Today, Mayor Rebecca Jones addressed the San Marcos community at her State of the City Address, reflecting on the accomplishments made over the past year while laying out her hopes for future progress. Jones, an active member of the community, has stayed involved with many city and countywide organizations throughout her administration, working with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of San Diego, San Marcos Promise, the Lincoln Club of San Diego County, and the San Marcos Auction House. She’s extremely grateful to the citizens of San Marcos for giving her the ability to serve as an elected official for 13 years.
Jones emphasized her admiration for the San Marcos Spirit of Service, which encompasses the partnerships between city staff and businesses, the selflessness of firefighters and police officers, the helping hand of churches and nonprofits, and the connections the city makes with the next generation. She said that service extends to people from all walks of life, imploring the audience and the community to keep that same spark alive.
On the subject of the next generation, Jones thanked Cal State San Marcos for hosting the event and Palomar College for making the live stream available to those who couldn’t attend. She also extended her gratitude to the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce for organizing the event, as well as the event sponsors for their generous contributions.
She honored past elected officials, including former San Marcos Mayors Corky Smith and Lee Thibadeau, for making San Marcos into the vibrant community it is today. She hopes to build on their progress through the San Marcos General Plan. The initiative exists to continue improving the community seeks out visionaries, dreamers, community advocates, parents, teachers, athletes, and doctors to contribute to the future of the city.
That’s not to say that San Marcos isn’t already in an extremely good position—it certainly is. Recently, the city was named one of America’s best suburbs, having obtained the lowest crime rate in its history and the second-lowest rate in all of San Diego County with a 40% decrease in crime over the past five years and an 18% drop just last year alone. Economic development has led to an annual GDP of $8 billion, 45,000 jobs, and 4,000 businesses across San Marcos. Jones anticipates growing the San Marcos economy even further through transitioning vacant land into commercial development areas to enable new local businesses to thrive.
San Marcos will continue to support access to high-quality healthcare for all of its citizens. Kaiser Permanente is beginning work this year on opening a new hospital in 2023, with a variety of services and over 500 new jobs. Furthermore. Scripps Health also anticipates expanding in San Marcos this year to extend care to more San Diegans.
In terms of the environment, Jones anticipates updating the city’s climate action plan to continue to sustainability efforts to reduce emissions and waste, while still promoting economic growth. She also hopes to invest in infrastructure updates for the environment, such as the San Marcos Creek Project, to build new bridges in response to flooding issues and further protections to local wildlife.
Despite all of this incredible development, Mayor Rebecca Jones still wants San Marcos to stay true to its roots. The city has transformed from a “drive-through” to a “drive-to” under Jones’ leadership—and all indications suggest that the best is yet to come.
