Liquid Gold

Since its inception, I have been a strong supporter of San Diego’s Family Justice Center.  It is a nationally recognized model in addressing domestic violence that is being emulated around the world. 

I have served as Chair of the Family Justice Center Steering Committee and know firsthand about the Center’s many accomplishments.

Once again, I am honored to be part of their innovative “Wine & Breezes” fundraising event. It brings together all the right elements: outstanding people in a picture perfect location sampling the very best food and wine to benefit a cause I believe in.  It gets even better - there will be two live jazz bands and the opportunity to learn what the pros know about premier wines from 10 wineries located in Temecula.

You don’t want to miss this social event that takes place on May 21st from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on the Weisz Estate in Poway. For $75 per person you can help the Family Justice Center and have an enjoyable afternoon. I invite you to sample the fun. For more information, download a copy of the invitation by clicking here or call event Co-Chair Denise Bowman at 619-516-1612.

More about Chollas Triangle 

You will recall that the Alpha Project, Teen Challenge, Waste Management and KGTV 10News recently partnered with my office to clean up a section of Chollas Triangle.  Volunteers turned out to help remove furniture, trash, weeds and brush as well as paint out graffiti. 

As a follow up, I asked our City’s Environmental Services Department to clean up the adjacent section of Chollas Creek. The City removed transient encampment sites along the creek and cleaned up the debris. It is all part of my plan to clean up and revitalize the area.

Wiping Out Graffiti

Boy Scouts Troop 950 did a great job on Saturday, February 25th in cleaning up graffiti in the storm drain at the San Carlos Recreation Center. This is the same storm drain on the north side of the Recreation Center that was vandalized in January. It took about two hours to paint out the graffiti.

The Scouts received a firsthand lesson in graffiti vandalism. The Scouts were pleased to know two of the three vandals were caught, however, they said the vandals who did the graffiti should have been cleaning up also as part of their punishment.  San Diego Police Sgt. Dale Shockley, who was on the scene at a Mission Trails Little League winter season game with his son the day it happened, deserves credit for his help in apprehending two people who were spraying graffiti.

On behalf of the community I thank Tyler and Garrett Erwin, Ryan Wolf, Taylor Tonner, Adam Whalen, Connor Smith, Ryan Klumph, Ethan Cummins, Jeff Felios, Adam Iverson, John Croke, and Jack Wilson who were part of the Boy Scouts project. Thanks also to Mary Eglin, the Troop Committee Coordinator, for arranging this clean up and to Renee Dominguez from the City's Graffiti Control/Removal Department for providing paint, buckets and rollers.   

Keep Your Family Safe

On Saturday, April 29th I’m holding the Keep Your Family Safe event. This will be bigger than ever with many agencies all on one stage with multiple aspects of keeping you and your family safe.

In January, I held a special public meeting for residents of my district on disaster preparedness.  It was standing room only and the response was so great that it inspired this event. 

You’ll be able to register your child with the child identification program, purchase a Red Cross emergency pack, see the robot used by the bomb squad, join a Neighborhood Watch program, learn what the Community Emergency Response Team does and much more.

It is part of the SpringFest Celebration in the Allied Gardens Community Park located at 5155 Greenbrier Avenue. Please see the calendar in the section below titled Happenings in the Distinct.

Helping Those Who Need Help

In February I visited the City’s Homeless Winter Shelter Program which is run by the Alpha Project. I’ve been a longtime supporter of the non-profit Alpha Project and admire their method of lending hand up rather than a handout.

 

Thank you to the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Wells Fargo, San Diego Chargers player Shawne Merriman, John Moores, San Diego National Bank, Weingart-Price Fund at the San Diego Foundation, Union Bank of California, Black Mountain Ranch LLC and Lennar for contributing so that all three shelters could remain open until April 5th instead of March 15th. It was extended again.  Last Tuesday, Bob McElroy, president of the Alpha Project, said he’s providing funding so that the Winter Shelter will remain open until April 28th.  I share his goal of finding a way to make it a year-round Winter Shelter program.
 

 In Praise of RSVP

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is a wonderful program that I’ve written about in the past.  All of us benefit from their efforts in assisting the police department.

The San Diego Police Department is looking for additional volunteers in the communities of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos and Tierrasanta. I encourage residents who have an interest to join. This active group of seniors assist by issuing disabled parking citations, visiting housebound seniors, patrolling communities, checking on homes while residents are vacationing, conducting business security checks, searching for lost persons and patrolling schools and streets in specially marked RSVP vehicles.

