Community Meeting Minutes

August 8, 2008
The HTC held a fabulous social after the City Council vote to celebrate the Interim Height Ordinance for our neighborhood. Party food was donated by Crest Cafe, Baja Betty’s, Kous Kous and It’s a Grind. Thanks to everyone for creating the neighborhood BINGO game and to all the generous Hillcrest businesses for donating the prizes.

For over two years the Uptown Independent Task Force united the community and worked to get an Interim Height Ordinance (IHO) passed for 92103. Tuesday afternoon, July 8th, the City Council supported it with a vote of 6-1.
A stream of neighbors and business owners voiced their support of the ordinance following appearances by State Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña and both candidates for Council District 3, Stephen Whitburn and Todd Gloria. Dozens of Mission Hills and Hillcrest residents showed up and spoke up with “little green signs” saying IHO — YES.
After almost two hours of public testimony councilmembers Frye, Hueso, Maienschein & Young followed the lead of Toni Atkins motion and Kevin Faulconer’s second by voting 6-1 in favor of the ordinance. The lone hold out, Jim Madaffer was not satisfied with Planning Director William Anderson’s responses and withheld his vote of support.

June 10, 2008
Fox 6, NBC 7/39, ABC 10 and KUSI channel 9 covered tonight’s Hillcrest Town Council meeting as Diana Bradrick (right), Chief Deputy Recorder/County Clerk explained the process of adding same-sex marriage licenses in SD County. So far 500 appointments have been made with 120 couples reserving a time on June 17th, the first day that gays & lesbians will be able to legally marry in California. The cost is $50. Only 30 appointment slots remain at the downtown office for June 17th. The Clerk’s office can also swear in a friend or relative to officiate the ceremony. Ms. Bradrick clarified that their office has a no-opt-out policy, meaning all personnel will process applications and perform ceremonies.
Neighbors introduced themselves and expressed what the HTC means to them and the direction they would like to see the organization take. Talk of a resurgence of the Crime Committee, better outreach to the community and working with our neighboring communities were mentioned. Community Service Officer David Surwillo reported that the SDPD is working with Universal Hillcrest to provide better loading zones at Cleveland & Vermont. Government representatives from Congresswoman Susan Davis, City Council District 3, State Assemblymember Lori Saldaña and the Mayor’s office gave brief reports. After HTC committee reports from Development and Litter, residents enjoyed an ice cream and cake social.

May 13, 2008
Over 75 neighbors attended tonight’s meeting. Candidates running in the June 3rd election had an opportunity to speak to the crowd and answer questions. Council District 3 candidates Todd Gloria, Stephen Whitburn, James Hartline and Robert E. Lee, congressional candidate Steve Copas, a representative for Yes on propositions A, B and C and mayoral candidate Steve Francis spoke to a receptive audience.
Barry Hager, spokesperson for the Interim Height Ordinance updated the crowd and encouraged residents to attend city council when the ordinance is heard. (We are awaiting the date). He explained that this has now been a two-year process and the community must continue to inform city council members to pass the ordinance as originally written with a firm height limit north of Upas. The HTC confirmed their unanimous support. Postcards are available for community members to Jacaranda trees along Fifth Avenuemail to each city council member and the mayor’s office urging support of the Interim Height Ordinance. Anyone interested in obtaining the postcards, call (619) 260-1929.

April 8, 2008
Dozens of neighbors attended this evening’s Hillcrest Town Council Meeting at the Joyce Beers Community Center. Representatives of SANDAG (San Diego Area of Governments) and MTS (Metropolitan Transit System) presented information about the history of transportation in our community and how MTS determines routing and fees. SANDAG Planner Dave Schumacher said he last got community input in 1995...and at that time residents discouraged the suggestion of light rail in the Uptown area.
Tim Gahagan of the Litter Committee reported on this Saturday’s clean-up. Meet in front of the Egyptian (just south of University on Park Blvd) at 9am. Brooms, bags and gloves will be provided. A dumpster, provided by Councilmember Toni Atkins will be located across the street at Numbers beginning at 7am for neighbors to drop off large items. Leo Wilson reported that there are efforts to expand the over-sized vehicle ordinance to encompass the Uptown area. Juli Peters-Hyde introduced Marston Hills resident Ernie Villafranco who gave a report on zoo construction work that is creating a disturbance in the neighborhood. A motion was passed to bring the issue to the Uptown Planners and the Balboa Park Committee. All agreed that we are a voice, and that the concerns of our neighbors need to be addressed and supported by the council. Steering Committee member Nick Hubbard created a faaabulous “money hat” will now be passed at each meeting. These donations will be used to offset HTC expenses which have been coverd by the steering committee over the past year. Its first collection at tonight’s meeting gathered $46. THANKS!

