District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer will field questions from the community with a little help from Mayor Jerry Sanders and Police Chief William Landsdowne in a long-awaited town hall meeting Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Pacific Beach Town Council will host the gathering at Pacific Beach Middle School, 4676 Ingraham St. The mayor and police chief are attending at Faulconer’s invitation. Representatives from Save Pacific Beach and Discover Pacific Beach will also be present.
The councilman has participated in town hall meetings in Ocean Beach and Point Loma since taking office in January, but has yet to engage in a wide-ranging dialogue with Pacific Beach residents about local complaints and concerns.
Faulconer has, however, addressed isolated issues, such as the Pacific Beach Street Fair (formerly the Pacific Beach Block Party), the detox center’s relocation, July Fourth preparedness and beach infrastructure.
He said a more comprehensive discussion is necessary to stay in touch with each District 2 neighborhood.
“I feel that the best way to really have the best pulse to know what’s going on is to have people come and ask [their questions] directly,” Faulconer said, adding that he anticipates discussion of alcohol issues, traffic and parking, public safety and the city’s financial state.
There is no docket for the meeting and all community members are welcome to attend. George Biagi, deputy press secretary for the mayor, said Sanders will be ready to speak on a myriad of issues, from oversize vehicles to the smoking ban to street sweeping and the Kroll audit.
“Anything is on the table,” Biagi said. “I think the citizens are going to decide what the agenda is.”
Sanders himself is not unfamiliar with Pacific Beach issues “” he accompanied the councilman on a tour of District 2 in April, which included a stop at the end of Fanuel Street to inspect cliff erosion.
And recently, Sanders made two appearances at Mission Bay to address a bacterial contamination of the water first detected July 5. The city has yet to identify the source, though a suspected sewage spill prompted the city to close the beaches on July 25, most of which were reopened to swimmers by the end of the week.
Faulconer said he has met with Sanders on the issue and will present all available information and developments to the public at the forum.
“I don’t like to shy away from tough questions or tough issues,” he added.
Ben Nicholls, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach, said that he hopes to hear the councilman, mayor and police chief comment on a neighborhood parking strategy, a maintenance assessment district and the Pacific Beach community covenant “” an agreement with bars to be good neighbors.
Also of local interest is the detox center, which must be moved from its downtown home of 26 years by Dec. 31. Residents strongly protested the center’s planned relocation to Pacific Beach in January, at which time Faulconer took responsibility for finding the Volunteers of America-run facility an alternate site, though he has yet to discuss what properties are currently being considered.
For more information, contact the District 2 office at (619) 236-6622.