Dear La Mesa, 

New and improved parking meters have replaced some of the coin-only parking meters in downtown La Mesa! This week, 31 new parking meters were installed on the following streets between La Mesa Boulevard and Lemon Avenue:

• 3rd Street 
• 4th Street 
• Date Avenue
• Nebo Drive 
• Palm Avenue

Additionally, we’ve added Park Smarter QR codes to the coin-only street parking meters in the Downtown area to make visitor’s parking experience easier. The Park Smart app provides contactless payment options, lets you extend parking sessions remotely, and sends reminders before your time expires. This is a temporary measure while we work on upgrading all meters to ones that accept cards, coins, and app payments.

As a reminder, please stay vigilant when using the Park Smarter QR codes to pay for parking. While no scamming incidents have been reported in the City, scammers across California are placing fake QR codes on meters.

Here are a few tips to help you stay safe:

• When you scan the Park Smarter QR code on our parking meters, it should direct you to a link for downloading the Park Smarter app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 
• The QR code will never ask for direct payment outside of the Park Smarter app.
• Our parking meters only accept secure payment options: credit cards, NFC payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay), coins, or digital payments through the Park Smarter app.
• Before scanning, always check for tampered stickers or suspicious-looking codes, and watch out for typos in the links.

If you believe the codes have been tampered with, please contact the La Mesa Police Department’s parking control office at 619-667-1482.

Your City Manager,

Greg Humora

Have you noticed how sleek the newly resurfaced section of Jackson Drive looks with the fresh lines? Though this is a significant improvement, additional work will be underway. Our street resurfacing project will continue, with contractors set to begin work on the following streets in early October:

• Jackson Drive (from Grossmont Blvd. to La Mesa Blvd.)
• Lemon Avenue (Schuyler Ave. to Glen St.)
• Waite Drive (Eastbound lane)
• Palm Avenue (Lemon Ave. to Fresno Ave.)

Traffic control will be in place to help maintain traffic flow during construction; however, we encourage commuters to take alternate routes, if possible, to avoid delays. We appreciate your patience as we work to complete these improvements. 

We’re updating our bee keeping rules to better protect public health, support local agriculture, and preserve bee populations and need your input! Join us for an informational session to learn about the proposed updates to our current Bee Keeping Ordinance.

📅 Weds., Sept. 25

⌚ 6-7:30 p.m.

📍 4975 Memorial Dr., La Mesa

Registration is now open for the La Mesa Citizens’ Police Academy! We’re excited to give the community a behind-the-scenes look at the Police Department. The six-week academy is held during the week from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The City of La Mesa was honored as a Gold recipient at the 2024 SANDAG Diamond Awards, an annual celebration that recognizes employers throughout the San Diego region for their leadership in sustainable commuting. One of our staff members was also acknowledged as a star commuter for their commitment to using public transportation daily.

Free community compost is back in stock at the Public Works Operations Center at 8152 Commercial St. It’s offered on a first-come, first-served basis from dawn to dusk. Compost is excellent for enriching garden soil and conserving water. Please remember not to block the gate or gas pumps.

Movies in the Park: Wonka 

📅Sept. 20

⌚ 5 p.m.

📍 La Mesita Park, 8855 Dallas St.

💲: FREE

Coastal Cleanup Day: Alvarado Channel

📅 Sept. 21

⌚9 a.m.-12 p.m.

📍 8881 Fletcher Pkwy., La Mesa, CA

Emergency Preparedness and Hands-only CPR Training

📅 Sept. 21

⌚ 10:30-11:30 a.m.

📍 201 Douglas Ave., El Cajon

Community Conversation: Scams and Fraud

📅 Sept. 25

⌚ 6-7:30 p.m.

📍 8450 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa

Clean Air Day

📅 Oct. 2

⌚ 7-9 a.m.

📍 8248 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa 

Litter Free La Mesa: Murray Drive

📅 Oct. 12

⌚9-11 a.m.

📍 Briercrest Park, 9001 Wakarusa St., La Mesa

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting takes place on Tues., Sept. 24, 2024 at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 8130 Allison Ave.

Ready to make a positive impact on your community?

Become a part of a Board or Commission!

• Community Police Oversight Board Commission: One vacancy
• Mobility Commission: One vacancy
• Parking Commission: One vacancy

News Desk | City Manager's Office

619-667-1191 news@cityoflamesa.us