March 11, 2008
Over 40 neighbors attend tonight’s meeting as Charles Kaufman, owner of Bread & Cie, appealed to the group for support in obtaining a license to sell beer and wine without the arbitrary SDPD Vice restrictions that would require him to place a 5-foot plexiglass wall around his outside dining area. The group voted to write a letter in support of the business.
SDPD officer David Surwillo answered many questions about graffiti. His advice is to call either 911 or the police non-emergency number to report these actions. Officer Surwillo is continuing to pursue homeless encampments under bridges with Cal Trans. Juli Peters-Hyde reported for the Development Committee and encouraged neighbors to go to the Hillcrest Town Council website and participate in the survey about walkability. She also asked for feedback on the committees efforts to proceed in their efforts to monitor and pursue action against outdoor advertising (billboards) in Hillcrest and encouraged residents to attend Wednesday’s Land Use & Housing meeting that will hear testimony on the Interim Height Ordinance. Tim Gahagan reported on action taken by the city to eliminate newsracks that have been abandoned, are broken or not permitted. The group was polled and positively responded to participating in an early morning cleanup the Monday after Pride weekend. San Diego Pride has committed to contribute $10 to the Hillcrest Town Council for every volunteer hour donated to the effort.
Featured guest, mayoral candidate Steve Francis (above) spoke to the audience about his vision for San Diego and answered dozens of questions from the community group. Francis is self-financing his campaign, running as an independent. He talked about his career as a businessman and how he will take action as mayor to solve the city’s financial problems. Next month’s HTC meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8th.

February 12, 2008
Over 100 residents attended the February meeting of the Hillcrest Town Council to ask questions of and listen to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, District Three Councilmember Toni Atkins and the Director of City Planning Bill Anderson speak on neighborhood land use issues and other topics affecting our community.
Area development dominated the evening including the proposed southern boundary for the Interim Height Ordinance (Brookes or Upas? This will be heard by the Planning Commission on March 6th). Other hot issues were the return of the controversial 301 University development and how it fits into the preservation of our neighborhood’s character. Area residents also asked the leaders about homeless encampments and long-term street parking of over-sized vehicles that lead to living and (sometimes) drugs in the community.
The city trifecta reiterated the importance of updating the community plan and its role in the preservation of our area character. It was a great community meeting. Thanks to everyone for attending.

January 8, 2008
The January meeting of the Hillcrest Town Council (HTC) was held in the SDPD Community Relations office because of recent fire-related flooding at the Joyce Beers Community Center. An overview of crime and security measures in Hillcrest was presented by a representative of Off Duty Officers (hired by Hillcrest’s Maintenance Assessment District and the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association), SDPD officer David Serwilo who recently was appointed the community relations officer for Hillcrest and Bob Lehman founder of Stonewall Citizens Patrol.
Juli Peters-Hyde (pictured) provided the group with an update of the Development Committee and introduced Leo Wilson, Uptown Planners chairperson, who spoke about proposed high-rise developments and the Uptown Community Plan update. The group unanimously approved sending a letter to our council member requesting a review of the permit granted the proposed Tower on Fifth (right). B. Michael Seidel advised the group of a letter sent to Councilwoman Toni Atkins and other government representatives expressing the sentiment of the HTC with regards to the Interim Height Ordinance (IHO) boundaries. The HTC wants the IHO southern boundary to be Upas Street (not Brookes as the City has proposed). Litter committee chair Tim Gahagan promoted this Saturday’s clean-up from 9am-noon. Meet on Park Boulevard just south of University Avenue. Brooms and supplies will be available. A dumpster for neighbor use will be located in the parking lot of Numbers (3811 Park Boulevard).
The next HTC meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 12th (hopefully back at our usual location) with guest speakers including City Planning Director Bill Anderson and Councilwoman Toni Atkins.

