Wednesday, April 25, 2012

TRASH UPDATE

After my last post, "Chula Vista Trash", I received this e-mail from Jennifer Quijano, an assistant to the Mayor.


Dear Dana,


I’m writing to you on behalf of Mayor Cox regarding your email. I viewed your blog and provided the information to our Public Works Department. Public Works let me know staff would review the general area of the bikeway path and get back to me with more information. I’ll let you know once I hear back from Public Works.

Additionally, constituents can report this type of information on the City’s website on the Public Works page. The online report form automatically goes to Public Works and generates a work order request and will provide you with a reporting confirmation number. Here is the link to the information. http://www.chulavistaca.gov/City_Services/Community_Services/Public_Works_Operations/Admin/service_request.asp

Lastly, due to budget restraints and cuts, the city no longer has a dedicated crew to assist with frequent removal of litter and debris. However, we have several committed volunteer groups who assist with litter and trash clean up and graffiti removal. I’ve asked that the bikeway path area be added to our volunteer group’s locations to check on and clean. If you’re interested in joining the volunteer effort to keep our community clean, please let me know and I can get you in touch with our volunteer coordinator.

Respectfully,

Jennifer Quijano
Constituent Services Manager
Office of Mayor Cheryl Cox
City of Chula Vista


So, here's what has happened so far:




The furniture has been picked up, both items on the same day, but for some reason the mirror was still there.  Then a couple of days later the mirror was gone.


 Several days later the tire and and this junk were removed.



After several more days these two mattresses were picked up.


This junk is still there, within sight of the two mattreses that were picked up.


You can tell they are thinking about the tree stumps as one has been dragged closer to the other.

 
So what gives?  So far it's taken three trips to pick up some of the stuff, but there's still more.  Perhaps the city would have more in the budget for trash pick up if they just scheduled one day to go out and get this junk rather that spreading out their effort over several weeks.

I might add that just across the road from the stumps, another idiot dumped a hot water heater.  Two days later, the heater has been removed, but all the insulation that was around the tank is now spread along side the road.

So here's how I score it so far:

They get a "C" for trash pick up
They get an "F" for wasting city resorces, three trips when one should have done it.





Thursday, April 05, 2012

CHULA VISTA TRASH

About 3 days a week I ride my bike from our house to the Coronado Ferry Landing and back.  Some of the ride is on a designated bike path and some in bike lanes on surface streets.  Most of what I ride on is part of The Bayshore Bikeway, a route around the San Diego Bay.  My route passes through,  an unincorporated area of San Diego County and the Cities of National City, Chula Vista, San Diego, Imperial Beach and Coronado.  Below is a nice new portion of the path in Chula Vista.


It's nice and clean now, but just wait and it will soon be trashed.  The graffiti has already started and this new section has only been open a couple of weeks.  But lets talk trash.

Now as you ride along various sections of the Bikeway, you see the usual trash which people discard out of car windows.  You know, paper cups, cigarette butts, cans and bottles, diapers, and pieces of paper.  But in the City of Chula Vista it gets worse.  Did you know that "chula vista" is Spanish for cool view?  Well, it's not too cool.  Here's some of the views one gets as you ride along.



This nice couch has been here since around the first of the year, the mirror arrived later.  There was a bigger couch here, but somebody must have liked it because it has disappeared.


Here's a lovey couch/recliner that arrived in the past few days.


Now these two tree stumps will never grow again.  They were transplanted to this location BEFORE CHRISTMAS, they still haven't sprouted any new growth.


Mattresses are pretty common along the roadway.  This one's pretty recent.


Now these articles have been here for about 5 MONTHS that I can remember.  That's like LAST YEAR!  Part of a recliner, a mattress, and other junk.


We have here a matching box spring and mattress.  These two items have also been here since BEFORE CHRISTMAS.  Now last week they were together down in the ditch, but as you might have noticed one has been moved due to the city mowing the grass!


And finally we have this pile that has been here for over a year! 

Now you can't tell me that since this trash has been deposited along the street, some city employee hasn't seen it.  So I ask why haven't they picked it up yet?  Most of this stuff is in an area that was annexed by the city in the late 70's or early 80's, the city telling voters they could provide better services than the county.  So is this their example of better services?

This is just a small portion of the crap that is strewn along these streets.  Now you might ask why am I singling out the City of Chula Vista.  Well it's because that's where most of the trash is.  Yes, I understand that some idiot dumped this stuff and the City didn't.  But I can guarantee you that if this junk was dropped off in East Lake, a nicer area of town, you can bet the city crews would be picking it up pronto.

Now I'm going to be sending a link to this story to various Chula Vista city officials.  I'll let you know what happens.

Sunday, April 01, 2012

RACING ON ISLE RUN

Got a call the other day from my ol' sailing instructor Dave (old, not in age but in long time ago instructor) who asked if I wanted to crew for him in a race on Sunday.  In checking my schedule I had two choices, (1) get up at 5:30 am and ride my bike for 50 miles and be wiped out for the rest of the day or (2) sleep in till whenever, eat a leisurely breakfast, get to the yacht club by 11:00, sail till we crossed the finish line, drink beer.  I was really torn because I usually don't drink beer, but I decided to make an exception.  Also it should be noted that it was Dave and his crew on Isle Run who came in 1st two weeks ago in the NOOD and trounced us on the Sabbatical.  I figured I could pick up some pointers. (see previous entry).   I also was aware that Dave might be asking me to crew so he could find some inside information from a crew member of the Sabbatical.  It was an opportunity for me to perhaps provide him with some false scuttlebutt giving the Sabbatical an advantage for next year.

DAVE AT THE HELM

The race was to be 11 miles from start to finish and our closest competition was to get a huge head start.  Due to handicapping they got a full 21 minute head start and in order for us to beat them we had to pick up that 21 minutes plus cross the finish line a minute and a half ahead of them.  A tall order on a day with changing wind direction.  With a staggered start there was no confusion at the start line as the other boats in our class left before us.

RHONDA DOING HER JOB ON THE RAIL

Rhonda started sailing the same time I did and we both attended the same classes taught by Dave.  She knows more than I do for two reasons.  First, she paid better attention in class and second, her boyfriend Marvin is a really good sailor.  They sometimes sail with Cathie and I on Nice Aft.

 
DAVE AT THE HELM AND JOE ON THE JIB SHEET

Not shown in any of the photos is Brain, Dave's 1st mate and the most experienced sailor on board, besides Dave.  Anyway, with Dave in command at the helm and  Brian on the main guiding those of us with less experience we were off.  Out of Glorietta Bay into the main channel of San Diego Bay, under the Bay Bridge and north to Harbor Island.  Then it's a 180 back to the south, under the bridge and into South Bay before making another 180 and heading back into Glorietta Bay to the finish.  We figured we were doing pretty good until on the way south we passed our closest competition heading north.  They were still pretty far ahead of us and it looked like we probably wouldn't catch them.

 
ERNESTO AND CRIS WORKING FORWARD

Ernesto here is also very experienced as he is one of Dave's teaching assistants at Southwestern College.  Standing is Cris who serves our county in the navy, so he must know something about sailing.

FASTER CLASS HEADING DOWN WIND

Faster than us, the above boat is heading downwind with their spinnaker flying.  Their in the same race but in a different class than us, so it's ok for them to be ahead of us.

In the end the 1st place boat with the huge handicap finished 10 minutes ahead of us.  We came in a distant 2nd with other boats in our class never in contention.  We also managed to place 4th overall, so all in all not to shabby.