Hillcrest lit up with celebration on Monday, Feb. 27, as Rick Cervantes and I presented the third annual Hillcrest Honors.

It was an incredible night, and we had the opportunity to honor over 150 people, organizations, businesses and events that make Hillcrest the special place it is. The celebration really showed off the diversity and uniqueness of this amazing neighborhood.

Rick and I first envisioned the Hillcrest Honors in late 2022, which we originally intended to be just a series of posts on his popular @hillcrestsandiego Instagram account. We thought we would highlight a series of standouts in the neighborhood, such as community volunteers, activists, bartenders, business owners and more. The posts were very well received and from that we thought, why not host an event to celebrate these people? And the Hillcrest Honors was born.

In just over one month, we organized the first celebration at Uptown Tavern, held in early February 2023, and it was a smashing success.

We immediately knew we wanted to hold a second event, and again, it was an even bigger success in 2024 (on a very rainy, wet night). And this year, we did it again, hosting the third annual event that was bigger than ever before!

It was held across two venues (Uptown Tavern and Flicks) with a lighted pathway of over 30 volunteers guiding the way. Over 400 people came out to celebrate on a Monday night, and it was proof of how incredible this special community is! 

Learn more about the Hillcrest Honors, see photos from this year’s event, and view the list of honorees at HillcrestHonors.com.

Uptown Community Planning Group

We are in the midst of voting for some seats on the Uptown Community Planning Board, including the seat reserved for a Hillcrest renter. I encourage anyone who lives in the boundaries of Hillcrest to register to vote right away at uptowncommunityplanning.org. The last day to register is this Sunday, March 9 and once registered, voters will be able to cast their ballot online through March 11, or in person on March 11.

All residents of the neighborhoods should also register to vote (and vote) as there are some at-large business seats that anyone living in University Heights (west of Park Blvd), Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Medical Complex, Bankers Hill or Middletown can vote for.

While I certainly won’t use this space to tell readers who to vote for, I encourage to read the candidate’s statements closely, reach out to them if you have questions, and vote accordingly. While community planning groups don’t have any formal power or authority, they have the opportunity to have a powerful voice if they are well ran and gain the respect of those who have the power to make decisions.

The Uptown Community Planning Group, which formed in Sept. 2024 after the termination of the former Uptown Planners by the City of San Diego, certainly hasn’t been immune to its share of growing pains. Unfortunately, members are grappling with trying to figure out the operating procedures, bylaws, and how to get along with each other. It hasn’t been easy. A few of us have resigned, including myself last week, but wish the board the best. This can be a powerful tool for Uptown if done right.

Visit uptowncommunityplanning.org to learn more.

Hillcrest Cleanup & Cocktails

Rick Cervantes, myself, and the Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive are so excited to bring back the Hillcrest Cleanup & Cocktails series for 2025! These community cleanups have become one of the most fun ways to serve the neighborhood, meet new friends, and build community.

Each quarter, we host a cleanup, which is followed by an afternoon of cocktails (or mocktails), food, and fun at Urban Mo’s. The event has started attracting over 75 volunteers each time, coming from all over San Diego County. People love Hillcrest, whether or not they live here, and you can’t say that about many other neighborhoods in town.

The event is simple!

Volunteers meet at 8:30 a.m. by the Hillcrest sign to check-in, enjoy hosted refreshments from Sunnyboy Biscuit Co., and gather supplies. At 9 a.m. a few announcements and safety messages are shared, and then volunteers are sent all over the neighborhood to pick up litter, and work on other projects with the Hillcrest Business Association like painting and planting trees.

When volunteers are done around 11 a.m., everyone heads over to Mo’s, who have so generously committed to provide the first round of drinks for all volunteers and some bites. This is a true community effort and has become a favorite!

The next event is this weekend, on Saturday, March 8.

If you’d like to join us, please register at bit.ly/CleanCocktails3-2025, or just show up! Everyone is welcome!

Vibrant Uptown monthly meeting

Vibrant Uptown, and advocacy group that promotes the Uptown neighborhood as a place to live, work, and play everyone, is inviting the community to their next monthly meeting to plan for major initiatives that seek to make the neighborhoods a better place.

Some of their proposed initiatives include:

• Safer Streets – proposing cost effective ways to enhance the safety for those driving, walking, biking and using transit in and through Uptown.

• Accelerating transit solutions – develop and propose ways to bring the SANDAG streetcar project forward to connect Uptown, North Park and Downtown, reducing the need to park and drive.

• Development collaboration – work in collaboration with property owners, residents and developers to ensure new housing and business development enhanced our neighborhoods while providing much needed housing and business solutions.

• Develop the Balboa Park West Mesa into both a regional and community park space to alleviate the lack of open space in the Uptown communities.

In order to move these efforts forward, Vibrant Uptown needs community members to come forward! They want to promote more affordable housing, a vibrant business ecosystem, the Hillcrest LGBTQ Cultural district and activation of existing spaces for parks and recreation.

If this sounds like something of interest to you, head to their next meeting on Monday, March 10, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Hillcrest Business Association Office, 1601 Unversity Ave. Participants can also join via GoogleMeet. Visit vibrantuptown.org for more information.

I look forward to sharing more about all of the great things going on in Hillcrest next month!

TOP PHOTO: (L-R) Benny Cartwright (co-founder, Hillcrest Honors), Chad Younger (co-owner/Uptown Tavern), Rick Cervantes (co-founder, Hillcrest Honors). (Courtesy photos)