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Dear Neighbor,
I have signed into law the Unsafe Camping Ordinance, which will improve public health and safety by prohibiting encampments across the city.
Enforcement of the ordinance will not happen in a vacuum. It coincides with our bringing online hundreds more shelter opportunities through our Safe Sleeping program and my pursuit of measures to cut bureaucratic red tape that slows down our ability to respond quickly to our homelessness crisis.
Moving people out of unsafe encampments and into better shelter options will take time and patience, but this critical new tool will help us get more people off the streets and connected to services that will help them end their homelessness.
As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor.
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First of Two Planned Safe Sleeping Sites Now Open
The first of our new Safe Sleeping sites is now open, offering unhoused San Diegans a safer alternative to sleeping on our sidewalks, parks and canyons.
At the City of San Diego’s Central Operations Yard at 20th and B, people can camp legally and safely while also getting connected to the services that can help end one’s homelessness and put people on a path to permanent housing.
People staying at the site will receive meals and have access to bathrooms, showers and handwashing stations, as well as stay safe from the constant threat of predatory drug dealers and violence they face on the streets.
The site can accommodate 136 tents, which the City is providing. Each tent can accommodate couples or a person’s caregiver.
We said we would have this site up and running by July 1, but we were thrilled to be able to open the site two days early, thanks to incredibly fast work by our Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department, support from staff of multiple City departments, and the site operator, nonprofit Dreams for Change.
We are hard at work preparing a second site – Lot O in Balboa Park, which at full capacity can accommodate up to 400 tents. That site will open this fall.
The Safe Sleeping program augments our existing programs to get people off the street and on a path to housing. In the past two-plus years, we have opened seven new shelters that serve distinct populations – women, seniors, LGBTQ youth, folks with behavioral health challenges.
This month, we’ll open a new shelter in Barrio Logan – 42 private rooms exclusively for families that can accommodate up to 168 people. We’ve also expanded our Safe Parking Program to four lots, with space for a total of 233 households.
By this fall, our shelters and Safe Parking and Safe Sleeping programs will add up to more than 2,700 options for unhoused San Diegans to get off the streets and on a path to housing.
As these resources come online and more and more beds are available, the answer can no longer be no to the shelter and services the City offers to those currently sleeping on our sidewalks and in our parks and canyons.
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‘Mayor for a Day’ Emma Smith Comes to City Hall
I had some help running the country’s eighth-largest city last week from 9-year-old Emma Smith, the winner of my second annual “Mayor for a Day” contest.
Emma is an incoming fifth grader at Vista Grande elementary school in Tierrasanta. She has experience in public service through Girl Scouts, and her winning essay talked about how she wanted to be mayor so she could learn how to better help her neighbors in need, fix our streets and clean up our parks and beaches.
Emma had a big day. She joined me at a press conference kicking off our Parks After Dark program, a City Council meeting and a video shoot. She even took her first media interview – a staple of the job. She also visited the zoo and met with some of our public safety officials.
I launched the “Mayor for a Day” contest last year, inviting students from across San Diego to apply by submitting essays about how they would make the City of San Diego a better place if they were Mayor. The hope is that the experience will inspire kids to consider a career in public service.
It certainly did exactly that for me. I grew up in Clairemont and was runner-up in the city’s “Mayor for a Day” contest at age 10. When I was elected mayor, I brought the contest back to help inspire the next generation of civic leaders.
Many thanks to Mayor Smith for joining us at City Hall, and we hope to see her back here at work … sometime in the 2030s.
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OB Pier Reopens Just in Time for the 4th!
We reopened the Ocean Beach Pier on Saturday following a six-month closure to repair damage caused by powerful winter storms – just in time for the 4th of July holiday.
The pier was closed on Jan. 6 after storm damage made it unsafe. Once the winter storm season passed, we completed a full assessment and made repairs to the facilities and railings to reopen it to the public.
Meanwhile, we're continuing to seek input on the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project. We hosted two community workshops this past spring to share information about the project and gather community feedback that will be used by our engineering consultants to develop several design alternatives for the potential replacement of the pier. If you’d like to weigh in on the future of this beloved landmark, please fill out this survey.
