Opinion: Are we really satisfied with life in San Diego?

Downtown San Diego looking west File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is spreading the word about a national survey that shows of San Diego residents are very satisfied or satisfied with their city According to Gensler Research San Diego ranks second in satisfaction with their city as a place to live trailing only San Antonio with a count But Axios which published the results cautioned that satisfaction is a broad term defined as a general vibe check on how people are feeling about job opportunities housing costs safety and other key urban issues And the survey s methodology reveals a very substantial even disqualifying limitation The poll was conducted more than a year ago from July to Nov Since then there s been a flurry of activity at City Hall and majority of of it is having a negative impact on our personal finances New fees and costs include Paid parking in Balboa Park the Zoo and the streets around the park A doubling of parking meter rates everywhere to an hour and up to an hour in the Gaslamp and other parts of downtown during special events Thousands of daylighting citations issued to unsuspecting motorists who ve parked within feet of a curb Worse multiple of those curbs are not painted red and there s no signage warning against parking The imposition of a monthly trash collection fee double the city s official estimate A increase in the cost of water over the next two years and an additional increase in sewer fees over the coming four years There are other very credible barometers of the negative impact these new fees and costs are having on our satisfaction with local regime An Axios story about a workable ballot measure to increase the sales tax includes a fresh survey of San Diego city voters by FM Research uncovered that of voters feel the city is on the wrong track compared to who think we re headed in the right direction and who don t know And a nationwide examination by the Milken Institute delivered similarly sobering results Among cities with more than residents San Diego ranks st in best performance This analysis compares job and wage upsurge housing affordability high-tech concentration and other economic benchmarks San Diego s ranking in this Milken Institute investigation is places lower than last year when we ranked th The top cities this year are Raleigh NC and Ogden and Salt Lake City UT Lastly a local activist shared with me the results of a latest poll by a reputable survey firm percent of local voters disapprove of the trash fee and more than reject the imposition of paid parking in and around Balboa Park Setting the polls aside and listening to the vox populi there s overwhelming anecdotal evidence that San Diegans forcefully reject the mayor s embrace of a year-old general vibe check that portrays of us as very satisfied or even just satisfied Reviewing the most of relevant of the comments on the Mayor s Facebook post not a single one gives the Mayor a shred of credit for any satisfaction they might have with our city And those who reject the survey results posted specific scorching responses Satisfied with what requested Ken McDonnell A new charge on property tax bills Yeah that should help with affordability Increasing parking fees should too Heather Crichton narrated the Mayor Don t take credit for the sunshine and ocean vibes Todd We aren t satisfied with local establishment roads taxes nor the cost of living And Carlos Ayala echoed a prevailing sentiment We re satisfied with San Diego because of where it is on the map not because of the clowns in charge Paul Krueger is a retired journalist and founding member of Neighbors for a Better San Diego