By Lisa Mortensen
Good Morning:
I am writing all of you because I hope Todd and Steve are aware of the complete outrage from the Uptown community regarding the city’s undemocratic takeover of our community planning group, Uptown Planners. WE WANT UPTOWN PLANNERS TO REMAIN OUR PLANNING GROUP!!
For the record, regarding the most recent Uptown Planners board election, coincidentally enough the individual who received the fewest votes in this election was your spokesperson for the city’s formed community planning group, Vibrant Uptown. Why are you so threatened by Uptown Planners and using city resources to create this CPG of your making? There are 42 CPG’s in this city and you are obsessed with Uptown Planners?
Sadly, no city elected representatives were in attendance at the meeting last night so you all were not witness to this important event. The preliminary vote from the meeting, which was standing room only, was 51 for Uptown Planners and 19 for Vibrant Uptown. Your designated speaker who was the one who lost in the March 2024 Uptown board election, Zach Thompson, was completely uninformed, unimpressive, and unprepared. Two phrases that he repeatedly used that were extremely disturbing from those in attendance were:
Zach was making unforced errors. ..“city will FORCE Representatives …” what they want). And “city needs to EDUCATE us” ?!
Todd, you are just a few months away from completing your first term. We have a major homeless crisis, affordable housing crisis, crime and safety crisis, infrastructure failures, budget deficit worries, the Ash Street debacle that is costing tax payers, liability suits due to unsafe roadways, Midway Rising debacle, H Barracks debacle (these are just a few of the real estate fiascos), and your obsession with ripping up our land use and planning codes to provide your builder/developer donors rapid fire ability to entitle their property to the maximum, bulldoze existing structures to build high-density projects anywhere and everywhere on a ministerial basis.
You have orchestrated the slow demise of our once historic and prideful culture of our communities in a one-size fits all image. This from persons (you and Steve) who are not invested in our community. You also have allowed corporate management to take hold with rental inventory and no new affordable for sale housing because of course, you have to be concerned about the builders’ profit over the needs of your constituents.
Of all the projects in the pipeline — how many are truly affordable and how many are middle income or affordable units for purchase?
And with all this chaos going on at city hall, you are preoccupied with putting in your community planning group in defiance of the community? I think based on the aforementioned failures you have created; I have to ask you, should this really be your top priority? I think the message that is getting louder and louder from citizens is we cannot afford 4 more years of the autocracy of Todd Gloria who will lead us into bankruptcy.
Steve, if you want to earn our vote in November, you must get the temperature reading of your constituency. Just to name a few disasters, you have given us Pepto Dismal, the destruction of the Little Red House, Midway Rising, the worst homeless crisis, the affordable housing crisis. All the while, ignoring your constituents.
Todd/Steve: I am instructing you to stop this nonsense, the Uptown community has spoken. Stop this government takeover of our community planning group. Vote Uptown Planners as our democratically and now ‘diverse’ planning group. Steve, if you cannot get out from underneath the mayor’s directive, then you have failed your main function/responsibility of your job as councilmember which is to be a community advocate. Instead, under your term, we have been ignored for 4 years. We can do better and we will in November if you do not turn your attention to us, the community that voted you into office 4 years ago.
SAVE UPTOWN PLANNERS vote for Uptown Planners on Thursday, March 21st. We are watching!!
Lisa L. Mortensen
Tax paying Homeowner since 1986
Community Advocate/Community Organizer since 1985
San Diego Realtor since 1976 – assisting in long-term housing solutions not short-term gain
Avid voter since 1971
I voted in the Uptown CPG election. I saw the results and only about 235 people voted. There is no outrage about this going on in Uptown. Most people don’t even know what the CPG is.
A community planning group? really, that’s presumptuous.
“Most people don’t even know what the CPG is.”
Not your opinion nor personal observation. Try again.
