It is an honor to serve as your Councilmember.

Welcome to the July Edition of the District 7 Dispatch!

The past month has been extremely busy at City Hall for District 7, and filled with many victories for our neighborhoods. Containing the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant remains at the top of our minds, so I will begin by renewing my call for all San Diegans over the age of 12 to get vaccinated. There is no cost for a vaccine and no appointment is necessary—simply go to a local CVS or Albertsons pharmacy.  

INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING: At the Council meeting earlier this week, I was pleased to vote to approve the Capital Improvement Program Budget. Fixing our crumbling infrastructure has been a top priority of mine since I joined the Council last year, and this action will do just that. Securing $4M for the Alvarado Road Realignment Project will alleviate current and projected traffic congestion on Fairmount Avenue, Mission Gorge Road, Alvarado Canyon Road, and the westbound I-8 off-ramp at Fairmount Avenue and the adjoining intersections. It will also address localized flooding issues within the Grantville area, north of Alvarado Creek. Congestion and flooding issues have plagued D7 communities for a long time and this is exactly the kind of step we need to take to mitigate those. We were also glad to secure $470,000 to continue putting funds towards the design and construction of the San Carlos Library – my commitment to seeing the library expanded and improved comes up almost every day in meetings and at Council! 
 
This month, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn and I teamed up to Safeguard San Diego by keeping our City eligible for critical infrastructure dollars from the State. Since banning Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) in 2012, the City has been ineligible for State funding for many of our critical projects. This means our roads, our firehouses, and our core City services have lost out on funds. This is why I brought forward an item to the Council's Rules Committee, which passed unanimously, to Safeguard San Diego and give residents the opportunity to vote to open up our City to all sources of infrastructure funding by reversing the City’s prohibition on PLAs. Two more council votes are required, but expect to see the Safeguard San Diego ballot measure on your ballot in November 2022. 
 

An infrastructure resolution that passed through the Council this week included a number of major wins for our neighborhoods: 
 
- New sidewalk repairs at Linda Vista Road and Tait Street.   
- Allocate an additional $1 million to installation of street lights, $4.7 million to sidewalk repair, and $39.5 million to street resurfacing Citywide.  
- $470,000 will be restored to the San Carlos Library fund, as it was previously transferred to a different city account for a stormwater emergency. 
- Additional funding to replace the roof at the Tierrasanta Branch Library.   
- $4 million for the Alvarado Canyon Realignment, which will alleviate current and projected future traffic congestion on Fairmount Avenue, Mission Gorge Road, Alvarado Canyon Road, and the westbound I-8 off-ramp at Fairmount Avenue, along with the adjoining intersections, and will also address localized flooding issues within the Grantville area north of Alvarado Creek.   
 
GUN SAFETY: This week and every week, I am proud of my efforts to keep District 7 residents and San Diegans safe from gun violence. As a former member of the City Attorney's Gun Violence Response Unit, I have seen first-hand the life-saving effects common-sense gun policies can have. That is why I was pleased to vote this week to advance the Eliminate Non-Serialized Untraceable Firearms Ordinance to crack down on untraceable "ghost guns" which all too often fall into the hands of criminals and contribute to the epidemic of gun violence we are facing in this Country. 
 
STOPPING HATE CRIMES: As I make my rounds to our local District 7 community group meetings, recently I have been joined by a special guest: Chief Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Nelson. Ms. Nelson oversees the prosecution of hate crimes in the City of San Diego, and she has been providing important updates to community groups about the importance of reporting and following up on instances of these crimes. If you have seen an incident where a person is treated inappropriately because of their membership with a group or based on a characteristic of their identity, please do report it to the City Attorney’s Office – you may have witnessed a hate incident or even a hate crime.  
 
TO REPORT A HATE INCIDENT OR CRIME:  
 
If you are seriously injured, call 911.  
  
SDPD Non-Emergency line: 619-531-2000 or 858-484-3154  
  
Christine Garcia, SDPD LGBTQ+ Liaison: 619-756-5219

PUBLIC FORUM ON WATER RATES: I will be hosting a virtual Town Hall alongside members of the leadership of the Public Utilities Department in order to hear your feedback and answer any questions you might have regarding sewer and wastewater rates. Please register for this free virtual event by clicking here. 
 
SAN DIEGO PRIDE: July was Pride month in the City of San Diego. I had a great time celebrating the many contributions the LGBTQ+ community has made to our City and was reminded both of how far we have come in the struggle for full equality, and how far we still have to go.  
 
MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK – THE BRIDGE FOR MAX: Lastly, it is my honor to re-state that the Bridge for Max will be built. The Bridge for Max is the effort to build a pedestrian and bicycle crossing bridge over the San Diego River Trail Crossing in Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP), to honor the memory of 21 year-old Max LeNail, who tragically drowned there in January. This effort is being spearheaded by the LeNail/Yoler family, and it has been an honor to be a partner with them throughout this process. 

