Neighborhood Government

I dream of little neighborhood parks and nicely landscaped walking paths. More places to play with my child; throwing a football, frisbee, or shooting hoops. I’d love to see more trails winding through San Diego’s wild canyons, with random benches and quiet spots to relax. And maybe most importantly, I wish it were easier to be involved with my neighborhood and city.

There are many small, localized improvements that could enhance daily life, but they are often too specific to justify funding through the broader city budget. This highlights a potential gap in the current system—perhaps what’s missing is a level of government focused specifically on neighborhood-scale improvements: a kind of neighborhood government.

In some ways, it could work like a homeowners’ association. Residents could choose to tax themselves to fund things like new parks, landscaping, or community enhancements. But it could also go further than an HOA, giving people a way to shape policy and engage with city government from the ground up.

I do technically have a city representative. But their district is huge, and it’s hard to feel personally connected at that scale. If neighborhoods functioned as their own small governance regions, it would be easier to push for local improvements. At the same time, it would make it easier to advocate for larger changes at the city level, since I’d be more engaged and better represented.

And yes, I’m proposing more government, and more taxes. Certainly this isn’t for everyone, and honestly even in my liberal neighborhood, I would imagine it would be a tough sell. But there may be small, incremental ways to move in this direction. And since the changes would happen at a more local level, the return on those taxes (investments) could be more immediate, visible, and meaningful.

Creating a neighborhood-level government could bridge the gap between residents and city leadership—empowering communities to make meaningful local improvements while strengthening civic engagement across the city as a whole.