Mid-City CAN was a sponsoring organization at the District 4 candidate forum held in Hillcrest on Friday, July 14.

The forum's theme was on climate change & environmental justice and focused on key issues including mobility and transportation, air pollution, renewable energy, land use and sprawl, and San Diego County’s commitment to achieving carbon zero and its Climate Action Plan and Regional Decarbonization Framework.

Three candidates attended the forum: Janessa Goldbeck, Marine Corps veteran and CEO of Vet Voice Foundation; Monica Montgomery Steppe, San Diego City Council President Pro-Tem; and Amy Reichert, small business owner and founder of ReOpen San Diego. (Paul McQuigg was unable to attend).

Mid-City CAN's Base Builder Lupe, members of our Improving Transportation in City Heights (ITCH), and interns Calista and Aida attended the forum. Calista asked the candidates the following question:

What is your vision for the role public transportation will play in San Diego's future? Where should the funds come from to pay for it?

NOTE: Click image and fast forward to 20:30 to view the video and hear our question and response.

Janessa: “Our trolley is very slow… we can build overpasses over trolley lines. Those are proven to be safer, they shave minutes off of a commute.” Janessa also wants a rapid express lane next to the heavily-used Blue Line and to expand the routes that we already have, increasing the frequency of the buses that we already have so they come more often and run later and earlier. Where will the funding come from: Bi-partisan infrastructure law and the inflation reduction act. "Billions and billions of dollars of infrastructure funding...We need to ensure that our county is set up to properly go after those funds and bring that home.”

Monica: “Frequency (of buses) is very important and I do believe that we build it people will come… right now there is a vicious cycle of cutting off certain routes when they are not as popular. They are not popular because they don’t have bus shelters or bus routes run every 30 minutes, they’re very infrequent. Funding: “We have been working on a ballot measure previously through MTS … In order to have a better transit line we need ongoing funding from the federal … and also from our locality. It’s about ongoing funding, not grant funding.”

Amy: “I do not believe that our public transportation is meeting the needs of San Diegans…it is not convenient, it is not working for people’s basic needs. I was a single mom with unreliable transportation. I’ve got a lot of experience using our buses and our trolleys. It was very difficult for a single mom to navigate. There’s a matter of feeling safe with your children.” Amy wants us to reimagine public transportation by using small shuttle buses that are clean energy that would "take people from their doorsteps to major transportation hubs and also to their work places. I think we can do that rather than putting money into a failed system." Funding: "Instead of subsiding a public transportation we would be making it convenient where people would want to use it…Public transportation that is actually profitable."

The candidates were also asked: Youth Opportunity passes provide free access to transit for youth. Do you support making this a permanent program benefiting youth ages 24 and under? (Yes or No). All 3 said YES.

The forum was moderated by environment reporters Erik Anderson (KPBS) and MacKenzie Elmer (Voice of San Diego).

Sponsoring organizations: Change Begins with Me, Climate Action Campaign, Climate Justice Team at First Unitarian Universalist Church, Environmental Health Coalition, Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation, Hillcrest Indivisible, Mid-City CAN, San Diego Building Electrification Coalition, SanDiego350, San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, Sunrise Movement San Diego, Take Action San Diego and Zeta Sigma Lambda (San Diego Alumni) Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Our intern Farnelle spoke at Let's Go! San Diego's press conference about the many benefits of the Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) program at the Old Town Transit Center on June 21, 2023. Great job, Farnelle!

Yes for traffic relief, transit, and jobs. Let's Go! San Diego is a coalition of transportation experts, environmental leaders, unions, businesses, and more, uniting to put a measure on the 2024 ballot that allows voters to choose a better future for San Diego County. Mid-City CAN is part of the coalition and we're excited that Let's Go! San Diego will help promote the benefits of the YOP program!

"I support the Let's Go! San Diego initiative," said Farnelle during the press conference. "Thousands of youth, including those in low-income households and transit dependent communities now have a dependable ride to and from school and afterschool jobs or internships, or extra curriculars. This initiative will help us keep our YOP program permanent for all youth."

A transportation measure on the ballot will have many benefits including infrastructure safety upgrades, rapid routes from job centers to communities, trolley line extensions, cut air pollution by 20 percent, a rail connection to the airport, and much more.

