At last summer has arrived. The kids are free, the days are long, and the tomatoes are starting to come in. It's a great time to sit back grab a tall iced tea and enjoy all the news that is news around National City. Don't forget to flip that burger. And throw on a hotdog for Grandma while you're there.
We wanted to make it easier for the public to connect and track non-emergency issues reported to the City— 24/7 and 365 days-a-year so we’ve launched National City Connect !!
National City Connect is a mobile reporting tool powered by SeeClickFix, it will empower residents with the ability to document neighborhood concerns and communicate directly with City departments. See a pothole in the road – report it immediately and track the response. Find graffiti in your neighborhood – again report it immediately and track the response.
The app allows you to upload pictures to your report, giving City workers the most detailed information possible to address each case. Residents can track the status of reports submitted and see what other issues are being reported in their area. You’re able to follow an issue from the time it is reported until it is resolved, enabling residents to track all types of service requests, not just the ones they report. You can even create your own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in specific neighborhoods.
We see many benefits to providing residents with a tool like National City Connect
National City Fire Captain Diaz, Firefighter Aguirre, Firefighter Spiering, Firefighter LaFreniere are on a strike team assigned to protect homes and structures at the Border Fire.?
Additionally, National City Fire Captain Jones was sent out as a fire line paramedic to assist with the well being of the firefighters.
We want to thank all our National City Fire Department personnel for their commitment to protecting not only National City but also the greater San Diego County area.
The City of National City’s First Time Home Buyer Program is now available. The program provides up to $70,000 toward the down payment on a home located within the city limits. The funds are intended to help make homeownership attainable for more families in this high cost market, maximizing purchasing power without raising monthly payments.
The National City First Time Homebuyer Program is being administered by Springboard Home Loans, a local non-profit mortgage lender that has been helping individuals and families purchase homes for over 30 years.
For additional information, visit www.springboardcdfi.org/NationalCity or call (888) 983-2344.
We are looking forward to meeting our contestants for the 61st Annual Miss National City Educational Pageant. Join us Saturday, July 2nd at 7pm, during the 4th of July Carnival in Kimball Park, as we crown our new Miss National City Queen and her Court. We are excited to have Fox 5 news anchor and reporter as our emcee for the evening! The Miss National City Educational Pageant is much more than the glitz and glamor you will experience on stage. The contestants have eagerly worked to prepare for a 3-panel interview as well as their performance for pageant day. The Miss National City Pageant began in 1955 and has crowned a long list of beautiful, intelligent, and determined women who have continued to be leaders in our community. The contestants compete for an educational scholarships which they will use to further their educational goals.
National City Police Corporal Alex Garcia is a long time National City resident, Sweetwater High School graduate, and started his career with NCPD as a Police Explorer in high school. It’s fitting that he’s receiving the Employee of the Quarter for his exceptional work and dedication to the community as a volunteer Police Advisor for the NCPD Explorer Program.
The NCPD Explorers is a volunteer program for individuals interested in a career in law enforcement between the age of 14 and 21. While the Department does not have the exact number of volunteer hours, it is estimated that Corporal Garcia has donated thousands to the NCPD Explorer Program.
We thank Corporal Alex Garcia for his dedication, commitment and leadership to the National City Police Explorers.
The National City Fire Department had the honor of hosting Rescue 5 from the Remembrance Recue Project on Saturday, June 25th.
The Remembrance Rescue Project allows the Rescues to serve as mobile memorials to Educate, Honor and remember the events of 9/11 and all firefighters killed in the line of duty throughout the country every year.
The City of National City will be enforcing a new law that restricts recreational vehicle parking on City streets except by permit beginning on July 1, 2016.
The 24-hour permit allows residents to park their recreational vehicle on the streets near their residence. There is a limit of 6 permits per month and 72 permits per residence per year. Additionally, permits can be issued for a maximum of three consecutive days. National City residents may also purchase a permit for guests with recreational vehicles. The cost of the daily permit is $2. Proof of residency and vehicle ownership or control is required.
Parking of recreational vehicles on public streets will be prohibited at all times, except while in the process of actively loading or unloading, or by a valid permit. See National City Municipal Code 11. 32.366 for additional information.
Parking any of the following vehicles on City streets without a valid City permit would constitute a violation.
Affected vehicles include:
The men and woman of the National City? Police and Fire Departments along with other law enforcement agencies from around San Diego County participated in the St. Baldrick’s Shave-a-Thon on Thursday, June 23.
You can still donate:
NCPD TEAM: https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/107345/2016
NCFD TEAM: https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/108678/2016
The library continued its long-running tradition of holding several book giveaways for children every year with a Free Book Week in May. During these giveaways every National City kid in grades K-6 is invited to come to the library and choose a book that will be theirs to keep, no strings attached! In a community where many families are on tight budgets that might not allow for buying books, it’s a great opportunity for our children to start or add to their home library. At this latest Free Book Week we put new books into the hands of more than 1400 local children! Many thanks to the Friends of the Library, who provided us with the funds to purchase the books, and to the volunteers who helped with the logistics of the program!