I invite you to go on a ride-along with a member of RSVP to see firsthand how rewarding it is.  For more information, please call 858-495-7990 or (619) 287-7787.

Traffic Updates

My latest project is to install several stop signs near Ace Street in order to prevent accidents on a sharp curve. It requires time and effort to see these projects completed, however, I believe they are well worth the effort. I want to tell you about recent improvements in the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Grantville and Del Cerro (Navajo) and Tierrasanta.

The Navajo area traffic improvements include the following:

• Installed an all-way stop on Hillandale Drive at Deerfield Street
• Installed a pedestrian crossing sign for eastbound and westbound traffic on Navajo Road approaching Jaffe Court
• Installed playground signs for northbound and southbound traffic near the 7000 block of Murray Park Drive
• Installed a stop ahead sign for northbound traffic on Lake Badin Avenue approaching Lake Adlon Drive
• Installed a street name sign at Golfcrest Drive and Navajo Road
• Installed a left-turn-center-turn-lane on Bisby Lake Avenue between Bashan Lake Avenue and San Carlos Drive
• Installed a left turn pocket for eastbound traffic on Camino del Rio North for the easterly entrance of Chili’s Restaurant
• Installed a 25 MPH speed limit sign for northbound traffic on Delbarton Street north of Seaman Street
• Installed three additional 40 MPH speed limit signs on Jackson Drive between Park Ridge Boulevard and Tuxedo Road
• Installed ten no pedestrian crossing signs in the median in front of Hearst Elementary School on Del Cerro Boulevard
• Installed a red curb at the intersection of Wandermere Drive and Green Gables Avenue and Wandermere Drive and Belle Glade Avenue
• Installed ladder crosswalks at Gage Elementary School on Highwood Drive and Bisby Lake Avenue, Highwood Drive and Coleshill Drive and Whelan Drive and Bisby Lake Avenue
• Installed ladder crosswalks at Benchley-Weinberger Elementary School on Twin Lake Drive and Jackson Drive, Twin Lake Drive and Topaz Lake Avenue, Twin Lake Drive and Lake Ree Avenue, Twin Lake Drive and Gloria Lake Avenue
• Installed no stopping signs on both sides of Navajo Road near Boulder Lake Avenue
• Installed school speed limit 25 MPH when children are present signs for eastbound and westbound traffic on Navajo Road approaching Boulder Lake Avenue
• Installed a red curb to improve visibility at 6916 Southgate Drive, 4703 Mission Gorge Road, 4704 Mission Gorge Road as well as at the following intersections: Bisby Lake Avenue and Lake Ben Avenue, Boulder Lake Avenue and Navajo Road, Boulder Lake Avenue and Tommy Drive, Mission Mesa Way and Mission Mesa Way (loop street) Forrestal Road and Park Ridge Boulevard, Ridge Manor Avenue and Camino Largo, Fontaine Street and Linna Place

The Tierrasanta traffic improvements include the following:

• Installed a stop sign on Valdina Drive at Via Dominque
• Installed a no outlet sign facing westbound traffic on Pavo Real Drive west of Colina Dorada Drive
• Installed a red curb to improve visibility at the intersection of Calle de Vida and Calamar Road.
• Traffic signal retimed for the flashing don’t walk time for the pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Santo Road at Antigua Boulevard to provide additional crossing time
• Traffic signal retimed for the yellow light for north and southbound left turns at the Santo Road and Antigua Boulevard intersection
• Implemented new traffic signal timing at the intersection of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at Antigua Boulevard
• Implemented new traffic signal timing at the intersection of La Cuenta Drive at Tierrasanta Boulevard

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By Kayleigh Neel, Patrick Henry Colorguard member & an intern in Councilmember Madaffer’s office

From March 15th to 20th, the Patrick Henry High School Marching Band and Colorguard went to New York City to participate in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade.  It was truly an unforgettable experience.  Under the direction of Matthew Kalal and Drum Major Christian Rhoads, we made our way down Fifth Avenue on March 17th for the parade.  That morning, we put on layers of clothing under our Patriot uniforms to prepare to march in the mid-thirty degree weather.  During the parade, which was over forty blocks long, we marched past the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trump Tower, parts of Central Park, and all of the famous Fifth Avenue stores.  It was hard work to repeat the routine over and over in the cold, windy weather, but it was rewarding because we were the only band from the entire West Coast to perform and the crowd kept us smiling as they cheered us on.

