SAN CLEMENTE : Cities to Share Data on Fighting Blight

Local citizens and city officials from San Clemente and Monrovia will share ways to combat neighborhood blight during a public forum scheduled for Thursday.

Representing Monrovia will be Police Chief Joe Santoro and Don Hopper, director of that city’s Community Development Department. Both championed a successful effort to check urban blight, called the Neighborhood Improvement Program.

Monrovia’s plan is similar to the Neighborhood Pride Program recently adopted by the San Clemente City Council.

“Theirs is an established program and ours is just starting up,” said Leslie Davis, Neighborhood Pride Program coordinator. “They will talk about where such a program can go and about their successes with it.”

San Clemente adopted the first phase of its Neighborhood Pride Program in 1990. It includes stricter enforcement of street parking and housing codes, as well as a trash cleanup day. Officials say the program has improved a five-block area of West Escalones, West Canada and part of Avenida del Poniente.

The second phase, which was approved last December, expanded the program to 52 more streets containing 1,241 properties and 3,722 apartment units.

Davis said that city officials expect to learn a lot about the program’s potential since Monrovia is similar to San Clemente in size.

Mayor Joseph Anderson and several members of the City Council are to attend the meeting. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Ole Hansen Room of San Clemente Community Center, 100 Calle Seville. For information, call Davis at (714) 498-2533, Ext. 3316.