News Scrapbook 1986-1988

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. 0 . 127,454)

JAN 1 41987

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or stresses council harmony, problem solving

Address pushes growth study, tax-dollar return • By Jeff Ristine and Sharon Spivak Tribune Staff Wri~ wants the city to demand a larger share of federal and state aid and to "catch up" on recurring problems with growth, sewage, parks and police.

Mayor O'Connor, unveiling an agenda for 1987 that shuns grandiose proposals in favor of programs al- ready under way, re-emphasized the familiar theme of council harmony in a State of the City address that rivaled the pomp of an inauguration ceremony.

The mayor broke with the tradition of 23 previous annual State of the City messages, however, by shift- ing the limelight from council business to the presen- tation of awards to groups and individuals she says represent the "spiri of San Diego."

In her first major policy statement since becoming mayor six months ago, O'Connor last night said she Please see MAYOR A-8 :M~~:J ernization plan for Pump Station 64 and the council's takeover of the board of the city Housing Commis- sion.

lution of San Diego and Mission bays. She reminded San Diegans that a proposed November 1987 ballot mea- sure could make available $70 mil- lion in bond issues to renovate Bal- boa Park's House of Charm and House of Hospitality, build a new municipal gym, restore several park museums, build an elegant Japanese garden and complete the Casa de Balboa. O'Connor said the rest of the bond money would go toward restoring Mission Bay's beaches and landscap- ing more than 90 acres of mud and sagebrush into an eight-acre lagoon there. The ballot measures were the idea of City Man;,ger John Lockwood. They are supported by a c-ouncil ma- jority, but have not yet been ap- proved. She also said that more small parks need to be bought m the city's older neighborhoods, wllb the help of a $20 million land-acqui ition fund set aside for the purchase of open space. O'Connor announced a new Mayor's Committee Against Drug Abuse, to be led by Bishop George McKinney of the St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ, "to aid the council in its efforts to rid the city of the scourge of addiction." To sit on the panel are: Dr. Mari- anne Felice, chief of the UCSD divi- sion of adolescent medicine; Dr. Allan J. Adler, president of the San Diego Psychiatric Society; Charles Hill, of the Drug Enforcement Agen- cy; U.S. Attorney Peter Nunez; Po- lice Chief Bill Kolender; City Mana- ger Lockwood; City Attorney John Witt; and Ed Fletcher, director of health services for city schools. Also included are Dr. Barbara Shutze, psychologist for the Sweet- water Union High School District; Meg Norton, executive director of Harbor View Hospital; Rear Adm. Bruce Boland; Chamber President Grissom; Shannon Conway of "Say San Diego;" Willie Davis of the Boys Clubs of San Diego Inc. Prevention Program; Antonio Ramirez of Mont- gomery High School; Willie Morrow, _ president of California Curl; Nina Kurtz, a Parent-Teachers Associa- tion vice president; and Jack Merker, program director at KSDO radio. Also in the area of crime, she said that more police foot patrols have been assigned to "high designated drug areas" and officers are visiting schools to educate children about drug abuse. "As a former PE teacher," O'Con- nor also called for an annual physi- cal fitness test for all police officers. Kolender said a sergeant has been working on a similar idea for about six months. Early next month, O'Connor plans to submit a legislative agenda push- ing for the after-school recreation program to be expanded from 48 school sites to 90, for part of the fed- eral tax savings for public utilities to ' be passed on to consumers and for city government to extend its hours of operation beyond regular business hours. She also announced that a black South African exchange student would be working in the city mana- ger's office as part of an internship pro~a~ between the University of Califorrua and Harvard University.

"it's wise not to have a lengthy list" of requests for subsidies. The call for additional lobbying was part of an issue O'Connor said was at the top of her "to do" list: improving the city's financial health. O'Connor said the city must better manage its finances to prepare for "leaner times," by leasing rather than selling city-owned land - al- ready a council policy. Drawing upon the loss of the Navy ship Kitty Hawk to Florida and of the expected move of Pacific South- west Airlines' corporate headquar- ters, the mayor also said efforts must be made to retain such important boosters of the San Diego economy and encourage more tourists, busi- ness and Navy operalions, She said ste would meet with Cali- fornia's senators to urge them to pre- vent other ships from leaving, and would meet with the president of U.S. Air, which recently acquired PSA, to persuade him not to relocate the air- line's headquarters. O'Connor also announced a new Business/Economic Oversight Advi- sory Committee, which she first promised in a September 1986 lunch- eon speech to the San Diego Rotary Club, to be headed by longtime San Diegan George Gi!dred. Other members will include Terry Brown, chief executive officer of Atlas Hotels; Doug Allred, president of a development company; Malin Burnham, chairman of the insurance firm of John Burnham & Co.; Pat Crowell, a partner in the law firm of Gray, Cary, Ames & Frye; Ann Evans, owner, Evans Hotels; Lee Grissom, president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce; and Author Hughes, president of the tiniHersi~ -ef SaR Diego. Also, Gordon Luce, chairman of Great American First Savings Bank; David Lorimar, partner, Lorimar & Case; Mike Moremoto, president, Sony Manufacturing Corp. of Ameri- ca; Willie Morrow, president of Cali- fornia Curl; Hal Sadler, president, Tucker & Sadler architects; Dick Tullar, chairman of the board of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bu- reau; Robert Schack, senior vice president, Security Pacific National Banlc; Larry Hayden, retired city em- ployee; Bill Sage, retired city em- ployee; and Mac Strobl, president of TCS Governmental Consultants Inc. O'Connor pledged that a review of the growth-management plan would be completed by June 1988 and that she would announce members of a task force to do so by the end of Jan- uary. The idea originated with the city Planning Department and the city council has approved it in con- cept. • The Planning Department has pro- posed that city re-examine the whole growth-management strategy, in- cluding the question of whether the city wants to continue accommodat- ing growth or limiting it. This would build on the work of a task force originally set up by Hedgecock, but would include new members. In regard to the city's sewage problems, the mayor said that her office already bas begun to seek in- clusion of San Diego in the federal government's $18 billion Clean Water Act. She said that the city must draft a comprehensive approach to the "unchecked Tijuana outflow," sec- ondary treatment concerns and pol-

