Here in San Marcos, we believe that taking care of what we already have is just as important as building something new.
Everything we do starts with the same responsibility: taking good care of the resources that have been entrusted to us.
Whether those dollars come from sales tax, property tax, grants or other sources, we treat them the same way: carefully, responsibly and with a long-term perspective.
We are focusing on the priorities you told us matter most:
Parks and community spaces.
Streets and infrastructure.
Public safety and emergency response.
Like many cities throughout California, we're navigating rising costs and increasing demands on local government with unfunded state mandates.
We recently began a new fiscal year with City Council adopting a balanced budget following months of public meetings and thoughtful discussion.
Every budget reflects choices, and today I’m proud to highlight some recent projects that support a clean, safe and well-maintained San Marcos.
Parks and community spaces
Earlier this year, we undertook a project to upgrade the heating and cooling system right here at the Senior Center. It wasn’t a fancy project by any means, but thanks to federal grant funds, the upgrades make a huge difference for comfort, safety and accessibility all year round for the hundreds of people who rely on this center for daily programs, services and connection.
We’re also making sure our park playgrounds keep up with the decades of use they’re getting from our families. We replaced the playground equipment at Mulberry Park and Discovery Children’s park, and added shade sails to the Richmar playground just across the street.
For my Bradley Park families, we’re designing a new, larger playground with new play structures.
While these plans take shape, we replaced the damaged climbing structures and installed temporary, new playground equipment so we promise, more to come!
Woodland Park Pool was replastered just in time for summer. It was originally built in 1978 and by doing that nitty gritty maintenance work now, it means we can continue to offer great swimming lessons and a safe space to build more core memories in the water.
Streets and infrastructure
We’re in phase one of traffic improvements along San Marcos Boulevard. We’re making the left turn lanes longer on San Marcos Boulevard by the high school so it can keep traffic moving. It’s the first of a series of improvements along that stretch that will help improve traffic flow and enhance safety.
We had a narrow window to get this done while school is on summer break, and I’m happy to report that it’s almost completed.
You’ll see more crews out and about soon as we start our annual road paving work, which is important maintenance work that saves money in the long run. By taking care of our streets now, we avoid more costly repairs later on.
Over the next three months, we are repaving 21 miles of streets throughout the city, so you have a smooth drive throughout San Marcos.
We know that major infrastructure projects can be disruptive, especially to traffic. So, thank you for your patience during this construction.
Public safety
When it comes to public safety, we’re making sure you can count on help when you need it most.
That's why we are making thoughtful investments that ensure the Sheriff Department, and our San Marcos firefighters and emergency responders have the people, equipment and support they need to serve our community well.
I’m so proud of how we’ve partnered with the Sheriff’s Department to bring e-bike safety training to all our San Marcos schools, directly connecting with parents and students.
Whether it's maintaining strong partnerships with the Sheriff's Department, ensuring constant staffing for fire and emergency medical services, or planning for the future with a new Fire Station, we're focused on keeping San Marcos safe today while preparing for tomorrow.
Once again, the San Marcos Fire Department earned an I-S-O Class 1 ranking, which represents the highest standard of fire protection and emergency services in the United States.
Only about 38 fire departments in the whole state achieved this distinction – a reflection of our ongoing commitment to you to provide reliable emergency response our community can count on.
I'm also excited to share that Fire Station 5, located at the corner of Las Posas Road and Armorlite Drive, is expected to break ground by the end of this year, bringing us one step closer to expanding emergency response capabilities in our community.
We’re also repairing sidewalks so you can enjoy an evening walk through your neighborhood or safely push a stroller with your kids and grandkids.
We're keeping parks clean and restrooms maintained so you can spend the afternoon outside without giving it a second thought.
We're maintaining our sports fields, so kids have a safe place to learn teamwork, build friendships, stay active and healthy and simply be kids.
And we're repairing storm drains before winter storms arrive, helping reduce flooding and protecting homes and neighborhoods.
