July 11 - August 15 2014
On the Internet at www.MissionValleyNews.com
Volume VIII – Number 7
New details on city bike sharing program revealed Jeremy Ogul
Editor, Mission Valley News
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People will be able to begin using the bikes by Oct. 30, and the six Mission Valley stations will be installed by the end of this year, said David Silverman, Decobike’s executive representative for San Diego. Decobike has agreed to install 180 stations across the city, though the locations of approximately 20 percent of those stations are still being negotiated with property owners and neighborhood advocacy groups, Silverman said. In Mission Valley, bike docking stations have
an Diego’s new bicycle sharing program is almost ready to roll, according to representatives from Decobike, the corporate sponsor of the city’s program. Disagreements over the placement of bike docking stations contributed to a delay of more than six months, but nearly all issues have been resolved, and Decobike will begin installing the first stations downtown in early September. See DECOBIKE page 6
Resident Leadership Academy graduate Nadia Arambula and facilitator Jeanette Ruiz show off the new Linda Vista crosswalk for which resident leaders lobbied the city.
Program gives residents the tools to push for change Jeremy
Ogul
Editor, Mission Valley News
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omasa Ruiz has lived in Linda Vista for nearly 30 years, but for most of that time her shy personality kept her from speaking up about the problems she saw in the neighborhood. That changed this year after she got involved in the Resident Leadership Academy, a program
designed to teach and inspire residents to create positive change in their communities. The 10-week course, organized through Bayside Community Center, teaches participants how to organize grassroots networks and communicate with public officials and private entities to improve safety, physical activity and access to fresh, healthy foods in the neighborhood. The participants are then encouraged to take those new skills and practice them with realworld projects.
San Diego’s most-used trolley stops Andrew
Keatts
Voice of San Diego
“We see the changes already,” Ruiz said. “A few sidewalks that we mentioned that needed repair — they fixed it already.” Participating in the Resident Leadership Academy has also sparked change in Ruiz’s life, helping her meet new people and speak more confidently. “My kids are really proud of me,” she said with a smile. Linda Vista has changed in many ways since Ruiz first immigrated
t’s an article of faith among many San Diegans that no one uses the trolley. The idea even made it into one of those annoying lists about San Diego your college roommate shares on Facebook. And yes, it’s true that just 3 percent of San Diego County’s workforce relies on any type of public transportation for their daily commute. (In Los Angeles it’s 11 percent, for comparison.)
See LEADERSHIP page 8
See TROLLEY page 8
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RV street parking enforcement begins in August Jeremy
Ogul
Editor, Mission Valley News
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nly a few weeks remain before San Diego begins enforcing its new ordinance banning motorhomes and other oversized vehicles from parking overnight on city streets without a permit. After finalizing some minor details at the end of June, city leaders expect the ordinance to formally take effect around Aug. 1. Residents will have a two-week grace period through Aug. 15 before police begin enforcing the law.
Each vehicle will receive one warning before a ticket is issued. The ordinance defines an oversized vehicle as any vehicle that exceeds 27 feet in length and 7 feet in height, including any attached trailers or loads. The ordinance also covers any camping trailer, house car, boat, dune buggy, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and other motorized or towed vehicles used primarily for recreational purposes. Residents will be allowed to get permits to park restricted vehicles on the street near their home for up to three consecutive nights. See RV PARKING page 3