What I love about Hillcrest is that there is always so much going on. This is a neighborhood full of active and passionate people— there is never a dull moment. Here’s a glimpse of what is going on this month in Hillcrest.

Uptown Community Planning Group

The new Uptown Community Planning Group, which replaces the Uptown Planners as the area’s advisory body to the City of San Diego on issues such as land use, development, and discretionary projects within the six Uptown neighborhoods, was finalizing its elections at the time I was writing my column for last month’s edition. On Tuesday, Sept. 3, the results of the election were announced, which included Alberto Guaradado for the Hillcrest property owner seat and Isaac Warner for the Hillcrest renter seat. Benjamin Nicholls and Margit Whitlock were elected to Hillcrest business seats, and Anar Salayev was elected to the Hillcrest nonprofit seat, representing BikeSD.

For transparency, I was also elected to the board of the Uptown Community Planning Group, but my residential address is in University Heights, so I will proudly be serving in the renter seat dedicated to that neighborhood.

Community members had 24 hours to submit challenges to the election results, and several were filed, including challenges to the Hillcrest renter seat election, the Hillcrest nonprofit seat election, and the Hillcrest business seat that went to Benjamin Nicholls. At the time of this writing, I am unsure what will happen with these challenges as they will be handled at the board’s first meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1. I look forward to sharing more about how community members can engage with the board once these challenges are worked through.

You can learn more about the Uptown Community Planning Group at uptowncommunityplanning.org.

Hillcrest Community Volunteer Patrol

Since this past summer, a small group of community members has held a couple of meetings to discuss the formation of a volunteer-led Hillcrest community patrol, in light of the dissolution of the Stonewall Citizens Patrol. The patrol’s goal would be to bring an extra set of eyes and ears to the neighborhood and also to educate community members on how to report crime and other issues they need help with.

This volunteer patrol will not intervene in any situation and is not a force of “mini-cops.” The goal is to be hands-off but create a presence that could possibly deter potential crime while making community members feel safer. With reports of increased hate incidents and crimes in the neighborhood, many community members have asked for something like this, and the group hopes to have something organized by early next year.

Plans are in the works for a “Take Back the Night” type rally to officially launch the new patrol, with continued work to build the infrastructure and recruit volunteers. To be successful, the patrol will need a lot of volunteer support. If you are interested in learning more, please send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll make sure you get out the email list to learn about the next meeting date and other activities.

Nightmare on Normal Street

October is here and I couldn’t be more excited! I absolutely love Halloween and spooky season. I can’t wait for all the fun events that are in store. One of the largest Halloween parties in town happens right here in Hillcrest: Nightmare on Normal Street.

The Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) is thrilled to bring back Hillcrest’s haunted Halloween dance party and costume competition on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5-11 p.m. at Pride Plaza (located at Normal Street and University Ave). The event includes a night of live entertainment, a costume competition (for both furry friends and humans), monstrous bars, a haunted speakeasy, spooktacular vendors, non-stop dancing, and top-notch people-watching. HBA goes all out to produce Nightmare on Normal Street so it’s one not to miss! Visit fabuloushillcrest.com for tickets. For families, the free Boo Bash by TransFamily Support Services will be held in the same space, on the same day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with tickets on Eventbrite.

Hillcrest Community Ofrenda

In honor of Dia de los Muertos, Rick Cervantes and @HillcrestSanDiego will present the third annual Hillcrest Community Ofrenda from Tuesday, Oct. 29 to Thursday, Oct. 31, also around the Hillcrest Pride Flag. Rick started this annual tribute at his home to honor his brother, who was murdered in 2016, and in 2022, he decided to merge his Latino and LGBT cultures by creating an ofrenda that everyone could contribute to. The ofrenda will be open 24 hours a day during the three days it is up, with a team of volunteers keeping it secure at all hours. All community members are welcome to come place photos or items at the ofrenda at any time, or just come and visit. Pan dulce will be served as well. Visit @HillcrestSanDiego on Instagram for more information.

Hillcrest’s Most Famous Murderess

Longtime San Diegans could never forget the name Betty Broderick, the divorcee who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife at their Hillcrest home on Cypress Street in 1989. Broderick, who remains imprisoned to this day at the California Institution for Women in Chino, Calif., has been the subject of numerous documentaries, films, and made-for-TV movies, some of higher quality than others.

San Diego’s fabulous Jazmyn Glam is hosting a fun show at Urban Mo’s on Friday, Oct. 11, called “Murder On The Dancefloor – A Night of True Crime & Killer Cocktails: The Betty Broderick Story.” Jazmyn is a true crime buff and is putting a lot of work into making this an intriguing but really fun show. You don’t want to miss it! Visit urbanmos.com for tickets.