A Weekly Message from the Mayor of Your Community Sponsored by Arie de Jong, in the belief that it is important for elected leaders to communicate with their constituents and that constituents have a means of hearing from their elected leaders.
A Community Service of Arie de Jong Escondido • Mayor Sam Abed
COUNCIL AWARD WINNERS
CITY lCongratulations to the fol-
owing Escondido residents will be honored at the annual State of the City meeting on February 8, 2012 as recipients of the 2012 City Council Awards for their outstanding volunteer efforts:
Name: Carina Courtright Field: Arts
Name: Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Field: Business
Name: Assistance League of
Inland North County Field: Charity
Name: Cole Preston and Michael Rosenburg Field:
Beautification Beautification Community
Name: Michael Rosenburg Field:
Community
Name: Escondido Mounted Posse Field: Community Spirit
Name: Carol Rea Field: Historic Preservation
Name: Wayne Louth Field: Patriotism
Name: Jose Jimenez Field: Youth Leadership
Rancho Bernardo • Mayor Jerry Sanders
Convention Center One Step Closer
Convention Center Financing District, a critical step toward expanding our waterfront Convention Center.
Last week, the City Council voted 6-2 to cre- ate
the
The formation of the financing district allows a vote to proceed this spring in which hoteliers will decide if they want to tax their guests, with the proceeds of that assessment being used to pay a large share of the debt service for the construction bonds. The tax must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the city’s hoteliers. This vote was an important step toward putting thousands of San Diegans to work – a priority most city coun- cilmembers and I agree should be para- mount. Along with jobs, this project
‘Local News’ Cont. from Page 8
districts. The lawsuit alleges disciminaton against Latino families and their neighborh- ods.
The city argues the lawsuit should be dismissed because the plaintiffs, the state’s Building and Construction Trades Council, does not have legal standing to sue the city for violation of state or federal voting rights laws.
A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for March 16th at 1:30pm in Vista’s
will generate millions of dollars in new revenues for neighborhood services, like police, fire, parks and libraries.
Each year, the San Diego Convention Center turns away about a year’s worth of business because it lacks sufficient contiguous space to host the largest and most lucrative conventions.
This expansion is expected to save con- ventions that are close to outgrowing the center, as well as lure more and larg- er conventions – generating an addi- tional $12.7 million in hotel room taxes.
The project also will generate 4,000 construction jobs and 7,000 permanent jobs in San Diego.
I’m grateful to our council and all the San Diegans who came to the meeting to show their support for this impor- tant project.
Superior Court.
Plaintiff’s argue that the at- large elections deny Latinos the opportunity to be elected to the Council and demands that the city assist Latinos in getting elected by creating one or two districts in the center of the city, where a large percentage of Latinos live.
The lawsuit has drawn com- ment on Facebook as well. Many Facebook users are expressing frustration at the hostile environment created by the filing of the suit.
San Marcos • Mayor Jim Desmond
San Marcos City Council plans to refinance bonds to save taxpay- ers more than $1 million
The San Marcos City Council approved a resolution last night giv- ing staff the green light to refinance bonds for Community Facilities District (CFD) 88-1. By refinancing the $22.59 million of outstanding bonds from 5.8 percent to approxi- mately 4 percent, taxpayers in the Santa Fe Hills area of San Marcos could save an estimated $1.2 million in tax payments over the next 16 years.
Community Facilities Districts, or Mello-Roos as they are more com- monly known, help finance local
public facilities and services like law enforcement, fire, landscaping, lighting and other community serv- ices. Cities often consider refinanc- ing these long-term bonds if market conditions are favorable enough to save taxpayers money, something San Marcos has done at least a half a dozen times over the past 20 years to capture similar savings. The city oversees several CFDs; however, CFD 88-1 would be the only bond refinanced under this action. About 1,749 residential units would experi- ence an annual special tax savings ranging anywhere from $50 to $145. This estimate could change given market conditions when the bonds have actually been priced and sold. This move will bring real savings to many San Marcos taxpayers, and in this economy, every little bit helps.
Oceanside • Mayor Jim Wood
2012 MLK Community Service Awards
Oceanside asks the public to nominate members of the Oceanside and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton commu- nities who have exemplified the phi- losophy and ideals of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Those nomi- nated are individuals who have worked to improve community life for others, developed positive rela- tionships between groups in the com- munity and/or enhanced the lives of personal individuals. Nominees are community members who have devoted their time and energy in vol- unteer service to fulfill not only Dr. King’s beliefs, but the City of
Each year the City
of
Oceanside’s vision and mission state- ment as well. Those nominated this year were: Corporal Hubert Robertson, Mr. & Mrs. Kevin and Wanda Emory and Mrs. Colleen O’Harra for their various volunteer activities. As tradition would have it, the nominees are brought together the morning of MLK Day for a breakfast event hosted by the North San Diego County NAACP and presentation of the winning nominee is made – this year we congratulate Mrs. Colleen O’Harra for receipt of that honor. Mrs. O’Harra has been instrumental in serving the needs of the battered and abused women and their children at the Women’s Resource Center, founding Casa de Amparo that protects abused and neglected children and being actively involved with the Oceanside Charitable Foundation. Many thanks to all who make a difference.
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