Learn more about Let's Go! San Diego by visiting:

https://www.letsgosd.org/

The following op-ed piece was sent to local media during the public input budget hearings but was not selected for publication. This piece shows the passionate and dedication that our youth have for the community.

By Salma Adlinsyah – Salma is a sophomore at Hoover High School in City Heights and a member of Mid-City CAN’s Youth Council program

“Salma Adlinsyah.” My name was called and it was time for me to speak. My heart was pounding as I walked up to the podium in City Hall on May 10 for the Fiscal Year 2024 public input budget hearing. I took a breath before I spoke as the nine San Diego councilmembers were focused on me. My Youth Council team members and our organizer stood behind me holding posters stating that Mayor Todd Gloria needs to fund our project that would revitalize our beloved City Heights park that has been crumbling year after year. The task of getting our park renovated fell on our occasionally trembling hands.

I am a sophomore at Hoover High School in City Heights and a member of Mid-City Community Advocacy Network’s (CAN) Youth Council. In January, Youth Council met to decide on a campaign that we would take on this year. Youth Council is a group of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) youth ages 13-18 from City Heights and surrounding areas that meets every Friday after school. We decided that renovating the City Heights Urban Village which includes Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park – one of the busiest parks in San Diego County where events are held every weekend – would benefit the diverse City Heights residents. Henwood Park is the centerpiece of City Heights where our community gathers together.

The park is in dire need of renovation: Bathrooms are worn down and lack basic necessities such as automated faucets, soap dispensers, and a baby-changing station. Areas of the playgrounds are unsafe and need to meet National Playground Safety Institute standards. The toddler playground has one amenity and doesn’t even have a swing or spring riders. Improvements to the greenery, seating availability, and shading are among the many needs. 

Youth Council met with the offices of eight councilmembers (one declined to meet with us) and we also met with Mayor Gloria’s office to ask him to fund our renovation project. $1,054,375 is the amount we demanded. The mayor released his Fiscal Year 2024 proposed budget last month, a $5.12 billion spending plan, and it did not include our request.

“When the condition of a park worsens, it becomes an unsafe environment that attracts crime. To neglect the park is to neglect the community,” I told the councilmembers.

The one million that we are asking is 0.02 percent of the mayor’s $5.12 billion budget. Youth Council speakers took their turn to go up to the podium:

“Lower income and older communities deserve revitalization just as much as the newer developed and higher income ones. This is an opportunity (for local leaders) to fulfill campaign promises of taking care of communities,” said Jasmine who is in the eighth grade.

“I shouldn’t have to find mold in the drinking fountain or trip on the uneven pavement when I’m at this park,” said Zamzam, a lifelong resident of City Heights who attends High Tech High. She pointed out that there are three new residential buildings being built across Henwood Park and with the increase in homes more families will be utilizing the park. “Jeremy Henwood is not just a park but a safe space for many low income families in City Heights,” she said.

“When you guys look back at your childhood I’m sure you have a lot of fond memories of playing outside. The youth (in City Heights) need it as much as you did,” said Ashley, a City Heights resident and student at Hoover High.

We attended both days of the budget hearing, the first one on May 3. This was a new experience for us, and everyone admitted it was nerve-racking. I decided to go back and speak again during the second hearing because this is an extremely important issue that we need to win for our community.

“You did a fantastic job of lifting up your ask,” Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said. “You’re doing exactly what needs to be done in order to create change. I appreciate your efforts. No, they are not falling on deaf ears.”

The mayor revised the budget on May 16 and councilmembers will submit their proposed changes to the budget on May 26.

This park holds a special place in my family’s heart as it played a significant role in our transition to America, especially for my younger brother who was just five years old.

It is a special place not only for my family, but for the many immigrant families that now call City Heights their home.

###

Learn more about our campaign to renovate the park by visiting our webpage: https://www.midcitycan.org/youth_council

Mid-City CAN and a coalition of advocates from around the state traveled to Sacramento on March 15 to support Assembly Bill 610 - Youth Transit Pass Pilot Program: free youth transit passes. Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 had its hearing on transportation that day and the budget is key to whether the bill moves forward. Mid-City CAN's Policy Advocate Belen and youth leaders Omar and Frida all provided testimony to support AB 610. 

