Today’s newsletter is presented by Evinco.
Hello, Navajo and College Area!
When I first started as a journalist, writing for what was then one of the country’s largest alternative weeklies, The San Diego Reader, my editors asked me to focus on neighborhoods. They wanted me to attend community meetings throughout the city to get a closer look at the issues shaping San Diego’s communities.
I did.
For the next few years, I traveled across the city, from planning group meetings in San Ysidro to Navajo Planners meetings that, at the time, met in a small room in Grantville.
Now, after nearly 10 years at local television news stations, I’m back at community meetings. Most recently, I attended the Oct. 8 meeting of the Navajo Community Planners. Earlier this week, I also covered a meeting of the Southeastern San Diego Planning Group in Mountain View, where residents are searching for solutions to prevent another catastrophic flooding event like the one that struck in January 2024. That’s a story for another day.
While I consider myself a seasoned journalist, I’ve enjoyed returning to my roots. Something is refreshing about watching community members discuss the issues closest to them. In this overly technological age dominated by social media and seemingly overtaken by artificial intelligence, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s happening right in our own neighborhoods.
Seeing a packed room at the Oct. 8 Navajo Planners meeting was a breath of fresh air.
Despite having to leave a bit early to pick up my son from water polo practice, while there I saw residents working to make their corner of San Diego better.
The planning group heard from passionate neighbors advocating for a stop sign on Murray Park Drive near Lake Murray Park and San Carlos Little League. Residents described near-misses involving children eager to reach the park and argued that safety improvements are needed before a tragedy occurs.
I’m happy to write about these efforts. I’m happy to report when residents organize around an issue, and I’m happy to note when elected officials, including our city council representative, are paying attention and taking action.
Most importantly, I’m happy to share this information so more people can get involved, stay informed and help shape the future of their, in this case, my community.
Dorian Hargrove
Mission Times newsletter host
Navajo, College Area story spotlight
San Carlos residents urge the city to take action to calm Murray Park Drive
By Dorian Hargrove • Times of San Diego
San Carlos residents are asking the city to install a stop sign and flashing crosswalk on Murray Lake Drive.
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