SAN DIEGO — Working For You update Feb. 9, 2023:
An update to a story that CBS 8 has been Working for You on. A light post in University City is finally fixed after four years. It started in 2019 when a car crashed into the pole.
After our report, the city fixed the light, illuminating the area near the Doyle Elementary School.
Original story Jan. 31, 2022:
Jeanne Hoey owns a property near Regents Road in University City that she rents to tenants.
In 2019, she said her tenants told her a car crashed into a light post that used to be near Berino Court and Arriba, and it has never been replaced.
"It's important to me because it’s a public safety issue, being so close to a public elementary school and UCSD students walk by here to take the bus. It’s a high-traffic area as far as I’m concerned. I don’t understand why there is no priority on this," said Hoey.
She expressed her concerns at a town hall meeting and then made a report on the city’s Get It Done page in April 2022.
She says the city closed her request six months later, in November 2022, without it ever getting fixed and without an explanation.
"They said if they get lucky, they get supply, it will get replaced. What does that mean? I'm a community member, and this is my property. This needs to be done by city officials. It should be a priority. And it is my taxpayer money. When it is dark here, and there are no lights, it is a recipe for crime," said Hoey.
According to the city’s website, “Pole / Knock Over Damage” should be repaired within 37 days.
CBS 8 asked the city’s Senior Public Information officer why the light post had not been replaced in four years. The city sent CBS 8 this statement:
This report should have been closed with a customer communication note stating that this pole replacement was pending coordination with nearby projects.
As part of our new approach to routing the crews more efficiently, this location was previously identified for pole replacement in conjunction with other work needed in the area. Our team was assigned the cluster of locations in December 2022 to mobilize in late January. It is currently planned for work in the next two weeks.
Hoey says the Get It Done page needs to be more transparent in giving people an explanation as to why something is not repaired.
"I hope this gets fixed in a short amount of time. It shouldn’t go on much longer. It should be taken care of," said Hoey.
At CBS 8, we are always Working for You and our San Diego community. If there is something you would like us to investigate, please share your idea here or email us at workingforyou@cbs8.com.
WATCH RELATED: A look at San Diego's 'Get it Done' app and how the city prioritizes reports (Oct. 2022).