By John F. Pilch
The next meeting of the San Carlos Area Council (SCAC) is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Winer Family Community Room at the San Carlos Branch Library, 7265 Jackson Drive. Our guest speaker is scheduled to be Dan McAllister, San Diego County Treasurer/Tax Collector. McAllister plans to discuss how property tax bills are compiled, how the funds are distributed and how he invests the funds collected by his office. If you want to learn more about this process, please plan to attend. The meeting is open to the public and there is no charge.
Many thanks to David Akin, Esq., customer advocate for the Public Utilities Department, for his presentation at the SCAC meeting on Sept. 2. Akin discussed the rate-setting process and the proposed 17 percent increase in water rates (and sewer rates) that will be the subject of a vote by the entire City Council on Nov. 17. We continue to await electronic receipt of his PowerPoint presentation which will be distributed to the SCAC “Interested Party” email list. More information on how to sign up for messages from the SCAC is at the end of this article.
In the interim, you probably received your “Notice of Public Hearing for Proposed Water Rate Increases” from the city of San Diego. On the back page of this mailer, which looks like junk mail, is the form to protest the proposed water rate increases. This is the only method to have your opinion count, since emails and fax protests will not be accepted. To save you postage, we’re happy to report that the San Carlos Branch Library has granted us permission to have a collection envelope at the library to collect protest ballots and forms. I will personally deliver them to the City Clerk’s office well prior to the City Council hearing and vote on the proposed rate increases on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Please remember to make your voice known by dropping off your ballot, if you’re opposed to the rate increases.
Our efforts to schedule Mayor Kevin Faulconer as a guest speaker at a special meeting were unsuccessful. A busy schedule precluded the mayor from addressing the residents of the Navajo Area on Oct. 7. Many thanks to Jay Wilson, on behalf of the Del Cerro Action Council, for his efforts to locate a site for the proposed meeting, and to the folks at Tifereth Israel Synagogue for providing the site.
The Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) Board will next meet on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel Synagogue on Tommy Drive and Cowles Mountain Boulevard. Please note the new day and time of their meetings. The proposal for development of the Cleveland Elementary School on Lake Atlin is on the agenda as an information item, to provide an update to the NCPI Board and residents. Also on the agenda is the T-Mobile telecom site proposed for the field area to the east of the San Carlos Recreation Center. This is an action item on which a vote is to occur.
On Sept. 9, the planning group heard a presentation about an affordable housing project that is proposed for the strip center at 7811 Mission Gorge Road (where Curt’s Cameras is located). The SCAC voiced its opposition to the project, citing parking, traffic and height issues, as well as the lack of public transportation, for the low income residents, who will be residing in the 90-unit complex. And, yes, the owner of the complex stated that they will accept qualified Section 8 applicants, with a voucher, to reside there. In spite of the many negatives that were brought up and discussed by audience members and the board, the vote was 12-4 in favor of recommending approval. We are concerned that absent a deceleration/acceleration lane to access and egress the site, the potential for major collisions exists. Further, given the limited guest parking spaces (nine), residents and guests must park elsewhere, such as across Mission Gorge Road on the streets in the Mariposa complex. Jaywalking and increased pedestrian traffic are added concerns. We’ve made our position known to the District 7 office and added the need for written rules in the leases limiting the number of occupants of each unit and the need for more oversight of the complex, given the potential for abuse, as the board and audience discussed. More information and NCPI Agendas are available on their website: navajoplanners.org.
We’re also working with the District 7 office to determine what can be done to make the intersection of Navajo Road and Golfcrest safer for pedestrians. This follows a fatality in August when a driver, who ran a red light and was under the influence of alcohol, struck and killed a female pedestrian who was headed to the Cowles Mountain Trail. A traffic study is underway and more info will be reported as it’s made know to us. In the interim, please be extra careful in this area. The subject of distracted pedestrians was brought up by the audience and discussed at the SCAC meeting. We await the results of the traffic study before making any specific recommendations.
We are pleased to report that the San Carlos Community Garden continues to flourish, in spite of the heat and with the help of recent rains. If you’re interested in raising your own plot of fruits and vegetables in this garden, please visit their website at sancarloscommunitygarden.com for details. The community garden is located at the corner of Lake Adlon and Boulder Lake Avenue, adjacent to Springall Academy, 6440 Boulder Lake Drive. We just learned that open houses will continue on Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m., so stop by to see for yourself. The fourth Annual Pumpkin Smash is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m., with lots of family-oriented activities.
We have resumed the collection of dues in order to become more actively involved in community events and activities. Dues are $7 per household and $15 for a business. We’d like prior members to return and are soliciting new members in this article. Please send your check to SCAC, P.O. Box 19246, San Diego, CA 92159-0246. Many thanks to those who have already sent in their checks.
For information about speakers, meeting reminders and agendas and other local news, please send an email to [email protected] and request that your name be added to the SCAC Interested Party email list. Rest assured that your privacy will be respected and neither your name nor your email address will be shared with anyone. Messages are sent “Bcc” to prevent you from being spammed. In addition, we’re interested in hearing from residents about ideas to enhance our community and ask that you send your thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] to be considered by our 11-member board.
Finally, if you have an issue you wish us to consider or just have a question about the community, please contact me at 619-462-1408 or by email at [email protected]. Thank you.
–John F. Pilch is president of the San Carlos Area Council. Reach him at [email protected].
