SAN DIEGO — Mayor Todd Gloria gave his second State of the City Address on Wednesday as the 37th mayor of San Diego.
Mayor Gloria led off his 2022 address telling the audience that we "still find ourselves in the midst of the pandemic. The difference this year is that we now have widely available vaccines that can spare us from the worst of the virus that's upended our lives, and I’m proud to say most San Diegans have chosen to get vaccinated, including 86% of our City workforce."
Here are some excerpts from Mayor Gloria’s speech and the four pressing problems he identified:
“Tonight, is not the time for a typical speech because these are not typical times. Instead, I’m going to focus this address on four of the most pressing problems facing our city. The issues that are front of mind for San Diegans right now. And I will tell you how we’re going to fix them. “
Infrastructure Repairs:
“By and large, these core systems are aging, outdated, often neglected, and in some cases in danger of failing. My Sexy Streets initiative prioritizes these neighborhoods and will result in 54 additional miles of quality road repairs across the city, from San Ysidro Boulevard in the south to Highland Valley Road in the north. You’ll see my administration is focused on making sure our investments reach all communities.”
Keep San Diegans safe:
“Crime rose here by 13 percent last year, with violent crime up nearly 11 percent. Shootings, assaults, homicides, domestic and gang violence – are all up. Disturbingly, hate crimes have also increased by 65 percent. None of this is acceptable. Lawlessness will not rule the day in our city.”
Homelessness:
“In 2021, we created 132 units of permanent supportive housing, and we have nearly 1,000 more in the pipeline. Last year, San Diego partnered with other big California cities to push for a massive state investment in homelessness response. Governor Newsom and our state delegation came through with a $14 billion package.”
Housing:
“The shortage of homes everyday San Diegans can afford is splitting up families, making it harder for our businesses to attract and retain workers, and threatening to deprive our region of the talented young people we work so hard to educate in our world-class universities. We are legally and morally obligated to plan to add more than 100,000 new homes during the next eight years, and folks, we are getting it done.”
Mayor Gloria closed with this message, “Our challenges are great. The road ahead is long. And there is much work to do. But San Diego, we are ready.”
Watch the full 2022 San Diego State of the City Address (Jan 12, 2022):
2021 State of the City topics:
Mayor Gloria gave his first State of the City Address in 2021 and outlined his plans to lead the City of San Diego forward during the COVID-19 pandemic to build a city for "all of us."
“At our core, our city is strong because San Diegans are strong," Mayor Gloria said during his 2021 speech from the San Ysidro Branch Library.
WATCH RELATED: 2022 State of the City address | Mayor Todd Gloria discusses challenges & goals for San Diego (Jan. 13, 2022)
