por Jay Wilson

The Del Cerro Action Council quarterly meeting in January was lively as the program featured San Diego County Treasurer/Tax Collector Dan McAllister. His presentation was informative and entertaining, covering the duties of his job and how he and his staff serve the public.

McAllister provided an insightful overview of his department’s responsibilities, how it operates, where our taxes go, and how his office is keeping pace with technology. He emphasized that more and more property owners are paying online. The department’s website, sdtreastax.com, is full of helpful information. McAllister discussed how our tax bill document has been improved to make it easier to read and understand. Many of the improvements have come from taxpayers’ suggestions.

We also had the pleasure of meeting David Ege, the new, enthusiastic and energetic branch manager of the San Carlos Library. Ege is interested in hearing from everyone who uses the San Carlos Library to let him know what he can do to improve the library. He is already contributing to the New San Carlos Library Committee.

Yes, there is a New San Carlos Library Committee. City staff is waiting on a report from the county which, it is hoped, will give a clean bill of environmental health to the property on the corner of Golfcrest and Jackson Drive. The city has signed a contract with Domus Studio Architects to begin working on the final design of the new library.

We were pleased to have a strong contingent from the Eastern Division Police Department, with Capt. Bernie Colon, Lt. Mike Swanson, and our Police Community Relations Officer, Adam McElroy, in attendance.

“We have a fulltime Quality of Life Team that will be dealing with transients and all quality-of- life crimes. The team will also be active in the Adobe Falls area,” Lt. Swanson said. “The team will be going out into the community. Keep us in the loop regarding community concerns. We need intelligence on what is happening in your community that may be crime related. The team is comprised of two officers, who are primarily active in mornings. The two officers have been at Eastern Division for 10-12 years so they know your community.”

Contact CRO Adam McElroy at [email protected] or 858-495-7971 to report homeless activity.

Cpl. Mark Peterson, the Community Resource Officer for the SDSU Police Department, and Nicole Borunda, the Community Relations Manager for SDSU, addressed the DCAC regarding the ongoing issue of Adobe Falls and the negative impact that increased activity at Adobe Falls is having on the residents adjacent to the area. Borunda emphasized that she is working with the neighbors adjacent to Mill Peak to fence off the area to deter anyone entering Adobe Falls from that location.

Mark Rawlins, chair of DCAC, commented that he is interested in discussing a maintenance-assessment district (MAD) and will provide an update on this matter at the April 28 meeting of the DCAC. If you are interested in helping, contact Mark by posting an item on the DCAC website: delcerroactioncouncil.org.

Del Cerro resident David Morrison commented on Neighborhoods for Clean Elections, a group working to promote public funding for local candidates. For more information, go to sdcleanelections.com.

Sharmaine Moseley, executive director of the San Diego Police Citizens Review Board, will be our guest speaker for the April 28 Del Cerro Action Council. At police Capt. Colon’s Eastern Division Community Advisory Committee meeting, Moseley made an impressive presentation. The purpose of the board is to review and evaluate complaints brought by members of the public against SDPD officers, and to review and evaluate the administration of discipline arising from sustained complaints. The board also reviews and evaluates officer-involved shootings, all in-custody deaths, and all police actions that result in the death of a person. Because of the significance of this board, Councilmember Scott Sherman will also be inviting members of the Navajo community to attend.

––Jay Wilson is secretary of the Del Cerro Action Council. Reach him at [email protected].