Certain City issues you want to know about? Click here to update your preferences. 

With so much going on, keeping you up to date with my eNewsletter is a chance for me to tell you about issues and events and more importantly, for you to send me your thoughts and comments. You can write me by clicking on this link.
If you are new to our eNewsletter, welcome! People are regularly added to the list by contacting our office or having joined from our website. Do we have your correct zip code on file? Having your zip code on file is important when we have updates specific for your area only. Are you able to view all the photos? (select HTML in preferences) Please click this link and update your preferences so we can send you the most relevant information.

And please share this eNewsletter with your friends and neighbors - you can send them their own copy. It's best if you use the "forward" feature by clicking this link - that way all the photos and formatting stays the same along with a special message from you.

Our email list has tremendously grown in size this past year - not just with folks in my City Council District, but around the city and beyond. It's a great way to stay up to date with some of the many important issues going on in and around San Diego.

Thanks for reading the eNewsletter!

 

 
 

 

 
Dear Friend:

Don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend when daylight-saving time ends.  For those of you who like to have more sunlight earlier in the day and for those who like to have an extra hour of sleep on Sunday then this is the weekend you’ve been waiting for. Sunday morning at 2 a.m. is when we go back to Pacific Standard Time.



 

Now those of you who know me well realize I always like to know the why in things.  So I did some checking and have some news few people probably realize.  Currently, daylight time begins in the United States on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.  These dates were recently modified with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. Law #109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005). Starting in March 2007, daylight time in the United States will begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.
 

Not all places in the U.S. observe daylight time. In particular, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it. Indiana just recently adopted the use of it beginning in 2006.







In 2007, daylight time begins on March 11 and ends on November 4. [New law goes into effect.]

In 2008, daylight time begins on March 9 and ends on November 2.

If you’d like more information, you can visit the U.S. Naval Observatory’s official website for more information at

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/daylight_time.html
 

 
It’s BOO Time  –

One of the best events is coming up. The annual Windmill Farms Boulevard BOO! Parade takes place this Saturday, October 28th and you and your family won’t want to miss it. It begins at 12 noon at El Cajon Boulevard and College Avenue.

As a supporter of this event, I’m looking forward to being in the parade and am excited that Mayor Jerry Sanders will be the Grand Marshal. It’s free, it’s fun, and it has live entertainment, food, games, booths and the famous costume contest. Don’t forget the carnival rides at Clay Park one block south of El Cajon Boulevard are open from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. 
 

I always look forward to the Boulevard Boo Parade and am pleased that our community puts on this stellar event. For more information, visit their web site at

 

Update on Mini Dorms

As you know, on September 19th I held a community forum on the topic of mini dorms in the College Area. To say it was well attended is the understatement of the year.  In fact, we had to, unfortunately, turn people away due to lack of space. For those of you missed it, click here to see the video {insert link}.
I want to update you on some developments. First, as the Chair I am bringing this vital issue to the City Council’s Land Use & Housing Committee.  I invite you to attend the Wednesday, November 29th meeting at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located in the City Administration Building at 202 C Street downtown.  Various City departments including the Development Services Department, Code Enforcement Department and the City Attorney’s office will address these points such as:

1) Why aren’t mini dorms, which are a business, subject to the same rules and regulations that apply to operating a home business?

2) What are the necessary steps to impose a temporary building/conversion moratorium?

3) What are the necessary steps to impose a temporary garage conversion moratorium?

The other important development is a firmer commitment to this issue and a new can-do approach by the City of San Diego. Mayor Jerry Sanders deserves credit for recognizing how far reaching this issue is. A concrete example of this resolve is a memo by the City’s new Development Services Director Marcela Escobar-Eck and Jim Waring, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Land Use and Economic Development.  I applaud what they say.  .

Resurfacing Antigua Boulevard


Tierrasanta residents have been waiting for this for over 15 years. Antigua Boulevard is one of the oldest and more heavily traveled streets in the community and, because of that, it shows much wear and tear.  First paved in 1971, it needed improvement and I’ve been working the last couple of years to coordinate efforts.  It doesn’t make sense to have road work done one week only to have the City or some contractor come in and tear it up the next. I waited until our new landscaped median project on Antigua was completed so the work could begin.  

 

Improvement work on Antigua Boulevard is a two-part project. The first part has already begun and should conclude the first week of November.  The resurfacing process on Antigua Boulevard from Clairemont Mesa Boulevard to Santo Road will use a cape seal which is a process that the City recently began using.  The Mayor and I announced this new process for San Diego at a recent press conference in North Park. 

The resurfacing process on Antigua Boulevard from Villarica Way to Via Valarta will use a slurry seal.

The second part of the project will be scheduled after the rainy season ends. The middle part of Antigua Boulevard from Via Vallarta to Santo Road will receive an overlay process.