December 11, 2007
California State Senator Christine Kehoe (D. San Diego) spoke at this month’s meeting and answered questions regarding the proposed DMV mixed-use project on Normal Street. She said that partnering with a private developer would enable the state to rebuild the DMV without spending a lot of its own money. The project would include housing and the Hillcrest Farmers Market would be allowed to continue to use the site. One resident raised the issue of excessive sirens in the neighborhood due to the presence of UCSD and Scripps-Mercy hospitals. The HTC discussed a motion to send a letter to event organizers (such as Gay Pride, Mardi Gras, Nightmare on Normal Street and CityFest) asking that amplified obscene language not be allowed at public events. There have been several occasions when bands and emcees have used such language, and the amplified language (over their microphone) can be heard in nearby public areas. After the discussion, the Town Council voted unanimously to approve the letter. It was noted that a 72-year-old man had been robbed at First & Pennsylvania, and that crime appears to be on the increase in the neighborhood. City Deli donated a cake for the holidays, and Starbucks gave coffee.

November 13, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
The October meeting was called to order at 6:35pm. Introductions were made of all those present. The town council discussed the Interim Height Limitation: The Hillcrest Town Council voted by a unanimous vote to request the mandatory height limitation begin at Upas Street. This was upon a motion by Michael Seidel. It was also decided to form a delegation from the Hillcrest Town Council that will meet with Council Member Atkins to discuss the issue; and otherwise lobby for the Upas Street boundary. The motion was passed by a unanimous 19-0 vote. A previous motion had been made by George Wedemeyer to extend the boundary to Upas Street, while specially exempting the two projects on Fifth Avenue that had been conceptually proposed. However, others objected because neither project had formally submitted and application to the city for review. The motion to exempt the two projects was rejected by a 8-9 vote. The charter for the Development Committee was well received and approved unanimously. The feeling was it will provide an excellent operational framework for the Development Commmittee; which will make recommendations to the full Hillcrest Town Council. Interesting informational items from the St. Vincent De Paul and American Cancer Society. The latter wishes to sponsor a “Relay for Life” in Hillcrest as a fundraising event and to raise awareness.

October 9, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting

Hillcrest Town Council hosts
City Council candidates forum

Over 130 Council District 3 residents gathered at the Joyce Beers Community Center tonight for a City Council candidate forum presented by the residents’ group. Todd Gloria, John Hartley, James Hartline, Robert Lee and Stephen Whitburn Hillcrest answered questions submitted by the audience. The forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters, was the first of the campaign. Neighbors agreed that the forum was informative and gave voters a good “first look” at the candidates. Thanks to everyone for attending and educating yourself!

A crime subcommittee meeting will be held Thursday night at a private residence. Email for directions. This Saturday, October 13th, a Hillcrest Clean-up will be held from 9am-noon. Please join in the effort at Numbers (Park Blvd) or at Royal Market (First Avenue).

September 11, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Nearly 70 neighbors filled Joyce Beers Community Center Tuesday evening to hear City Attorney Mike Aguirre speak on a variety of topics including a lack of water (90% is imported), fights at City Hall, recycling and giving up his car. Many of his comments were met by applause including “the Third District is the epicenter of intelligence” and “residents of Hillcrest have the ability to seek the truth.” The crowd broke into laughter when Mike commented that, “It really upsets me to get sued more than I sue others.”
Hillcrest Town Council meeting, September 11, 2007 with City Attorney Mike Aguirre & Councilwoman Donna FryeAguirre’s presentation was briefly interrupted when City Councilmember Donna Frye stopped by to offer an explanation for her vote at last week’s council meeting against the city adding its name to a friend-of-the-court brief in an appeal to the California Supreme Court re: the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Frye noted that she has always believed in the public’s right to be heard, and she did not feel adequate time was allowed for those present to express their opinion. Fellow councilmembers did not support her request for the item to be re-docketed, so she voted against it, and the motion failed. The item has been re-docketed for September 18 when she will be voting in favor of the motion.

A panel representing the city planning department, Bankers Hill/Park West Association and the Hillcrest Town Council discussed the proposed Hillcrest Mobility Plan. It was generally agreed that the plan as presented is not acceptable to the community. A panel representing the city planning department, Bankers Hill/Park West Association and the Hillcrest Town Council discussed the proposed Hillcrest Mobility Plan. It was generally agreed that the plan as presented is not acceptable to the community. Many voiced a need for dedicated bike lanes, questioned the change to diagonal parking and were unanimous in their disagreement to the city’s proposal to establish dedicated bus lanes. Reports were heard from the centennial committee, encouraging all to participate in the Toast to Hillcrest and/or the Centennial Gala in Balboa Park. A check for $7,500 was presented to the Hillcrest History Guild by County Supervisor Ron Roberts’ office. The litter committee reported an upcoming community clean-up on Saturday, October 13 from 9am-noon.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 9 (6:30-8pm) when the Hillcrest Town Council will present a City Council District Three Candidates Forum moderated by the League of Women Voters.

