A lot of effort at City Hall recently has been geared toward opposing Sacramento’s plan to disband redevelopment agencies across California. Most of San Diego’s beach communities are not eligible to receive redevelopment dollars, but that hasn’t kept us from working together to improve our neighborhoods. All of us owe a big thank you to the community leaders and groups who helped us get to where we are today, including the Pacific Beach Town Council, Pacific Beach Planning Group, Discover Pacific Beach and the Mission Beach Town Council. I have no doubt that, with your help, we will continue to protect San Diego’s beaches and bays. Those beaches and bays, and our neighborhoods, are jewels. They attract millions of people – locals and tourists – every year who come to surf, sun, swim, bike, walk, jog, barbeque, read and otherwise forget about life for a while. Some of our recent accomplishments include: • Repaving South Mission Boulevard • Overhauling pump stations in Pacific and Mission beaches • Leading the campaign for the Mission Bay Park ordinance, which keeps revenue generated in Mission Bay there • Installing stop signs and crosswalks in Pacific Beach to enhance pedestrian safety • Making our beaches cleaner, safer and more family friendly by removing alcohol • Banning “Floatopia” events on Mission Bay • Replacing more than eight miles of 75-year-old sewer pipes in Pacific Beach • Repaving miles of streets in Pacific Beach and Mission Beach • Replacing restrooms at Palisades Park • Replacing rotting picnic pavilion at Crown Point in Mission Bay Park • Saving the city’s firepits from budget cuts Numerous projects are under way, including plans for a new lifeguard station in north Pacific Beach. We have secured money for the design. On Friday, April 29, we’re breaking ground on the new Rose Creek pedestrian bridge at Mission Bay Park. The city also is replacing lights at Pacific Beach Tennis Club — the only public tennis courts in the beach area. I committed to fixing the lights in 2010, but the discretionary funding source at City Hall was recently eliminated, so I allocated $25,000 from my office budget. We secured new lighting for Garnet Avenue — 68 new lights are being replaced. We fought to keep the undergrounding of unsightly utility lines in south Mission Beach on schedule after learning the city wanted to move the project to the last on the list — year 2065. We also helped persuade the city to repair the seawall and boardwalk from south Mission Beach to north Pacific Beach. Work is scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day. I care deeply about the beach areas, and I routinely visit the bays, the beaches, the boardwalk and other places with my family. What’s most important to me, however, is you. I want to hear from you. What’s working? What isn’t? Where do we need to turn our attention? Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Mission Bay Park – these are our neighborhoods and it’s up to us to keep them looking their best. Many thanks for your ideas, hard work and support. — San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer represents District 2, which includes Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Mission Bay.