"The people's character is what gives the city its character," O'Con- nor declared. "San Diego's character is the healthiest part of the city today." O'Connor painted a rosy picture of a united council that has overcome the disillusionm~nt with government left by recent scandals but which must tackle a myriad of city prob- lems that don't have easy solutions. The speech drew approving re- views from most of O'Connor's coun- cil colleagu , who agreed that her policy goals were realistic and that her efforts to build "team spirit" are working. "The state of the city council that governs our home is, I am pleased to report, stable and healthy, with full recovery in sight," O'Connor told a packed crowd of more than 1,000 at downtown's Golden Hall. "Stability in our home has been re- stored," she said. "Our government is finally operating at near full strength. For this my colleagues on the council deserve much of the cred- it. This council is one of the most professional and amiable bodies in recent memory." The address was a departure from previous State of the City speeches in several ways. O'CoMor built her audien b scheduling the address in the eve- ning, unlike previous mayors who gave the charter-required speech in council chambers during daylight hours. Her program also included music from a Navy Band, a presentation of colors by a Marine Corps Recruit Depot unit, singing by the Greater Trinity Baptist Choir and an invoca- tion and benediction - features com- mon to the inaugural ceremonies for the mayor and council but never be- fore seen in a State of the City speech. O'CoMor spoke from a dramati- cally darkened stage and, as she gave her "Mayor's State of the City Awards," made use of slides pro- jected onto a huge screen. Deputy Mayor William Jones re- cited O'Connor's accomplishments dating back to the early 1970s. O'Con- nor praised her parents, paid tribute to a young woman for her resolve to stop using drugs, and dedicated her speech to her former political con- sultant, Richard Sykes, who drowned in the ocean off Hawaii last week. As she had warned several days ago, howe1lel'., the content of O'Con- nor's address consisted mostly of subjects she and the rest of the coun- cil have been discussing for many months. She said she was committed to completing an expected review of San Diego's growth-management strategy by June 1988, promoted pro- posals for bond issues on the Novem- ber ballot that would provide funds to spruce up Mission Bay Park and Balboa Park and called for aMual · physical exams to identify out-of. shape police officers. Glossing over deep political and policy divisions that remain on the council, O'CoMor said unity has en- tered into the council's decisions for a new city manager, a review of the city Growth Management Plan, a "czar'' to oversee Mission Bay Park and Balboa Park, an afternoon school recreation program, a mod-

Praising the council for its "team- work and consensus," O'Connor said, "Together we have reduced the huge backlog of unresolved problems left over from previous administrations." As is typical of such addresses, O'Connor's colleagues applauded her remarks. "I think the overall message here was a positive approach for the city of San Diego," Councilman Ed Struiksma said. Councilman William Jones agreed. "I think the total concept of team- building and consensus, and of reach- ing out to all points of the city will allow us to come a lot farther than if we were working as nine individuals. "It feels very good now (to be on the council)," he said. "It's a pleasure to serve with her." Councilwoman Celia Ballesteros, appointed to her seat in December after 42 ballots, said: "There's a lot of communication going on ... I think all of us were surprised there weren't the coartions we thought there would be. We find ourselves working together very much." O'Connor's rival in last year's mayoral race, Councilman Bill Clea- t , sakl:. "I think most of her goals are realistic. "1t nad-a little of the Jimmy Carter-Jerry Brown flavor overall." "I was really impressed by her trying to get the community in- volved," Cleator said. The favorable sentiment was not limited to the council, as evidenced by repeated bursts of applause from the audience. Michel Anderson, once an aide to O'Connor's political rival, former Mayor Roger Hedgecock, said: "I think she's returned respect to the mayor's office after a long, unfortunate lapse." Said Planning Commission Chair- man Ron Roberts: "I can't help but notice how personal it was compared to the sometimes more business-like approach (of such speeches)." The mayor broke little new ground in the platform she announced to the crowd, which contained many ideas that originated with city staff mem- bers. In what may turn out to be her biggest challenge, O'Connor said the city must "demand that San Diego receive its fair share of state and federal monies" allocated to cities. "The present allocation formulas give other large cities more and San Diego less thin each city's popula- tion warrants or contributes," she said. "I have already, and intend again, to meet with San Diego's fed- eral and state delegations and to journey to the capitols myself in an attempt to change these formulas." Scott Harvey, former head of the city department in charge of lobby- ing in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., said O'Connor's personal role in the effort will help but that it will be very difficult to get legislators to di- rect more money to San Diego. Many federal programs are delib- erately gearetl to older cities, Har- vey said, and the amount of money available for problems such as sew- age is dwindling. "If you're asking for more federal money, you're bucking the last three to four years," he said, adding that

THE MAYOR SPE e a ros} future in her State of the City address

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Dally Transcript (Cir. 0 . 7,415)

JAN 21198]

Jl.llrn 1 1

P. C. B / r 18Xo Local Scene Robert FeU lntere t Law a USQ,..!! 11xpect11d to be named State Bar Disc1plmc Monitor today by Attorney General ohn Van de Kamp. The Bar monitor job and a $90,000 budget ere created under SB 1543 last y11Ar to evaluate the discipline proee and report to the Legisl ture. Applications for the job were solicited in November~ ol the Center or Pub!