SAN DIEGO — Improving the city's Infrastructure is the biggest challenge facing San Diego, and it should be a key issue in the mayoral race, Interim Mayor Todd Gloria said Thursday.
Gloria said he hopes mayoral candidates will make infrastructure repairs a priority, and will be direct and honest about how they would go about paying for the work.
"Talk to any San Diegan and they will tell you the roads in their neighborhood are not up to code, that the sidewalk in front of their house is probably busted, that their library is probably inadequate,'' Gloria said.
"Everyone sees this on a day-to-day basis in their own lives — the question is what is city hall doing to address it.''
The mayor must be on the "leading edge'' of civic leadership because the size of the overall problem is larger than what the city can control with current resources, Gloria said.
Gloria said city leaders would do what they could before the new mayor came in, but the victor in the mayoral race would ultimately "pick up the ball and run with it.''
Gloria and Councilman Mark Kersey are working to develop a roughly $100 million bond issuance to "continue our city's investment in our deferred capital needs,'' he said. The funds would go toward neighborhood infrastructure projects like repairs to roads, storm drains and public utilities.
"It's a step toward addressing this issue, but the problem is much more significant,'' Gloria said.
The council's infrastructure committee, which Kersey chairs, is also developing a five-year infrastructure financing plan, with public input as a key component.
A series of meetings to gather public input regarding the rebuilding of neighborhoods will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Santa Fe Room of the Balboa Park Club, Gloria said.
