432 El Cajon Blvd

Around The District

February was a busy month but Councilmember Whitburn made plenty of time to get out in the district to meet with community members and celebrate special events.

Photos above, from left to right: Festival of Trees Volunteer Celebration; Grand Opening of Cafe X: By Any Beans Necessary; Point in Time Homeless Count; House of China New Year Celebration; Meeting with 8-year old District 3 constituent Noah Nyamangah; Honorary Tom Hom Avenue unveiling; Imperial Court de San Diego Coronation; Visiting Sea World San Diego's research and rescue programs; Celebrating San Diego Museum Month.

Upcoming Community Events

Hillcrest Walk in A.R.T. and AT&T Building Mural Unveiling
Thursday, March 3, 5-10 pm

The largest mural you've ever seen will be unveiled at Walk in ART (or at least right next door!). It's over 170 feet long! Join the Hillcrest Business Association on March 3 and swing by to see Hillcrest's newest mural. More information is here.

Free Webinars on Researching and Designating Your Historic Home
March 24 & 31, 6-7 pm

The University Heights Historical Society is hosting two free webinars in March about how to research and designate your home, presented by two preservation experts--Amie Hayes, Senior Historic Resources Specialist with Save Our Heritage Organisation, and Doug Mengers, Senior Archaeologist/Historian with PanGIS, Inc. These are free and open to anyone in D3 interested in researching and designating their historic home. For more information and to register, click here.

Community Meetings

Check out our District 3 Communities webpage to get information on upcoming meetings hosted by neighborhood town councils, community planning groups, business associations, and more.

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