La Mesa mayor touts infrastructure repairs, public‑safety gains and housing progress in State of the City

Mayor Mark Rapistapis said in a State of the City video that La Mesa has made measurable progress across infrastructure, public safety and housing while expanding services for people experiencing homelessness.

"This marks my third State of the City video and I'm proud to say that our city is in a great place," Rapistapis said, opening the address. He credited city staff and community volunteers for the results the city reported for 2024.

Rapistapis said Public Works repaired approximately 2,600,000 square feet of roads across the city, naming University Avenue and La Mesa Boulevard among the projects. He also described a summer resurfacing program covering six high‑volume streets including Jackson Drive and said the city installed its first high‑intensity activated crosswalk at Jesse Avenue and Elkhorn Boulevard to improve pedestrian safety. (The transcript contains a garbled reference to the total number of potholes; the mayor referenced a 15% increase from 2023 but the raw pothole figure in the transcript is inconsistent.)

On flooding, Rapistapis said the city began work on the Boulevard Drive Storm Drain Improvement Project, supported in part by a grant, to reduce flooding impacts to University Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods.

Rapistapis reported improvements in public safety metrics: Heartland Fire responded to more than 9,700 calls last year and the department preserved 98% of property from fire damage, he said. The city has added a vehicle for urban search and rescue and launched a nurse navigation program intended to connect residents to nonemergency medical care and reduce unnecessary emergency‑room visits. The mayor also noted community outreach such as a record pancake breakfast and a Citizens Academy offering residents behind‑the‑scenes exposure to fire operations.

He said police experienced nearly an 8% increase in calls for service but continue to answer 98% of 911 calls within 15 seconds, "well above the state standard," and stepped up traffic enforcement with more than 2,600 stops. Rapistapis cited year‑over‑year crime declines compared with 2023: robberies down more than 20%; residential burglaries down 37%; vehicle burglaries down 43%; and auto thefts down 14%.

On homelessness services, Rapistapis described the HOME team’s work, saying the team helped roughly 130 people, responded to more than 1,100 calls for service, and connected clients to housing and health care. He highlighted one client, identified in the video as "Isaac," who completed job training, was hired at La Mesa Lumber and signed a lease after more than a decade without housing; Rapistapis said the HOME team will add two new positions to build on this work.

On housing and development the mayor said the city issued more than 1,700 permits and finalized over 1,100 projects last year. He said one affordable housing project was completed and three more are under construction that together will create 278 units, including 154 affordable units, and that 73 accessory dwelling units were completed in 2024. Rapistapis said the downtown village specific plan is advancing with community input from workshops, farmers markets and stakeholder meetings.

Rapistapis also highlighted arts and business support: the council approved $250,000 in ARPA funds for a public art program; new murals were installed; and the city continued programs such as the La Mesa Entrepreneurship Accelerator and a Façade Improvement Program. He said the city processed nearly 300 business licenses and recorded about 420 new business openings in 2024.

The mayor noted the "overwhelming passage of Proposition L with over 81% of the vote," framing the result as voter support for sustaining city services. He closed by thanking residents, staff and volunteers and urged continued collaboration in 2025.

The mayor's remarks were delivered as a recorded video message and contained primarily summary statistics and program highlights; no formal council actions or votes were taken during the address.