City of Oceanside

Pilot Community #1

The targeted Eastside Neighborhood in the City of Oceanside is located in Census Tract 186.03.  The boundary on the south of the neighborhood is Mission Avenue, and on the West is I-5.  This community was chosen for a variety of reasons.  First, the Eastside Neighborhood is a neighborhood with many characteristics putting it at high risk for numerous problems, related to public health, crime, gang violence and substance abuse.  Second, this neighborhood has an existing and active neighborhood association (Eastside Neighborhood Association) that has some successes under its belt relative to changing the conditions in their community.  They have established relationships with the City of Oceanside as well as with law enforcement and providers of social services.  The Eastside Neighborhood Association (ENA) has worked hard in an ongoing way to ensure that the Joe Balderrama Park, which is central to their neighborhood, is accessible and safe for child and adult access.

Approximately 12% of the general population in the cities of Vista and Oceanside live below the federal poverty level.  However, in the Eastside neighborhood of Oceanside where 84.4% of residents are Hispanic, 25.5% of residents earn incomes below the poverty thresholds ($22,050 for a family of four).  This neighborhood continually wrestles with issues related to public safety, including ongoing gang activity and violence as well as drug and alcohol concerns.  The neighborhood is now part of a gang injunction zone and has increased lighting as well as regular neighborhood clean-up activities in large part due to their efforts.  Access to supermarkets is limited and small convenience stores proliferate in the area.  The Joe Balderrama Park is a great asset to the neighborhood and has the potential to be a great outlet for physical activity; however safety concerns are always an issue.

We envision the Eastside community to be healthy, safe and welcoming!

1. Increasing physical activity opportunities and safety at Joe Balderrama Park
   • Current Status-The City Council has reviewed and accepted the RLA Oceanside plans to improve the Balderrama Park. Due to lack of funding, the City of Oceanside has placed the proposed plan on hold until funding is secured.
2. Improving walkability and pedestrian safety at Laurel Elementary School
   • Current Status- The resident leaders from Oceanside approached Linda Guerrero, principal at Laurel Elementary, to discuss plans for a raised crosswalk in front of the school to improve safety for children. The principal communicated support for the raised crosswalk and was hopeful that this may assist in improving safety for children walking to school. Hector Ramirez, PTO President and RLA graduate made a presentation at the PTO meeting to raise awareness and solicit support from other Eastside residents. Mr. Ramirez reported community support and interest in the proposed raised crosswalk.
3. Improving access to healthy foods at Valu+ shopping center, and redesign surrounding areas to support walking and social cohesion
   • Current Status- Mrs. Gonzalez approached the store manager at Valu Plus to inquire about the possibility of increasing the selection of organic foods and displaying healthier food options throughout the store. The store manager expressed interest and would share this with the upper management for approval.
4. Improving walkability and safety at the intersection of Canyon Drive and Carey Road
   • Current Status-The City of Oceanside proposed to include this goal in the community assessment and city plans to increase physical activity in the neighborhood. A traffic engineer did complete an assessment of Canyon and Carey Road, and cited this area for improvement in her report to the city.

• Susana Montoya
• Luis Celerino
• Daniel Juan Salgado
• Monica Hernandez
• Daniel Correa
• Azucena Alvarez
• Marguerite Hernandez
• Yesenia Gomez
• Rocio Diaz
• Hector Ramirez-Aragon
• Mireya-Lizbeth Cervantes
• Rosa J. Gonzalez
• Margarita Gonzalez
• Lourdes Garcia

Current Status of Graduates:

The Resident Leadership Academy in Eastside Oceanside has convened coordination meetings post the RLA academy (June 2011) training for 7 months.  The initial steps they took were to establish a working partnership with the Eastside Neighborhood Association. They plan to continue meeting to achieve CIP goals.