The Bridge for Max funding process was accelerated this past month when State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins secured a $1.5 Million grant to the MTRP Foundation to help fund the Bridge for Max as part of the State's Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. This, in combination with the robust fundraising effort underway by the family, ensures that there will be sufficient funding for the process to move forward.  

It is an honor to serve District 7 families. 

-Raul

 Neighborhood Updates:

Linda Vista:

This past month, my Office has remained very active in the Linda Vista community. We participated in the Bayside Community Cleanup with the Carpenters Union Local 619, where together we removed over a dozen bags of trash from the community.  

My District Representative, Anthony Hackett, and I also had the pleasure of presenting a well-earned commendation to Amy Zink and Tomasa Velediaz. They are long-time leaders in the community, and have tirelessly served the Bayside Community Garden.  

 
If you have any questions or concerns you would like to bring to our attention, please email Anthony at HackettA@sandiego.gov. 

San Carlos:

I would like to reiterate the importance of the San Carlos Library to me. I know that this is a top priority of the community, and I am committed to the construction of the Library beginning in my first term.   
 
My Senior District Representative, Vic Vettiyil, is continuing to address various issues in the community. Recently, he was able to have a public trash can removed on Jackson Drive that was becoming a public nuisance due to frequent overflowing. Vic is also continuing to investigate issues related to timelines on various street projects and the related impacts on San Carlos residents. 
   
If you have an issue you would like to report, please reach out to Vic directly at vvettiyil@sandiego.gov.

Tierrasanta:

Over the last month, my Senior District Representative, Vic Vettiyil, has been working to address lighting concerns across the Tierrasanta community. He was able to get a light on Pallon Court restored by working closely with the Streets Division, and is continuing to advocate for repairs to take place.  
 
As issues continue to come up, please do not hesitate to reach out to Vic at 619-236-6749 or VVettiyil@SanDiego.gov.

Del Cerro:

My Deputy Chief of Staff and Del Cerro representative, Jared Miller-Sclar, continues to keep his ear to the ground to be of service to the Del Cerro community. Most recently, he worked with a Del Cerro senior resident who reported the unpermitted construction of a structure on the property adjacent to hers. Jared worked with her and the City’s Code Enforcement Division to get the structure taken down and brought into compliance with City code. 
 
In working with a constituent who needed assistance coordinating underground excavation with City crews, we were able to get the issue resolved the very next business day, in part thanks to the great work of the City's Public Utilities staff.  
 
If you have any questions or concerns related to Del Cerro that you would like to bring to our attention, please email Jared at JMillerSclar@sandiego.gov. 

Serra Mesa: 

My Senior District Representative, Vic Vettiyil, has continued to remain available to residents in Serra Mesa, and is frequently in the community investigating and tracking issues brought to his attention from potholes to out streetlights. 
 
This last month, Vic was able to work with the Code Enforcement Division to address issues surrounding Accessory Dwelling Units and to ensure that are being built according to City Code.   
 
 
If you have an issue you would like to report, please reach out to Vic directly at vvettiyil@sandiego.gov

Grantville/Allied Gardens:

My office closely monitored the cleaning of the Mission Gorge Place storm channel that was coordinated by the Transportation and Stormwater Division. With the history of flooding in this area, I am glad to see these projects being conducted for enhanced public safety. Flooding has long plagued many of the communities of District 7, as they are exactly the kind of proactive steps we need to take to protect our neighborhoods. 
  
Finally, my Community Representative, Anthony Hackett, and I participated in the removal of invasive plant species with the Friends of Navajo Canyon, San Diego Canyonlands, and Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council. 

 
 
For inquiries or concerns related to Grantville, please contact Sanna Loando directly at SLoando@SanDiego.gov. For inquiries related to Allied Gardens, please contact Anthony Hackett at HackettA@sandiego.gov.  

Mission Valley: 

My District Representative, Anthony Hackett, is in constant contact with residents and key stakeholders in the Mission Valley area, and is continuing to report various issues to the appropriate City Department. Most recently, he was able to report graffiti and trash to the Environmental Services Department for abatement.   

I also had a great time participating in the SDSU Mission Valley beam raising ceremony with my Chief of Staff, Michael Simonsen (SDSU Class of 2001), and Anthony (Class of 2008). I cannot wait for Aztec Stadium to open September 2022, and look forward to all the benefits this new campus will bring to our District and to the City. 

 
If you have any questions or concerns you would like to bring to our attention, please email Anthony at HackettA@sandiego.gov. 

Small Business Spotlight: Java Garden in Serra Mesa 

Thank you for reading this month's edition of the District 7 Dispatch. As a reminder, you can always reach our office by calling us at 619-236-6677 or emailing us at RaulCampillo@SanDiego.Gov.