Allow me to provide some broad definitions of the surface treatments:

Slurry seal is a single layer surface treatment used on streets in fair condition to prevent further deterioration that could lead to more costly repairs.  It is comprised of a thin layer of emulsion (oil, water and recycled tire rubber) and fine sand that is mixed together in a truck prior to being placed on the pavement.  After being poured on the street the slurry seal is spread over the entire street surface with a squeegee.  The typical service life of a rubberized slurry seal is approximately eight to 10 years.

 

Cape seal is a multi-layer one-week long surface treatment used on streets in fair to poor condition.  It is comprised of a layer of hot oil (with recycled tire rubber) that is sprayed on the pavement by means of a truck with a large oil tank.  Immediately following that a layer of gravel sized rock (3/8”) is spread onto the hot oil.  The rock is also coated with rubberized oil.  Immediately after the rock is applied it is rolled with a large compactor or roller.  After the rock is initially rolled any loose rocks are swept and returned to the plant for recycling.  The final layer of the cape seal is a top coat of slurry seal that is applied usually five days later.  The typical service life of a cape seal is 15 to 20 years.

Overlay treatment is primarily a new pavement with a minimum of two inches of asphalt surface. The edges of the street closest to the gutter end up being higher than the middle of the street because utility crews place layer upon layer of patches each time they dig up the street. Therefore the edges of the street are ground down and leveled before being overlaid with a new surface. This is a more expensive and longer lasting treatment.

Street repair isn’t a glamorous or headline grabbing topic but it certainly is an important back-to-basics kind of issue. I’m committed to working on behalf of residents in seeing that the City provides good service including maintaining streets in good condition. That is something we can all relate to.

 

Ugly Lines Go Underground

Residents joined J.C. Thomas of SDG&E, Ileana Ovalle of Cox Communications and Ignacio de la Torre and Christine Moore of AT&T and me in celebrating the removal of the last utility pole on Lake Shore Drive. In this case 13 was a lucky number because this was the 13th and last pole removed. It was a milestone with another major utility underground project in the San Carlos area. Nearly 2,500 feet of overhead utility lines serving 55 homes on Lake Shore Drive were moved underground. It is an expensive task – it cost $881,881 to complete this project.

The plan is to finish undergrounding our major thoroughfares and then residential areas.  The goal is to complete one of the 20 segments throughout my district year.  It will take time but the results are well worth it as I’m sure you will agree undergrounding projects are so important to residents of District 7, especially in older communities that are crisscrossed with ugly utility lines.  Removing them has such a tremendous impact in improving our quality of life. 


One Hundred Volunteers

What do you get when you have terrific community leaders such as Jerry and Leslie Calderon spearheading a community clean up?  Spectacular results.







Nearly 100 volunteers joined the Calderons, my District 7 staff members and me for the first annual University Avenue Beautification Day.  Let me repeat that: the “first annual” meaning it was so successful that we’re going to do it again next October. 
 

People enjoyed coffee and donuts at our two registration sites: at the Sears Essentials on the west end and at the Kroc Center at the east end of University Boulevard. Then it was off to pick up litter, paint out graffiti, paint utility boxes, remove weeds, and return discarded shopping carts. 
 

Our friends at Teen Challenge, Urban Corp and ROTC join community leaders such as Doris Perry, Daniele Laman, Jose Lopez, Lyle Wright, Anna Orzel-Arnita, Jody Talbot as well as SDSU students and neighbors in improving the area. You could tell who was part of the cleanup party because they wore bright yellow caps provided courtesy of the Calderons.

 

It was my pleasure to present a proclamation on behalf of the residents to District 7 in gratitude to the Calderons for getting this event off to a successful start. Thank you to everyone who participated – you can really notice the difference along University Avenue.


The Doors Will Be Wide Open

The De Portola Comfort Station in Tierrasanta is completed and we’ll open the doors for business after our upcoming ribbon cutting ceremony.





You are invited to attend the November 30th celebration. It takes place at 10:00 a.m. on the fields of Gaspar de Portola Middle School located at 11010 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. I hope to see you there.

This wonderful new addition to the community houses a snack bar, sports storage area and public restroom for youth sports teams such as soccer and Little League games. It is a joint-use project that is one of several successful partnerships with the San Diego Unified School District.

This long-awaited community enhancement is a perfect example of our commitment to our youth. We are soon to begin work on a similar facility at the North Chollas Fields – a project I’m coordinating with my colleague Councilmember Tony Young for the benefit of the residents of both our Districts from Oak Park and Darnell. 


Everyday Heroes and More

Speaking of Tierrasanta, my wife and I had a chance to go to a new eating establishment called Everyday Hero Deli in the Gateway Center at Hwy 52 and Santo Road.

 

The food was excellent but I’m not telling you that as some sort of restaurant review.  I’m telling you because I am so impressed with the owners. The owners are former hotel chefs Bill Colella and Aaron Arko and former human resources executive Allison Hayhurst. They are friends and former colleagues.
 

At their grand opening in July they announced that a portion of their profits are donated to everyday heroes such as firefighters and lifeguards.  Pictured here is a photo of the check presentation. What a great concept and way to give back to the community.  I applaud them and wish them success.  Visit their restaurant and visit their website at

 


And speaking of heroes

I have continued concern over the staffing levels at SDPD:

The other day, I received the following email from an officer with the San Diego Police Department who is gravely concerned over the reduced level of police protection in our neighborhoods.  I share this with you because our police officers are leaving the force due to a variety of reasons including the uncertainty about their salaries and retirement.  I’ve written about this in past issues of my eNewsletter. Today I wanted to share with you the following letter which should concern us all.  As we move closer to the budget process for next year, it is important you know what’s happening in our police department.  This email says it all.

AN EMAIL TO JIM MADAFFER
FROM A SAN DIEGO POLICE OFFICER

October 21, 2006

Jim,
My name is (name removed by Councilmember Madaffer).  I'm a Police Officer with the San Diego Police Department.  I work the Mid City Division.  My squad’s area of responsibility is from Normal Heights (north of El Cajon Blvd) to the border with La Mesa.  This area obviously includes your district.
 
I'll quickly give you my background.  I'm a third generation San Diegan, who has never lived outside this city.  I love this city and am very proud to be a San Diegan.  I live in Kevin Faulconer's district (2), work in two districts (yours and Toni Atkins') and went to high school with Ben Hueso (whom I am very proud of).  With all my time in San Diego, I could probably connect myself with every council member’s district in some way.  I consider myself a San Diegan first and a police Officer second.
 
I happened to be watching television a few weeks ago and saw your community meeting about the College "mini-dorm" problems. That was a very difficult meeting to run and you really did an excellent job.  I have a great deal of sympathy for the residents of the "College area".  My father grew up on Connie Drive. As a child, I spent countess hours visiting my grandparents there.  My grandparents sold the house in the 80's (thank god).  I can't even imagine them having to deal with the college students today.  Living in the college area is an absolute "nightmare" these days.  I would much rather handle a "shooting scene" than deal with a college party. 
 
Residents often complain to me about this "party problem".  They are normally very angry and feel that the Police aren't doing enough.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to bite my tongue while receiving a lashing from a hostile homeowner.  The thing is...I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FEEL.  I don't blame them one bit.  These poor people are literally hostages in their own homes.  If it was up to me, I wouldn't allow college students to live off campus at all (I know that would never happen, but the thought brings a smile to my face).
 
Last night (10-20-06), we had 12 or 13 Officers working third watch (9:00 pm-7:00 am).  Minimum staffing is 12.  I remember the days when we had 20-25 Officers on a Friday night.  12 Officers is the absolute bare minimum.  It’s only enough to handle about half of the calls on a normal weekend night.  By the time I got out of line-up, it was about 9:20 pm.  I bet we had about 25 calls holding.  Many of which were located in the college area (noise and party calls).  We would clear one call and two more would come in.  We had to handle a call on 44th street involving a suicidal lady who had just fired off a handgun inside her house (I think this was about midnight or so).  We needed about 12 Officers just to handle this incident alone.  As a matter of fact, a two man unit from traffic division had to respond because we needed more officers.  As a result, most of the calls in your district were never handled.  We were never able to catch up.  Usually, a first watch officer will drive by the party address at about 8:00 am the next day.  He or she clears the call with an "all quiet" and goes to the next call.  It seems like we now view the "minimum" staffing level as being fully staffed.  It should be considered a grave problem to only reach the minimum level.    
 
The staffing numbers the city council receives are NOT correct.  The "powers that be" always lead the citizens to believe we have enough Officers to handle all the calls, but we DON’T.  We don't have enough Officers to keep the citizens safe and we don't have enough Officers to keep ourselves safe.  Is there any way the council members can demand accurate staffing reports.  I think every division should fax its council member with the staffing numbers every day.  I'm talking about the actual name of each Officer working each shift.  That way you could see for yourself.  You would be horrified.
 
Please let me know if you need my help in any way.  I'll do what ever I can.  I'm not trying to stir up trouble with the city.  First and foremost, I'm a concerned citizen.  If you'd like, I can provide you with my personal cell number and you can call me anytime?   Thank you for your time.
 
