Letter from Laurie Zapf

Happy New Year, Clairemont! I hope you had a great holiday season with your loved ones. In the spirit of the New Year, I would like to share with you my resolutions for 2013, as one of your city council representatives.

• Maintain good fiscal standing: Most importantly, I want to keep San Diego’s budget out of the red and in the black. In December we received bad news from the state on the status of redevelopment funding, as well as the City’s Independent Budget Analyst, who told us that our budget situation was not as rosy as we had once believed. As we move forward, I pledge to continue to fight to keep implementing voter-approved saving initiatives like managed competition, so that we have the money to keep our core services afloat.
  
• Make San Diego more bike-friendly: In a city with near-perfect weather, it really is a shame that we don’t have a more connected network of safe bike paths. I am working with traffic engineers to come up with solutions on major thoroughfares in Clairemont, like Balboa Avenue, to see if there are low-cost ways to make these streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
  
• Improving infrastructure- It’s no secret that San Diego has a multi-million dollar backlog of infrastructure improvements. They include fixing our decaying streets and City-owned buildings like libraries and rec centers. In addition to fighting for Clairemont’s share of infrastructure improvements, I also want the City to prioritize infrastructure improvements for our first responders. At some locations, police and lifeguards work out of trailers, our fire-rescue boats are in dire need of replacement, and our 911 dispatch system technology is ancient and outdated. As a City, we have an obligation to make sure our first responders have the equipment necessary to respond to emergencies when we need them.
  
• Homelessness: San Diego has the third largest homeless population of any major metropolitan area in the country, according to a 2012 report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As Chair of the Land Use & Housing Committee, which is now responsible for homeless issues, it is my top priority to find ways that the city, county, and nonprofit agencies can work together to reduce the number of individuals who live in our canyons, rivers, and streets.