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NEWS


Hillcrest Town Council reflects on past, moves towards future


In closing out 2010, HTC members and residents look to improve the community at large one step at a time for 2011


By Elena Buckley SDUN Editorial Assistant


Lauren Ventura SDUN Editor


aby steps can make a differ- ence in any community. Pick- ing up one piece of trash at a time, preserving historic landmarks and fighting for larger concerns such as traffic and transportation are just some of the steps—large and small—that the Hillcrest Town Council (HTC) has taken on in 2010. HTC members spoke with Uptown News recently about their 2010 achievements and goals for 2011.


Originally coined the Hillcrest Resident’s Group when it was founded in January of 2007, the now four-year-old HTC is comprised of community members who work together to keep Hillcrest beauti- ful—and growing. As its mission statement declares, HTC’s aim is “to provide a voice and enhance the quality of life for Hillcrest renters and homeowners while supporting actions that benefit our neighbor- hood.” The HTC includes several com-


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mittees within its structure, such as the Neighborhood Improvement Committee, which focuses on beau- tification projects and reviewing Let’s Improve Our Neighborhood awards (L.I.O.N); the Development Committee, which focuses predom-


inantly on community planning; and the Steering Committee, which attends to the agenda items. Anne Haule, HTC Steering Com- mittee member, said that the com- mittee is accomplishing its goals and, in turn, is creating a welcom- ing, open community as a result. “I think what we’re trying to do—and what we’re accomplish- ing—is providing a forum for resi- dents to be educated about what’s happening locally, and to express their concerns about issues that we can address for them,” Haule said. “Then, I think on a lighter note, (HTC provides) a forum for neigh- bors to meet neighbors.”


In addition, the HTC committees each work in conjunction to improve overlapping issues in Hillcrest—for instance, medical marijuana zon- ing bylaws and the possibility of a streetcar traveling from Uptown to downtown. Some of the most ex- citing events of 2010, according to Haule and fellow Steering Commit- tee member Rich Gorin, were hav- ing the city auditor, city attorney and councilmembers Carl DeMaio and Todd Gloria speak regarding Propo- sition D (the failed 2010 ballot mea- sure which would have increased the city’s sales tax by a half-cent for the next five years), and Congress- woman Susan Davis speaking about the healthcare reform bill. “We had people lining up for blocks,” Haule said of the Joyce


Beers Community Center meetings. “To me, it just showed that we’re do- ing something for the community that everyone’s interested in.” In 2010, members of the HTC committees addressed numerous Hillcrest-centered problems and made significant progress. Here’s a brief rundown of solutions they came up with that benefited the community. Transient concerns It’s no surprise that there is a


large homeless population not only in Hillcrest, but in all of the Uptown communities. The issue is often- times disturbing and disrupting to businesses and to residents alike. According to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless’ 2010 Re- gional Homeless Profile (RTFH), District 2 has 1,249 homeless per- sons counted on the streets and 2,110 persons counted in shelters. District 2, which includes a portion of Uptown, Old Town, Mission Hills and Five Points, accounts for 74 percent of the City of San Diego’s homeless population.


During 2010, the HTC had several discussions regarding this topic, how it’s affecting members of the commu- nity and how to make it better. “There were two discussions on the homeless,” Gorin said. “The (discussions) were motivated by the appearance of people on the street wandering aimlessly and wearing wristbands from the hospi- tals. We got a clarification from the hospitals on what their discharge policies are, and an explanation from an assistant city attorney as to the law and public policy.” Gorin said United Way (which


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works to improve health and hu- man services issues around the county) is using funding modeled on the “Worst 50” program in Los Angeles to help prevent neighbor- hoods and businesses near Scripps and UCSD Hillcrest hospitals from being adversely affected by dis- charged, homeless patients. “The concept is to provide


wraparound services for the most egregious consumers of home- less services and thereby save the government and the hospitals the largest chunk of emergency room expenses so that in terms of cost containment, the program would pay for itself,” Gorin said. The other discussion was re-


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garding an issue that the manager of Hillcrest’s Ralphs grocery store was having with an encampment near the on-site recycling center. “The manager from the local Ralphs came and explained the problem he was having with home- less (people) camping and shoplift- ing. Community Relations Officer David Surwillo followed up on that complaint,” Gorin said.


This is an ongoing issue and one that will carry over into 2011, but HTC members agreed that its main goals are to help small business owners by working to coordinate services for the homeless.


Interstate 163 off-ramp conges- tion issues


The I-163 off-ramp at 10th and Robinson avenues has been a long-standing issue for Hillcrest residents and visitors, causing un- necessary traffic jams, frightening lane changes, illegal u-turns and an


see Council, page 9


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