On January 1, San Diego embarked on an exciting five-year experiment, giving the mayor control over all aspects of how the city is run and giving the power to make new laws to the city council. We recently celebrated the first 100 days for the council-manager form of city government. It’s a significant milestone and a good opportunity to reflect on what the change has meant for the city and for the First District.When I was elected by my council colleagues to be the city’s first council president, I vowed that my work on citywide issues would not push district projects and concerns to the margins. I’m pleased and proud that we have been able to make great progress on projects in La Jolla as well as working on initiatives that benefit all San Diegans.Much of the progress made this year aligns with my goals of enhancing our neighborhoods and improving our parks, trails, beaches and bays. These quality of life issues are extremely important to the residents of La Jolla. I’m especially pleased that we’ve been able to complete so many projects despite the city’s financial problems.One of the ways we’ve worked to improve our neighborhood is by expanding La Jolla Village Drive west of I-5. This project will bring much needed relief to residents and drivers as well as improving the landscaping in that area. My office also coordinated with the Alpha Project to remove trash and overgrown shrubbery from La Jolla Parkway. In order to protect our precious coastline and ocean water, we refurbished sewer pump station 19 in Bird Rock, which helps prevent sewage spills from fouling our beaches. I worked with a group of local students to install signs at the La Jolla Cove tidal pools to remind visitors to respect these natural resources. And I worked with my council colleague Jim Madaffer to propose a ban on smoking at all city parks and beaches. This will help eliminate the unsightly cigarette butt litter as well as reduce the risk of fire in our open space areas.Our community also benefits from the work the mayor and council have done to protect our children and families and fund streets and sidewalks. This commitment can be seen in the mayor’s proposed budget, which the council will be considering over the next two months. It shores up spending on items such as street resurfacing and boosts the budget for our public safety agencies. This is great news for La Jolla. Contrary to what some people may think, our streets are not paved with gold, to say the least. There is much deferred street maintenance to be done. Because of the change in city government, this is the first time the mayor will present his budget proposal to the council, which will consider it and propose changes. We’ll hold public hearings and send our suggestions back to the mayor, who will approve or veto them. The public will have several opportunities to provide their input on the proposed budget, and I encourage you to attend one of our public meetings. The council will hold three full-day budget hearings on May 3, 4 and 5 to consider the budgets of police and fire, libraries, park and recreation and other city departments.You can find out more about the mayor’s proposed budget by visiting the city’s Web site, www.sandiego.gov. District 1 City Councilman Scott Peters contributes a monthly Council Corner column spotlighting City Hall happenings pertinent to the La Jolla area.