The Point Loma Association held its annual town hall this week and introduced a new format.
Following the introduction of incoming association chair Clark Anthony and an award ceremony for influential community members, the usual long-form presentations were replaced with a question-and-answer session.
Those in attendance were asked to submit their questions online prior to the town hall. Additional slips of paper were available at the meeting as questions came up.
The panel comprised of San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, Tim McClain, spokesman for Supervisor Ron Roberts, Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief of Voice of San Diego, Conrad Wear, spokesman for Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, and Casey Schnoor, Point Loma resident and LOWMA retention activist.
Through the new question and answer format, the panel was able to address a variety of topics important to community members. Residents were also able to direct questions at particular panelists. The new format was well received by many residents.
“This way we can ask our specific questions and express our specific concerns and hopefully get direct answers,” Point Loma resident Nancy Grey said. “It is also interesting to hear what my neighbors are concerned about.”
The topics discussed included policing, crime, homelessness, Chargers stadium plans, and airport noise complaints.
Many residents expressed that they had noticed an increase in crime and homelessness and questioned Zimmerman extensively about its cause. According to Zimmerman, crime rates have increased nearly 8 percent in the last year but remain at historic lows for the city of San Diego. Many of these crimes, Zimmerman said, were opportunity-related thefts, and her advice was to lock doors and leave nothing visible in cars.
Zimmerman mentioned that homelessness in San Diego is down but urged residents not to overlook Proposition 47. Her concern with the proposition is that police can no longer book a homeless person into jail on a drug possession, effectively removing that person off the streets for a period of time. For those living on the streets with mental health issues, Zimmerman mentioned that police can no longer check them into county mental health facilies involuntarily and the number of homeless people volunteering to go to mental health facilities are small.
The plans for the new Chargers stadium was a long and complex discussion, as be expected. Lewis tackled the topic multiple times. The most common questions regarding the stadium were about the design and location. To both, Lewis said there was no official answer from any party and that there would probably not be one until the ballot measure passes in November.
The topic that was discussed extensively was the residents’ concerns about flight paths from Lindbergh Field. A majority of questions started with an anecdote that consisted of a peaceful morning or quiet night disrupted by a plane flying directly over a home, striking residents with fear. Residents feel that recent flight operations have diminished their quality of life.
Schnoor addressed as many of the airport questions as he could. He explained the effort by the Federal Aviation Administration to increase flight efficiency and remove the LOWMA waypoint. Schnoor has worked for some time to collaborate with residents and elected officials to bring the increasing number of early turns and missed approaches to the attention of the FAA. His work has resulted in a letter signed by Congressman Scott Peters, Supervisor Greg Cox, Zapf and Mayor Kevin Faulconer and sent to Michael Huerta, the administrator of the FAA. The data presented in the letter show that the number of early turns and missed approaches has greatly increased in the last year. These errors have been attributed to air traffic control failure due to an attempt by the FAA to increase flight efficiency. The letter also goes into further detail about the noise pollution and safety impacts it has on residents.
While the information provided at the forum does not solve many of the residents’ issues, Anthony is hopeful people are happy with the answers they received and hopes the community can continue to work together to solve the area’s problems.