August, 14 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Over 45 neighbors met in the sauna-like atmosphere of Joyce Beers Community Center Tuesday evening as State Assemblymember Lori Saldaña addressed our community and answered questions from the HTC. Saldaña gave an update on the state budget and spoke about a proposed development of Hillcrest’s DMV. Those in attendance expressed a great deal of interest in promoting an electric bus/trolley line from the convention center to Hillcrest, and the HTC outreached for Hillcrest Town Councilstate financial help. Only one member of the HTC regularly uses the city’s public bus system.

The group also heard from San Diego City Planner Marlon Pangilinan who presented an update of the Hillcrest Mobility Study which has met much resistance from the community. Four alternate proposals were suggested. Hillcrester Michael Seidel who has been participating in the study group for several months presented his perspective of the plans and encouraged neighbors to join him in walking the route and presenting a proposal at the next HTC meeting on Tuesday, September 11th. Email him to become involved.

The litter, development and centennial committees made presentations. “Game Night” will be held Friday, August 31st at the Joyce Beers Community Center from 6-9pm. Hillcrest Restaurant Week (Sept 4th-9th) and a “Toast to Hillcrest” is being planned for Thursday evening, September 20th.

The evening was capped with public comment. One resident suggested that the “University Avenue” exit sign off of 163 south be changed to “Sixth Avenue” since this is the actual name of the exiting street.

July 10, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Dozens of Hillcrest residents attended July’s HCT meeting Tuesday evening. Action items receiving unanimously approval were (1) to join Councilwoman Toni Atkins for the unveiling of a sign at Fifth & Upas (first of seven) on Thursday, July 26 at 10am which will designate Hillcrest’s boundaries and (2) giving thumbs up to an agenda of guest speakers for upcoming meetings — including Lori Saldaña (Aug 14), Mike Aguirre (Sept 11), city council candidate forum (Oct 9) and Chris Kehoe (Nov 12). Tom Mullaney, Friends of San Diego, updated the HTC on the legal challenge against the 301 University project (call 795-1753 to help). Government reps Todd Gloria (Susan Davis), Jeffery Tom (Toni Atkins) and Gary Rotto (Ron Roberts) updated the group on several issues, and Alex Sachs with the City Attorney’s office talked about Mike Aguirre’s proposal re: community planning groups.

Tim Gahagan, chair of the HTC litter committee provided information about this Saturday’s Centennial Cleanup. T-shirts were passed out to volunteers who committed to being there. Ann Garwood kicked off the Centennial Scavenger Quest, outlining the challenge to gather 100 pieces of information and items from throughout our community before noon on Thursday, August 2nd when the community will celebrate our 100th birthday with a noon cake cutting and evening neighborhood social. Warren Simon, Executive Director of the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association explained the role of the HBIA in the community and answered questions from the audience.

June 12, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
The Hillcrest Town Council met tonight with nearly 50 neighbors attending. County Supervisor Ron Robert’s Chief of Staff Gary

Rotto (photo) provided information about their cell phone recycling program that will put unwanted cell phones into the hands of San Diegans needing a phone for emergency and safety reasons.

Longtime Hillcrest residents Julie Gelfat and Alexandra Hart presented information about the rampant hi-rise development that continues to rob our community of its character. The pair provided the HTC with verified information of several lofty developments planned along Fifth and Sixth avenues. The HTC members appeared to overwhelmingly reject this development of properties, some that have not been brought before the community planning groups.

Reports from the crime, litter/graffiti, development and centennial committees included: an initiative to discourage panhandling, stealing from city recycling bins, a community-wide clean-up on Saturday, July 14, the city’s response to overflowing trash cans along University, upcoming centennial events and a great report by Julie Pierce-Hyde re: a ten-year vision for the development of Hillcrest.

The town council has garnered the respect of government officials and other community groups as it continues to grow with new and returning faces.

May 15, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Community Residents Vote to Approve Interim Height Ordinance — The Hillcrest Town Council held their monthly meeting yesterday evening at the Joyce Beers Community Center. After a presentation by the the crime committee a motion was made to recommend action to permanently close the recycling centers at the Ralphs and Vons grocery stores in Hillcrest. The motion overwhelmingly passed. Mission Hills resident and attorney Barry Hager then made a presentation to the group about the proposed Interim Height Ordinance. (Hillcrest residents & business owners may sign an endorsement this Saturday at Ralphs). The development committee presented a motion for the HTC to endorse the interim ordinance which proposes a 65' height limit. It passed with one resident voting against and one abstaining. The development committee closed the meeting with a plan for locations of new signage for the gateways into Hillcrest. It is hoped that the city will have the signs in place in time for Hillcrest’s 100th birthday on Thursday, August 2.

