Breitfelder Neighborhood Plan

By Larry Breitfelder

Key Policies and Priorities for Improving Our Quality of Life.

Chula Vista has had the smallest police force relative to our population for a long time. In recent years our police force actually shrank by a significant number of officers. Despite the best efforts of our overworked police officers significant crimes are not investigated and we have significant outbreak of vandalism.

To the amazement of the public, some on the council attempted to lay off more police officers. Not because it was in some way necessary - but to pacify vocal interests in city hall itself. That was crazy and irresponsible.

It is similarly outrageous that in Chula Vista is the only city in San Diego County that does not have a trained paramedic on our fire trucks. This is because firefighters are typically the first responders in medical emergency situations when the ability to administer life saving drugs is critical and seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

The council passed a fee increase on the basis of the money being used to pay for an Advanced Life Support Program (ALS) to medically train firefighters to the point that they can legally administer medicine. Some in city hall are attempting to divert that money for other purposes. The city must fund life support as promised and - as the economy improves - recruit more police officers to provide the public with an acceptable level of protection.

Streets and Sidewalks that aren't Crumbling

There are parts of Chula Vista where people can give you chunks of their street as a souvenir if you talk to them at their door. This is shameful and no suprise considering that city hall has been underfunding infrastructure - including street repair since the early 1980`s.

It was all about politics and the easy neglect of a core responsibility because "people won't notice for years". It won't be easy, but along with public safety, fully funding infrastructure repair and replacement must be among the top priorities for our city.

An Enjoyable Quality of Life

The soul of a city has many facets. Well maintained Parks and Libraries with decent open hours are fundamental to our quality of life. Good schools may be the top concern for young families. A fundamental challenge is to preserve and enhance the hard to define unique character of every neighborhood.

It's easy but not honest to promise everyone everything. However, little by little, we can make progress as long as we maximize our opportunities and stay true to important values.

To the surprise of many, community outrage prevented the planned Rancho del Rey Library from being quietly and permanently cut from city plans. Cities shouldn't run schools, but city leaders are uniquely positioned to help because of access to corporate leaders who can partner on important endeavors with our schools. Our civic associations should be recognized as resources that can help examine a new development as - a potential integral part of the neighborhood community it is entering.

A neighborhood is more than just a collection of houses. City Hall should be our ally, not an entity we have to suspiciously keep our eye on.

Good Jobs & A Healthy Local Economy

Everyone knows that the Bayfront has the potential to greatly stimulate our local economy. This is even more true of a prospective University. We must keep working to make these a reality, however, we must also recognize that neither of these will be achieved over night.

Accountability, High Standards and Creativity are our friends in revitalizing our local economy for the jobs and commercial tax revenue we depend on. We need regulations that protect health and safety without causing unnecessary delays and expenses for local businesses. We must resist subsidies for conventional real estate investments. And we must be open to New Ideas.

• With minimal staff support from the city, our most prominent business leaders can do much to recruit New High Paying Companies to Chula Vista.

• "Affordable housing projects" in East Chula Vista aren't that affordable do little more than consume land. A really nice project in the poorest parts of West Chula Vista can inspire other nearby investments and improve the quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood

Whether to elect council members by Neighborhood Districts isn't about small picture vs. big picture. It's about whether big spending out of town interests continue to have more control over Chula Vista than you or I do as people who actually live here.

When I hear "They're elected by everybody, so they look out for the broader interests of the community" or that "this is for the convenience of the candidates" etc. - it's usually coming from a big contributer from San Diego, a big contributor/political player from Chula Vista who's aligned with San Diego interests or an honest community member who has not spent much time in city hall.

Right now with a city wide election in a population of over 200,000 - it's too easy for out of town special interests to simply buy our elections. Everyone in city hall or who aspires to be in city hall knows that. The result is that the voice of special interests being louder in city hall than yours and mine put together.

The out of town special interests love the status quo. Influence is their bread and butter. The last thing we get out of the system is a "concern for the broader interests of the community".

No system can guarantee virtue. However, with a smaller neighborhood based system, candidates can actually meet and talk to most of the voters. Outside money can't easily overcome that. The candidates may not be better people, but they have a selfish need to look after our neighborhoods as well as the freedom to do what's best for Chula Vista as a whole. Right now can we count on very much attention to either?

It says a lot when three council members who have benefited greatly from the current system (either personally or as partisans) are willing to overturn it. The council should and I believe will provide a proposed district map so that people can cast an informed vote without fear of some sneaky after the election manouver. The rest is up to us.

Please don't misunderstand. Chula Vista will always need out of town investors. If only for the sake of good jobs and increased tax income (to pay for public safety, library hours etc.)j we have an interest in cultivating a better business environment. And it's just right to always listen and be fair with those who have a stake in our community, even if they don't happen to live here. But even they should recognize - Our Residents and Our Neighborhoods have to come First