NAME WITHHELD BY COUNCILMEMBER MADAFFER


Substance and Style

The idea was to have a community enhancement that would help improve safety conditions. It is a winning combination to have medians in front of Kumeyaay Elementary School in Tierrasanta that will make it safer for students all the way around.  The bonus is having floral and plant landscaping in the medians in keeping with the natural beauty of the community. 

Landscaped medians are part of my overall beautification goal for the communities in District 7.  I ran for office on a platform of improving our quality of life and this is another example of keeping that commitment.  More importantly, these medians provide an additional safety element for students as they go to Kumeyaay Elementary School each day.  I know that parents of students all breathe easier knowing we are improving the safety conditions in front of the school.

Steve Mosher, the principal of Kumeyaay told me it is a very welcomed addition. He, along with 5th grade students Caitlin Lawler and Michelle Tran, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony I hosted on October 19th.  Mayor Jerry Sanders, Patti Boekamp, Director of Engineering and Capital Projects Department and Mike Smiley, a community leader also participated as well as Tierrasanta residents.
 

My personal thanks to all the residents for being such good neighbors during the construction of this project.  It was an inconvenience and there was an interruption in the progress, however, the work is done and we have one more community enhancement in place.


Walk to School Day
 

I believe in funding projects that have a lasting positive impact on the community. And, of course, any program that helps our youth is a priority. Such is the case with the City Heights Community Development Corporation’s (CHCDC) annual Walk To School Day. The event is a community-wide effort to promote pedestrian and driver safety and advocate for safer crosswalks and pedestrian safety measures and neighborhood improvement.  
 
 

Additionally, I have been very proud to support the Safe Routes to School Program where I provided $200,000 for school improvements in City Heights through my CDBG allocations.
 




On October 4th several City Heights elementary schools participated including Central, Marshall, Edison, Ibarra, Horton, Adams, Hamilton, Cherokee Point, and Euclid.  Each school had activities during the week under the theme of “Slow Down! City Heights Walks to School”.  CHCDC worked with the San Diego Unified School District, Rady Children’s Hospital, City of San Diego’s Traffic Engineering Department, Blue Cross of California, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), San Diego Police Department, Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol, FedEx and my office as well as Councilmember Toni Atkins’ office to organize this event.

 

More School News

There was a dedication ceremony the morning of October 24th for the Herbert Ibarra Elementary School tile mosaic public art piece.  The purpose of the project is to deter graffiti, create an attractive pedestrian streetscape on Orange Avenue, and involve the community in neighborhood improvement. 

The art piece is located along the 80-foot entry sign for the school. It was built by lead artist Pete Evaristo and assistant Todd Stands and includes the work and ideas of students at the school, neighbors, and other community members. The mosaic is created with ceramic tile and features various forms of iguanas, the school mascot, which were drawn by students at the school. It was funded with a combination of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that I allocated Price Charities, and the work of the City Heights CDC and Ibarra staff.

Happenings in the District

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

October 28 – Don’t miss the annual Windmill Farms Boulevard BOO! Parade at 12 noon at El Cajon Boulevard and College Avenue. See the story in this issue of my eNewsletter.  For more information, visit their Web site at www.booparade.com

November 30 – Please join me when we cut the ribbon for the Gaspar de Portola Comfort Station at 10:00 a.m.  The comfort station is located on the joint-use ball fields located at 11010 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Contact my office at (619) 236-6677 for more information.

December 3 – The annual Mission Trails Regional Park Arbor Day takes place at 9:00 a.m.  Volunteers will plant shrubs and plants to add to the vegetation at this beautiful park. For more information, visit the MTRP Web site at http://mtrp.org

March 24-25, 2007 – Get in shape now for the “24 Hour Kroc-A-Thon For Healthy Kids”. It begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and ends 24 hours later.  The participation fee is $30 an hour. The goal is to raise $50,000 for the Kroc Center Scholarship Fund.  For more information contact Chris Marek, Development Director of The Salvation Army Kroc Center at (619) 269-1408 or email to Chris.Marek@usw.sarmy.org

I know it was a long one - but thanks for reading the eNewsletter. 

Regards,

Jim

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 in 2002 and encourage you to use it.  The web site address is:

 

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

to sign up themselves. 

I welcome hearing from you at any time and rely on your opinion. It is an honor to serve you on the San Diego City Council.

Please Forward This Email To Your Friends and Neighbors

If you know someone who might enjoy receiving this email, you can send them their own copy - simply click on this link.

Do we have your email, name, zip code and other information up to date? Please click on this link to update your information so we can send you items of interest to you for your specific area.

If this email was forwarded to you, you can join our email list by clicking here.

We value your privacy. It is our intention to only send this email to those who want timely updates on issues of interest from Councilmember Jim Madaffer. Your email address is shared with nobody. If you would like to be removed from our list, please click on the remove link in the copy below.  Image & file hosting by