Traffic Improvements in City Heights
April 15, 2008

My office consistently works with the Mayor’s Office to make improvements to our neighborhoods through better traffic engineering. We have completed enhancements in many areas, including speed limit management, new and updated signage, striping and parking management.

Please view the memo (PDF: 22K) outlining the most recent improvements in the communities of City Heights.

Installation of Streetlights along University Avenue–
Crossroads Redevelopment Project Area

I am pleased to announce funding for two projects along University Avenue in the Crossroads Redevelopment Area–$500,000 for 47 new streetlights and $3 million for sidewalk/landscape improvements. Crossroads was created in 2004 and was amongst controversy in its infancy, but has shown that redevelopment works to benefit the community by improving infrastructure and eliminate blight.

On September 11, 2007, the City Council approved the installation of 47 streetlights along University Avenue. The streetlights were something the community has wanted for many years. With the help of Rolando community member Jody Talbot, City staff worked with the community to complete a study as to where to locate the necessary streetlights. The item passed unanimously at Council and will allow the City to receive up to $500,000 from the Redevelopment Agency for the installation and annual maintenance and electricity for the 47 streetlights. Also approved by City Council was the contribution of $250,000 for the purpose of financing the El Cajon Boulevard median improvements. These improvements would include replacing the utility sleeves installed five years ago at the completion of the Mid-City Pipeline.

"It will be a major improvement to the neighborhood and I hope a decrease in the crime in the area. Many thanks to Jim for his support of Rolando."

–Jody Talbot, Rolando Community Member and Crossroads PAC Member

Additionally on September 25th, 2007, City Council approved Item 331, which provides up to $3 million for improvements for University Avenue sidewalk design, repair, and installation. This project was approved by the Crossroads Project Area Committee and allows the Redevelopment Agency to expand $500,000 for project design this year, followed by up to $2.5 million in construction in the next four years as tax increment funds become available.

BOO! Bash at the Salvation Army Kroc Center

On Wednesday, October 24th, children are invited to celebrate Halloween in a safe, family-friendly environment at the Kroc Center's annual BOO! BASH. The hauntless jaunt promises hours of festive fun including face painting, a pumpkin patch, carnival games, and much, much more! The entire event is free for Kroc Center members, and $2 a person for the general public or $10 per family. The fun starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts and Education Buildings at the Kroc Center located at 6605 University Avenue. At 7:30 p.m., guests are invited to Trick or Treat on Ice at the NHL sized rink!

FaceLift In City Heights

Armed with paint, paint brushes, brooms and other cleaning equipment, teams of volunteers descended on a dozen homes in City Heights as part of the annual FaceLift project.

Volunteers transformed houses into beautiful homes any homeowner would be proud of.

This event was a joint project between Community Housing Works and neighborhood volunteer groups within City Heights to clean up a several block area next to the new Herbert Ibarra Elementary School. In just one day workers transformed houses into homes any homeowner would be proud of and tons of trash was hauled away from neighboring properties and canyons.

The transformation was immediately noticeable as grateful homeowners expressed their appreciation. Just by walking on streets near Estrella and Orange Avenues you could immediately pick out which houses had been rehabilitated in previous years as part of the annual Facelift.

Some of my staff and I joined the volunteers, many of whom volunteer each year and Councilmember Toni Atkins and I were among the sponsors.

Over the years we’ve planted more and just recently completed planting the final six trees. Members of Boy Scout Troop 950 helped the community by using their muscles to dig spaces and plant the trees oh so carefully. A big thank you to Boy Scout Troop 950 and also to Jarrett Erwin and Tyler Erwin, who, as part of their Boy Scouts Eagle Project, planted nearly 100 drought resistant plants at the intersection of Navajo Road and Waring Road. I was pleased to assist with funding for this worthwhile project.