"I have been a transit rider my whole life starting since elementary school all the way through college. I rely on this program (Youth Opportunity Pass) ... that's why I'm here to ask you to allocate $94M to fund our youth transit passes across the state," said Frida during her testimony. Click here to view public comments from some of the advocates.

Mid-City CAN and the coalition participated in a rally where the authors of the bill spoke. The co-author of AB 610 - Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath - also spoke at the rally. "What do we want? Free transit! When do we want it? Now!" the coalition chanted. After the rally the coalition lobbied and asked elected leaders to fund youth transit passes. Tell state leaders to fund the bill by clicking here.

We thank our ally Move LA for organizing Lobby Day!

📷: Move LA

Mid-City CAN's Youth Council had an incredible time on March 17-18 at Campland on the Bay!

"Our youth have been working hard for many weeks on their City Heights Urban Village Revitalization Campaign so it was nice for them to take a break and have a lot of fun," said Youth Council Organizer Victor Ponce. "There's so much to do at Campland and it's great that our youth were able to experience camping - many of them for the first time. Thank you to Kendra and the Campland on the Bay staff for an amazing time!"

View photos and a video from their camping trip by clicking here.

BREAKING NEWS! On February 17, SANDAG announced the extension for the Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) program for youth 18 and under for another year! Thank you to our local leaders, community advocates, youth and our Improving Transportation in City Heights (ITCH) team for your hard work. The YOP program deadline has been extended to June 30, 2024, meaning youth 18 and under can continue to use the no cost PRONTO pass to ride public transportation in the San Diego region including the trolley, bus, and coaster. 🚌🚲🚃

Our ITCH team has advocated for a no cost youth public transportation program since 2011.

Mid-City CAN and our partner organizations will continue to work to expand and extend YOP: We want YOP to be permanent and to include everyone 24 and under!

Earlier this week, Mid-City CAN, along with our coalition of organizations supporting free youth transit programs, were excited about the creation of Assembly Bill 610 Youth Transit Pass Pilot Program: Free Youth Transit Passes.

We thank Assemblymembers Chris Holden, Tasha Boerner Horvath, Mike Fong, and Gail Pellerin for creating the bill.

You can count on Mid-City CAN to support AB 610! Follow our social media channels for more about this bill and our trip next month to Sacramento to encourage Gov. Newsom and California legislators to support AB 610.

With the Committee on Police Practices established, Youth Council is excited to announce their next campaign. After weeks of discussion including a meeting with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and his staff, Youth Council has chosen to revitalize a City Heights park as their new project!

If funded, Youth Council's City Heights Urban Village Revitalization Campaign will include Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park (4455 Wightman Street) which is in dire need of upgrades. 

Here are the upgrades that Youth Council is requesting:

The project has received support from the following organizations and Council President Sean Elo-Rivera.

SUPPORT YOUTH COUNCIL'S RENOVATION CAMPAIGN!

Community members, help support Youth Council's new project: City Heights Urban Village Revitalization Campaign. Tell our local leaders to fund their project by filling out the form below.

English:

https://bit.ly/3mivYvm

Spanish:

https://bit.ly/3IGWlm5

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for updates on their campaign!

Our Improving Transportation in City Heights (ITCH) members attended Supervisor Nora Vargas' State of the County address Wednesday night. Vargas made history as being the first Latina, immigrant, and woman of color to deliver the speech.

Mid-City CAN thanks Chairwoman Vargas for her continued support of the Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) program! During her address Vargas mentioned a student named Heidi who before YOP had a daily commute to school of 3 hours a day. Not only was it exhausting, but her family struggled to pay for her monthly bus pass to get to school.

"Access to education is one of the most crucial investments we can make as a community to support our youth and prepare them with the skills necessary to perform and excel at the jobs of the future," Vargas said.

Vargas mentioned that thanks to YOP youth ridership in public transit has increased in San Diego by 84 percent.

"That's why I will continue to champion no cost transportation for our youth. Only this time we're going to expand it to offer no cost transportation for 24 and under helping our college students, young adults, and those trying to make it to their jobs on time."

Our ITCH team has advocated for a no cost youth public transit program since 2011. Learn more about our campaign to make YOP permanent by visiting our Transportation Justice (ITCH) page.

For more photos of our team at the State of the County address, visit our Flickr page by click here.

📷: Ron Sanchez, Mid-City CAN

Members of Mid-City CAN's Improving Transportation in City Heights (ITCH) team and our Policy Advisor are in Sacramento today (January 10) for a rally to encourage legislators to fund student transit passes. 

Members of the California State Legislature
Sacramento California 95814

Dear Senators and Assemblymembers:

As a coalition, we request that your 2023 Budget allocate funding to support a groundbreaking statewide student transit pass program so that every single California student–from kindergarten to graduate school–can easily and freely access our public transit systems. This should be considered as part of a larger transit and education rebuilding and recovery effort as the COVID pandemic subsides.

Student transit pass programs have multiple co-benefits, making this an effective investment during a time of fiscal austerity. This is based on at least three peer-reviewed papers^{[1] [2] [3]} conducted by several University of California researchers that provide academically rigorous research indicating fare-free student transit is an effective program to improve educational outcomes, increase the recruitment and retention of students, increase ridership, decrease VMT, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Transit agencies across California have partnered for over a decade to provide “insurance-like” transit discount programs because they work for students at K-12 institutions, community colleges, and our state’s universities. However, these programs are limited in scope and scale. During the pandemic, transit agencies, including Los Angeles Metro and SANDAG, used American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding for their robust and successful pilot programs. However, these successful programs will run out of funding in 2023 and need a sustainable source of funding.

You have the opportunity to build on these successful programs by creating a comprehensive, statewide program that provides an immediate and tangible benefit to struggling students–from low-income elementary school children to UC Academic Workers striking for, amongst many demands, free transit passes. This is because more than half of adults in the U.S. who are experiencing poverty are also experiencing transportation insecurity^[4] and studies^[5] show that discounted fare programs for low-income individuals can alleviate poverty, increase social mobility, and improve health by increasing trips, particularly to health care and social services.

Finally, these programs result in real educational gains that could help struggling students post-pandemic. In the first year of an Alameda County student pass pilot program^[6] 14% of students missed fewer days of school than they did during the prior year, and involvement in non-school-based afterschool activities and after-school jobs increased dramatically (by 77% and 238% respectively) for student participants. And at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, a pilot program resulted in community college graduation rates increasing by 27% higher for students who receive free transit passes^[7].

 ^[1] Saphores, J., Shah, D., & Khatun, F. (2020). A Review of Reduced and Free Transit Fare Programs in California. UC Office of the President: University of California Institute of Transportation Studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.7922/G2XP735Q Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/74m7f3rx

^[2] Nuworsoo, C. (2004). Deep Discount Group Pass Programs as Instruments for Increasing Transit Revenue and Ridership. University of California Berkeley. Dissertation Series UCB-ITS-DS-200402, May 1, 2004, pages 1-292. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/crp_fac/18

^[3] Brown, J., Hess, D. B., & Shoup, D. (2003). Fare-Free Public Transit at Universities: An Evaluation. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 23(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X03255430

^[4] https://poverty.umich.edu/research-funding-opportunities/data-tools/the-transportation-security-index/

^[5] http://equitytransit.mit.edu/

^[6] https://www.alamedactc.org/programs-projects/studentpass
 ^[7] https://scholarshare.temple.edu/handle/20.500.12613/6951

Earlier this year, Governor Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1919 which would have enabled hundreds of thousands of K-12, community college, CSU, and UC students and academic student employees to ride transit without fare throughout the state. The reasons were sound; funding had not been included in the budget. Therefore, we respectfully request that you include funding in this budget for the full cost of a pilot program.

The reasons couldn’t be more urgent; as we experience unprecedented inflation and more extreme weather, we must support every conceivable way to get people out of polluting cars, immediately, and with a societal benefit that reduces poverty, quickly. We encourage your budget team to identify funds that are:

1. Non-Proposition 98 funding which would ensure support from school districts, many of whom contribute to student transit already.
2. Subject to SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities and AB 1550 Low Income Community requirements.
3. Dedicated to reducing the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, created by passenger vehicles.

We ask that you finally be the Legislature who makes public transit a truly public good for millions of California.

