As I write, voting continues. Many outcomes will remain undecided when the article is submitted, some will be unresolved when the paper is published. At this moment, the only certainty is the continuation of the antagonism that now defines our political relations. Whatever the outcome, there will be disagreement, perhaps anger. We used to be able to discuss politics and reach for a common solution. But today, we avoid conversations about most subjects as the only way to maintain friendships and to preserve family relations.

But most of those areas of conflict relate to matters that are more distant — remote from our trips to the grocery store, the gym, and the barber shop. Our real lives are in our neighborhood and on the block where we live. Our real lives are about housing, public transit, parking, recreation facilities, public safety, and community resources. We all have problems to resolve. And we can do it together.

There are two organizations by which we attend to those matters. The Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) and the Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI).

The AGGCC is a non-profit corporation that is chartered to take on the amenities of our community such as the trees on Zion Avenue, our SDG&E transmission box painting project, and communications about local affairs.

Our board meets once a month and we hold a Town Hall Meeting every other month (presently and for the foreseeable future by Zoom). Join our contact list and we will keep you informed of the AGGCC and NCPI meetings, the agendas, and the Zoom access instructions. Join our board and bring your energy to support our neighborhood.

NCPI is a formal component of the city planning department. Representing Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos, and Grantville, it is one of 42 such organizations charged with making recommendations on matters in the local community such as conformity of real estate development to local zoning limitations, of land use and planning, and of the use of developer impact funds for local public projects. The monthly meetings are conducted by Zoom. The power of the planning group’s recommendations is much dependent on the public’s attendance at its meetings. Get on our contact list for notifications of the meetings.

Another organization that is so very important to the Navajo community is San Diego Canyonlands. San Diego Canyonlands is a nonprofit based in City Heights. Since 2008, they have played a major role in restoring San Diego’s canyons and creeks to their natural habitat. Through stewardship, volunteer events and their habitat restoration field crews, they are dedicated to promoting, protecting, and restoring San Diego canyons. They have Navajo Canyon in their sights. Contact them through their website: sdcanyonlands.org.

Turning to local news and still another way to be part of our community, the Allied Community Gardens, located between Ascension Lutheran Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on 51st Street, is enjoying the efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate to create more garden beds. Accordingly, they are now accepting applications for subscriptions to the new beds. Fees are $100 per year, used mostly for water. This has been a great year of harvest for the gardeners and they are looking forward to more community members. Reach them through the AGGCC website and friend them on Facebook – Allied Community Gardens.

At monthly meetings of the AGGCC Board of Directors, the community designs and implements important projects. Use the “Contact Us” page at aggccouncil.org to let us know how we can help you support our neighborhood. The board will not meet in December and our next board meeting will be during the first week of January 2021.

— By Shain Haug, president of the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council. Visit www.aggccouncil.org.