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<\/a>Bennett, 71, also reports graffiti that should be removed as part of the San Diego Police Department\u2019s \u201cbroken window\u201d program, which looks for vandalism, other crimes and abandoned vehicles. More on that later.<\/p>\n
Born in Kansas and raised in Seattle, Bennett received his master\u2019s degree in public administration at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. He worked under former Seattle Mayor James d\u2019Orma Braman in setting up a model city program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what really got me into community development,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cI\u2019ve always been involved with grant writing and development of community projects from sewer systems to transit systems to weatherization programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennett helped weatherize the homes of 6,000 low-income families in Seattle during a period of about five years. From there, Bennett moved on to set up the Commute Trip Reduction program for Seattle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve changed jobs about every five years,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cOnce it gets going good, I get bored.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the dream job that Bennett landed sent him to Snohomish County, Washington, to take care of native plants.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life was complete,\u201d he said. \u201cI could help people convert their land into habitat for native plants and native animals, and I really enjoyed that program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennett loves working with native plants and he likes to see things grow the way they should grow, he said. He is also passionate with mentoring and teaching anyone who wants to learn about plants.<\/p>\n
The protection of native plants is crucial to him, he said, and San Diego is home to about 2,600 different taxa of plants that are native to the county.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom that [variety of plants] we can paint a palette to please anyone\u2019s cultural and visual delight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In order to plant these native plants, Bennett has received permission from the San Diego Park and Recreation Department.<\/p>\n
Just west of the Balboa Tennis Club, the California native plant demonstration garden is an area where Bennett and his colleagues have been actively planting and preserving native plants.<\/p>\n
When not safeguarding native plants, Bennett in his role with the CPNP likes being \u201cthe eyes and ears of the Police Department.\u201d This includes reporting to police any activities that are deemed detrimental to the community.<\/p>\n
More specifically, looking at graffiti helps the CPNP and police to identify where gangs are trying to establish turf in North Park, Bennett said. Recently, a gang defaced the blocked-off entrance to 28th Street at Upas Street with boldly colored graffiti and also tagged the back wall of the Mission Restaurant, located at 28th Street and University Avenue. The tags were removed the same day, because nearby residents had alerted police before CPNP knew about it.<\/p>\n
Bennett is a pro when it comes to identifying graffiti. He can differentiate, mimic and recognize the tags of particular gangs. One area on a wall can be reported up to four times because it has been repeatedly tagged and painted over.<\/p>\n
He also looks for abandoned vehicles and broken windows to report to authorities, so criminals know that people are looking out for each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to keep North Park\u2019s reputation as the most walkable neighborhood in San Diego,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cThat\u2019s really the mission for CPNP.\u201d<\/p>\n