February will herald a change for the College Area with activation of a revamped community council, separate from the College Area Community Planning Board.
The College Area Community Coalition (CACC) will be a membership organization open to all residents, businesses and non-profits within its area. The mission will be to conduct charitable and educational activities to preserve and improve the College Area’s physical qualities and to offer activities that encourage diverse inclusion and build social connections. San Diego’s College Area is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Fairmount Avenue and Collwood Boulevard on the west, El Cajon Boulevard on the south and 70th and 73rd streets on the east.
The board of the Community Council voted in January to reorganize and combine with the Coalition, which is incorporated as a non-profit, California public benefit corporation.
For many years the Community Council and the Planning Board have operated in tandem, sharing the same 20-member volunteer board and conducting back-to-back business meetings.
The reorganized CACC will have a 12-member board:
— Three directors will serve as At-Large representatives and will be elected at the Annual Members Meeting each February.
— Six Neighborhood directors will represent geographic segments of the College Area—Alvarado Estates, Baja Canyon, College View Estates, El Cerrito, Mesa Colony, and the Triangle. They can be appointed by recognized neighborhood associations or chosen by a special vote of neighborhood members at the Annual Meeting.
— Two directors will represent and be appointed by the Associated Students of San Diego State University and by the College Area Business Improvement District.
— A non-voting director will represent the Administration of San Diego State University.
The group’s first organizational meeting is Wednesday Feb. 23, 7 p.m., at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5075 Campanile Drive, at the corner of Montezuma Road.
Current members of the old CACC are considered members of the new organization, according to Jim Jennings, who now chairs both the community council and the planning board. To vote or run for an open CACC board seat on Feb. 23, you must be a registered CACC member. New members may join before the meeting convenes.
Candidates for the new board’s At-Large seats can declare themselves at the Feb. 23 meeting, Jennings said. They will be invited to give a 1-minute speech before balloting takes place.
At-Large and Neighborhood directors will serve three-year terms. Limited to two consecutive terms, they must sit out an election cycle of one year before running again. The Coalition’s term-limit calendar begins in 2022. It is not affected by previous service on the old College Area Community Council or College Area Community Planning Board.
Starting in February 2023, one At-Large and two Neighborhood seats will be filled yearly.
To establish a staggered pattern of elections, the three top At-Large vote-getters in 2022 will be awarded a three-, a two-, or a one-year term respectively. Neighborhood seat holders will draw straws to see which neighborhoods must hold elections in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Jennings said.
A reminder that the volunteer College Area Community Planning Board will continue its work providing feedback to the city of San Diego about local development projects, general or community plan amendments, rezonings, and public facilities.
The 20-member board meets on the second Wednesday of the month. There will be an election March 9 to fill 14 open seats — half three-year and half two-year terms. The board seeks representatives from all the geographic areas of the College Area, as well as from diverse community interests, said Rachel Gregg, chair of the CACPB elections committee.
To be listed on the CACPB’s printed ballot, candidate information must be submitted by March 4. To do that, and learn about required qualifications, go to either of these websites:
https://caccdraft.wixsite.com/cacc, or https://www.collegearea.org/.
Write-in candidates are also accepted. All nominees are invited to make a 1-minute statement before voting by secret ballot begins. This meeting also takes place at Faith Presbyterian Church and begins at 7 p.m.
Community planning groups have existed in San Diego since the late 1970s, but have been criticized in recent years by various interest groups and critically examined in a county Grand Jury report and a city audit. A key issue is whether their status is legal in terms of the City Charter. Changes are being considered.
Ellen Bevier is a member of the College Area Community Planning Board and the old CACC.
