Councilwoman Campbell’s Report to District 2

Councilwoman Campbell speaking at the reopening of the OB Pier, standing next to Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Photo from “The Campbell Chronicles”

Here is Councilwoman Jen Campbell’s latest report to her District 2 constituents for June 2019, officially entitled, “The Campbell Chronicles”. District 2 includes Ocean Beach, Point Loma, the Midway District and North Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Mission Bay, Clairemont and Linda Vista.

Neighbors,

After several months of hard work, I’m pleased to announce we’ve passed the fiscal year 2020 budget for the City of San Diego. It is one of the most important things that we do as a council. This budget reflects the values and needs of our communities.

Here are some of the highlights –

• $500K for the next phase of the Ocean Beach Library. This money will take care of the design process and start of the remodel & addition of the Ocean Beach Library. It’s been a major concern for OB residents for over a decade and I am excited this project is finally moving forward.
• $100K for Library Programming. While we wait for the new library to be built, increasing funding for library programming will enrich our communities with special events and more.
• Two new code enforcement officers. From dangerous structures, substandard housing conditions and unpermitted construction, San Diego’s code enforcement department is a crucial agency dedicated to maintaining our neighborhoods. Two additional officers will allow the department to more efficiently ensure that projects are done to code and are safe.
  Four new lifeguard positions. With our miles of beaches, water safety for our residents and visitors is a priority. Since the beginning of our lifeguard service in San Diego, more than nine thousand lives have been saved and adding more lifeguard positions will allow more eyes on the water to keep everyone safe.
• Funding for a Climate Action Resiliency Study. As we prepare for a future impacted by the climate crisis, I fought to ensure our city has a plan to protect our neighborhoods and infrastructure. The more work that’s done today to prepare, the better off San Diego will be moving forward.
• Saving the Tree Trimming Budget. While growing our urban canopy is crucial, so is protecting the trees we already have. Restoring the money dedicated to tree trimming will improve the health of our city’s existing trees.
• Additionally, District 2 will see a number of Capital Improvement Projects implemented. A few of the big-ticket items included:
  • money to fix our roads,
  • improvements to Mission Bay Park,
  • stormwater pipe re-lining and
  • rebuilding our bridges.
• We also recently approved keeping Fiesta Island in it’s most natural state while improving paths for safe bicycling and walking around the island.

We still have a lot of work to do in our district and our city and we will continue to make progress.