Shannon O'Dunn: Fresh Vision for La Mesa City Council

How do you feel about Prop L, the Sales Tax ballot measure for La Mesa? Take our survey and let us know!

Historic Train Depot on Spring Street and La Mesa Boulevard

I am opening a dialogue with the people of La Mesa about the issues and opportunities currently facing our city. Your perspectives are important as we work toward a common vision. Look here for changing questions, and survey summaries, as we approach the November 4 election.

Politics is not a canned process, but a living one, with a vital role for informed citizens. Join me in shaping consensus for La Mesa's future by being a survey respondent throughout 2008!

Selected comments and a summary of each survey will be shown here. If you are willing to have your name used with a comment, please say so in your survey response.

Local Taxes and Vital City Services

Our second survey question addressed the issue of sales tax revenue for the City of La Mesa. Some survey respondents did not realize that sales tax revenue is the single largest income source for the city, and 50% of respondents said they would make it a point to shop in La Mesa if at all feasible.

The survey identified services and products that residents leave La Mesa to purchase and asked which vendors would be beneficial to have in La Mesa. The most common response was the need for a La Mesa Home Depot. Respondents also desire more unique and high end restaurants and shops in the downtown village, to make it more of a destination enclave.

One respondent said, “We always try to spend money in La Mesa first. We especially try to use small store owners when we can. This comment was typical of the respondents’ general intent to patronize La Mesa businesses whenever possible, with 100% of respondents shopping at Grossmont Center within the past 12 months.

When asked where they spend most of their budget for consumer items or services, some interesting trends emerged. Notably, respondents spend most of their budget for personal care and home care within the city limits, but travel outside La Mesa most often for fine dining and gardening and lawn care products.