Overgrown plants on properties owned by City of SD raises alarm

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Harrold Roberts is exasperated whenever he walks past Southcrest Trails Park.

“Sitting on the bench, I can’t even see anything,” Roberts said. “It’s supposed to be a park, somewhere to bring your kids, kick back. But this is a hazard.”

Tall plants already caused plenty of issues for his neighborhood, including flooding on Jan. 22 that destroyed Roberts' home and others on Beta Street. The City of San Diego cleared the area soon after, but plants reclaimed the space.

“A disaster is waiting to happen, just a matter of time," Roberts said. "In a minute, all this will be dried up, and someone will come down here smoking a cigarette and swoosh.”

In South Park, Jannee Campero feels the same about a city-owned lot on her street.

“We’re not able to use our sidewalk, which is unfortunate when I take my kids for a walk, but the ultimate issue is it’s a fire hazard,” Campero said.

Since 2020, Campero and her neighbors have submitted seven complaints through San Diego’s 'Get it Done' service. All cases are labeled closed, but Campero says nothing seems to have changed.

"This is their obligation, their property, and they should be taking care of it,” Campero said.

ABC 10News contacted the City to see if they would clear either of these spaces. A representative told us they are looking into it and need to gather information before providing their response.