By Kevin Faulconer
Every New Year, many of us make routine resolutions hoping for unconventional change. But by the summer, we’ve often forgotten those old pledges. At my State of the City address in January, I renewed my commitment to put neighborhoods first and spread opportunities to every community. Halfway through the year, I have not forgotten these resolutions.
Over the past several months, I’ve worked hard to create my new One San Diego budget — a balanced city budget that funds neighborhood improvements, paves hundreds of miles of roads and improves parks throughout San Diego. It’s also the first budget in years that our City Council passed by a unanimous vote across party lines. As a result, this July the city of San Diego started repairing more streets, installing new streetlights and expanding recreation center and library hours.
When I ran for mayor, I promised to dedicate half of all major revenue growth to improving our neighborhoods and aging infrastructure. My One San Diego budget fulfills that commitment and more. It doubles the amount of street repairs compared to the year I first took office. In fact, we are fixing more than 300 miles of roads in one year alone. It’s the first step in my plan to repair 1,000 miles of streets over the next five years.
We know that communities can only take full advantage of economic and educational opportunities when they feel safe and secure. So in January, I pledged to reduce the inequality in emergency response times in our city. My One San Diego budget adds an additional fire-rescue fast response squad to improve emergency response times in neighborhoods that need it most. It also funds four police academies and begins a new police contract to recruit and retain officers.
Every San Diegan deserves the opportunity to thrive, particularly our children. It’s why expanding neighborhoods services that benefit youth are a key component to this financial plan. The budget improves parks and playgrounds in every city council district, increases operating hours by 33 percent in 36 recreation centers, and triples Internet speeds at all branch libraries.
From festive barbecues at our neighborhood parks to Comic-Con’s spectacular showcase in the Gaslamp, summer is an exciting time for families and children in San Diego. It also serves as a time for reflection and marks an important halfway point in the year. As your mayor, I’m excited to share with you what we’ve accomplished so far to improve infrastructure, public safety and neighborhood services. This is how we create opportunities for every San Diegan — and make sure that promises made are promises kept.
—Kevin Faulconer is the mayor of San Diego. Learn more about the mayor at sandiego.gov/mayor/about/index.shtml, reach him at [email protected], or follow him on facebook.com/kevinfaulconer or @kevin_faulconer on Twitter.
