The following is a published Letter to the Editor at the San Diego U-T by College area resident Danna Givot, printed in the U-T on November 8.
Community Planning Groups are official, elected bodies representing their planning areas.
When they speak to the Planning Commission, Land Use & Housing Committee or City Council regarding Community Plan Updates, they deserve time to present their community’s position on the plan.
These official representatives should not have to struggle to get the public to attend to cede time to them—usually 60 seconds apiece — for the privilege of presenting the official CPG position on their Plan Update— the job they were elected to do. This is wrong.
In the past, Planning Groups were given 15 minutes to present their official responses to Community Plan Updates. This would also free up members of the public and give them the luxury of speaking on their own behalf.
It is time to revert back to the respectful past norm of giving every Community Planning Group 15 minutes to respond to Community Plan Updates.
— Darina Givot, College Area
And get off your phones city council! I’m talking to you Elo Rivera!
“In the past, Planning Groups were given 15 minutes to present their official responses to Community Plan Updates. ”
The key words in that statement are “In the past.” The city has written the planning boards out of the process, they no long have any more of a voice than Joe Blow from the neighborhood. In the past, they had to listen, not any more. The only way to make them listen would be to restore the planning boards to their previous roles as part of the official processes.
The City effectively hobbled PGs on this as well as the appeal fee. It used to be $100 for PGs to appeal now it is $1000! Sadly, “In the past.”