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Working Toward Securing State Funds for Local Permanent Supportive Housing
We all know that what really ends homelessness is housing.
I’m proud to report that we have taken another big step forward in one of our biggest, collaborative efforts to create more permanent affordable homes that include supportive services to help people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
Together with the San Diego Housing Commission and the County of San Diego, we have applied for up to $23 million from the state Homekey program to acquire two properties and redevelop them into permanent supportive housing. Residents of the projects will receive access to supportive services, such as mental and behavioral health care, job training, financial guidance and more.
Project Homekey provides an opportunity to bring much-needed housing online faster and cheaper than traditional new-construction affordable housing. The current round of funding makes $736 million available statewide, of which $34 million is set aside for the San Diego region’s local geographic pool.
San Diego has received more than $49.5 million from the Homekey program in previous rounds of funding, which has resulted in the creation of 372 affordable apartments.
My administration’s comprehensive strategy to address homelessness includes all kinds of efforts that meet people’s needs at every stage of their unhoused journey, including street outreach, expanding shelter capacity, advocacy on mental health and addiction treatment and tackling the fentanyl crisis that has supercharged chronic homelessness. But the most important and truly effective solution is to create housing that people can afford.
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Reliable, Sustainable Streetlights Coming Soon to Kensington
The City is moving forward with a project that will replace outdated lampposts in Kensington with new streetlights that are safer, more efficient and more reliable.
The poles of the existing antique streetlights are painted with lead-based paint, and the antique lights depend on an old circuitry system that is unreliable and has led to frequent outages. Because the current lights are on a series circuit, if one cable is impacted, all the lights go out.
With the new lights the City is installing, each will be individually connected, so when one goes out, it will no longer impact any other nearby lights, which means a brighter, safer neighborhood for everyone.
The 57 new streetlights being installed in Kensington were designed to mimic the decorative, empire-lantern, tear-drop style of the historic lampposts they are replacing, which will help retain the historic characteristics of the neighborhood.
These new lights use the latest power efficiency technology, which means these streetlights will keep the community bright for decades to come.
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GETTING IT DONE: FIXING OUR STREETS | |
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Mission Village Drive in Serra Mesa
Mission Village Drive in Serra Mesa is a smooth ride after a fresh coat of slurry seal. The street will receive a new bike lane between the curb and newly striped floating parking stalls, which will make travel safer for everyone.
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Breaking Ground on New Affordable Housing Projects in Clairemont
There are few things I enjoy more than celebrating the creation of affordable housing in San Diego! I joined Chelsea Investment Corporation to break ground on the redevelopment of the former Sheriff’s Regional Crime Lab on Mt. Etna Drive. The three projects, which will create 309 new income-restricted apartments, were some of the first to go through the City’s new expedited permitting process for 100% affordable housing projects. As part of my State of the City in January, I signed an executive order directing a 30-day permitting period for such projects, and it’s so gratifying to see it result in faster building of new homes for lower-income San Diegans.
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High School Achievers Visit City Hall
High school students who are part of the Aaron Price Fellows program visited City Hall as part of their journey to become caring, engaged and responsible community members. Their visit was a behind-the-scenes look at City Hall designed to give these young leaders a better understanding about how city government works.
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Sunday Service in Oak Park
I was happy to attend Sunday’s service at the New Creation Church in Oak Park, joined by our Chief Operating Officer, Eric Dargan. New Creation is an interracial, nondenominational Christian church where all are welcome and where hundreds of San Diegans worship every Sunday.
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Your Guide to City Services on the 4th of July
The City of San Diego wishes you a fun and safe Independence Day tomorrow. As a reminder, City administrative offices, libraries, pools and rec centers will be closed, and trash collection will be delayed by one day. Our parks and reservoirs will remain open, and our first responders will be on the job as always to keep San Diego safe. For more information on the holiday schedule, please consult this this website.
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‘Parks After Dark’ Free Summer Fun Starting this Week!