April 10, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Nearly 50 Hillcrest residents gathered last night for April’s Hillcrest Town Council meeting and shared committee information re: graffiti/litter (email Pam Sharpe any photos & locations of area graffiti) and Hillcrest Centennial events that have been planned throughout 2007. Crime reports were given by Lt. Andrew Mills (left) with suggestions on how residents can protect themselves against crime and how to help fight the ongoing issue of Hillcrest transients. Jeffery Tom, the representative from council member Toni Atkins office, reported on a new program to be rolled out in the next few weeks to encourage safety among bar patrons. A special presentation was given by Bob Lehman, founder of the Stonewall Citizens’ Patrol. They are outreaching for more volunteers. Call (619) 269-4992 for more information.

HTC meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 in the Joyce Beers Community Center.

March 13, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting

Tom Mullaney with Friends of San Diego gave an interesting presentation at last night’s Hillcrest Town Council meeting. One of his charts (enlarged below) shows Uptown population from 1970-2020. Is it “Smart Growth” or a massive unplanned density increase? The population of Uptown has stabilized at about 35,000 for 30 years. Yet the Uptown Community Plan includes greatly increased densities — enough to increase the population to 51,600...45% more. This is an unprecendented increase that is 30 times the amount targeted for other communities.

The higher density developments have already started, but the plans for transportation, parks, schools and libraries are still “to follow later.” Is this “Smart Growth?”

He also gave an update on the lawsuit that has been filed against the monster building at 301 University Avenue. This lawsuit was filed because of the City Council’s inabilty to deal with community infrastructure issues. Financial support is needed. Please contact Friends of San Diego at (619) 795-1753 if you would like to help out.

February 13, 2007 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting
Renters and homeowners participated a residents’ meeting Tuesday night at the Joyce Beers Community Center. The group chose the “Hillcrest Town Council” as their name, selected boundaries and agreed on the misson statement brought forward by the steering committee. Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30pm. All are welcome. Sub-commitees for the Hillcrest Centennial events; crime; development and litter/graffiti were formed. The Hillcrest Neighborhood Watch will begin each meeting. The next steering commitee meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb 27th. Email for time and location.

Hillcrest is getting a voice for its residents
A residents’ group is being formed. Everyone is being asked to come to the Joyce Beers Community Center (map 6-B) on Tuesday, February 13th at 6:30pm. The steering committee will share their suggestions for a name (the “Hillcrest Town Council”), boundaries and a misson statement. Hillcrest Neighborhood Watch will begin each monthly meeting. Please email for a flier or questions.

This is part of a letter from a Hillcrest resident: I had two reasons for being down after the (January) meeting at the Joyce Beers Center. The admission that the police have not been enforcing the van/converted truck “residences,” and the absolutely wrong statement the young, enthusiast and public-relations minded officer made about arresting people for kicking the soles of the shoes of people sleeping on public property/walkways. I say he is wrong because this procedure is the advice I received FROM the police when I was in charge of branch library buildings and we sometimes had this issue with people attempting to reside on those properties. In fact, I believe the paraphrase I received from the police was: we’re not going to come over and kick their shoes for you. (I suppose you realize that kicking the shoes is what the police do do in these situations.)

I did not feel like confronting the officer publicly at that meeting (although I came very, very close) because I was so angry with him and I did not want to polarize the meeting and have a confrontation between the badge of authority and some older woman. Credibility was on his side, much to my dismay. I did note the silence which lasted a long time after he made the erroneous statement. I think people were dismayed by a feeling of helplessness and the realization that the police are of no real help for most of us, at least not in regard to non-emergency matters.

I was among those who walked away from this meeting with the feeling that the “order” has gone out of “law and order.” I also feel very strongly about the futility of the “correct” procedure of calling a non-emergency number and having a complaint filed...indefinitely. Then the police can point to the bulging files and comment on “their” workload. I don’t feel like adding to their burden. I have heard all the reasons why they cannot act, and I believe them. But I do think there needs to be a movement away from protecting only the rights of the perpetrators and leaving the victims, i.e. the general public, to fend for themselves until the police do get around to it.

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