On our last day in New York, just before leaving for the airport, the band played a mini concert at Trump Tower.  While doing so, we had a huge surprise!  George Ross, from the Trump Corporation and from the television show The Apprentice, came out to watch the concert.  Afterwards, he stayed to take pictures with the band and shake everybody’s hand.  It was the perfect way to end the trip.

However, while the trip was a lot of hard work, we also had a lot of fun and got to see many famous sights such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, the Empire State Building, and Ground Zero.  We were able to go shopping in Times Square and on Fifth Avenue as well in Chinatown and Little Italy; we toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art, went to Central Park, and, to top it all off, went to a production of Wicked on Broadway. 

It was a long, wonderful five days of going around the city from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. every day, but it was the experience of a lifetime and I am glad that our band was able to represent the City of San Diego. 

The City of San Diego relies on the expertise of citizens who serve on the City’s Boards and Commissions. These unpaid positions are a way for people to donate their time and talent in a significant way. The types of boards and commissions are as varied as the people who serve. There are a few that currently have openings or will soon: Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission, Civil Service Commission, Local Enforcement Agency Hearing Panel, Funds Commission, Housing Commission, Planning Commission, City Public Utilities Advisory Commission, Qualcomm Stadium Advisory Board, Balboa Park Committee, Board of Building Appeals & Advisors, Historical Resources Board, International Affairs Board, Board of Library Commissioners, Mission Bay Park Committee, Old Town San Diego Planned District, Park and Recreation Board, Sustainable Energy Advisory Board and La Jolla Shores Planned District. To find out more about the Boards and Commissions, please click here http://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/boards-commissions/.  If you would like to be considered for nomination, please send me your bio and a brief letter of interest via email or mail, which are listed at the end of this newsletter.
 

From time to time I include a few community events taking place throughout the District. Here are a few you may be interested in:

April 29 – My Keep Your Family Safe event takes place as part of the 7th annual SpringFest.  We’ll have booths at the event where you can find out more and a special presentation right after the parade concludes around 12 noon.  See the article above or contact my office at (619) 236-6677 for more information.

April 29 – The 7th annual SpringFest and Parade takes place on Saturday, April 29th from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and the parade begins at 11:00 a.m. at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center located at 5155 Greenbrier Avenue.  The festivities include a pancake breakfast, retail and craft booths, classic car show, live entertainment, refreshments and activities for the family. For more information, visit the website at www.navajoevents.com.

April 29 – From 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department will hold an Auto Product Recycling Event.  City of San Diego residents are encouraged to bring their used or leftover auto products for disposal and recycling at the Metropolitan Wastewater Operations Center located in Kearny Mesa at 5571 Topaz Way at the corner of Kearny Villa Road and Topaz Way. Only used motor oil, oil filters, contaminated oil, antifreeze and auto batteries are accepted. The service is free to City of San Diego residents and there is a 10 gallon limit. For more information, visit their web site at www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/autoproducts.shtml

May 2 – A guided tour of the Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails Regional Park will take place from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.  Learn about the history of the dam, the ecology of the park and the wildlife that lives there. Meet at the Old Mission Dam parking lot in the park located at One Father Juniper Serra Trail between Mission Gorge Road and Santee. For more information, call the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center at (619) 668-3275 or visit their web site at www.mtrp.org.

May 12 – The City of San Diego’s Senior Citizens Services is holding a three- part seminar that includes a presentation by Jeff Kotterman, the director of the National Association of Sports, on how senior citizens can live a healthier, younger lifestyle by making small, yet necessary changes to their eating and exercise habits.  There will also be a presentation about travel opportunities for seniors.  To register or for more information call (619)236-6905.

May 20 – Explore Mission Trails Day takes place beginning at 9:00 a.m. There will be activities throughout the park all day long. For more information, call the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center at (619) 668-3275 or visit their web site at www.mtrp.org/.

I wish I could include every single community event but unfortunately I have to limit it to a few each issue.  We welcome submissions.  For upcoming events you would like to see in the next eNewsletter, please email information to lwebb@sandiego.gov.

Neighborhood E-Watch Keeps You Informed

The City of San Diego's Neighborhood eWatch provides information about crime incidents in the City of San Diego to the public for free via the Internet and is updated every 24 hours. I introduced this popular service last year and encourage you to use it.  The web site address is: http://ewatch.sandiego.gov.

Thanks for reading the eNewsletter.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to send me your thoughts on issues by sending email to jmadaffer@sandiego.gov and please forward this email to your friends who might enjoy reading it. They can always visit JimMadaffer.com/email to sign up themselves.

I welcome hearing from you at any time and rely on your opinion.

Regards,

Jim

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