By TR Robertson
Wednesday afternoon was a busy day for the San Marcos Senior Center as their Community Room was filled with representatives from various city, county, and private organizations, as well as tables and chairs set up for attendees for San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones’s final State of the City Address. Jones is running for San Diego County Supervisor for District 5, currently held by Jim Desmond, who is running for Congress. Prior to Mayor Jones’s address, the first hour was set up for citizens to visit with representatives from a number of San Marcos City Departments, as well as other agencies, at a Resource Fair.
The representatives provided pamphlets and literature, giveaways, and answered questions as citizens went from table to table. The agencies at the Resource Fair included: the San Marcos Fire Department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos, Vallecitos Water District, Clean Water Alliance, EDCO, Universidad Popular, North County Transit District, San Marcos Library, San Marcos Parks & Recreation, and Assembly Member District 76 Dr. Darshana Patel. Interested citizens could find out about Elder Help, Housing Resources, Wildfire Prevention, Citizenship and Civics Classes, Bus Transit options, and much more.
Sharply at 5:00 pm, Mayor Jones called the meeting to order and introduced a scout to lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Addressing the audience, the Mayor thanked those in attendance and introduced a number of dignitaries in attendance. She then introduced the superintendent of the San Marcos Unified School District, Dr. Andy Johnsen. Dr. Johnsen said that in a couple of weeks, over 19,000 students will be showing up for the first day of school in San Marcos Unified School District schools. He said all of the students have limitless potential. He then listed some of the schools’ awards they have received. San Elijo Elementary was recognized as a Distinguished School in California. Twin Oaks High School was awarded a 2026 Model Continuation School award. San Marcos Elementary was recognized as a National Healthiest School for 2026. The Superintendent said their 17 Career and Technical Education Pathways offer students who are graduating a number of options for continued education. He pointed out that all of their middle school education programs are being reimagined. A number of improvements have been made in the district with the passage of Measure JJ, a $324 million project to modernize aging campuses, upgrade athletic facilities, and replace portable classrooms. Knob Hill Elementary School’s construction is on schedule to be completed and ready for students in December 2026. Woodland Park Middle School is currently going through transformation, and Paloma Elementary will begin remodeling construction in 2028. There have been major improvements at Mission Hills High School with synthetic turf on the football field and improved ADA access. San Marcos High School will have a proposed new track, and the surrounding area will have new synthetic turf. He said their motto of “All In On Student Success” will continue to be the goal for everyone associated with San Marcos Unified School District.
Speaking next was San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones. She began by introducing the San Marcos City Council members – Deputy Mayor Mike Sannella (District 2), Maria Nunez (District 1), Ed Musgrove (District 4), and Danielle LeBang (District 3). The Mayor said, “Changes are inevitable, but how they change is important.” The top three areas she felt both she and the council had concentrated on included Parks and Community Spaces, Roads and Infrastructure, and Public Safety and Emergency Response. Many of the projects the Mayor was proud to see completed included upgrading the cooling system for the Senior Center; equipment replacement and additions to many of the playgrounds in the city; new playground equipment at the Bike Park; traffic improvements and the addition of a lane on San Marcos Blvd.; The annual road paving projects (21 more miles will be repaved this year); The addition of Fire Station 4 and E-bike safety training run by the Sheriff’s Department; Sidewalk repair around the city; and the soon to occur ground breaking for Fire Station 5. She said the council is always concerned with “balancing today’s needs for tomorrow’s improvements”. The Mayor thanked Assemblymember Patel for her assistance in obtaining $5 million for park funding and improvements in the city. The Mayor pointed out that they have a strong working relationship with Cal State San Marcos and Palomar Community College. She said the 4,200 small businesses are a major part of the city’s success and that number continues to grow. The updating of Restaurant Row and the Creek District will add to this, saying that attracting the right kind of developments will help all businesses. It was also pointed out that San Marcos has become a major health care hub, and the Scripps Hospital Project will be a $2 billion investment. As Mayor Jones brought her presentation to a close, she thanked all those that have supported her and said San Marcos is her home and will always have a strong place in her heart. She ended by saying the “Best government is the kind you don’t have to think about. Mayor Jones next political step will be her campaign for the District 5 San Diego County Supervisor position.
