{"id":247204,"date":"2014-04-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/uptown-briefs-april-25\/"},"modified":"2014-04-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-25T07:00:00","slug":"uptown-briefs-april-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/uptown-briefs-april-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Noticias breves de Uptown \u2013 25 de abril"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diegans encouraged to attend city budget meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n

The City Council Budget Review Committee will be holding public meetings\u00a0May 5 \u2013 9 concerning the city budget for the 2015 fiscal year. All interested parties may attend and comment. These meetings will be held in the Council Chambers at 202 C St. Downtown. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe City Council wants to hear from San Diegans to make sure the budget reflects the priorities of our neighborhoods,\u201d said Council President Todd Gloria. \u201cThe budget review hearings are excellent opportunities for members of the public to learn more about departments and services, share their concerns, and inform our decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City Council will consider each department\u2019s budget separately, while taking comments from the public. The full budget proposed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer is available online at: sandiego.gov\/fm\/proposed\/index.shtml<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Free legal services provided to homeless San Diegans<\/strong><\/p>\n

The S. Mark Taper Foundation has awarded a yearlong grant to the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc. The grant\u2019s purpose is to provide free legal services to those without homes in San Diego. The grant targets the organization PATH (People Assisting The Homeless), Connections Housing residents and patients of Downtown Family Health Centers of San Diego.<\/p>\n

The program specifically targets those with mental health disabilities and other barriers to recovery, including problems accessing health care and income benefits. The intent of the program is to prevent individuals from chronically homelessness, to regaining confidence and acquiring self-sufficiency skills.<\/p>\n

“The innovative partnership will provide a roadmap to help individuals navigate through the barriers to independence and self-sufficiency that have been created through years of chronic homelessness,\u201d stated Legal Aid Society\u2019s Executive Director Gregory E. Knoll in a press release. \u201cWe are uniquely qualified to provide this service as our decades of experience speaks to our success of serving tens of thousands of low-income families and homeless individuals. Consumers are helped in resolving short-term legal problems and given the tools to self-advocate for the services that they are eligible for.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, contact Jack Dailey, Esq., senior healthcare attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc. at jackd@lassd.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Grove to host \u2018Bookstore Day\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

California Bookstore Day is Saturday, May 3, and independent booksellers across the state will be participating along with readers and writers of every genre. In San Diego, one such bookstore is \u201cThe Grove,\u201d located at 3010 Juniper St. in South Park. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anne Mery, co-owner of The Grove, invites the public to visit the bookstore and meet authors, illustrators and publishers who will be on hand to highlight the variety of books and audiences that The Grove accommodates.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of our stores is unique,\u201d Mery stated in a press release. \u201cUnlike the online giants or big box chains, the independent bookstore exists to serve its community. We\u2019re happy to carry, research and locate the books that are meaningful to our customers, not just the latest best-selling thrillers.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sidewalk sale and several authors, encompassing a wide range of genres and subjects, will visit throughout the day, most with local San Diego ties. Children will also enjoy California Bookstore Day at The Grove, as Mery said crafts and meet and greets with children\u2019s authors and illustrators are planned as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids will take home their creations along with a taste of reading of these wonderful books,\u201d Mery stated.<\/p>\n

For a full schedule of authors and entertainment, visit Facebook.com\/thegrovesandiego.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

San Diego triples expected Covered California enrollment<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the Affordable Care Act first launched the segment that opened up health insurance to all Americans last October, local officials predicted 43,000 San Diegans would enroll using the state\u2019s own health care exchange, Covered California. However KPBS reported this week that the final number was 121,900, more than three times the number predicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t that think anybody could have projected that, especially with the hiccups that we all had in the beginning,” said Gary Rotto, director of health policy at the Council of Community Clinics. “Our process went a little bit smoother than that at the federal level, but still, there were some start-up issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rotto also said these signups combined with the additional 100,000 residents who signed up for expanded Medi-Cal benefits reduced the number of uninsured in the region to 40 percent.<\/p>\n

KPBS also reported that statewide, 1.4 million enrolled at coveredca.org, and 1.2 million of those were eligible for subsidies. Though current enrollment for Covered California has ended, enrollment for 2015 will reopen in the fall. Those eligible for the expanded Medi-Cal can enroll year-round. Visit coveredca.org for more information.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Summer college classes restored<\/strong><\/p>\n

