Jen Campbell and her staff.
The city council person who represents Ocean Beach and Point Loma – as well as the rest of District 2 – gave a “State of the District” speech late last week, Jan. 30. Yet the only print media this writer has seen about the address is the account by Dave Schwab at the Peninsula Beacon.
And thanks to Schwab, we have a sense of what Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell said and did during the event at the Liberty Station Conference Center in Point Loma. Schwab said she “touched on everything from monarch butterflies and pesticide use to housing, homelessness, electric scooters, and short-term vacation rentals.”
Campbell and her staff also handed out awards titled “Neighbors Of The Year” and “Small Businesses Of The Year” to District 2 locals. Here’s Campbell’s longest quote in the Beacon article:
“Last year the Council unanimously approved a new community action plan on homelessness while moving us toward our goal of 100% renewable energy and a council committee recently declared a climate emergency. I want to focus on how San Diego can shrink its carbon footprint while creating a better plan for our kids and grandkids. My focus is not just on the natural environment, but also on our city environment. We filled over 3,000 potholes, patched miles of road and fixed more than a thousand streetlights, just in District 2.”
Schwab reported, “Campbell characterized infrastructure improvements including new crosswalks and sidewalks in District 2 as ‘investing in our community. They may seem like small changes, but they have made a big difference.'”
“We must take a holistic approach to community improvements. My budget this year will include requesting additional money to plant trees to reach the goals of our climate action plan, and will also include providing protection for our wetlands and reducing pollution.”
On the OB Library – which, she said, “the community of Ocean Beach has been asking for decades” – she said, “I’m the first council member in District 2 to finally secure funding for the expanding Ocean Beach Library.”
“As I look at the year ahead, there are several key issues: housing and homelessness, short-term vacation rentals, environmental protection, public safety, and constituent services.”
Schwab reported:
The Council member also vetted her five-point campaign — unification, outreach, buildings, wrap-around services, and monitoring — for battling homelessness which she said is “coming to fruition.”
Pointing out the dwindling Monarch butterfly population is becoming a major cause of concern, Campbell also warned against continuing pesticide use. “We’re making progress on a pesticide-proof pilot park program here in Liberty Station to ensure more of our parks are pesticide-free in 2020,” she said.
Of short-term rentals, she said, “Residents across the city are demanding a comprehensive set of short-term rental regulations. It’s time to act.” Campbell closed with an invitation. “Consider my office your resource,” she concluded.
District 2 neighbors and businesses recognized by Campbell included some from OB and Point Loma:
- Marshall Picard, A 101-year old World War II veteran and Midway resident who helps set up and serve food at The Orchard senior living community;
- OB Elementary principal Marco Drapeu;
- entrepreneur Sandy Hanshaw of Point Loma;
- Ocean Beach Hardware,
- Bay City Brewing Co. in Midway,
- Goodbar in Point Loma;
Other District 2 neighbors and businesses:
- entrepreneur Sarah Mattinson of Olive Bakery, a Mission Beach restaurant, and community hub;
- Randall’s Sandals, a Pacific Beach shop that hosts beach clean-ups and encourages environmentally responsible shopping through discounts for donations;
- Cathie Jolley of Pacific Beach:
- Kimberly Wise of Mission Beach for leading a short-term rental committee while running a business and raising a family.
As an aside, I am puzzled by Campbell awarding Kimberly Wise of Mission Beach something. At the front end of her address, Campbell said it was time to act on short-term vacation rentals, yet Wise runs a company that leases short-term vacation rentals. Perhaps I’m missing something or that’s just how Mission Beach rolls, home to short-term rentals.
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The STR committee was comprised of both residents and pro-STR members. I believe the residents were pressured more than they should have been during the discussions. My reason is that three of the resident members of the committee have since changed their minds about the final version of the STR regulations. I believe most resident members of the town council opposed the final version, but a block of non-resident property owner members, who typically do not attend MBTC meetings, showed up and voted in support of the proposed STR regulations.
The residents around the World, are losing their housing: but we feel the pain here!
We been educating that our elected leaders for years; no meaningful action resulted.
I’ve lived here since 1967, & seen our OB community negivitately impacted by investors; particularly the past 10 to 15 years!
Why don’t elected official’s listen to us?
I believe the OB library expansion was designed once before, possibly when Kevin Faulconer was the City Council member. Perhaps before Jenn Campbell’s collective memory.
Nostalgic – the OB Library was designed way back circa 2002 and plans were set to build it; we saw a 3-D model even. As part of the plan, the city bought the building next door. … Then the recession hit and everything was shelved. We even had to fight to keep the darn doors to the library open, as then-mayor Sanders wanted to close them for budgetary reasons.
Then the city council member would have been Michael Zucchet, or perhaps Byron Wear, depending on when the earlier design was funded, so thank you to ALL city Council members who have tried to make this a realty. Then 8 years, I believe, since the property next door was purchased for this purpose.
Sorry for the typo above. From 2002, it is now 18 years since the city of San Diego had an architect design the newer library, not 8. No wonder few people remember it.
Where’s Jen Campbell on our library?