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El Cajon manager outlines action-plan progress; council presses for fire-funding options by February
Summary
City Manager Graham updated the council on the November 2024 council action plan, reporting progress on beautification, pavement management, economic development and public safety. Council members asked staff to return with funding options for fire staffing and response by February and to improve public communication about pavement work.
City Manager Graham briefed the El Cajon City Council on Nov. 12 about the status of the council action plan adopted earlier in 2024, summarizing work on city beautification, infrastructure, economic development, homelessness and public safety priorities.
On beautification, Graham said 13 projects are on the list: one completed, one canceled (a mural project for lack of funding), and others nearing completion. He also described work on a vacant-lot incentive program. On infrastructure, he said the deferred-maintenance analysis is complete and a pavement management study contracted in October is expected to finish in June 2025 to guide repair priorities.
On economic development, staff highlighted implementation steps for the Hunden study at Parkway Plaza, a completed sign-and-facade program that reimbursed 76 businesses, and internal changes to the developer application process informed by San Diego State research and outreach to brokers and developers.
Graham said staff continue to press for regional data standardization on homelessness and are collaborating with stakeholders to improve transparency. He also noted the city sought a SAFER grant to expand fire staffing but was not successful; the council asked staff to return with funding options for expanding an engine company and other measures to reduce response times, with councilmembers requesting options by February.
Councilmembers emphasized public safety as the top priority and asked staff to prioritize fire funding over lower-priority items where feasible. Members also urged better public communication on pavement work—maps, timelines and public-facing explanations—to address resident perceptions that roads are worse than the data indicate.
What happens next: staff will prepare funding-option scenarios for fire-service improvements for council review (requested by February) and continue coordination on pavement management and economic development implementation.
Sources: City Manager Graham’s administrative report and council discussion at the Nov. 12, 2024 meeting.