The San Diego Parks Foundation, the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, and Price Philanthropies have launched the second annual Parks after Dark summer program. This is an eight-week series of free, outdoor, multicultural, and multigenerational community celebrations held at four City of San Diego parks: City Heights, Linda Vista, Memorial, and Skyline Hills.
Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from July 6 through August 26, Parks After Dark provides families in San Diego communities with free summer outdoor music, theatre, movies, arts and crafts, games, sports clinics, tournaments, resources from community-based organizations, and free food for children at four City of San Diego parks.
Check out the schedule here and please come join us this summer!
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San Diego is a Public Art Challenge Finalist City!
We are thrilled to announce that Bloomberg Philanthropies has selected San Diego as one of 17 finalist cities in the running to receive up to $1 million as part of its Public Art Challenge.
This unique grant program supports public art projects that address important local civic issues in cities across the country. The City of San Diego’s proposed project, “To Draw a Circle on the Earth,” with interdisciplinary arts collective Postcommodity and implementation partners Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego and Museum of Us, would bring people together to address equity through community-driven public art. Specifically, the project would create a platform for Indigenous arts, cultural programming by the Kumeyaay people and other Indigenous communities.
San Diego was selected as a finalist from more than 150 project proposals received from cities in 40 U.S. states. This fall, Bloomberg Philanthropies will select up to 10 winning cities to execute their projects over the next two years.
Visit publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org to learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge and stay tuned for updates on our city’s proposed project.
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Defining the Future of the Mira Mesa Epicentre
The County of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department would like to know what you'd like to see at the City-owned Mira Mesa Epicentre.
The County has secured $8 million dollars in funding to reactivate the building and create a youth-focused community center that will serve the neighborhood.
Now the County wants to hear from you about what you want from the space. Join the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department at an upcoming event to provide your feedback on the project.
When: Thursday, July 6 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Where: Mira Mesa Recreation Center, 8575 New Salem St. San Diego, CA 92126
RSVP here.
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What Do You Want for Your Neighborhood?
Does your neighborhood need better sidewalks? Park updates? Library upgrades? The City’s planning department wants to hear from you
Infrastructure is not just the buildings, roads and spaces that surround us—it is the essential fabric that connects us to opportunity. Our city's infrastructure - roads, sidewalks, parks, libraries, public safety facilities, water facilities and more - shapes the health, safety, economic vibrancy, environmental well-being and overall quality of life in our neighborhoods. Because of this, equitable infrastructure investment is essential to achieve equal opportunity to employment, health, education, recreation and more for all San Diegans.
The City wants your input to help prioritize infrastructure investment and ensure infrastructure goes where it will best meet community members' needs and improve their lives.
Give us your input by filling out the survey in English or Spanish.
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Help Inspire San Diego’s Creative Future
We have launched our engagement efforts for the citywide cultural plan. We’ll host our first public events to help shape Creative City, the City of San Diego’s first-ever citywide cultural plan.
The cultural plan's development starts with a robust community engagement process to hear what San Diegans envision for their creative lives and to set a strategic framework for guiding the arts and cultural sectors. Discover our Creative City June schedule of forums and public pop-ups across the city. Creative City public events are free and open to all.
All San Diegans are invited to join the launch of the cultural planning process tonight, Tuesday, June 20, and the Pop-Ups happening June 21-22. Click here for details.
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Be Part of Our Far South/Border North Grant Opportunity!
The City’s Far South/Border North program provides grants to artists and cultural practitioners living and working in San Diego and Imperial counties to support the creation of media, outreach, and engagement campaigns that increase public awareness of pressing challenges facing the region via a regional, open-call process.
In the first phase, which is now closed, grants were awarded through a competition open to individual artists and cultural practitioners. In the second phase, now open, grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations, units of government and tribal governments to participate in Far South/Border North and hire artists and cultural practitioners from San Diego and Imperial counties.
The second phase of the Far South/Border North application ends on at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 19. Apply now.
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Partnering for Progress
The City of San Diego’s Planning Department is launching a new initiative called “Partnering for Progress” to bring the City and community organizations together to improve planning and implementing infrastructure projects.