The San Diego Community College District will offer summer college credit courses for the first time in five years. More that 1,000 classes will be offered at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges at a fee of $46 a unit. In addition, San Diego Continuing Education will offer more than 2,000 free non-credit classes at its seven campuses in San Diego. Classes in high-demand areas such as allied health, basic skills, hospitality and consumer sciences, and career technical studies, will be among those being offered.\u00a0 The primary summer session is set for June 16 to Aug. 9, but three other sessions also will be held from May 27 to June 28, June 9 to Aug. 2 and June 30 to Aug. 2. Plans call for 436 summer courses to be offered at City College, 424 at Mesa College, and 204 at Miramar College. \u201cAfter years budgetary belt-tightening, we take great pride in again offering summer courses that provide thousands of students the tools they need to get a timely, high-quality education, secure their degrees, and prepare for the workforce,\u201d said Rich Grosch, president of SDCCD\u2019s Board of Trustees.\u00a0SDCCD was forced to stop offering summer courses as the recession led to $1.5 billion in state funding cuts for California Community Colleges. For more info visit\u00a0sdccd.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

San Diego homeowners can \u2018go green\u2019 thanks to City Council<\/strong><\/p>\n

On April 8, Council President Todd Gloria announced that thanks to a unanimous vote by the City Council, San Diego homeowners now have two new opportunities to get financial assistance to make their homes more energy efficient.<\/p>\n

Called PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), the two programs assist homeowners seeking financing and energy-efficient options more affordable through an assessment on their property tax bill over a defined period of time. The two approved resolutions are the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) PACE program offered through the Western Riverside Coalition of Governments, and the California Enterprise Development Authority\u2019s Figtree PACE program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese PACE programs will result in more homes being retrofitted for energy and water efficiency upgrades,\u201d Gloria stated in a press release. \u201cSan Diegans will have a new option to finance renovations to their homes, so they make sense fiscally and environmentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the HERO assessment district is not currently authorized for operation in San Diego County, several local agencies have adopted the program. Figtree is San Diego-based and provides PACE financing for those wishing to add or expand energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conversation upgrades to their homes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Local children get hands-on computer experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

On April 30, a select group of students from Hoover High will experience first-hand what its like to work in the world of computer development. The Control Group, one of San Diego\u2019s leading tech companies, is hosting a \u201cjob shadow\u201d event in conjunction with Junior Achievement San Diego to give the students hands-on experience as \u201ctechies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students will learn basic coding techniques, use industry-standard programs to develop sites and learn to create online content. The intent is to inspire the students to pursue a college degree and career in technology.<\/p>\n

Junior Achievement San Diego is a foundation dedicated to giving local students real experience for future business related careers. Visit jasandiego.org for more information.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

San Diego Fair announces theme, musical lineup<\/strong><\/p>\n

The San Diego County Fair has announced their 2014 theme as \u201cThe Fab Fair,\u201d celebrating the 50th anniversary of the \u201cBritish invasion,\u201d otherwise known as the Beatles arrival in the United States on the Ed Sullivan Show.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s fair, which takes place June 7 \u2013 July 6, will feature a number of tribute bands in their musical lineup, including two tributes to the Beatles: British Invasion and Britain\u2019s Finest. A different musical artist or band will be featured at 9 p.m. every night that the fair is open, which include all days of the week except Mondays. On Thursdays during the fair they will have the Belly Up Music Festival, featuring favorite bands from around San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cTicket and Ride\u201d packages will be available, and include Fair admission, ride and drink coupons and a parking pass with close to a 50 percent savings.<\/p>\n

Competition in the Fair\u2019s exhibits is open to the public. The first entry deadline (Fine Art, Photography, and Gems, Minerals & Jewelry) is Friday, April 25. Deadlines for other departments are May 2 and May 9.\u00a0 San Diego County Fair is offering a contest on Facebook to win prime seats at one of the concerts. Visit facebook.com\/sdfair to follow the contest or sdfair.com for all fair information.<\/p>\n

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San Diegans encouraged to attend city budget meetings The City Council Budget Review Committee will be holding public meetings\u00a0May 5 \u2013 9 concerning the city budget for the 2015 fiscal year. All interested parties may attend and comment. These meetings will be held in the Council Chambers at 202 C St. Downtown.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":247201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Uptown Briefs \u2013 April 25","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11593,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-no-images","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}