Sunday,
March 16, 2008
Cancer takes the life of Dream Florist owner
Marilyn Howard opened her dream for a Hillcrest floral shop in January of 2007 with the help of her longtime partner Gail Simpson. After retiring from the post office and battling breast cancer, she quickly became a cornerstone business in the heart of the neighborhood bringing a beautiful energy to Dream Florist at 3828 Fifth Avenue. Marilyn’s upbeat attitude and spirit of community will be missed by many.
A memorial service for the Hillcrest businesswoman will be held at Christ Chapel World Ministry, 3094 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park, this Thursday, March 20th at 7pm.
Saturday,
March 15, 2008
Time to advertise in the Pride program
San Diego Pride is offering two great opportunities for businesses to outreach to 2008 participants and the community. The annual program will begin distribution on June 9th (over a month in advance of the weekend festival), and the new pocket guide which will feature a complete schedule of the weekend activities, maps, performances, entertainers, booth locator and much more. This new publication will be handed out exclusively at the two-day festival in Balboa Park on July 19th-20th. $ave by buying your ad at the early bird rate...available through the end of this month.
For prices and sizes for both books, call Ad Ink Advertising Agency, home of HillQuest, at (619) 260-1929.
Friday,
March 14, 2008
A motion by Council Member Toni Atkins to support the proposed Interim Height Ordinance and place it on the City Council agenda in April was approved by the Land Use & Housing Subcommittee Tuesday afternoon, March 12th. The vote in favor of Atkins motion was unanimous (3–0), with council members Brian Maienschein and Ben Hueso supporting the motion which also included moving the southern boundary south to Upas Street (advocated by the Hillcrest Town Council) instead of Brookes Street. In making the motion, Council Member Atkins acknowledged that the Planning Commission had reservations on the proposed ordinance, but she felt it was important that the height limitation be enacted immediately, prior to the commencement of the Uptown Community Plan update.
Members of the Uptown community who were present at the Land Use & Housing meeting were impressed by Toni’s mastery of the issues involved with the proposed ordinance and her skillful advocacy on behalf of the neighborhood. Please take the time to phone or email to the District 3 office expressing appreciation for Toni’s support for Hillcrest.
—
Leo
Wilson, Chair of Uptown Planners
Thursday,
March 13, 2008
— Mission Hills preservationist
Allen Hazard
Wednesday,
March 12, 2008
Over 40 neighbors attend last night’s Hillcrest Town Council meeting at the Joyce Beers Community Center. Charles Kaufman, owner of Bread & Cie, appealed to the group for support in obtaining a license to sell beer and wine without the arbitrary SDPD Vice restrictions that would require him to place a 5-foot plexiglass wall around his outside dining area. The group voted to write a letter in support of the business.
SDPD officer David Surwillo answered many questions about graffiti. His advice is to call either 911 or the police non-emergency number to report these actions. Officer Surwillo is continuing to pursue homeless encampments under bridges with Cal Trans. Juli Peters-Hyde reported for the Development Committee and encouraged neighbors to go to the Hillcrest Town Council website and participate in the survey about walkability. She also requested feedback on efforts to monitor and pursue action against outdoor advertising (billboards) in Hillcrest. Peters-Hyde also encouraged residents to attend Wednesday’s Land Use & Housing meeting that will hear testimony on the Interim Height Ordinance. Tim Gahagan reported on action taken by the city to eliminate newsracks that have been abandoned, are broken or not permitted. The group was polled and positively responded to participating in an early morning cleanup the Monday after Pride weekend. San Diego Pride will contribute $10 to the Hillcrest Town Council for every volunteer hour donated to the effort.
Featured guest, mayoral candidate Steve Francis (above) spoke to the audience about his vision for San Diego and answered dozens of questions from the community group. Francis is self-financing his campaign, running as an independent. He talked about his career as a businessman and how he will take action as mayor to solve the city’s financial problems. Next month’s HTC meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8th. Please attend!
Tuesday,
March 11, 2008
Free lecture this Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church
Author and preservation architect David Marshall will present an overview of his new book “San Diego’s Balboa Park” which features more than 200 historic postcards of Balboa Park, most never before published. Marshall dug into his personal collection of over 5,000 postcards to create this illustrated history of Balboa Park. As an architect, the author has been involved in the restoration and reconstruction of many of Balboa Parks Exposition buildings.This free lecture, sponsored by the University Heights Historical Society, will begin at 7pm in the Fellowship Hall of the historic Grace Lutheran Church, 3993 Park Boulevard (at Lincoln). Enter the church from the back alley, then take the stairs to the second floor Fellowship Hall.
Monday,
March 10, 2008
For over a year the Hillcrest Town Council has met the second Tuesday of each month at Joyce Beers Community Center in order to provide a voice & enhance the quality of life for Hillcrest renters & homeowners while supporting actions that benefit our neighborhood.
The 6:30-8pm meeting will include a Q&A session with SD mayoral candidate Steve Francis; a report from the crime committee re: an over-sized vehicle street parking ordinance; a report from the litter committee re: the April community clean-up and a post-Pride clean-up in July; an update from the development committee; and the by-laws committee will give an update on operational guidelines for the future of HTC.
All Hillcrest residents are encouraged to not only attend, but bring your neighbors, network and become involved in improving our community.
Sunday,
March 9, 2008
Did you remember to spring ahead last night?
(If not, you may be an hour early today....Daylight Saving Time arrived at 2am this morning.) Won’t it be great to have another hour of light tonight? This is also a good time to make sure your home is safe by changing the battery in your smoke-alarm.
