El Cerrito Breaking News

Housing Crisis or Hoarding Crisis? Solutions to having more homes available and lowering housing costs.

Presented to the El Cerrito Community Council on February 15, 2024 by Ramie Zomisky


City Council District 9 Candidate Forum

About The Event

Neighbors For A Better San Diego is sponsoring a forum for candidates running for Council District 9. The two candidates with the most votes in the March 5, 2024, primary election will move on to the general election in November.

Candidates Fernando Garcia, Terry Hoskins, and Sean Elo-Rivera will give opening statements and answer questions from panelists and audience members. Take this opportunity to hear from the candidates and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most to you.

The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of San Diego and conducted according to their guidelines. Audience members will have an opportunity to submit questions in writing.

Please register in advance by clicking on the link. https://www.neighborsforabettersandiego.org/rsvp-d9?cid=c933fd27-c416-4d9e-b376-d82f6a4551d2

Register soon as space is limited

The Forum Take Place

 Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 6:30 PM

Salvation Army Kroc Center

Rolando Banquet Room

(next to the ice arena)

6753 University Ave,

San Diego, CA 92115


 District 9 Communities Include:

Alvarado Estates • City Heights • College Area • College View Estates • El Cerrito • Kensington • Mission Valley East • Mountain View  • Mt. Hope • Normal Heights • Redwood Village • Rolando Park • Rolando Village • Stockton • Talmadge

poster with text

 

Call for Nominations Eastern Area

Click to access Call-for-Nominations-2023-final.pdf

The City of San Diego Environmental Services Department

Jeanne Patton, Supervising Recycling Specialist discusses San Diego’s new organic waste recycling program with the El Cerrito Community.  This informative presentation will help community members better understand how to use and care for the New Green Bins.


 

CBS 8 News Article on January 31, 2023

https://www.cbs8.com/video/news/local/el-cerrito-neighborhood-sees-influx-of-large-granny-flats/509-f2503cab-a085-4fce-815f-a3637da9f18c


 

The Friends of the College-Rolando Library has asked us to share their message below:

Library voices and bodies are needed at 6 pm on Tuesday, January 17 at the Rolando Community Council meeting (UDW Hall, 4855 Seminole Drive.)
Our councilman, Sean Elo Rivera will be there!  He needs to hear that this is an emergency!


We are shocked to learn that bulldozers are at the ready to demolish library parking.  A 182 unit project (including residential) is currently on the fast track through the city permitting process.  

The city has determined that this residential project is allowed even though the zoning on the property prohibits residential development.  How is that possible?  We need answers.
 

If you can’t attend the meeting, please email our Councilmember and the Mayor ASAP:
 

MayorToddGloria@SanDiego.gov      

SeanEloRivera@SanDiego.gov
(and, if you wish, copy us at CRlibraryFriends@gmail.com)

The message:  Stop processing the development permit at 6650 Montezuma Road now.  It threatens our library!…or your own words….

Additional ideas:

  • The College-Rolando library is our only civic building.  It can’t serve people of all ages and abilities without parking.
  • This is an equity issue.  You are building and expanding parking for other communities.
  • City zoning does not allow residential development because of the CPIOZ on 6650 Montezuma Road.  How can the city be in the process of approving a project including 57 residential dwelling units when only 125 hotel rooms are allowed? 
  • Parking is necessary for a functional library.  The 25 parking spaces in the existing joint use agreement will always be at risk of being taken by users of the 6650 Montezuma project and there is no enforcement to stop people from that project from using the library’s own dedicated parking spots.  
  • Communicate your own feelings…how you use the library and what the loss of parking will mean to you!

Your support has been so important in the past.  Please rise to this challenge!

If you need more information, please call Jan Hintzman, President of the Friends of the College-Rolando library (619-665-3217)

Jan Hintzman, for the Friends of the College-Rolando Library
CRlibraryFriends@gmail.com


Sincerely,

Laura Riebau


 

Neighbors for a Better San Diego

provides a detailed analysis of a newly completed ADU project on 49th street

House before and after

This ADU project replaced a single family home with a house, a casita (formerly a garage), and a two- 2-story apartment buildings in the backyard. There are two parking spaces for six units, there is no place for trash cans, and it is two miles from the nearest trolley. The house was originally advertised for $4200/month and is now down to $3595/month. Maybe when someone pays $3000-$4000/month to rent a home, they want some privacy and a backyard that is not filled with concrete and two-story apartment buildings behind them. And maybe they want a garage for the car(s) they will certainly own.

https://www.neighborsforabettersandiego.org/so/ddOCLWnBo?languageTag=en&cid=c933fd27-c416-4d9e-b376-d82f6a4551d2#/main

This excessive building is happening across the Talmadge and College neighborhoods. Developers are building small units and trying to charge big rents. The mayor and city council are using social justice claims to say they are building affordable housing. It is a lie. They are destroying single-family neighborhoods, adding stress to outdated water and sewer systems, increasing the pace of climate change by replacing mature trees and foliage with cement, and lying about TPAs. They are only benefiting themselves and developers. Read the story and follow the links; look at the evidence for yourself.  

You should worry; this could be coming to a house next to you.