Partnering for Progress will allow public, private and nonprofit entities to collaborate and help the City better understand and identify deficiencies and barriers that individuals and organizations face when working on an infrastructure project with the City. We welcome the public to share their experiences of working with the City on public projects by completing this survey by July 31. Questions and comments are welcome by email to publicspaces@sandiego.gov.
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Easily Track Your Permit Requests’ Progress
The City of San Diego is excited to announce the launch of the Permitting Center Dashboard, a dynamic, interactive platform designed to provide up-to-date information on DSD's permit, inspections and code enforcement activity. This tool, part of the #DigitalDSD initiative, aims to enhance transparency, increase access to essential data and empower users with valuable insights into DSD's operations.
Navigating the dashboard is simple and intuitive, with options to switch between different permit categories, including overall permitting applications, residential permitting applications and Accessory Dwelling Unit/Junior ADU applications. Users can filter the data to match their needs, using the search parameters section.
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Host Operating Requirements of STRO Ordinance in Effect as of May 1
The Building & Land Use Enforcement (BLUE) Division of DSD is now enforcing host operating and licensing requirements for the Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) Ordinance. The STRO Ordinance requires a license when renting a dwelling unit, or part thereof for less than one month within the City of San Diego. To determine if your property is located within the City, reference the City of San Diego Council District Map.
Short-term rentals can only occur at a dwelling that was built with all permits, approvals and inspections and at a dwelling free of code violations. Accessory Dwelling Units, Junior Accessory Dwelling Units, affordable housing units, guest quarters, tiny homes and outdoor tents/sleeping areas are prohibited from being used as short-term rentals.
BLUE will focus enforcement mainly on STRO licensing and operation requirements. The enforcement team includes five field staff personnel who work Wednesdays through Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Complaints about violations can be submitted through the Get It Done app.
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Get to Know Your Green Bin
The City of San Diego is hosting a series of free informational presentations for residents on the new green bin and collection schedule.
These presentations are offered as virtual Zoom webinars or in-person workshops at select locations. Residents are encouraged to register after they have received their official notifications from the City that their home will be onboarded into this new service.
Translation services are available upon request; attendees must let their language preferences during registration at least 3 days in advance of the event to provide time to book an interpreter. If you have special language needs or require additional assistance, please email sdrecyclingworks@sandiego.gov or call 858-694-7000.
Free informational Zoom webinars – “Your Home’s New Green Bin”
July 5, 2023 from 6 to 7 p.m.
July 19, 2023 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Free informational in-person workshops – “Your Home’s New Green Bin”
Rancho Bernardo Library (17110 Bernardo Center Dr, San Diego, CA 92128)
July 15, 2023 from 11 a.m. to noon
Mira Mesa Library (8405 New Salem St, San Diego, CA 92126)
July 29, 2023 from 11 a.m. to noon
Register for the workshops and webinars here.
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Summer Reading Program Begins!
Grab a new library card and get reading during the City of San Diego Public Library’s 2023 Summer Reading Program! This year’s theme is “Discover Your Voice” and readers of all ages are encouraged to share their stories, express themselves and spark change.
The program began June 1 and runs through Aug. 31. Participants can earn prizes by completing 10 books, 10 hours of reading or a combination of reading and activities. Activities include attending a library storytime or Summer Reading event, starting a journal or recommending a book to a friend.
The Summer Reading Program offers age categories for children (ages 0-5 and 6-11), youth (ages 12-17) and adults (ages 18 and up). After completing the program, readers will be eligible for prizes including free books, meal vouchers and passes to local museums. Reading and activities can be tracked online or on paper logs printed at home or picked up at any SDPL location.
Last year, more than 24,000 people participated in the Summer Reading Program, reading nearly 366,000 books. To register online and view lists of recommended books and activities, visit sandiego.gov/summerreading.
Also, for the first time, the library is offering a Padres-themed library card for patrons this summer. Starting Monday, June 5, new users can get the Padres card by signing up for a library card for free at any of the City’s 36 libraries. Existing patrons can replace their current cards at no cost.
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Office of the Mayor
202 C St., 11th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-6330
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