Substances on the street?

Last week I attended the La Mesa Collaborative meeting, where agencies and stakeholders meet monthly to discuss resources, information and issues facing the city.

IPS East County gave a presentation on a section of University Avenue community members worry is normalizing adult substances to students at Dale Elementary. They conducted a walk assessment this summer that found discarded liquor bottles, hand rolls, “whip-its” and more lying around.

“If you have a youth-centric area with three liquor stores, two smoke shops and a dispensary, and that’s all they walk past every day to and from school, what kind of impact is that having?” said Seraphina Eberhardt, director of prevention programs at IPS.

The full story is below. What happens next is up to the community. Can we expect cleanup days or regulations at City Council? Planning Commission or PTA involvement? 

Also to note: After 20 years, La Mesa Collaborative is switching its meeting days from the first Tuesday to Wednesday mornings. They will still be held at La Mesa First United Methodist Church, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 9 a.m.

Next week, I’ll share why community members might want to be at the church on Wednesdays.

Correction from last week: Holiday in the Village occurs on Saturday, Dec. 13, not Sunday. Oops!