By Jay Wilson | Del Cerro Action Council News
The July Del Cerro Action Council (DCAC) met on July 25. The minutes of the April meeting are posted on the DCAC website. The next meeting will be held Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El.
Police reports
San Diego State University Police Corporal reported officers from the department have been routinely policing the Adobe Falls area. The fall semester begins Aug. 27 and the primary student move-in dates are Aug. 23 and 24. There will initially be a lot more traffic as students find their way. Email officer Peterson at [email protected].
SDPD Community Relations Officer John Steffen reported there have been very few crimes in the recent weeks and he encouraged everyone to keep their doors and windows locked even during the summer months. Don’t give a criminal an opportunity. To contact Officer Steffen, email him at [email protected]
Elected officials reports
Jonathan Clark from Rep. Susan Davis’ office reported the congresswoman has been working diligently on the AIM Higher Act program to determine how we make college affordable and make it affordable for as many students as possible with better repayment plans. She has also been working on a bill to provide funding for apprenticeships throughout the nation.
Rep. Davis scheduled two community events. On Saturday, July 27, there was a panel discussion at SDSU regarding U.S./Russia relations and on Aug. 4, there was a town hall meeting at Southwestern College. The website for Rep. Davis is susandavis.house.gov.
Liz Saidkhanian, manager of community outreach for Councilmember Scott Sherman, reported that to minimize the homeless situation along the San Diego River, in the past year crews removed 260,000 pounds of debris. This included 474 tires, 4,109 mattresses and box springs, 1,539 shopping carts and 198 appliances.
The city no longer has to give homeless individuals a 72-hour official notice to vacate public property due to the opening of the new homeless storage facility.
“With the new storage facility, we only have to give a three-hour notice since there is now a place for individuals to store their belongings,” Saidkhanian said. “So far, 150 people have taken advantage of the program.”
To contact Saidkhanian, email her at [email protected].
All Peoples Church
Marcella Escobar-Eck, a principal with The Atlantis Group, the land use planning firm for All Peoples Church, stated the Navajo Community Planners recommended approval of the request by the All Peoples Church to initiate a plan amendment to the Navajo Community Plan (NCP). This allows the church to proceed with an application to amend the NCP. There will be community outreach in the neighborhood regarding their application.
Dr. Eric Frost, a resident of Del Cerro asked the church to look at the lack of lighting along the College Avenue sidewalk from Interstate 8 to Del Cerro Boulevard. He is asking because it is not safe at night for anyone walking home into Del Cerro.
Pastor Robert Herber and Marcela were asked about residential units. The answer was no residential units are being built on the property and there will be no daycare or a school. The main activity is Sunday with much smaller meetings during the week.
Marcela mentioned that in a preliminary hearing, the city planning commissioners commented that the church needs to be conscious of the traffic.
SDSU
Rachel Gregg, the Government and Community Relations Manager for SDSU, stated that the university is working with the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) regarding Adobe Falls to gain access to the property for restoration of the property following the fire. The SDRC is evaluating what can be done.
Caltrans recently installed the long-awaited gate on the SDSU side of the storm drain tunnel that runs under I-8 with direct access to Adobe Falls.
Gregg mentioned Dr. Frost and SDSU staff are working on solutions for Adobe Falls after the fire. She also invited anyone to come for a tour of SDSU. Her email address is [email protected].
“We are looking at the possible solutions for any upcoming rains — El Niño possibility is building,” Dr. Frost commented. “The Adobe Falls fire burned a number of homeless encampments. One simple thing being done, is to try and break up the crust of the ground to help the water seep into the ground instead of rolling off into the Adobe Falls creek.”
Dr. Frost pointed out that in 1960, when the I-8 freeway was built, the Adobe Falls Creek path was changed. Virtually all of the area in the Adobe Falls Canyon is compacted from the freeway construction.
Dr. Adella de la Torre has been invited to meet the residents of Del Cerro at the October DCAC meeting. To accommodate Dr. de la Torre’s schedule, the meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 22. She wants to know more about our community.
Community business
The DCAC was asked to again look into:
Reinstalling the “No U Turn” sign, facing west, in the median at Del Cerro Boulevard and Marne Avenue.
Whether the red curb by the mail box be painted white to legally allow a car to stop by the mailbox to mail a letter.
Whether the property owners of the Windmill Shopping Center should designate a pathway for pedestrians walking up from Del Cerro Boulevard and/or Madra Avenue into the shopping center. This will improve safety for everyone walking to the Windmill Shopping Center.
— Jay Wilson is secretary of the Del Cerro Action Council. Visit delcerroactionconcil.org.
