Today and historically in Imperial Beach our city government has manufactured "financial crises" in order to attempt to push through unpopular programs or proposals with little accountability, public input or transparency.
The current crisis that was manufactured over the proposed privatization of Sports Park and Imperial Beach Little League reminded me of a similar issue in 1989 that I published an op-ed about in the Los Angeles Times.
Here is the article to demonstrate that despite the passage of time, our city government has been unable and unwilling to develop a participatory model of governance that moves our community forward.
"The budget crisis in Imperial Beach is temporarily over, and plans to disincorporate the city are on hold. City Manager Ron Jack has managed to raise revenues and cut Sheriff’s Department services to balance the budget.
What promised to be a fiscal disaster turned into a rather routine budget-cutting operation for a city government that has been strapped financially for most of the 1980s.
Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The recent problems, however, have opened debate on the future of Imperial Beach and the development strategy that will allow the city to avoid recurring financial crises.
However, a strategy that uses the natural setting and community character of the city as its focus should be welcomed. With the population of the South Bay expected to grow by more than 200,000 residents by the year 2010, the city will become a magnet for South Bay residents seeking a well-maintained beachfront removed from the congestion encountered in most Southern California beach communities.The situation in Imperial Beach is similar to what happens to Third World nations that take out loans to finance large development projects that international experts assure will lead the countries to salvation. If the project is a failure, basic public services are cut to pay off the loans.
Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In the case of Imperial Beach, basic public services have been cut so that the city can pay off the loan to rebuild its fishing pier. However, unlike the Third World, the International Monetary Fund does not bail out small American cities for the bad decisions of their elected officials.
A comprehensive planning study conducted by the Graduate School of Urban Planning at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo concluded that Imperial Beach should not concentrate all its development efforts along the beachfront, which it said has a limited potential for revenue generation.
Instead, the city should concentrate on its commercial core along Palm Avenue where there is room for enhancement. The study, financed by a grant from the city, has been ignored by Imperial Beach officials, who keep insisting that the beachfront development is the key to economic revitalization."
We need a Neighborhood Revitalization program in Imperial Beach that builds the resilience of our neighborhoods, businesses and families so the people of Imperial Beach are a priority rather than an afterthought.
And of course we need a Mayor who respects our community rather using his office to attack the institutions and individuals that make Imperial Beach such a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Serge Dedina has lived in Imperial Beach since 1971. He is the author of Wild Sea and Saving the Gray Whale.