That's what good local government looks like.
We're balancing today's needs with tomorrow's responsibilities.
We're actively pursuing grants and outside funding whenever possible to stretch local dollars even further.
In just the past year, we've secured millions of dollars in outside funding for local improvements, allowing us to accomplish more without placing additional burden on our local dollars. This includes a $5 million dollar state grant requested by our State Assemblymember Dr. Darshana Patel which will go toward improvements at six of our San Marcos parks. They call us San “Parkos” for a reason!
Investing in opportunity
Of course, taking care of today's San Marcos also means preparing for the San Marcos of tomorrow because a great city serves every stage of life.
So much of what we're highlighting today didn't happen overnight.
Many of the opportunities we're seeing right now were imagined by community leaders decades ago.
They asked:
"What kind of city do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit?"
Because they thought that way, we have Cal State San Marcos, Palomar College and other higher education campuses. We also have San Marcos Unified School District, which is one of the Best School Districts in America for 2026!
Because they thought that way, we have one of the region’s strongest economic factors which are low unemployment, a highly educated workforce and continued job growth.
And because we continue thinking that way today, the next chapter of San Marcos is already taking shape. Let me share some highlights.
We are developing our first-ever comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan — a forward-looking roadmap for how we grow our economy intentionally, strategically, and in a way that reflects the community’s values.
We know the importance of supporting the backbone of our local economy — our small businesses, which account for 97% of our 4,200 businesses.
San Marcos is also a healthcare hub. Joining Kaiser Permanente, Scripps Health has chosen San Marcos for its next hospital and medical center. It’ll be at the corner of Twin Oaks Valley Road and Discovery Street.
This is going to be one of the most significant projects in our city’s history – a nearly $2 billion dollar investment. That’s right, billion with a “B,” here in San Marcos.
I am excited about what's coming for the San Marcos Creek District and updated Restaurant Row area. We are laying the groundwork for a new arts and entertainment district — a place where people gather after work, meet up on weekends, try new restaurants, and plan a fun night out. We are attracting the kind of redevelopment that makes this area a destination that is uniquely San Marcos, while helping our existing businesses prosper.
I can only imagine all the different people and families who use San Marcos’ 47 parks, 72 miles of trails, and soon, the two spectacular new parks that are on the way – Old California Row Park and the Sky View Park in North City West — perched on a hill with 360-degree views — is going to be absolutely spectacular.
What makes San Marcos special
As proud as I am of everything we've accomplished, I also know something important.
Government doesn't create a community.
People do.
It's our teachers.
Our first responders.
Our small business owners.
Our volunteers, what I like to call our special ingredient.
Our nonprofit organizations.
Our city employees
Our students.
Our families.
They're the reason San Marcos feels different.
The city's role is to create an environment where that sense of community can flourish.
Just by looking at all our amazing organizations that joined us today for our resource fair and all of you here, I am grateful for the partnership and community we’ve created together.
Closing
As we look ahead, I know one thing is clear.
Every decision we make starts with the same goal:
To leave San Marcos better than we found it.
When we invest in keeping San Marcos clean, safe and well maintained, we're building the foundation for everything that comes next.
So that years from now, our children and grandchildren will choose to build their own lives here.
Because that's one of the greatest compliments a community can receive. Choosing to call San Marcos home.
I've always believed that the best local government is the kind you don't have to think about. The everyday things that simply work because people planned ahead and quietly took care of them.
A city you can count on is built through thousands of thoughtful decisions that may never make headlines, but make an enormous difference in people's everyday lives.
That's the kind of city we're building together.
One that honors its humble beginnings as a farming community where neighbors knew one another and people rolled up their sleeves to help. One that invests wisely today.
And one that prepares confidently for its future.
Thank you for your trust.
Thank you for your partnership.
And thank you for helping make San Marcos a city we can all be proud to call home.
A city you can count on.
Thank you.