Editorial:

As a newspaper a lot of press releases cross our desk informing us of the current events, national happenings, public policy, etcetera. Lately, we have been seeing a lot of press releases announcing newly completed bikeways in San Diego. Many come have come with a hefty price tag, such as the Mission Valley bike path, which cost $11 million. We are also seeing a lot of check presentations to start new bikeways and skateboard parks.

Bike paths and skateboard parks are nice amenities and add to the quality of life of any community. We won’t argue that point. But we have to question the priority placed on these types of projects versus the necessities of sidewalks where there are none and street lamps to brighten dark and possibly dangerous areas.

As a Hispanic newspaper we look at the needs of our communities. We find it frustrating that the communities with the greatest needs for basic services, services that should be provided by the city, are forsaken so that the city can provide quality of life amenities for the more affluent parts of the city.

For example, just a few weeks ago we published a story with the District Eight council representative, David Alvarez, announcing plans to move forward on sidewalks for Otay Mesa Road. Otay Mesa Road is the link between the high school and the closest housing tract. But there are no sidewalks. Students walking to school have to deal with cars and trucks coming around blind corners as the kids walk on the dirt path right next to the roadway. This has been an on-going issue for years.

The news of the sidewalk plan for Otay Mesa Road was good, the only problem was there was no check presentation to kick off this project. The plan had been approved and it was a priority, but the most important ingredient needed, the money, was a no-show.

So we went on the City’s web site to take a look at the budget and projects for fiscal year 2015 and sure enough there was the Otay Mesa Rd project approved and listed as a priority, but under the funding tag it was listed as: “This anticipated funding is currently shown as unidentified”. So all the community has to date is a promise, nothing more.

As we continued to look down the list of projects projected and/or already started in Districts 8 and 4, we noted very few projects for District 4. Meanwhile District 8 had their fair share of projects, but very few were listed as high priority and even fewer were funded to start in fiscal year 2015.

We also noted a high number of projects slated for District 1, La Jolla/Torrey Pines area and there are a lot of bike pathway projects, with almost every bike project listed as a high priority, funded, or to be completed this year.
We are disturbed that the city was willing to spend $6 million dollars on Rose Creek Bikeway in Mission Beach, which is now completed, but can’t find the funding for a $2.5 million dollar project in San Ysidro. The community has been clamoring for a sidewalk for over a decade so that their children can walk safely to school. Something is wrong here when a Saturday afternoon bike ride along the shoreline outweighs the need of public safety. Priorities are backwards.

In his inaugural acceptance speech in Southeast San Diego, District 4, Mayor Faulconer’s message was one of a municipal reawakening with vows to pay special attention to neighborhoods, public safety and infrastructure needs. He has made sure that the amenities have been taken care of in the affluent neighborhoods. Now it is time to shift his priorities and live up to his promise of public safety and infrastructure in the less affluent communities!