More San Diegans are in productive jobs, and can relax at the start of the 2013 New Year. City work projects increased by a big bound during the year Mayor Jerry Sanders, on April 11th, announced the accomplishment that put the town back on track and gave workers an opportunity to lead a turn around in productive enterprise, a balanced budget.
Nine history enders in downtown made the year's progress down the road to recovery plain.
1. A city surplus took the place of a structural budget deficit. Idleness comes to end for 115 workers who will take the position opened by the first increase in work positions the city made since recession labor cuts began.
There is 119 million dollars left in the budget. Increased sales tax revenues and hotel TOT revenues produced bigger pieces in the budget pie.
Locals can drop in to a library, or a recreation center, any day of the week. Hours have been restored. The 7th budget proposed by Jerry Sanders guarantees the 2012-13 fiscal year is a no service cuts year and the millions saved by managed care, retiree health reform, and information technology reorganization give the city a real opportunity to hire more police officers and firefighters.
2. Workers in late November began to demolish the old Robinsons May building. Consensus among city councilmembers ended the stall on building a world class civic plaza at Horton Plaza on Broadway.
3. At the busy harbor, the street lanes on Harbor Drive are divided into dig lanes and drive lanes. The North Embarcadero Visionary Plan project begun in January makes downtown visitors look forward to the day the San Diego embarcadero becomes a city deck world by the sea, like in Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada.
4. New Mayor Bob Filner offers to solve job needs during a year the recovery is still growing. Warnings on spending deficits make officials brace for more budget work a bit. But, the Democrat inaugurated on December 3rd, sticks to his jobs rebound plan.
5. Judicial officials and staff move into the new U.S. Court Annex built by Hensel Phelps to fill out the count on rooms work is done in at the Edward J. Schwartz courthouse. The mid-November construction fence removal takes away the barrier between citizens on Broadway and the justice venue. Formalities can go on in good form in the new full houses.
6. An October 5th dome topping off ceremony gives San Diegans committed to learning by reading relief that their new Central Library building has reached its full height. Towering above nine floors.
Locals can count on next July to take in a view out the windows in the library built by Turner Construction.
7. Island sailors get opportunity to lay out a course in the San Diego Bay at the Coronado Club and Boathouse opened in September. There is extra room in Coronado to calm the nerves, and to keep watercraft safe.
8. Bated breath is forgotten after a waterfront ground breaking by those waiting for more open space for civic gatherings. Construction work finally makes headway at the County Waterfront Park between Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive. Green acres and a public fountain are in sight.
9. The Spreckels Theater's good name earns a new, bravo! Pure awe is inspired by the show spectacles announced in the poetic story style signs put up this year to outline the traditional John D. Spreckels' name, both broad and tall.
Who will enlist next year in the labor union roll over 150,000 names long managed by the SAG-AFTRA artist's union formed by the two unions on March 30th? An actor. A singer. A dancer? Dancers trying out for a music video job can count on a better deal. Union leaders took no time to rest and quickly signed the first industry wide contract with music companies such as Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group for more, though still modest, daily rates, and no rush breaks between audition calls.
This is not a time play down the work San Diegans do.
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