By Barbara Zaragoza
We start off with something positive this week: the National City Harbor at Sunset. A Photo by Rosalind and Rene Gomez posted by Imperial Beach Patch as their Photo of the Week.
And — the Mannequin Challenge went to Otay Mesa’s Donovan State Prison.
Chula Vista
- Chula Vista Bayfront is moving from design phase to site preparation. Of note: the Port of San Diego hopes to place 700,000 cubic yards of fill at the site in order to raise the existing elevations. This should improve drainage and create a more resilient project in the face of predicted sea level rise. (The Log: California’s Boating & Fishing News)
- Tuesday, Dec. 13, Steve Padilla and Mike Diaz will take the oath of office as the new Councilmembers of Chula Vista. They will be the first council members elected by geographic district. They replace Councilmembers Pamela Bensoussan and Steve Miesen.
- After community members protested the 99-cent store wanting to sell liquor in their southwest CV branch, the store withdrew its application. (The CV Police initially rejected the application. The 99-cent store then wanted to appeal the decision at City Council, but at the last minute decided not to go forward.)
- Check out the new Aldi at Gateway Marketplace off Highway 54. The Union Tribune reports that the shopping center has been vacant since February 2014. Earlier this year, Smart & Final, Party City and Hobby Lobby also came into the center, re-vitalizing the space.
- A Chula Vista mother of five convicted of smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin into the U.S. was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. (Chula Vista Star News)
- Southwestern College Trustees selected Kindred Murillo to be their next superintendent and president. (San Diego Union Tribune)
- And The Sun has a piece on college students who struggle with homelessness.
Imperial Beach
- The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the IB City Council approved roughly $45,000 from the general fund for its Sports Park, Little League and Softball League.
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The California King Tides Project asks the public to photograph extreme high tides along their local coastline to highlight how coastal homes, infrastructure, and ecological habitats may be affected by future sea level rise. Upcoming King Tide Dates: Dec. 13th at 7:54am, Dec. 14th at 8:37am, Jan. 10th at 6:58am, Jan. 11th at 7:43am, Jan. 12th at 8:28am. Learn more here.
National City
- The long awaited Dunkin’ Donuts 24-hour drive through is now open. NBC San Diego has more.
- A scholarship was given out at Lincoln Acres Public Library that honored Jose Luis Rodriguez, an 18 year old South Bay resident who was shot on a street corner of Chula Vista in 2007. The library mural depicts Jose Luis during happy times. (San Diego Reader)
- The National City Council appointed three financial experts to look at their spending of sales tax. Known as Prop D, revenues from the 20-year, 1 percent sales tax generate roughly $10 million annually. Interesting to note: National City has the highest sales tax in the SD county. (San Diego Union Tribune)
Otay Mesa’s Massive Future Growth
Murphy Development broke ground on a 79,050 square foot industrial building. The project will complete the total 2.1 million square foot Siempre Viva Business Park.
Siempre Viva Business Park has a large lineup of Fortune 500 companies, including General Dynamics, FedEx and Tyson.
Murphy Development is also working on the 1 million square foot Brown Field Technology Park.
Andy Irwin, senior vice president and director of marketing for Murphy Development described the vast growth of Otay Mesa in a press release saying, “Otay Mesa is enjoying a renaissance, spurred on by several major projects. The Cross Border Express Terminal (CBX) connects Otay Mesa directly to Tijuana International Airport, which offers direct flights throughout Mexico and to Asia. Construction is anticipated to start next year on a major renovation and expansion on the 330-acres of Brown Field Airport. The transformation into Metro Airpark will involve new aviation, retail, hospitality, commercial and industrial uses.
“Lower occupancy costs, new freeways, a strong labor pool from South County and Baja California, and good, functional industrial buildings are all driving the growth of Otay Mesa.”
“The completion of SR 905 (The Otay Mesa Freeway) and SR 125 tollway has created easy access to the rest of the county. The $21 million northbound connectors, which opened Nov. 30, link SR 905 and SR 11 to the northbound South Bay expressway and SR 125. Construction on southbound connectors is scheduled to begin in 2018.
“Construction is also under way on the SR 11 connector to the future Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project, which will reduce southbound border wait times for commercial traffic to 20 minutes, according to Caltrans.
“The city of San Diego adopted the new Otay Mesa Community Plan Update in 2014. It provides a roadmap for Otay Mesa’s long-term growth and development. The Central Village Specific Plan Area, a component of the update that is currently being processed through the city, includes 4,500 multifamily residential units, new schools and parks and over 140,000 square feet of retail shopping.”
San Ysidro
The border town is slated to get a brand new public library, located on Beyer Blvd. The famed De La Torre brothers will create the permanent public artwork, but they are asking residents to provide input. Join them at the public library on December 15th or 16th to give your opinions, or take the survey.
The Border
- Brooke Binkowski reported in her “Border Report” for Voice of San Diego reported that Feminicides in Baja California have skyrocketed, up 89% in Tijuana since last year. (Femicide is the intention murder of women because they are women.) She cited the information from a report by Frontera.
- Tijuana restaurants are pioneering an “ocean friendly” program aimed at minimizing the use of disposable items such as plastic straws and polystyrene foam containers that pollute beaches and waters on both sides of the border, according to Sandra Dibble at the San Diego Union Tribune.
- A group of artists is painting the Playas side of the wall that divides the United States and Mexico. The Mural de la Hermandad (Mural of Brotherhood) will continue for more than a mile, and will be completed in April 2017. Find out about the project and view pictures here.
Notable Events
- The Migrant Short Films Program is tonight at 6pm. Check the link to find out more.
- Arte on the Line will Showcase Border Artists on Dec. 9, 10 and 11.
- On Saturday, December 10th Friendship Park will hold a La Posada Sin Fronteras from 2-4pm.
- Audubon’s 117th Christmas Bird Count will take place between Wednesday, December 14th through Thursday, January 5th. The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing tradition held by the National Audubon Society. For more information and to sign up click here.
- Love Thy Neighbor 7th Annual Toy & Clothing Drive at the Outlets at the Border is on Dec. 11.
Click on the flyers to view more details: