By Colleen O’Connor
This is not news to anyone who lives, works, drives, or opens their eyes.
Not just San Francisco, L.A. or Sacramento are “too damn dirty,” (as the Governor said) so, too is San Diego.
And so, too, is almost every California freeway. What used to be hidden in bushes and under bridges has now overflowed to city streets and neighborhoods. Downtown San Diego is something of a petri dish. Frankly, it is filthy.
As are the city’s beaches, parks, bus stops and any place where the local volunteers are not cleaning up what should have been ongoing government work.
The parks are especially foul. Balboa Park needs serious, antiseptic power washing of all the sidewalks. Same with many poorer neighborhoods’ walkways.
Take a photo of the mattresses, the shopping baskets, cardboard, broken furniture, clothes, papers, boxes, old tires, and garbage and send it to the Mayor’s office.
And don’t just blame the homeless or COVID-19 for the problems. These have been long-standing problems. People and construction teams offloading drywall, lumber pieces, toilets, and other household discards tossed by the side of the roads or freeways to avoid dump fees.
Only now, someone has noticed? How is that possible? And why all of a sudden? A recall campaign? A flood of money coming from the federal government and local tax receipts?
Another “sexy” photo op?
Probably. But, at least Newsom managed to don some jeans, and a grab a shovel. to clean up part of what CalTrans has ignored for years! Junk and trash by the tons.
Now, it is San Diego’s time to clean up its parks and beaches. The overflowing trash cans, downed scooters, and garbage food containers. Also, the dead palm fronds and debris in neighborhood canyons, poised to further inflame an already drought-disaster fire season.
For bringing this to the politician’s attention, thank environmental Professor Christine Flowers, a Sacramento Environmental Professor for her work and Governor Newsom for acknowledging the mess.
(https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/05/15/newsom-budget-targets-cleaning-up-california-the-states-too-damn-dirty/)
Then text the Mayor’s “Get It Done” App, and ask “What’s Up that San Diego is still “too damn dirty?” Get a Trash Czar.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Densifying and adding more condo’s to our landscape is going to create a trash problem beyond control. Save California and San Diego from the insane amount of poorly planned rapid growth being allowed to scar out landscape. If we don’t have enough homes, don’t invite more people in. Take care of those that already live and are taxed here.
Portland Mayor hired homeless to clean up the camps (and paid them our of her own budget). Seems to be working.
Or Santee, which hired a private contractor to keep their parks clean.
Try it in San Diego?
I have written to Mayor Gloria/ his office about 4x this year about the dirty streets of San Diego and I have not seen any results yet. The written and TV coverage about Governor Newsom cleaning under a bridge in LA was a one-time thing although cleaning-up the state of California, and San Diego supposedly has allotted budgets. What will it take to see positive results?