Yours sincerely,

Eli Lipmen
Executive Director, Move LA

Veronica Hahni
Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative

Barry Scott
Executive Director, Coastal Rail Santa Cruz

Heidi Harmon
Senior Public Affairs Director

Diana Ross
Executive Director, Mid-City Community Advocacy Network

Jesse O’Sullivan
Policy Counsel, Circulate San Diego

Bubba Fish
Co-Director, State Policy, Streets for All

Jonathan Parfrey
Executive Director, Climate Resolve

Tamarah Minami
Youth for Climate Justice

Pauline Seales
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network

Iwalani (Lani) Faulkner
Director, Equity Transit

Lynda Marin
Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Santa Cruz Chapter

David Diaz, MPH
Executive Director, Active San Gabriel Valley

Rafael Jaime
President, UAW 2865

Vinita Goyal
Executive Director, San Francisco Transit Riders

Rick Longinotti
Campaign for Sustainable Transportation

Zach Lou
Coalition Manager, California Green New Deal Coalition

CC:

Governor Gavin Newsom

Secretary Toks Omishakin

Gratitude.

Progress.

Joy.

These are words that come to mind as we reflect on 2022.

Gratitude: Mid-City CAN is thankful for your support in helping us build a stronger community.

Progress: Advocacy can take years and in 2022 we had two major wins -- the Youth Opportunity Pass that provides no cost public transit to youth 18 and under began on May 1 after a decade of advocacy by Mid-City CAN. It immediately makes an impact: SANDAG reported a 92 percent increase in overall youth ridership in September with YOP (compared to April before YOP). Another reason to celebrate is the establishment of the Commission on Police Practices that will hold police accountable when abuses of police power occur, -- a campaign that Youth Council members worked on for four years.

Joy: We were able to provide many programs to the community such as Artivism which empowers youth of color; we provided the COVID-19 vaccine to over 500 residents; we educated thousands of community members about the importance of voting through door knocking, phone banking, held workshops and events such as Boba and Ballot, filmed a Public Service Announcement, and so much more!

We wish you a wonderful and restful holiday season and we're excited about what we will accomplish in the New Year!

More than 300 community members kicked off the holiday season at our Snowy Wonderland Family Event on Sunday, December 4th. Hundreds of children enjoyed playing in 22 tons of snow at the Sherman Heights Community Center. There were also many activities such as face painting, gingerbread cookie making, meeting Santa and the Elf, eating delicious food, games, getting to know community organizations, and much more!

Thank you to everyone that attended and many thanks to Sherman Heights Community Center and our partner organizations for being there and making the event a huge success!

Mid-City CAN wishes you a wonderful holiday season!

Check out the Snowy Wonderland video!

View photos from Snowy Wonderland by clicking here. 

📷: Ron Sanchez, Mid-City CAN 

Support Mid-City CAN with a Donation on Giving Tuesday!

Hello friends,
 
This is Diana Ross, the Executive Director at Mid-City CAN. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday.

We have a lot to be grateful for at Mid-City CAN thanks to the hard work of our staff and amazing volunteers. Many of you know that we’ve been advocating for Youth Opportunity Passes for over a decade and this year we’re proud to receive two awards for our work, Circulate San Diego’s Innovation Award and Climate Action Campaign’s Climate Justice Award. We’re also thrilled about the news that there’s been a 25 percent increase in overall youth ridership countywide thanks to YOP.

Our Civic Engagement team had a successful Get Out the Vote campaign, exceeding their goals in registering and educating City Heights residents about the importance of voting. The team also held its first Health, Pride, and Resiliency event in June. Our Youth Council’s Artivism program in the summer was a success, attended by 42 students from 16 different schools. Their four-year campaign to establish the Commission on Police Practices will successfully come to an end in December. Our Juvenile Justice team has been campaigning to end the schools to prison pipeline and we’re encouraged to hear that arrest rates for youth in San Diego County were at 10-year lows in 2018 according to SANDAG.

You can continue to count on Mid-City CAN to advocate for positive changes in the community and provide programs that develop youth in City Heights into leaders. So today on Giving Tuesday, we hope that you’ll consider making a donation. Your gift is an investment to the community. Thank you for your support!

Help Mid-City CAN create lasting change in City Heights and the greater San Diego area! Tuesday, November 29th, is Giving Tuesday, a global movement created to inspire individuals to give back. Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to support the ongoing programs at Mid-City CAN designed to bring social justice and equity to City Heights and beyond while helping grow and support youth leaders and advocates in our community.

