What I Am Hearing From Del Mar Residents - Streets

10/9/2026

One of my pledges is to be a City Councilmember who listens to residents throughout Del Mar and then does what is right for the entire community.

Over the past month, I have listened a lot. Residents are generally positive about our community but also voice concerns. In the next few weeks, I will share the concerns I have heard, my thoughts, as well as specifically what I would do if I have the privilege and responsibility of being a City Councilmember.

I previously shared residents’ concerns about new residential projects. Today, I am sharing a second concern of residents - streets.

I Repeatedly Hear Concerns About the Condition of Our Streets.

One of the biggest complaints I hear is the condition of Del Mar’s streets – not only the potholes and heaving/cracking caused by tree roots but also uneven streets due to the patchwork of new pavement installed when undergrounding is completed (Tewa, Stratford Court and Crest). Residents have reported falling or nearly falling as a result of our street surfaces. In addition, drivers experience rough rides and the need to avoid bumps and potholes.

Del Mar has a Pavement Management Program (PMP) to evaluate and maintain the 30 miles of streets and paved alleys maintained by the city. The PMP is based on a universally recognized Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 0-100 established by ASTM (an international standards body). The PCI provides a snapshot of the pavement health of a street. The standardized PCI index and a quality classification are as follows:

PCI Index Range: Class
• 86-100: Good
• 71-85: Satisfactory
• 56-70: Fair
• 41- 55: Poor
• 26-40: Very Poor
• 11-25: Serious
• 0-10: Failed

In 2024, the City’s PMP report concluded that Del Mar's PCI was 76. While the city says this score is “good”, in reality it is only “satisfactory” according to the ASTM. The City Council unanimously supported increasing pavement funding to a minimum of $750,000 annually which is projected to raise the citywide PCI to 80.5. Again, the city says this is “good”, in reality it is only “satisfactory” according to the ASTM.

What I Will Do as a City Councilmember

Safe high-quality streets is one of the fundamental responsibilities of our city. I believe a goal of “satisfactory” streets is not enough for our community – we can do better. We should have streets free of bumps, cracks and uneven surfaces throughout Del Mar not only for pedestrian safety and drivability, but also to complement the quality of our homes and the village center.

I would do 2 things to address this issue:

First, I would increase our budget to accelerate street repaving such that all streets throughout Del Mar are of a quality consistent with our beautiful community.

Second, as part of undergrounding I would make certain that the entire street where undergrounding has occurred is repaved. It only makes sense that if we spend hundreds of thousands to underground a given area, there should be clean, well-paved streets that are not only safe and easily drivable, but also complement the enhanced views created by undergrounding.

Del Mar residents deserve streets that are safe and
compliment the beautiful place we call home.

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Contact

Reach out, I’m here to listen & chat.

Phone & Email

jeff@jgsturgis.com

+1-619-857-6857

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