PATH Villas El Cerrito Meeting Flier


Dear El Cerrito Residents, Businesses, and Schools,

Important Meeting: June 8th at 7:00 pm at the College-Rolando Library, 6600 Montezuma Road, San Diego, CA 92115 (must register please see below).

Discuss the Homeless Housing Project “PATH Villas El Cerrito,” which is being built at Dayton and El Cajon Blvd by Family Health Centers.

Meet with Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, and Family Health Centers (FHC) and other city agency representatives to discuss the community’s view of the proposed change of use at the Family Health Centers building.  The change of use involves the site becoming homeless housing with a drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment facility rather than the affordable housing with anticipated residents to include young professionals and students, as FHC representatives told our neighborhood in late 2020 and early 2021.

Further, there have been misrepresentations about the El Cerrito community’s knowledge and approval of this homeless housing with treatment services. Claims of community support were cited by the SDHC and San Diego County Board of Supervisors in reports presented at their official funding meetings in April 2022. These statements of support were cited before the El Cerrito community even knew about the change in use.

You must register for this meeting to attend. Here is the RSVP link: https://sandiego.seamlessdocs.com/f/PATHvillaselcerrito. If you are attending virtually, you will receive a link on the meeting day, June 8.

This meeting is for residents of El Cerrito and our College Area neighbors to hear directly from, and ask questions of, our elected officials and representatives of FHC, San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), the agencies involved in the change of use of the Family Health Centers (FHC) building on El Cajon Boulevard in our neighborhood.

You do not want to miss this meeting! You may attend in person or via Zoom. We encourage attending in-person. Parking may be limited in the library’s parking lot so feel free to park in the Ralph’s parking lot next door. The meeting will last only an hour despite ECCC’s request that this important meeting go longer if necessary so the community could have their voices heard.

Please attend the meeting, listen, and speak up. Our elected representatives and the agencies involved in this change of use need to hear from our community. Please share this email with your neighbors, friends, and social networks.

 

Sincerely,

Laura Riebau


May 19, 2022 — ECCC Meeting

Nearly 100 Residents from El Cerrito and the College Area attended a meeting to discuss the homeless housing project proposed for the 10-story Family Health Care Center Building now under construction on El Cajon Blvd. and 55th st.  The community is angry that it was lied to by a Family Health Center employee who said this was affordable housing for clinic staff and young professionals. Local politicians are also lying saying that the community knew about the project and supported it. NOT TRUE  


Around Town Events

The GI Film Festival San Diego runs May 17-21, 2022. There appears to be a great line up of films again this year. The GI Film Festival San Diego is proud to present all in-person film screenings and the awards celebration at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA). The museum is centrally located in San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park and features state-of-the-art theatre complete with high quality projection and sound systems, comfortable seating, and is ADA compliant. More information at https://gifilmfestivalsd.org/2022/


College Area Community Plan Update — Get Involved

El Cerrito supports its neighbor to the north in their community planning efforts.
El Cerrito Community Council Meeting March 24, 2022. Presentation to the community on the College Area Plan proposal.

Our Neighborhood Voices Initiative with Mayor Bill Brand discussing SB9.

  • Jonathan Herrera – San Diego Housing Commission Discusses Coordinated Street Outreach Program

Reminder: ECCC Special Meeting on Redistricting

This special meeting will replace the regular October ECCC Community meeting that would have occurred on October 21. The regular community meeting schedule (the third Thursday of the month) will resume in November.

 

Dear Neighbors,

Our regular ECCC Community Meeting meeting on October 21 conflicts with a special meeting of the San Diego City Redistricting Commission. Since this commission meeting is very important and concerns which city council district El Cerrito is in – and consequently who represents us on the city council – the ECCC Board decided at its October 7 meeting that ECCC will host a special Redistricting Meeting on October 14 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm for our neighborhood and invite other neighborhoods to attend for a discussion of the various redistricting proposals – especially one called Mid-City Mesa that has been proposed by leaders of a working group of District 9 residents. You will also find out how you can participate in the redistricting process. Please click on https://mcusercontent.com/168f8ccea473d128e9433ac61/files/b3c2c6b4-2f6e-ceca-9c38-249b02e71b3c/INVITE_Redistricting_Meeting_10_14_2021.pdf to see the flyer for further details.

To join the Zoom El Cerrito Community Meeting Video Conference, click on the following URL:

https://nu.zoom.us/j/8586428437

Meeting ID: 858 642 8437


 

Logo for  city of San Diego COVID-19 housing assistance

City of San Diego COVID-19 housing stability assistance program

 

 

 

 

 

March 5, 2021

Help Available to Pay Past-Due Rent and Utilities Due to COVID-19 Hardship

 A new program will help pay past-due, unpaid rent and utilities for qualifying City of San Diego (City) residents with low income who experience financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application for help from the City of San Diego COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program will be available March 15, 2021, at covidassistance.sdhc.org.

Until then, those who are interested in the program can sign up to be notified when the application is available. To sign up for this interest list, click here (Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Microsoft Edge web browsers to access the interest list or program application.)

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Microsoft Edge web browsers to access the program application.

For questions or help with the application, call 619-535-6921 or contact one of these community-based organizations:

For more information about the program, please see the informational flyer available in English and Spanish.

The San Diego Housing Commission administers the COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program for the City of San Diego.