Fox Canyon Will Follow the Park Design Process As Follows:

Retain design consultant. (Summer 2006)
Design Fox Canyon Park with input from Recreation Council (Colina del Sol Community Park).
Review project with the Area Committee.
Review project with Design Review Committee.
Review project with SCRAB.
Review project with Park and Recreation Board.
Request re-scope approval from State Parks and Recreation (if needed).
Receive approval for revised scope from State Parks.
Bid process.
Bid award.
Notice to Proceed to contractor.
Construct park. (Starting in 2007)
Notice of Completion.
Park open to public.

Chollas Parkway

If you want to see the impact volunteers have, just look at these photos!

What a difference our group of hard workers made at a recent clean up of Chollas Parkway. They removed sofas and shopping carts, painted out graffiti, removed weeds and shrubs and picked up litter and debris filling six industrial size dumpster bins.

A big thank you to our many volunteers including members of the City Heights Community Development Corporation as well as our wonderful partners: Alpha Project, Teen Challenge, Waste Management of San Diego and KGTV 10News. In fact, Marti Emerald of KGTV did a story about our clean up as part of her on-going campaign "Come Clean San Diego."

Our goal was to see an immediate improvement with this cleanup. It paves the way for the removal of some vacant businesses that a property owner plans to complete by this spring. Of course the long term solution will be to completely revitalize the area in ways that best fit the needs of the community. More on that in a future issue.

City Heights Traffic Engineering Issues

New Elementary Schools in City Heights!

There are two new elementary schools planned for City Heights in District 7. Mary Lanyon Fay Elementary School (a.k.a. Jackson/Marshall/52nd Street Area) bound by property south of Orange Avenue on the north, Polk Avenue on the south, 52nd Street on the east, and Altadena Street on the west, and also includes the properties bound by Polk Avenue on the north, 52nd Street on the east, Ottilie Place on the south, and 51st Street on the west. This school will have approximately 700 elementary school students, and is scheduled to open in January 2007. The new school requires the acquisition of 169 dwelling units and the relocation of 573 residents. For more information, visit the S.D. Unified School District Website.

Herbert Ibarra Elementary School (a.k.a. Euclid Area) is scheduled to open in September 2005. It is located at 4877 Orange Avenue, San Diego, CA 92115. The site is bound by Orange Avenue on the north, Polk Avenue on the south, Estrella Avenue on the west, and Winona Avenue on the east, and is only 5 blocks away from Fay Elementary. Herbert Ibarra Elementary School will ease overcrowding at Euclid Elementary. It will be built to accommodate 700-900 students.

The new school required the acquisition of one non-profit organization and 212 dwelling units on 49 parcels, and the relocation of one non-profit organization and 212 households consisting of 809 residents (430 adults, 379 children). Of the 212 households, 18 used their relocation funds to become first-time homeowners.

The name "Herbert Ibarra" was selected by the community. Herbert Ibarra (1923-1993) was the first Latino principal in San Diego City Schools, assigned to Memorial Junior High School in 1971. He retired from the district in 1981 as principal of San Diego High School. He had also attended both schools as a student. He was one of the founders of the Association of Mexican American Educators (AMAE), statewide and locally in the 1960's.

32 classrooms, 56,000 square feet of facilities, 8.26 acres, 68 parking spaces plus street parking, 90+ trees, joint-use field for soccer and baseball, multipurpose room, library, media center, lunch shelter, elevator and accessibility features, kitchen, faculty lounge, workroom and administrative center. The campus will incorporate six buildings, four two-story classroom buildings, a multipurpose building and an administration/library building connected with two-story covered walkways. Energy efficient lighting will be used throughout the campus. For more information, visit the S.D. Unified School District Website.

City Heights Business Association

The CHBA represents business owners along University Avenue between Interstate 805 and Euclid Avenue. This business association is the sponsor of Clean-N-Safe, the new Maintenance Assessment District formed for improving University Ave. This new Assessment District was approved by the City Council on July 27, 2004 after the ballots cast by the public were counted to be in favor of the new assessment district. The program kicked off in January 2005.

Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 8 a.m. Call for location. The Executive Director is Enrique Gandarilla, and his email is enrique@cityheightsba.org. Phone: 619-516-2252
3910 University Avenue San Diego, CA 92105

El Cajon Boulevard BIA

The El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association is made up of two business improvement districts in the City of San Diego. The district which is over 4 miles long extends from Park Boulevard to 54th Street and one block north and south of the Boulevard. The association is made of local businesses committed to improving the physical and economic conditions along the El Cajon Boulevard commercial corridor and the surrounding neighborhoods in Mid-City San Diego. The El Cajon Boulevard BIA Board meets the second Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the Boulevard offices 3727 El Cajon Boulevard. Call 619-283-3608 for additional information.

Pro Kids Golf Academy

This gem is located at Colina del Sol park in District 7. Councilmember Madaffer is a proud supporter of Pro-Kids Golf Camp. The Pro Kids Golf program helps combat juvenile delinquency by providing students an opportunity to learn new lifetime skills and be initiated into the strong value system of honesty and integrity that is an important part of the game of golf.

Pro Kids utilizes the eighteen-hole par-three Colina Park Golf Course and Club House. They are believed to be one of the very few non profit organizations in the U.S. operating a golf course facility expressly developed for youth.

They offer the following services year round:

• Free golf lessons to any interested child
• Weekday instructional programs with middle and high schools
• Educational Center for homework, tutoring and computer literacy
• Tournaments for ages 7-17
• Educational and recreational field trips
• Scholarships
• Participation by the children in community service projects

Join the new Pro Kids Community League. This is a new league where they hope to foster new relations ships for those in City Heights. The league is a way to get the kids to teach the adults how to golf, while fostering networking opportunities within the community. The league is being formed to help community members build a sense of community, and collaboration.

STAR/PAL

STAR/PAL is located at Colina Park Recreation Center. The mission of STAR/PAL is to inspire and aid the youth of greater San Diego to make positive life choices through active participation in educational, athletic and recreational activities in collaboration with community partners. Best of all, they are located right here in District 7.

Euclid RAP (Revitalization Action Plan)

There are several projects associated with the revitalization and improvement of Euclid Ave.

1.Completing the unfinished sections of sidewalks

2.Improving the intersection of Euclid at Home (also known as the "Euclid Gateway."

3.Improving the street by adding turning lanes and "pop-outs."

4.Euclid Elementary School "Safe Routes to School" with pop-outs and new pedestrian improvements, such as cross walks and stop lights.

5.Parkways lined with newly planted trees.

6.Making Euclid as safe as possible for pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic.

Many community members participated in d workshops for several years voicing their opinion on what type of regulations Euclid Ave. should have for planning future residential and commercial development. Thus the Euclid Revitalization Action Plan (AKA the RAP) was developed.

Islenair Historical District

The beautiful hidden treasure of a community, Islenair is in the full planning stages for turning their neighborhood into an officially recognized historical district. With the majority of the homes having been built in the 1940's this gem of a community is looking towards preserving its heritage.

City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC)

City Heights Action for Neighbors to Get Employed (CHANGE)
Since 1997 CHCDC has operated one of the most successful publicly funded employment programs in the country. During the first 3 years of operation the CHANGE program placed over 500 very low-income residents in jobs, and enrolled 329 others in job training programs with an over 70 percent completion rate. More than 80% percent of these program participants were woman (sixty-nine percent of them single parents).

CHANGE is free to all low income residents of City Heights. Self referred residents attend bi monthly workshop sessions where they receive pre employment and job search skills and get individualized career assessment and job referral assistance. With a median household income of approximately $24,600 area residents struggle with decreased purchasing power and astronomically rising housing costs.

The CDC believes the most direct solution to this problem is to help working individuals increase their income by assisting them to secure better-paying jobs and also giving them tools to reduce their expenses. Expanded services of City Heights Gets to Work and Save More include membership in a food and living essentials cooperative and quarterly financial literacy workshops at which credit repair, budget preparation for home ownership and choosing the banking services right for you are among the topics addressed. Helping individuals within City Heights move from jobs paying $6.75 per hour to ones paying $11.00 or more means the difference between poverty and self sufficiency for many families. The CHANGE program enables the CHCDC to have a direct and immediate positive impact upon hard-working people and their families.