Yup, vote Larry Turner. Is this the same posting Zach from here? LOL
Why don’t the individuals of this “Vibrant Uptown” group just run for a seat on the Uptown CPG if they are so interested in community planning? Is Uptown CPG’s election format or meeting format somehow discriminatory against these particular members from running or participating? Diversity of opinion and disagreement on policy makes for healthy discussion, and informed recommendations. Replacing an entirely democratically elected group with an echo-chamber seems a bit insane.
the only poster I don’t agree with is Zack. The long established Uptown CPG, has done an excellent job with the tools they’ve allowed. North Park CPG has had to deal with predominantly Ministerial land grabs and developer donors since 2016 when previous Chair turned the land use codes. Ministerial which means any contractor, who can afford to build what they want, doesn’t have to pay DIF fees for the infrastructure, doesn’t have to include parking and can build whatever, where ever they want and you’ll probably find their name on the Mayor’s donor list, and some of their family, friends, and co-workers names too. The residents are not allowed any feedback or even notification they are going to push over the house next door, and build an 8 story something so the residents can peer out their windows into several neighbors back yards. I agee with Lisa, Chris, and KH. We need a new mayor and councilman who is for the tax payers who voted them in and hopefully will vote them out. Larry Turner for Mayor.
Thanks everyone for the supportive comments. Our friend Zach said two words that stuck with me when he spoke at the Bankers Hill Planning Group meeting the other night; ‘Educate’ and ‘Force’. These are words Todd Gloria uses when the communities are up in arms and disagree with his proposals. His comments are “the community just needs more education.” “People may need to be forced into establishing new habits.”
Zach, based on the Bankers Hill vote the other night of Uptown Planners 59; Vibrant Uptown 20, you may need a bit more education on the true Uptown community vibe.
To truly succeed in life and relationships, there is negotiation. We can continue with this divide that you wish to perpetuate, or you can come together and meet in the middle. This is what true community is all about. That and a good neighbor policy of treating others like you would want to be treated goes a long way to keeping communities truly ‘Vibrant’.
Have you ever seen Zach (Zack?) and Odd Todd in the same place at the same time? Maybe Zach (Zack?) is actually Todd!?!
I am sick and tired of the NIMBYs of uptown planning group, OB, Point Loma, Mission Hills, Hillcrest and the rest.
It’s far past time for the center of San Diego to be more dense. The NIMBYs complain about the homeless, then the NIMBYs complain about when new buildings are proposed. The NIMBYs complain about taxes then the NIMBYs complain they don’t get enough services.
Enough. These areas are not suburbs. If you want suburban life, move there.
If you want suburban life move there.
Well I did and this mayor wants to trash that with his build at all cost ADU policies. Placing a stake in the ground and saying density wherever you want, and then go move to the suburbs, with zero consideration to those who like their neighborhood without massive density and the flippant response to just move. Go be sick and tired cause it’s not going away without a non physical fight.
I didn’t notice a Steve on the ballot of this years OB Planning Board ballot. So which group did you run for to advocate for your community?
Steve, your post seems AI generated because it appears all arrogant hogwash and no reality. Being angry will resolve nothing. Using name calling and genalized assumptions will not create solutions. War is not the answer, Steve, but to give peace a chance requires work. Are you up to the challenge to find common ground? Much more productive than being sick and tired. Todd Gloria wants to keep us divided which is why I will vote him out in November. Larry Turner for Mayor 2024!
Toad Gloria doesn’t deserve to be in charge of his dang apartment complex. How dare he or anyone on his damn team claim to know more than locals. His disingenuous attitude was shown with how he treated the people of “SouthCrest”. And then had the nerve to get on KPBS and blame ??redlining for their recent flooding demise!!!!!. He used the great “Division” Trojan horse. Explained how he funded a “Diversity &Equality” division. He sure did, loaded it up with $3000000 dollars. The office did nothing and then he quietly moved the money, to who knows where. Todd’s history in this city is terrible “Ash Street speaks for itself! I am voting for LARRY TURNER??!
??LARRY TURNED FOR MAYOR @LT4SD