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!
