Struggling, as always, for a topic for our monthly article we looked at the subjects of our commentaries during 2023. We decided to review what we addressed last year – all with the hope that you will let us know what we should take on in 2024.

We began 2023 with a look at the December fly-over bridge lighting, the Tree Lighting ceremony, and the Holiday Festival. By the time this paper hits the streets those events for 2023 will be over and done. So, look for our report in January 2024.

In February we explored food insecurity and the work of the Food Pantry at Ascension Lutheran Church. This vital community activity is a local outreach of the larger effort of the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. As we did then, we now commend the hard work that is done by this organization and we ask for your contributions.

March brought us to the ongoing question of the housing shortage and the laws that allow the densification of our residential communities. We discussed the role that the Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) has (or should have) as the voice of the community in these matters. This issue is so important that we returned to this same subject in November.

The article in April began with the Total Altruism Project (Gary Blume’s project to give the community the tools to keep our parks clean), moved on to the Council District 7 Office Hours outreach to constituents, and ended with the discussion of the need for an off-leash dog park. We are pleased to report that in 2024 the city will have the dog park in operation south of the Allied Gardens swimming pool.

In June we talked about Benjamin Library and what could be done to expand the facility to15,000 square feet as predicted by the Facilities Financing Plan and as needed by the community. The expansion of the facility is critical to meet the increased demand from Grantville residential development. After the article was published NCPI placed the library expansion on the Capital Improvement List (CIP) for the use of Navajo Community Development Impact Funds (DIF). It will take a long time (San Carlos took 20+ years) but it is a start.

Our July article thanked the community organizers for the Third Annual Fourth of July Community Parade that began at Marvin Elementary School and was attended by three generations of Allied Gardens residents. It was a splendid event.

The role of the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) was the topic of our August column.

In September the San Diego Commission on Police Practices (CPP) was about to reach the final stage of its organization. We talked about its role in scrutinizing interactions between members of the public and the police. Shortly after that article was published the city hired the CPP management staff, the City Council appointed 25 Commissioners, and the CPP went into full operation.

In late September and early October a group of ignorant and cowardly thugs used the cover of night to distribute antisemitic literature in our Navajo Communities. In our October article we condemned that behavior and we offered our support to the innocent victims of that assault.

In November we returned to the question of how NCPI conveys our voice to the City Planning Department and how the Planning Department ignores our community values. Absent a sea change in developmental policies, and at this time we see no such possibility, this issue will be at persistent thread in public discourse.

In closing, your Community Council extends to our readership wishes for a happy holiday and a peaceful New Year.

The Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council maintains an email contact list through which we offer information about what is going on in the community.

Our website is down for the moment. Until we have it back up and running contact us at [email protected] to join our stream of consciousness.

Crédito de la foto: Pixabay.com