State of the District: Council member Campbell touts ‘D2’ in her first address
“We Love D2” was the title of District 2 San Diego City Council member Dr. Jennifer Campbell’s first State of the District address, Thursday, Jan. 30 at the Liberty Station Conference Center in Point Loma.
After welcoming attendees, Campbell summed up her accomplishments in 2019, announced 14 community awards, and then ended the 45-minute presentation by listing District goals for 2020.
Perhaps the evening’s highlight was the presentation of the Midway-area “Neighbor of the Year Award” to World War II veteran Marshall Picard, lauding his volunteer service at The Orchard senior center. “Neighbor of the Year” honorees also included Sandy Hanshaw of Point Loma, for her work on the Point Loma Association’s Beautification Committee, and Marco Drapeau, principal of Ocean Beach Elementary, for his efforts to make pedestrian safety and access a campus priority.
“Small Business of the Year” awards were given to Goodbar in Point Loma for its donations and goodwill community events; Bay City Brewing Co., for donating space for civic meetings; and Ocean Beach Hardware for “going the extra mile for our community!”
Looking ahead, Campbell told the crowd she will be busy in the new year with a six-point agenda:
1) Housing/Homelessness: Her five-part plan includes: uniting service providers; stepping up outreach in the form of a street engagement team working to reunite those homeless with family members; adding more buildings as shelters; using wrap-around social services; and monitoring the effectiveness of these services.
2) Short-Term Rentals: “We need to come up with meaningful regulations. Now is the time to act!” she emphasized.
3) Environment: Work to protect wetlands and beaches from effects of climate change, and allocate funding for planting an urban canopy of trees throughout San Diego. “I also support the pesticide-free pilot park program being tested in Liberty Station,” she said.
4) Public Safety: Add more crosswalks and street lights to increase neighborhood walkabilty.
5) Neighborhood Services: “Consider my office your resource,” she said. “And come to my Java with Jen coffee sessions and our town halls on specific issues.”
Summing up 2019, Campbell reported that she met her chief goal of “listening,” to learn the issues relevant in her beach communities;
• backed Community Choice Energy, which will be up in 2021 with the goal of rendering 100 percent reusable energy in San Diego by 2035 (“good for the pocketbook and the environment”);
• planted loads of milkweed to help save the Monarch butterflies;
• secured funding to expand the Ocean Beach Library;
• repaired 3,000 potholes and fixed 1,000 street lights in District 2;
• voted to pass the ban on motorized scooters on the beach boardwalks;
• launched the Family Reunification Project linking thus far 1,800 homeless people with their families;
• and got more “boots on the ground” with police officers walking the streets of Ocean Beach regularly to nip any violations in the bud. She proudly boasted that the San Diego Police Academy just graduated its largest class of officers and a new class of trainees is underway.
• Contact Council member Jennifer Campbell: (619) 236-6622. jennifercampbell@sandiego.gov