We've made great strides in our campaigns thanks to your help. Some highlights in 2022:

• After almost 11 years of advocacy by our Transportation Justice ITCH team, the Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) pilot program began on May 2022 providing no-cost public transit to youth 18 years old and under.
• A four-year campaign by Youth Council helped established a Commission on Police Practices that will ensure transparency and accountability when abuses of police power occur.
• Provided an Artivism (arts and activism) program in the summer that was attended by 42 students from 16 schools. 
• Civic Engagement team educated residents in City Heights about the importance of voting through door knocking, phone calls, and voter engagement events such as “Boba and Ballot” at Café X.
• Civic Engagement team held their first "Health, Pride and Resiliency" event in City Heights to improve the health disparities that the QTIPGM community (Queer, Trans, Intersex, People of the Global Majority) encounter and provide resources from Community Based Organizations to mitigate those disparities.

Together, we're excited about what we'll accomplish for the community in 2023! We ask that you consider donating to Mid-City CAN to help us continue to bring social justice and equity in our community! Our Giving Tuesday campaign will begin on November 19 and end on December 6 with a goal of raising $5,000. We'll have a 10-day countdown on our social media channels starting on November 19 to highlight some of the work of our Momentum Teams.

Thank you for your support! You can donate by clicking the donation button below:

The Civic Engagement team's Neighborhood Captains took time from their super busy schedule to record a Public Service Announcement about the importance of voting.

Mid-City CAN and the captains enjoyed working with the incredible and professional folks at Media Arts Center! Our team stopped by the Idea Lab in City Heights by the City Heights/Weingart Library and worked with Juan Lopez of Media Arts Center. 

It was the first time that the Neighborhood Captains ventured into a creative space such as the Idea Lab. "They were really impressed by how professional the (Idea Lab) set up is and all the equipment," said Victor Ponce, Neighborhood Captain.

The captains were thrilled by the experience and one of them immediately wanted to see how he did on camera and Juan obliged by showing Sergio the footage. A huge thank you to Juan for filming, editing, and producing the video! Mid-City CAN has enjoyed working with Juan and Media Arts Center over the years.

Great job and thank you, Neighborhood Captains!

Get Out the Vote for the November 8 California General Election! For voting resources visit our Voter Resource page by clicking here.

Learn more about the wonderful folks at Media Arts Center by visiting their page.

NOTE: Video can also be viewed with Spanish subtitles by clicking here.

Check out the Behind-the-Scenes photos from the video shoot!

📷: Ron Sanchez, Mid-City CAN

The Commission on Police Practices is finally headed towards the finish line!

On Monday, October 3, Mid-City CAN, members of Youth Council along with San Diegans for Justice and Women Occupy San Diego delivered public comment during the public hearing for the CPP at the City Administration Building. Agenda Item 165 (Determination of Collective Bargaining Matters Related to Proposed Implementation Ordinance for the Commission on Police Practices and Proposed Amended Interim Standard Operating Procedures) passed with 7 Yeas and 1 Nay (1 absent). The ordinance was at an impasse for seven months because of two issues:

• San Diego Police Officers Association pressed for the city to allow family members of law enforcement officers to join the commission. City Council denied this request.
• Mid-City CAN, our allies, and the community asked that individuals with a felony record should be appointed to the commission since they have served their sentence. Council members did not remove this prohibition.

On November 2022, San Diego voters overwhelmingly approved Measure B which dissolved the police review board and mandated the creation of the CPP. Measure B was authored by Andrea St. Julian, co-chair of San Diegans for Justice. “There is nothing about me or my background that makes me anti-police. In fact, Measure B was about helping everyone be safe, including police officers," said St. Julian during her public comment.

"Today, our City Council invoked the will of the People who overwhelmingly chose to establish the Commission on Police Practices in order to provide San Diegans with the confidence of knowing there will be transparency and accountability when abuses of police power occur. I thank and congratulate Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe and her team for their years of hard work to make San Diego a safer and more just community," Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said in a statement.

Mid-City CAN thanks our Youth Council members Denisse and Jeannette for their amazing support!

Click here to view photos from the hearing.

📷: Ron Sanchez, Mid-City CAN