Author: Scripps

March 2020 SD-Union Tribune

March 2020 SRCA Newsletter (on the cover and page 11)

February 2020 Scripps Ranch News

In the Feb 16, 2020 SD-Union Tribune article regarding Chula Vista school district building affordable house for teachers, SD Unified Trustee Richard Barrera is quoted to say, SD Unified plans to build upwards to 1000 affordable units for teachers.

Is the Monarch Apartment Project in SR about providing affordable housing to struggling residents of San Diego; or is it about providing affordable housing to ‘qualified district employees?’

Richard Barrera says:
“San Diego Unified, for instance, is planning to build teacher housing in the next few years on district-owned land that will soon become vacant.”
“We are definitely putting a plan together to build educator housing on those properties.”
“We’re hopeful that over the next few years we can build upwards of 1,000 units of affordable housing for educators.”

Voters approved BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in bond money (Prop MM, Prop S, Prop Z, Prop YY) for SD Unified school repairs, security, technology, new schools and get apartments projects on school land to provide housing for school district employees.

Voice of Scripps Ranch (VOSR) has filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego . Despite EVERY community organization and a majority of the local population being against the Monarch Development, the project forces its way ahead without proper reports, procedures, or approvals.

VOSR is fighting back. Donate to support the Voice of Scripps Ranch legal fight against the SD Unified School District Apartment Project with Monarch Development!

Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information and why you should care.

If you prefer to donate by check, make your check out to “Voice of Scripps Ranch” and mailed to:

Voice of Scripps Ranch
c/o SRCA
10755-F Scripps Poway Parkway #613
San Diego, CA 92131

Fine print stuff: All donations will go toward funding the lawsuit against the City of San Diego and associated parties.  The lawsuit is one step in stopping or changing the SDUSD/Monarch joint-use apartment complex currently planned to replace Innovations Academy in Scripps Ranch.  If we prevail, a portion of donation money may be awarded back to donors.  After approval of VOSR 501c3 status w/ the IRS, non-refunded donations will be tax-deductible.

Monarch Development has withdrawn their application for a Subdivision Map Waiver. (See Letter of Withdraw). Due to this withdraw of the Map Waiver application, the project will not be scheduled for an appeal hearing before the Planning Commission.

Meanwhile, the Innovations Academy Charter School, currently providing education on public school land in Scripps Ranch, is still being fast-tracked to relocate by March 2020 to accommodate the Monarch Development 4-story apartment project, over the best interest of the students.

The rushed relocation is costing taxpayers $20 million dollars for the extra overtime building/worker costs with the total cost for the new school currently at $60 million dollars.

Thank you San Diego Unified for this financial mismanagement of school bond money and the obvious bad land deal with Monarch Development.

San Diego Unified is moving a successful neighborhood charter school for the benefit of a developer with little financial gain.

Expect over $100 million dollars in Prop Z & Prop YY bond money to be spent. ($60 million now, still need STEAM lab, furniture, staff, equipment)

Income from this “sweetheart deal” with Monarch Development can be spent on teacher salaries and pensions, not students or facility improvements.

Bond money laundering – it ain’t right!!

The San Diego Unified School District board approved an additional $40 million dollars, in taxpayer Prop Z and Prop YY bond money, to move the Innovation Academy Charter School from the Scripps Mesa Conference Center property to build apartments on the school land. See: October, 28 2019-Agenda Item I-32.

This $40 million dollars is in addition to the $20 million dollars of bond money already approved in 2016 to move the school. See: July 26, 2016 – Agenda Item H-15.

That’s $60 million dollars in taxpayer bond money spent on moving this successful neighborhood school in Scripps Ranch, relocating it to a light industrial area in Kerney Mesa at 5454 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA . Taxpayers are paying for the school relocation. Taxpayers are paying for the property purchase, development of the classrooms, admin, and support staff space, playground and parking facilities.

Voters approved Prop Z and Prop YY to: repair, renovate and revitalize district schools. Bond projects include classroom technology, safety and security upgrades, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades, new/renovated facilities for College, Career and Technical Education, temporary classrooms replaced by permanent classrooms, air conditioning, ADA improvements to athletic facilities, turf fields, and other capital improvements at traditional and charter schools throughout the district.

Public school land is for education and the benefit of children, not developers and bad business deals by SDUSD.

The Public Hearing is scheduled on the HEARING OFFICER DOCKET OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 – ITEM #10: MONARCH MAP WAIVER- PROJECT NO. 628927 City Council District: 5; Plan Area: Miramar Ranch North.

San Diego area Residents, stakeholders, taxpayers are encouraged to voice their concerns and impacts due to the Monarch Apartment Project and attend the Public Hearing and/or send email to Glenn Gargas, Development Project Manager, at GGargas@sandiego.gov.

Monarch applied for a (Process 3) Tentative Map Waiver for the 264 Residential condominium units, 2000 sq. ft. of commercial condominium building, four story parking structure and Stem Lab of 4000 sq. ft. of institutional condominium building located at 10380 Spring Canyon Road. The 6.69 acre site is located in the CV-1-1 Base Zone of the Miramar Ranch North Community Planning Area. Council District 5.

The Miramar Ranch North Planning Committee voted 9-0 to DENY the Tentative Map Waiver request in March 2019 due to many project issues.

The City of San Diego project Assessment Letter, dated May 29, 2019, identified several significant project issues, including the need for an updated Geotechnical Investigation Report and to work together with the community planning group.

The City will schedule a Hearing on the Map Waiver so stay-tuned for the upcoming date and time in the community social media outlets.

Coming on the November 2018 general election ballot, another San Diego Unified school repair and safety bond measure that asks YOU/taxpayers to pay more on your property tax bill when there is still over $2 billion dollars, from past bond measures, left to spend on school repair and safety.

And we all know now, that the bond money can, and will, be used for joint occupancy apartment projects on school land to create unrestricted revenue, not school repair and safety.  The unrestricted revenue can be used for any District expenses, such as teacher pensions or salaries.

How much more money will YOU/taxpayers be asked to pay?   Use your assessed property value and multiply that by .0006 – or approximate from the table below.

The following school bond opposition statement was submitted to the Registrar of Voters by members of the Community Voices for Education (CVE).

The SDUSD school board voted last night, 4-1(Beiser), to approve the Scripps Mesa Joint Occupancy 4-story Apartment Project, as well as to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).  Bulldozing a school to building apartments.

VOSR still has many issues with the project, including: inadequacies in the Final EIR; lack of fiduciary responsibility to spend bond money on this project; State Board of Education approval under false pretenses; no community group support; safety of students with the residential apartments less than 150’ away; denied and delayed public record requests, attempts to delete emails, and misrepresentation of facts.