Ahead of another severe storm warning, Mayor Todd Gloria issued an evacuation warning Wednesday to low-lying areas of the city, devastated by flooding last week. The evacuation is currently voluntary, said the mayor, and designed to keep the public ready should an evacuation become mandatory.
Gloria also announced a new shelter in Balboa Park that will be available for those seeking refuge from severe weather. The city will provide transportation to the shelter for those in flood-prone areas.
City officials also promised the drainage canals that failed last week would be “fully cleared” by Wednesday evening.
A full eight swift water rescue teams from the city’s lifeguard division will stand ready in identified flood zones. Roads that are prone to flooding will be preemptively closed too.
“The events over the past week have just heightened the importance of channel maintenance and the funding needed for these types of activities,” said Bethany Bezak, the city’s director of transportation.
People should report storm hazards to the city at (619) 527-7500.
Council Prez Pushes for Stormwater Tax on Ballot
In light of last week’s storm that wreaked havoc on some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods, Council President Sean Elo-Rivera announced Wednesday he’d pursue a ballot measure this November to raise more money for the stormwater department.
“I can think of no more pressing need than stormwater infrastructure and disaster recovery,” Elo-Rivera said during the City Council Rules Committee.
If the City Council approves such a measure, the new tax would help support the $1.6 billion worth of projects the stormwater department currently can’t afford to build. The City Council attempted to put a stormwater tax on the ballot back in 2021, but it never manifested.
The city’s busted stormwater system leads to flooding, sinkholes and toxic and bacteria-laden material flowing into the region’s coastal waters.
Lots of questions: First, what kind of tax would it be? We’ve reported for months that Mayor Todd Gloria and Councilman Raul Campillo were contemplating a sales tax increase of a full percentage point. Would this be in addition to the sales tax or would it be in place of it?
A stormwater tax would likely be tied to property taxes or levied as a parcel tax. The city could go so far as to evaluate everyone’s property and determine how much of it is non-permeable – or doesn’t allow water to drain and contributes to stormwater problems. It could also provide exemptions based on income or for stormwater remediation work already done. It can get complex and Elo-Rivera has not provided any details on his proposal.
Previously, city officials had contemplated multiple ways to levy a tax to address stormwater needs.
Beta street reps repeatedly asked for drain fixes: For years in budget requests to the mayor, council members that represent the Shelltown neighborhood asked for money to jumpstart work to fix the inadequate stormwater drainage system on Beta Street, one of the hardest-hit areas in the city. That small project, while seemingly invaluable now, was just one among multiple pages of requests each council member submits to the mayor every year.
Elo-Rivera asked Mayor Todd Gloria’s Office for $375,000 to fund the Beta Street Alley Green Street Flood Control in 2021 and 2022. He asked again for some of the money the city collects from San Diego Gas and Electric and earmarked for communities of concern. Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, who inherited parts of Elo-Rivera’s district during redistricting, also requested the same Beta Street funding in 2023.
But the money never materialized.
That money would have paid for the study and design of drain improvements to address localized flooding on Beta Street alley, which separates homes from Chollas Creek, and South 37th Street. After that’s done, actual work on the ground could begin.
“When I campaigned for office, folks in the community were very clear this was a priority,” Elo-Rivera said in an interview with Voice of San Diego.
There are nine other Beta Street stormwater projects, including fixes to the Beta Street alley, on the department’s list, but almost all are still in the design phase and lack money to move toward construction. A federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is helping to pay for some of the work.
In San Diego, the mayor controls nearly all of the city’s budget process. But the City Council is also weighing possible changes that would give council members more input, according to the Union Tribune.
A request for comment to the mayor’s office did not get a response.
Another Death at City Safe Campsite
A woman died at the city’s 20th and B Street safe sleeping site last month after less than 24 hours staying there.
The county Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed it is investigating the Jan. 12 death of Rita Chambers. This is the second death at the city’s first safe campsite since it opened in late June. Another person staying at the lot died after being transported to a hospital.
The county concluded the previous two deaths were drug overdoses. The cause of Chambers’ death was not immediately clear though a city spokesman said foul play is not suspected.
Worth noting: Deaths aren’t uncommon at homeless shelters and housing projects given the vulnerability of those who stay in them. But the individual tents at safe sleeping sites can make it more difficult for service providers to spot residents who may be in medical distress.
Meanwhile, at O Lot: The county reports it has concluded its investigation of an illness that spread among about 30 residents and five staffers at the city’s other safe sleeping site without determining a cause. The county believes the mostly diarrheal illness likely spread person-to-person and was not food-borne. Spokesman Tim McClain also wrote that the symptoms “were not consistent with Covid-19 like illness.”
City spokesman Matt Hoffman said nonprofit Dreams for Change, which helps operate the safe sleeping sites, reports that all who were sick have recovered and there are “no new cases” or evidence that the illness spread to the city’s other safe sleeping site.
As of Tuesday, 497 people were sleeping at one of the city’s two safe campsites.
Also of note: A UN housing expert came to San Diego to understand how the city is dealing with homelessness. He came away both disturbed and hopeful. In particular, the expert criticized the 20th and B Street campsite as unsafe and said he would shut it down right away. (Union-Tribune)
North County Report: Vista’s Point-in-Time Count
For the second year in a row, North County reporter Tigist Layne joined volunteers in Vista for the point-in-time count — a yearly census of all homeless residents in San Diego County.
The point-in-time count happens all in one day and it represents the minimum number of unhoused people at any given time. It only accounts for everyone who volunteers can find.
With her flashlight and safety vest, Layne hit the streets at 4 a.m. Among other things, she found more people living in vehicles than last year. Those living in vehicles are often homeless for the first time.
Read the full North County Report here.
In Other News
- Two powerhouse national rugby teams — Fiji and New Zealand — will face off at Snapdragon Stadium in July. (NBC 7)
- The Union-Tribune checked on how city-funded homeless service providers and others are warning homeless San Diegans of impending rain and preparing for another storm.
- MTS is increasing security on its trolleys and buses. (Times of San Diego)
- An effort is afoot to require staff members entering San Diego jails to undergo body scans. This proposal has been floated around before at least twice to prevent drugs from entering the jails. However, the Sheriff’s department has turned it down every time. It doesn’t seem like this time is any different. Still, a review board is set to talk about the proposal at a Feb. 13 meeting. KPBS has more details.
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Juan Estrada, MacKenzie Elmer and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Scott Lewis and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
Our city didn’t flood because we don’t pay enough taxes, it flooded because our Mayor and City Council, led by Elo-Rivera, didn’t pay attention to their job. Instead of ensuring our infrastructure – flood control, roads, sewer system, water system – was fully maintained, they play pork-barrel games with the money stolen by deferred maintenance. They should all resign or be removed for failing to do their prescribed duties as councilpersons. I’m sure we can find some others who are willing to rebuild San Diego instead of just build their own resumes.
People can’t afford the cost of San Diego housing. That’s what Councilmember Elo says to rationalize his destroying neighborhood after neighborhood with the city’s housing plans. But somehow he thinks people can afford more taxes. Is he not paying attention to his own rhetoric or does he just think the citizens aren’t?