The Year In Review

by Scott Peters
for the Corridor News
January 2002

My first year on City Council was an exciting one for me and my staff. We've had some great opportunities to make a real difference in the quality of life for residents of District One. And with leadership of Mayor Murphy, I think this council is on track to fashion additional progress within District One and the City of San Diego as a whole.

Probably the most well known challenge to the City Council was the effort to get the downtown ballpark project back on track. The ballpark project had stalled due to ongoing lawsuits, all of which have been determined to have no legal merit. After months of hard work, the mayor and council were able to approve a financing package that should ultimately allow construction to resume, with costs to the city's general fund nearly one third less than anticipated when voters approved Proposition C in 1998. We are now hopeful that the final legal challenges can be overcome so that the project can get back on track.

This year also marked the creation of Mayor Murphy's Clean Water Task Force. The Task Force, which I co-chair, is charged with creating strategies to implement the new storm water permit requirements and improve overall water quality. One of the Task Force's primary goals is to reduce the number of beach closings by 50 percent by the year 2004. We have made substantial progress in ensuring that sewer pipe replacement will be accelerated to avoid future disastrous spills.

Another important event in the City's history was the formation of the Mayor's Ethics Commission, which was formed to monitor ethics in local government, propose new ethics guidelines, educate the public and elected officials, and bolster public confidence in local government.

Within the district, there were also many effective changes, many of which impacted Rancho Peñasquitos directly.

In March, I met with the community to discuss traffic concerns. As a result of that meeting, several steps have been taken to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in Rancho Peasquitos including installing fluorescent yellow-green oversize school signs on Black Mountain Road at Adolphia and Oviedo, installing a new signal at Maler and Black Mountain Road, completing the construction of the light at Rancho Santa Fe Farms and Carmel Valley Road, reducing the speed limit from 45 to 40 on Black Mountain Road, and installing a No Turn On Red sign at Black Mountain Road and Adolphia.

In April, the City completed it's purchased of Montana Mirador. Completion of this purchase means that approximately 600 acres of land originally intended for a large housing development has now been dedicated to the Black Mountain Open Space Preserve.

In June, I held a rally with parents, children and concerned residents along Black Mountain Road in an effort to educate those traveling in and through the community to slow down. I provided "Slow Down Around Town" t-shirts and signs to those who participated in the rally.

July brought the groundbreaking of the Camino Ruiz Interchange with State Route 56. The roadway will link SR 56 with Carmel Valley Road to the north and is anticipated to be open by Summer 2002. The interchange, which will connect State Route 56 with Camino Ruiz, is scheduled to be open by Fall of 2002. It is estimated that the opening of this road and interchange will reduce traffic volumes on Black Mountain Road by fifty to sixty percent. A unique public-private partnership between the City and several developers will ensure the project's completion four years ahead of schedule.

I've continued to work closely with the Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board, the police department and several developers who are committed to contributing money to assist the Northeastern Division with the acquisition of new equipment to help increase traffic enforcement in Rancho Peñasquitos. It is anticipated that a new speed trailer and radar guns will be purchased early in the new year.

In addition, my office was able to find an alternative location for a proposed skate park at Hilltop Park. Plans for a skate park are moving forward, with a general design plan and full environmental assessment scheduled for a vacant lot near the Stater Brother's Shopping Center on Carmel Mountain Road. Furthermore, I will be working to add additional funds to the $100,000 I've already secured to improve the drainage at Canyonside Park.

Overall, I think the community leaders and I have formed a great partnership to make the neighborhoods in District One the best in the city and I'm excited about what the future holds for my district.