The South County community of Lincoln Acres will now have a community sponsor group, following a unanimous vote Wednesday by the Board of Supervisors.
Community sponsor groups are local advisory bodies that allow residents to have their say on government-related issues such as zoning changes, land use and facilities like parks. There were 28 in San Diego County before Wednesday’s vote.
According to county staff, sponsor group members are appointed to serve a four-year term, receive training, must live in the community and be registered voters.
Lincoln Acres is surrounded by National City and home to 2,000 residents. It was established in the 1920s and “is one of San Diego’s most historic unincorporated communities,” said Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, whose district includes Lincoln Acres. Her office will recommend group appointments.
Aguirre said Lincoln Acres was once of the few areas where working-class families, many of them Mexican-Americans, could buy land and build homes.
“It’s defined by narrow streets, charming homes, urban farms and deep multi-generational roots,” she said, adding that for nearly a century, residents have fought to protect its semi-rural charm and independent identity.
Improving public safety and infrastructure, along with accessing county services, “is central to our shared vision for the future of Lincoln Acres,” Aguirre added. “This community has a voice that needs to be heard.”
Ed Fletcher told the board that Lincoln Acres, where he grew up, is “a wonderful community, it’s where the gardens grow, the roosters crow and happiness flows.”
Fletcher said that while he now lives in Bonita, he owns properties in Lincoln Acres. He said Bonita’s community group means it hasn’t been swallowed up by Chula Vista.
Fletcher said the board has an opportunity to let Lincoln Acres endure “without this crazy density.”
Another resident said she was first introduced Lincoln Acres in November 1992, the year she was born, to the property her great-grandmother owned and family still resides at.
The woman said she remembered playing with her brother in the park behind the library, riding her pony around the block, and the post office that sadly no longer exists.
“I cherish the land that those memories were collected on,” she said.
A third Lincoln Acres resident said she supported forming a sponsor group because “democracy, transparency and representation is the core of what we stand for.”
“We’re asking just for a voice, just to participate in the process,” she said. “We all want to work towards a positive solution for where we live,” and “be an active partner and not be gobbled up by a city that neighbors us and offers us no representation at all.”
Supervisors praised Lincoln Acres residents for their tenacity. Supervisor Joel Anderson said when he was first elected to board, he was surprised that Lincoln Acres didn’t have a community group, as its residents showed up to every county Local Agency Formation Commission meeting more than anyone else.
“I heard you, loud and clear,” he said. “I’ve never seen a community show up in force like yours.”
Anderson added that he wants to visit the community and meet Lincoln Acres’ residents.
“You all definitely make me want to come and visit,” Chair Terra Lawson-Remer told those who spoke in favor of a sponsor group during public comment.
