News from Councilmember Todd Gloria City of San Diego District Three
Friends, This morning, the Budget and Finance Committee had in depth discussions about the Mayors Five-Year Financial Outlook and about our Capital Improvements Program. Though they may sound boring, both are important. The Mayors Five-Year Financial Outlook is a part of our ongoing budget process and provides a framework for the development of the annual budget as well as our priorities. The Mayors Outlook does include budget surpluses for the next several years, which is good news and testament to our hard work on reforms and efficiencies and the sacrifices agreed to by our employees. Its critical to point out that the outlook also includes several uncertainties which could greatly impact our budget and decrease if not eliminate the potential surpluses, As Ive shared in earlier emails to you, the Citys future Annual Required Contribution (ARC) for retirement costs may be $37 million higher than expected, largely because of the passage of Prop B. In addition, the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency may require the City to take over responsibility for certain projects as well as the debt service support for Petco Park and the last Convention Center expansion. Finally, the economy remains a question mark. The housing market is still uncertain, as is the strength and duration of the recovery. The full outlook and power point are available online. Our Independent Budget Analyst will do a comprehensive review of the Mayors projections and report back to the Council with her thoughts and recommendations on November 26. City staff also provided a report on the State of the Citys Capital Improvements Program this morning. In Fiscal Year 2012, more than 1,900 projects were in some phase in the CIP process; 983 were completed; 186 projects were awarded construction; and $363 million were expended on the improvements. In the same timeframe, there were more than 930 active Public Works projects; 138 Public Works projects completed; and $305 million were invested into the improvements. As someone who has championed infrastructure investment since before my election in 2008, I am impressed with the increased prioritization of these projects. The report demonstrates that our streamlined CIP process is working well, and I look forward to additional progress down the road. Read on for details about this Saturdays community coffee and more information that may be of interest. Coffee with your Councilmember Saturday, October 27, 10:00 11:30 a.m. Alchemy Cultural Fare & Cocktails 1503 30th Street in South Park
Please join me this Saturday morning at Alchemy in South Park for a community coffee. I always enjoy hearing from constituents about issues important to you, so bring your questions and concerns. New Health Resource for City Heights Kids Im sorry that City Council business prevented me from participating in this afternoons grand opening of the Monroe Clark Health and Wellness Center. Im excited that this new center will benefit more than 2,000 City Heights children at Monroe Clark Middle School and three other schools in the neighborhood by providing access to no cost and low-cost comprehensive medical services provided by the San Diego Family Care Mid-City Community Clinic and La Maestra Family Health Centers.
Yard Waste Recycling Update Many green-minded folks have contacted my office to advocate for expansion of the Citys yard waste recycling program. The Environmental Services Departments (ESD) goal is to expand the greenery collection program citywide. Unfortunately the Citys current financial situation, fuel costs, labor shortages, and lack of equipment restrict ESD from expanding the program to any additional areas in the foreseeable future. The Citys financial situation has resulted in either maintenance or, in some cases, consolidation of a variety of City services and programs especially since the 2008-2009 timeframe. The yard waste collection program currently serves 190,000 homes citywide. The service was first extended to areas of town where ESD felt the quantity of greens materials significantly impacted the amount of waste placed in the trash. These areas of town usually have many single family units with larger sized lots that are more likely to have a great deal of landscaping. The last expansion to this program was in 2004. Yard waste recycling is an important component of the Citys overall plan to meet the mandated landfill diversion rate. The greenery section at the Miramar landfill uses the yard waste to produce a number of items including mulch, compost, and wood chips. These products are available to residents for a small fee, and mulch is available free. I look forward to a time when sufficient funding is available to extend the program to additional areas of town, but at this point, I honestly dont know when that might be. Utilizing Technology in Business Saturday, November 10, 8:00 a.m. 12;00 p.m. Celebration Hall at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center 404 Euclid Ave. Yelp and Accion are teaming up with the NYSE Big Start-Up to host this FREE event that features seven experts presenting information on utilizing technology to market and grow your business. In this round robin, participants will attend three 40-minute intensive presentations on the topic most relevant to your current business needs. Free continental breakfast is included. Register at www.accionsandiego.org/roundrobin.html.
My First Home for the Holidays Drive Saturday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
Drop off location: Stonecrest Plaza, 3382 Murphy Canyon Rd. Help brighten the life of a former foster youth by providing essentials like bedding, pots and pans, and cleaning supplies to Just in Time for Foster Youth, an amazing local organization. I encourage you to purchase items at your neighborhood stores, so our small businesses AND young people in need benefit. Learn more at www.jitfosteryouth.org. McKinley Elementary Joint Use Field Public Input Meeting Monday, November 26, 6:00 8:00 p.m. McKinley Elementary, 3045 Felton Street The North Park Recreation Council Meeting in November will feature a design charrette for the planned McKinley Elementary Joint Use Field. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and provide input to ensure the project reflects the needs and desires of the neighborhood.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve,
Todd If you would no longer like to receive updates, please respond to this email and ask to be removed from the list.
