By TR Robertson
The March meeting of the Vista Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee heard two updates from city agencies to highlight the monthly meeting. Presenting an overview of a number of completed, near completed and planned developments was Vista Community Development Director John Conley and presenting a Vista Fire Department Update was Vista Fire Chief Ned Vander Pol.
John Conley, City of Vista, presented a power point of the Interactive Planning Map, which is available on the city’s web page detailing all the project maps. He presented a list of the projects that are in various stages of either completion, still under construction or in the planning stages.
The Ryland – completed, Wakeland Senior Apartments – 81 affordable units, Monarch Buena Vista – 179 apartments, Paseo Artists Village – 60 apartments, Terrace Lofts – 42 apartments, Civic Center Villas – 10 apartments, Alcove at Pala Vista, Santa Anita Townhomes – 24 condos, Pheasant Hill – 120 apartments proposed, Persea Apartments – 305 apartments, Hannalei Philips Condos and Stonemark – a 19 lot project proposed. Some upcoming events include the rebuilding of McDonalds on Paseo Vista as well as the rebuilding of Taco Bell on Santa Fe.
Sunroad Plaza businesses are nearing completion – Starbucks and Habit are currently open, Chick-fil-A soon to open and Panera under construction. Possible new renovation is the moving of the Costco gas station to a new location on the western side of Costco. Possible new projects also include the Marriott Courtyard and Hilton Garden Inn. Vista Self Storage is under construction. State Housing Legislation that could affect city developments include ADU regulations, Senate Bills 9 and 10, Affordable housing requirements, density bonus, SB 330, and the RENA Housing Element.
Fire Chief Ned Vander Pol gave a Fire Department overview. The Vista Fire Department consists of 94 personnel – 4 fire prevention, 3 support services, 1 emergency services officer, 1 emergency manager and 85 support personnel. The department responded to 14,000 calls last year and the average response time to a call is 5 minutes. There are 6 strategically located Fire Stations in Vista. The departments Core Values are Wellness, Integrity, Professionalism, Unity, Leadership, and Performance Excellence. The Fire Department is looking into bringing back the Explorer Program for young people over the age of sixteen to encourage more young people to choose the Fire Department as a career choice. Ned also said they have a great partnership with SDG&E as they constantly stay in touch with issues where fire safety and prevention are concerned. In the area of automatic and mutual aid, he said that they share resources when needed with other departments in other locations. Ned also said the department is always concerned with the health and wellness of their department members. Fire Station 3 will soon begin a remodel and upgrade.
Updates:
Imelda Huerta – Assistant to the City Manager of Vista – City Council will be discussing the economic development within the city. There will be a new brewery going into the former Wavelength Brewery location. Pala Vista Park Project has set a winter 2022 completion date. City Council recently approved an election sign amendment. A North County Lifeline agreement was recently approved. The Council approved their Goals for the year at the March 1st meeting. At the March 8th meeting, one of the topics will be a law enforcement extension agreement.
Kristal Jabara from County of San Diego, Supervisor Jim Desmond’s Office – A discussion covered the ongoing spent nuclear waste fuel storage and removal from the San Onofre site. The Supervisor also said that Senior affordable housing is a priority to keep Seniors from homeless situations.
Jessica Ramirez from U.S. Congressman Mike Levin’s Office – The Congressman is supporting and co-authoring a number of bills such as – HR 6759 Air Quality Monitoring, HR 6685 Spent Fuel Prioritization, HR 6684 Hire Student Veterans Act, HR 6602 Affordable Housing, HR 6396 Climate RESILENCE Act, HR 6208 Vet Care Act. Jessica also read a statement from the Congressman concerning the conflict in Ukraine.
Max Wernher from Senator Patricia Bates Office – The Senator has introduced twenty measures. Her main concerns deal with homelessness issues, crime, and cost of living. She feels there needs to be an assessment of various homeless programs. Max shared a recent poll showing that 51% of the people in California think Governor Newsom is not doing a good job on issues dealing with crime in the State.
Glenn MacDonald from State Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horath’s Office – The Assemblymember is Chair of the Arts, Entertainment Committee and she is working on projects to increase tourism in areas. Also, still dealing with the Assembly Bill dealing with oil spill issues and offshore rigs as well as clean energy support. The Assemblymember is supporting an audit of SDG&E to investigate the reasons for the rate increases. Bills still being studied and advanced – AB1707 dealing with property taxes and disabled seniors; AB1873 to provide tax credit for charging equipment in homes; a bill supporting lifeguards being approved to work at public pools; AB2437 creating a stipend for interns and careers in public service. Nominations are being accepted for women of impact. Go to https://a76.asmdc.org/2022-women-impact-nominations.
Rachel Beld – CEO for the Vista Chamber of Commerce – a reminder that the Heroes of Vista Awards Ceremony will be on March 18th. The Vista Magazine the Chamber produces will begin to appear in Spanish in the next several months.
The next Government Affairs meeting will be on Thursday, April 7th.