Aside from the Free Book Week giveaways, the library’s children’s department tries to find other ways to get books into our kids’ homes and encourage their development of the reading habit. For instance, the library receives many used book donations from the community, and we select the ones in the best condition to distribute to kids during our evening children’s programs: the kids play for books on our bingo nights, and our story time programs always end with all the children in at-tendance being allowed to choose a book.
Every year the library holds a summer reading program to encourage National City kids to keep their reading muscles strong while they’re on vacation from school. This year the program runs from June 13th to July 28th. Kids who join the program are given reading logs to keep track of their summer reading. Depending on how many pages they log, they earn fun incentives such as pencils, book-marks, finger puppets, bracelets, bookbags and library card cases.
We will cap off the program with a party at the MLK Building on July 28th. We’ll have pizza and dance to the music of the Raggle Taggle Band, followed by a raffle in which many lucky winners will walk away with museum passes, gift cards to local businesses, and stuffed animals - all courtesy of generous donors. And on the subject of generous benefactors, our sincere thanks go out to the Friends of the Library, whose efforts on our behalf supply us with the funding for the summer read-ing program, as well as all the other children’s programming we offer in the course of the year.
For many years we had, once a month, a popular visitor to the children’s room of the library: Arthur the therapy dog and his owner Celeste. Unfortunately, Arthur passed away two years ago, and the kids missed petting and reading to him. Happily, though, we now have a new canine friend - Walker - who drops by with his person Kristen the first Saturday of every month. Walker loves company and enjoys hearing kids read their favorite stories to him!
Free BBQ and Movie
Tuesday, August 2, 2016 5:30-10pm
Las Palmas Pool– 1800 E. 22nd St.
BBQ and Open Swim – 5:30 pm
Movie Screening “Zootopia” – 8:00 pm (approximately)
The National City Police Department will have displays for residents to interact with including SWAT equipment, School Resource Officers, Department motorcycles, Police Explorer Program,
Canine Demonstration, and a special appearance from
“McGruff the Crime Dog” and “Sparky the Fire Dog”
National City Firefighters Association Local 2744 will be hosting a Bike Rodeo and grilling an All-American fare of hamburgers and hotdogs for the first 500 participants.
Fun for the entire family will also include health screenings, an obstacle course, and of course a free open swim. Be sure to bring your bike for the Rodeo, swimming trunks, blankets and lawn chairs for the movie, and a great attitude for this free family event!
At the Governing Board Meeting on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, Sweetwater Authority’s (Authority) Board of Directors voted to deactivate its Level 2 – Drought Alert status and to move back down to a Level 1 – Drought Watch status.
This change in drought response status comes as a result of strong conservation efforts and improved water supply conditions. Watering days are not restricted in a Level 1 – Drought Watch status; however, customers are encouraged to continue to use water in an efficient and productive manner.
The Authority’s Governing Board also voted to amend its Drought Response Plan, incorporating new statewide water waste prohibitions which are mandatory in all drought levels, including Level 1 – Drought Watch.
Detailed information on water waste prohibitions and the Authority’s Drought Response Plan can be found at www.sweetwater.org.
On Friday, June 10th, the Community Services Department hosted the Kimball Skate Park Grand Opening. The National City community joined together to celebrated the opening of their new skate park that has been packed with skaters and BMX bikers since the soft opening in April. Everyone enjoyed watching professional skaters, Chris Lambert and Tyrone Olson, get a chance to skate. They encouraged the youth and amateur skaters to bust out their best tricks. An opportunity drawing included 22 bikes, helmets, and other great prizes, thanks to the participation of the National City Police Department, and Rady Children’s Hospital’s Safe Routes to School and Safe Kids San Diego. The Sweetwater High School Cheer team performed a cheer to bring spirit to the event and promote skating safety. The evening concluded with the Summer Movies in the Park showing of, ‘Surf’s Up’. If you haven’t done so already, check out the Kimball Skate Park!
Check out this video clip by professional skater Tyrone Olson.
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Join us in Las Palmas Park for the 2nd Annual 1 Mile Fun Run on Friday, July 8. No registration is required and check in begins at 6:45pm. All runners and walkers are welcome to participate in this free, fun, family event. The Summer Movies in the Park showing of The Blind Side will immediate follow. For more information call the Community Services Department at (619) 336-4290 or email communityservices@nationalcityca.gov.
Summer Movies in the Park is a great opportunity to spend time under the stars with family and friends this summer! Bring a picnic and a blanket, and arrive early to reserve a front row spot. Pre-show entertainment begins an hour prior to each movie, which will begin at dusk. Attend the following free movies:
Swim lessons at Las Palmas Pool are sold out for the month of July; register now for August swim lessons! You can pay with Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express. Payments in cash must be made at Las Palmas Pool. For questions or assistance registering online please call (619) 336-6758.
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/home?studioid=334865
Community Rowing of San Diego will be offering summer camps and classes at the brand new National City Aquatic Center located in Pepper Park. The Center will be open from 7 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday. For more information please call (619) 495-0701 or visit in person during operating hours.
