Let me begin by thanking Downtown News for providing me the opportunity share a few words in this month’s issue as the newly elected councilmember. I anticipated having the pleasure of sharing my comments months ago, but, as readers of this paper can attest, the many pressing issues involving downtown (and the rest of Council District 2) have afforded me very little time to chronicle my initial thoughts and intended plans. With that, I encourage people to visit our District 2 Web site at www.sandiego.gov for specifics about my office. This includes information about my staff, the communities I represent, current issues, and past and upcoming events.
Unquestionably, downtown is thriving with new housing projects and dynamic businesses and is becoming its own vibrant neighborhood. Communication to my office from downtown residents is now at an all-time high. We receive input daily from those who want to make certain that along with the growth comes attention to traffic congestion, parking issues, public safety and the open space opportunities. I continue to make progress on all of these fronts and look forward to seeing the downtown neighborhood evolve positively from the feedback of the community.
While I have been working on a multitude of policy and community issues throughout the city and my district since January, a current and critical issue affecting downtown is late-night train horns. Fortunately, there is a solution available but progress has not been moving fast enough. Since last fall, the city and Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) began preparations to approach the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to implement a “Quiet Zone” downtown. A “Quiet Zone” limits, but does not prohibit, the use of train horns as the train passes through a public crossing. To expedite this important quality of life issue, on July 17, my office in coordination with CCDC held a public meeting regarding the status of the implementation of a Quiet Zone downtown. The event was attended by hundreds of residents, and everyone had the opportunity to be heard. The panel consisted of representatives from CCDC, the FRA, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BSNF), the San Diego Metro Transit District, the North County Transit District and the police department. The community impressed upon me, and more importantly the panel, the urgency of getting this zone implemented. Rest assured that I am committed to actively pursuing the establishment of 13 Quiet Zone crossings in the downtown area as quickly as possible. Furthermore, I will hold monthly meetings to keep all interested parties focused on concrete implementation milestones until our goal of safe and quiet downtown rail crossings is achieved.
While the city overall has been facing challenging times, I’ve always said that I consider myself an optimist. The first few months serving as your councilmember for District 2 have only strengthened that outlook. I believe downtown is flourishing, and I understand that we must remain focused on creating vital infrastructure, such as the Quiet Zone, as we continue to set our sights on the future. By making smart planning decisions today, downtown San Diego will be a livable community, a nucleus of economic activity and a distinctive world-class city for generations to come.
Please take a minute and share with me your thoughts on how we can continue to improve our downtown neighborhoods. It’s our community, and together we have the ability to share our future. I can be reached via phone at (619) 236-6622 or email [email protected].