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PUblIC servICe
February 2021 volume 2 issue 6
lgbtqsd.news
CITY aTTOrNeY News Mara w. elliott —Mara W. Elliott was elected City Attorney of San Diego in 2016 after serving as the chief deputy attorney for the Office’s Public Services Section and legal adviser to the city’s Independent Audit Committee and Environment Committee. Elliott and the lawyers in her section held polluters accountable, reformed city contracting, cut administrative red tape, and strengthened the city’s living wage and non-discrimination in contracting ordinances.
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or years the City of San Diego has been working to remove tangles of unsightly overhead power lines, with the goal of beautifying neighborhoods, increasing walkability, and protecting the public from exposed infrastructure. These widely-supported efforts were nearly derailed by a recent lawsuit. That’s why I’ve dispatched my Office’s highly skilled litigators to defend San Diego’s undergrounding program and ensure uninterrupted continuation. The party bringing the lawsuit is seeking a multimillion-dollar payout from a fund specifically set aside to pay for undergrounding overhead lines. SDG&E ratepayers are likely unaware of the drama playing out in court. Yet it’s at times like this that I am most proud of the quiet work our Office does to protect San Diego taxpayers. Most neighborhoods in San Diego were built when overhead power lines ran along the streets, often webbing through the trees.
fighting tO sAve sAn diegO’s
uTiLiTy uNDErGrouNDiNG proGram
image by shutterstock.com
The Center is here for you during COVID-19, offering Food Resources: The Center knows that many community members have faced financial hardship and food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of The Center’s Emergency Services, we are offering various food resources to those affected by COVID-19. Please share these resources with friends, family, and community members who may be in need.
AnD noW, More SAn DIeGAnS cAn look ForWArD To A FuTure WITHouT THe BlIGHT oF PoWer PoleS AnD oVerHeAD uTIlITy lIneS In THe PIcTure. For information on The Center’s food programs and resources, please contact Sarah MerkBenitez at 619.692.2077 x 214 or smerkbenitez@thecentersd.org.
FOOD BANKS NOURISHING THE COMMUNITY The Center partners with a different restaurant every month to offer a free meal to those affected by COVID-19. Contact Sarah at info above for February’s restaurant and to sign up.
The Center offers two food banks in our parking lot, using social distancing, safety protocols with walk-up and drive-thru options. Senior Food Bank: 4th Tuesday of each month, 12:00-3:00pm. Next Senior Food Bank is Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Neighborhood Food Distribution: 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30am-10:30am. Next Neighborhood Food Distribution is Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
The Center COVID-19 Emergency Services
NON-PERISHABLES HOME DELIVERY Free pantry staples (rice, soup, macaroni, and more) with free delivery right to your door. In partnership with 2-1-1, CIE San Diego, DoorDash, and United Way, home deliveries take place on Tuesdays between 3pm-4pm.
If you need Emergency
• Emergency Resource & Referral Phone Line Services, please call • Behavioral Health Services by Zoom Health Care 619.800.4252 (9am-4pm) • Individual Program Meetings & Check-Ins via Zoom 619.800.4216 (4pm-9pm) • Virtual Support Groups • Critical Housing Needs The San Diego LGBT Community Center 3909 Centre Street • 619-692-2077 • HIV Testing (by appointment only) www.thecentersd.org • Food Resources
It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, and the frequent power poles made many of our sidewalks hard to navigate, especially for those using wheelchairs or pushing strollers. Overhead power lines also create a significant public safety hazard, especially in wildfireprone areas of the city, where a power line detached by high winds can quickly lead to an out-of-control fire, resulting in terrible losses of lives and property. Even without the threat of fire, a downed power line can be extraordinarily dangerous to motorists and pedestrians. For decades, we all have been paying a surcharge on our SDG&E bills to have these power lines moved underground. But in 2015 a lawsuit was filed saying this charge was actually an illegal tax and needed to be approved by voters. That isn’t what the law says, however. Our attorneys proved to a San Diego Superior Court Judge that years of undergrounding in San Diego neighborhoods was done properly and legally and there was no reason to shut down the fund or give any of its money to the lawyers who filed the lawsuit. An appeal was filed and in November the Fourth District
Court of Appeal affirmed the Superior Court’s ruling, and the City once again prevailed. The complainants have now petitioned the California Supreme Court to review their meritless case. Our goal is to ensure the vital work to underground overhead utility lines throughout San Diego can continue, rather than spending years bogged down in costly litigation. The City Attorney’s Office stands ready to protect our City from those who aim to stop progress in its tracks. I consider it our duty to defend taxpayers against baseless lawsuits that waste resources and interfere with important projects that enhance our quality of life. The ability to go outside to take in the lovely views of our ocean, sunsets, mountains, and canyons has never been more important as we find ways to endure the challenges of this lengthy global pandemic. And now, more San Diegans can look forward to a future without the blight of power poles and overhead utility lines in the picture. To learn about the utility undergrounding process in your neighborhood, visit: https://www.sandiego.gov/ undergrounding
