2019 State of the City Address
Escondido Mayor Paul McNamara will hold the 2019 State of the City address in partnership with the Escondido Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, February 27, at 8:00 a.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Mayor McNamara will be sharing the City's accomplishments from the past year and his vision for the future of Escondido, and the City Council will be presenting the 2019 Escondido City Council Awards. The program will be led by Irv Erdos from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The event is free to attend or $20 with breakfast that begins at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast tickets and sponsorships can be purchased through the Escondido Chamber of Commerce: http://escondidochamber.org/escondido-state-of-the-city/

The meeting will be videotaped and rebroadcast the following Sunday and Monday evening at 6:00 p.m. on Cox. Ch. 19 and AT&T U-Verse Ch. 99.

Economic Development Newsletter Gets a New Look
The City’s Economic Development department’s newsletter has been revamped. Subscribe to get updates on local businesses and city news and events. You can opt-in by clicking the image below.

Budget Process Workshops Begin Next Month
The City is hosting two upcoming community workshops regarding the budget process. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the City's budgeting process, ask questions, and provide your feedback. Spanish interpretation will be available. More information can be found here: https://www.escondido.org/201920-budget-information-.aspx

• March 6 at 6 p.m. the East Valley Community Center, Vineyard Room
• June 3 at 6 p.m. at the Escondido City Library, Turrentine Room 

 2019 Crusin’ Grand Fundraiser
This year marks the 20^th season of Crusin’ Grand in Escondido, and this Sunday, February 23 is the annual Grand Champion Fundraiser. This event helps to raise funds for the upcoming season, while showing off classic cars around Downtown Escondido. The event runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information click here.  

Library Wins “Most Loved Award”
The Escondido Public Library won Hulafrog’s “Most Loved Library for 2019.” Local parents voted from the Valley Center, Escondido, and San Marcos areas for their family-friendly favorites. https://hulafrog.com/escondido-ca

Washington Park Renovations
Washington Park is getting a major facelift thanks to Housing Related Parks grant funds. Progress continues on renovating the recreation and pool facilities, and sports amenities including new ball field fencing and lights as well as resurfacing of the tennis and basketball courts.

February is Museum Month!
Escondido Public Library is proud to partner with the San Diego Museum Council this February for San Diego Museum Month by offering half price admission passes to 40+ San Diego Museums.

Passes are available for free at the Library and are good for up to four ½ price admissions at more than 40 area museums and attractions including the California Center for the Arts, Escondido and the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. 

This program dovetails with the Library’s existing partnership with SDCDM whereby Escondido Public Library cardholders can check out free passes for up to a week of visits. 

Meet the Mayor Next Week 

Paul "Mac" McNamara will host a series of monthly community meetings held throughout the city that are open to the public.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 20 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Cute Cakes Bakery, located at 345 W. Grand Avenue.  No RSVP is required.
For more information and future dates visit:
https://www.escondido.org/meetthemayor.aspx 

New Native Garden Donated to PACC!
Thank you to Public Works staff and the volunteers from the Lake Hodges Native Plant Club for designing, purchasing, and installing a beautiful, drought-tolerant, native garden at the Park Avenue Community Center. We look forward to partnering again on future projects

City to Host “Meet the Buyers” Event
On February 14 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the City will host a “Meet the Buyers” event at City Hall. “Meet the Buyers” connects small businesses with procurement contracts by providing informational panels, networking, tips and information on how to become a successful supplier for local, state and federal agencies. Since they began in 2010, these events have helped small businesses obtain over $193 million in contracts. The event is free. Registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.escondido.org/business.aspx or contact Michelle Geller, Economic Development Manager, at (760) 839-4587 mgeller@escondido.org. 

Love Your Heart
Love Your Heart is an annual event in which organizations from across the U.S. and Mexico join together to provide FREE blood pressure screenings to the public on Valentine's Day, February 14. Last year's Love Your Heart event helped over 36,000 people get to know their blood pressure numbers and take charge of their own heart health. Both the Escondido Public Library and the Park Avenue Community Center will be participating working in conjunction with the Escondido Fire Department. Learn more here. 

Innovate78 wins Gamechanger Award
The collaborative partnership between the five cities along the 78 freeway (Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside) has won an Award of Merit from the CA Association for Local Economic Development. Innovate78 received the Gamechanger award for their efforts to grow the startup ecosystem in North County San Diego through their Startup78 program. More information about the program, and Innovate78 can be found here. 

Mayor Hosts First Community Roundtable Meeting
On Thursday, January 24 the Mayor hosted his first community roundtable, with robust conversation regarding issues facing our community and how we can tell our story.   The diverse group included representatives from non-profit organizations, the business sector, the arts, youth sports, schools, faith groups, and neighborhoods.   Key points from the discussion will be folded into the City Council’s action plan for Escondido along with citizen comments (see article below.)

City Council Wants Your Feedback!
The City Council Action Plan represents the City Council's collective vision for Escondido's future and the key activities that will be used to achieve that vision. It is developed biennially following a workshop where key policy interests are identified and discussed by the City Council and City Staff. This is your opportunity to help the Escondido City Council shape the vision and set priorities for the 2019-2020 Council Action Plan. Use this link to provide your thoughts.

Curious About Opportunity Zones in Escondido?
Opportunity Zones are a new tool providing tax incentives for reinvestment of capital gains. Opportunity Zones allow investors, fund managers and communities to use privately-sourced funds for eligible economic development and community re-investment projects. Learn more about Escondido’s Opportunity Zones here: https://www.escondido.org/oppzones.aspx