Dear Neighbor,

I recently met a San Diegan whose adult son suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His son has been in and out of psychiatric facilities, on and off opiates and in and out of jail. He’s been referred for a conservatorship, but his family has been unable to get him connected to the care he so desperately needs.  

The endless cycle has left his family reeling and feeling powerless to help their own son. 

It’s long past time we come to grips with a painful, but obvious truth: We have people in California that are so severely mentally ill, they're genuinely incapable of taking care of themselves. And our current mental health system makes it next to impossible to get them help, which too often means they’re left to suffer and die on our streets.  

That’s why I flew to Sacramento last week to, once again, support Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman’s legislation that will work to help solve this heartbreaking problem by finally reforming California’s conservatorship laws – a new attempt after we came achingly close to passing similar legislation last year. 

The two bills we introduced will modernize our State’s behavioral health care system by broadening the definition of “gravely disabled” to include the inability to attend to one’s own medical care and self-protection, and also by creating a real-time online dashboard of available beds at nearby psychiatric and substance-abuse facilities.  

California’s abdication of its responsibility on mental health in the 1980s coupled with half-century-old laws make it far too difficult for severely mentally ill people to get the care they need. The results of that are all around us, often most visibly among the unsheltered on our streets. I want you to know that I am committed to changing that.  

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

A Roadside Transformation in Barrio Logan   

An unused and unsightly roadside lot in Barrio Logan will soon be transformed into a community resource with a bike and pedestrian path, new street lights and open green space.  

The transformation is thanks to an innovative program called Clean California.

Run by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Clean California provides local partners with funds to clean and beautify public spaces in historically underserved communities. 

After this patch of land is transformed, CalTrans will turn ownership of it over to the City. We plan to apply for more funding opportunities with our partners at CalTrans to continue developing it into a community park. 

Improvement projects like this – both big and small – are long-overdue in Barrio Logan and other neighborhoods that have yet to get their fair share in San Diego. That’s why I am committed to continuing working with MTS, SANDAG, CalTrans and other regional partners to try and get these important neighborhood projects funded.  

Smart Streetlights Proposed to Help San Diego Police Fight Crime 

A proposal to bring Smart Streetlights back to San Diego to help investigate and solve crimes is making its way through a new, more transparent public process that the City recently put into place.

Last year, we passed San Diego’s Privacy Ordinance to create rules governing deployment and use of surveillance technologies. We created a Privacy Advisory Board to address concerns and ensure we roll out this kind of technology responsibly and with public oversight and input. 

Starting Monday, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) will begin a series of community meetings designed to inform the public and gather feedback on the proposal to use Smart Streetlight and Automated License Plate Recognition technologies.

My goal is that at the end of this process, we can redeploy important technologies in a way that respects civil liberties and privacy while also making important tools available to our police department so they can keep us all safe.

A More Sustainable Future for San Diegans 

We have unveiled the Climate Action Implementation Plan draft, a comprehensive planning tool that will help the City ensure the full implementation of the ambitious measures laid out in San Diego’s landmark 2022 Climate Action Plan (CAP)

The Implementation Plan clearly defines each City department’s climate action responsibilities and provides cost estimates for those actions. 

This plan is just one part of a larger framework to ensure our climate goals are embedded in every decision we make as a City. It will be a big shift in how we do business, but we are committed to working with impacted industries and workforce stakeholders along the way. 

We have a long way to go when it comes to reaching all the ambitious goals laid out in our 2022 CAP, but many steps are already complete or in progress. We’re getting green bins for recycling food and yard waste to every San Diegan, using 100 percent clean energy at City facilities, converting streetlights to LEDs and so much more. 

Continuing on this climate-conscious path won't be easy for the City, but the consequences of inaction are almost unimaginable.

Black Business Leaders in the Spotlight  

I loved seeing the spotlight shine on some of San Diego’s finest businesspeople at the San Diego Business Journal’s “Top 50 Black Leaders of Influence” event with the County of San Diego Black Chamber last week. Congratulations to all 50 of the leaders whose hard work  was recognized at the event.

Sharing My Love of Reading as part of Read Across America Week

 

Read Across America Week is celebrated every year from March 2 through March 6. I celebrated this year at Jerabek and Nestor elementary schools, where I got to read to students and promote the joy of reading to San Diego’s bright young students.

It's That Time of Year Again: Little League, Play Ball!

Little League’s spring season has officially begun! I got to help the kids and coaches at Encanto Little League kick things off during their Opening Day celebration on Saturday. These kids take their baseball seriously and can really play! 

Marines Host Annual Competition in San Diego

San Diego is hosting the13th Annual Marine Corps Trials through March 12, and it was my honor to help welcome some of the competitors to our great city and thank them for all they’ve done in defense of our freedom. Every year, wounded Marines compete in archery, cycling and several other sports at this annual event.