Editor: Whether you support Prop D or not, tonight is a good time to attend a Town Hall meeting up at Point Loma High School. (Also, see below, there is a Point Loma Association meeting with Councilman Faulconer Tuesday night.)
by JEC
Fire Station brown outs, closed parks and recreation centers, beach fire rings eliminated, the public quality of life in OB is under significant threat. City officials advocate for Proposition D, to raise sales taxes yet again but with no promise that any of these OB services will be saved. In fact, by all accounts, Prop. D is the opportunity for the city controllers to maintain the status quo. The rich and exclusive will still be served, while the remainder of the city supports their lifestyle.
Surrogate City Manager Jay Goldstone advocates realigning the distribution of the sales taxes raised under Proposition 172, a state proposition earmarking one-half cent sales tax for fire and law enforcement approved in a trade off when the state grabbed property taxes, mainly from the counties, back in 1992. San Diego County receives the lion’s share, $189 million annually, while the city receives only $6.8 million. But Jay is barely scratching the surface.
Consider, while parks and libraries are being closed a new central library is under construction and, thanks to Nathan Fletcher, a Spanos Stadium is closer to a reality as they brown out fire stations . How have we arrived at this financial chaos?
Consider that all the major economic features of the City of San Diego , the port, the airport and downtown, are all financially independent from the rest of us peons. Over $350 million in city public monies flow through these agencies each year.
Consider that in the face of these challenges, the Airport Authority, a separate agency that performs the duties once performed by the City itself, the Airport Authority, with its $150 million in annual revenues, has managed to budget a 6.5% INCREASE in salaries. Or consider that it spends $2.5 million each year to ‘market’ the airport as if the job done by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Airlines themselves is not enough.
Consider Center City Development Corporation (CCDC), the cost of just the top four administrators of this aging redevelopment agency (now almost 40 years old) could run four branch libraries, year in and year out; this is not one time money.
It’s time to consolidate, reduce the layers of government, combine administration and reduce overheads. It’s time to put the monies and the priorities of the Port District, the Airport Authority and CCDC on the same table as the fire stations, beaches and parks. Let those expenditures be measured against other needs. It’s all public money.
Tonight, Monday, October 25, City Officials might show up at Pt. Loma High School to again try and convince us to vote for Proposition D. Everyone in OB should show up and support a call for consolidation. Reduce the overhead, bring the economic parts together and end the financial chaos.
The Town Hall meeting will be from 6 to 7pm at PLHS Auditorium. PLHS is located at 2335 Chatsworth Blvd.
Here are details (from Sdnews.com):
Mayor Jerry Sanders and other top city officials will pay a visit to Point Loma High School on Monday, Oct. 25 as part of a series of town hall meetings to discuss proposed city budget cuts for fiscal year 2012 — and to field residents’ concerns and ideas.
Eight town hall forums are planned to discuss budget impacts stemming from Sanders’ mandate to each city department to identify specific cuts that would help close a projected budget gap of $72 million for FY 2012.
The event at Point Loma High, located at 2335 Chatsworth Blvd., is slated to run from 6 to 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.
Participants in the town hall series include Chief Operating Officer Jay Goldstone; Police Chief William Lansdowne; Fire Chief Javier Mainar; library director Deborah Barrow; Park and Recreation Department director Stacey LoMedico; Dave Jarrell, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Public Works Department; and Chief Financial Officer Mary Lewis.
Faulconer to hold meeting with Point Loma Association – Tuesday Oct 26th
District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and other high-profile officials will be on hand Tuesday, Oct. 26 to discuss wide-ranging issues with residents at a Point Loma Association town hall meeting.
Representatives from the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the Navy and the San Diego Police Department will be on hand to discuss their respective issues.
The meeting will be held at the Portuguese Hall, 2818 Avenida de Portugal in Point Loma beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting is expected to run until about 9 p.m.
For more information, e-mail Malinda Dickenson at malinda.dickenson@gmail.com.
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