By Dr. Jen Campbell
Hello neighbors!
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was standing on stage at Golden Hall, being sworn in to be the next city councilmember for District 2.
It’s been a busy year and a whirlwind experience of listening, learning, and working to be the best representative for our beach and bay communities. I appreciate all your feedback as we work together to make places like Ocean Beach better than ever before. With that said, I’d like to point to a few accomplishments I hope OBecians will be proud of:
Funding for the OB Library Expansion – For years, the need to expand the Ocean Beach Library has been clear. That’s why, at my very first opportunity as a councilmember, I fought to include $500,000 in the city budget to finally start the expansion process. This funding will help get the remodel and long-awaited expansion off the ground, including determining how best to demolish the adjacent building the city had purchased nearly 20 years ago and remodel the existing historic structure. The OB Library will be transferred to the design phase within the next month. A completed expansion will not happen overnight, but finally progress has begun.
CPPS Funds for Local Nonprofits – Without a doubt, Ocean Beach is filled with residents who truly care about their neighborhood. There are numerous non-profit and community groups who work tirelessly to make OB better. Supporting these organizations through my office’s Community Projects, Programs and Services (CPPS) budget has been a major priority. This year, I directed CPPS funds to help the OB Town Council with the Holiday Parade and Food & Toy Drive; Friends of Ocean Beach Library with their seed bank; and the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association with their Chili Cookoff, Street Fair and Clean & Safe Program. Issuing these funds, a 33% increase over last year, is my way of helping to ensure these tent pole OB events and organizations have the support they need.
New Stop Sign at Ebers and Saratoga – Thanks to a new stop sign at Ebers and Saratoga, getting to one of Ocean Beach’s parks is much safer. Pedestrian safety in our communities is a major concern of mine, so I’m happy to help provide a little additional peace of mind to those walking to the Kid’s Park.
Creating safe, healthy, communities – Long before running for office, I was well aware of the issues around homelessness in OB, a problem that’s long been a part of 92107 (a quick digression here – thank you to the OB Rag for your dedication to hyper-local journalism, keeping the residents of Ocean Beach up to date on what’s happening in their community. In a world where news operations continue to shutter, making residents less informed, the importance of organizations like the OB Rag cannot be understated).
This situation was not created overnight, nor will it be fixed overnight. Yet, just because something may seem permanent doesn’t mean that it is. To address community concerns, Western Division has committed extra patrol in Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs communities by designating a two-officer walking beach team. SDPD is also working closely with the assigned Park Ranger and Life Guards.
Officers are also working overtime in the community along the Seawall and at Veteran’s Plaza. Finally, my office is looking at other outreach models and working closely with the county, which oversees our region’s health and human services funds, to provide more “boots on the ground” to help our unsheltered population get off the street and into a home. We are also actively seeking input from the community to continue down a path that recognizes the unique needs of OB.
There’s much more to do, but concrete steps are truly being taken to make a difference in Ocean Beach.
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