As the Councilmember of San Diego’s 2nd District, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as your representative of the Point Loma and Ocean Beach communities! In my first year as your representative we have made great strides in the way of community outreach, budget successes, and fiscal responsibility.
In Point Loma, I joined over 800 residents at a community forum in opposition to the FAA proposed flight path changes. I also worked with Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Congressman Scott Peters, and Supervisor Greg Cox to show a united front in strong opposition to the FAAs plans. The noise pollution from overhead planes can be disruptive to the lives of Point Loma residents, and I remain a strong supporter of the community’s efforts to retain waypoint LOWMA. My office spearheaded the efforts to address the growing issue of short-term vacation rentals. San Diego is a great place to visit, but it’s also an amazing place to live. Without neighborhood protections, vacation rentals can diminish the character of our communities and disrupt the lives of its residents. I will continue to advocate for measures that will protect our beach and bay neighborhoods, and I expect the City Council to take up the issue in March. I also worked with my colleagues to successfully add two park rangers for our coastline, including a dedicated ranger for our beloved Sunset Cliffs. The new rangers will improve public safety in the parks while ensuring that environmental issues are addressed and visitors can be assisted when necessary. We have also made the city more sustainable by passing the Climate Action Plan to protect San Diego for future generations. The Climate Action Plan is one of the most ambitious and forward thinking plans in California, and aims to increase public transportation and convert all of the city’s energy to renewable within 20 years. Last year my colleagues and I made neighborhood repair efforts a priority, and repaved over 300 miles of roads as part of our goal to repair 1,000 miles in five years. My office has also been proactively patrolling neighborhoods to report and fix potholes. San Diego deserves better roads and I will continue to work towards making that a reality. In Ocean Beach, we unanimously passed the Ocean Beach Community Plan Update. The plan will guide development in Ocean Beach while preserving the character of OB that gives it that small beach town feel that we all know and love.
As a mother of two daughters, I am committed to making our communities the best in the country for raising a family. Just last year we extended recreation center hours by an additional 15 hours a week. Additionally, for years the historic Ocean Beach Library has been uncomfortably hot in the summer due to no air conditioning and I’m proud to announce that knowledge, ideas, and cool air will all flow together now that new air conditioners have been installed! In closing, I believe 2015 was a terrific first year for myself and our communities! I look forward to working with the Ocean Beach Merchants Association, the Point Loma Association, the Peninsula Planning Board, the Ocean Beach Town Council, and all of you in 2016! Councilmember Lorie Zapf represents San Diego’s beach and bay communities including Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Midway and Clairemont.