The small town of Pacifica, California, is located on California’s coast, about 15 miles south of San Francisco. Though many would consider it to be a suburb because of its close proximity to a large city, the population of about 40,000 would classify it as a small town. Arguably, the mentality of the people in this city also classifies it as a small town. From the great, small businesses to the problems, such as drug and alcohol use among teenagers, the things that happen in Pacifica are common in other small towns. But, there are other problems that are, in fact, threatening the survival of this small city in the long-term. What are these problems, and how can we begin to solve them?

Everyone knows what really makes a small town are its small businesses, which are usually family-owned institutions that everyone in the town knows and loves. Pacifica has loads of small businesses; Florey’s Books on Palmetto Avenue has been around since 1977, and I’ve been buying books there since before I knew how to read. Sea Bowl off of Highway 1 has provided me with tons of fun bowling birthday parties. Sadly, however, many of these deeply loved businesses are at risk for being shut down and replaced with chain stores. In Pacifica, this trend is due to the multi-billion dollar Kimco Realty company, who owns a whopping60 percent of small business facilities in Pacifica. In addition, Kimco owns two of the largest shopping centers located in Pacifica, the Linda Mar Shopping center and the Fairmont Shopping center. In order to make room for larger chain stores that will give the company more money, Kimco has been raising the rent for stores in these shopping centers throughout the past few years, causing numerous long-time small businesses, such asSam’s Deli, to close down. Sam’s Deli had been in business in Pacifica for more than 15 years before it was shut down in 2007. Just recently, in December 2014, the Denny’s restaurant, which had been family-owned in Pacifica for more than 30 years, was closed down by Kimco Realty, most likely due to a lease issue. It is clear that Kimco has nearly destroyed every small business in Pacifica, and they will most surely continue to do so without any form of intervention.

Many people in the U.S. are aware of the spike in housing costs in the Bay Area throughout the past decade or so. Pacifica is no stranger to this. Considered one of the “more affordable” places to live in the Bay, the median listing price for a home is $844K. Compare this to the national average of $184K, and you understand where we’re coming from. Not only have the housing prices increased, but more homes are being built that are very expensive. On Roberts Road, a favorite viewpoint of the ocean for many locals, new homes are being built with an average cost of $5 million. Yes, you read that correctly. Though these homes are likely going to be more upscale than the average Pacifica home, the fact that they are here, increases the property value of all of our homes (basic economics). Residents, who rent their homes (unless they have serious rent control), will likely be seeing an influx in their housing costs. The entire Bay Area is experiencing this, but for Pacifica, the problem is growing larger. Not only should this problem be addressed for Pacifica, but for the entire Bay Area, as well.

While drug and alcohol abuse is usually a problem in any city, people living in small towns feel the effects from it at a much higher level than people living in bigger cities, due to the closer knit communities found in small towns. Pacifica is no stranger to drug and alcohol abuse; statistics from the California Department of Justice showthat between 2012 and 2014, Pacifica had 165 arrests for drug related charges. In 2014 alone, there were 23 arrests for “narcotics” and 29 arrests for “dangerous drugs." If these numbers don’t shock you already, just look at the alcohol related incidents:between 2005 and 2014, the average number of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol was 129. The highest number in those 10 years was in 2009 at 169 arrests, and in 2014, the number was 122. Althoughthe arrests for drug and alcohol-related incidents among minors are not nearly this high, our area high schools still make a significant effort to instill in the students the importance of staying safe in the presence of drugs and alcohol, in an effort to try to lower the overall numbers. Four years ago, Terra Nova High School participated in the program known as “Every 15 Minutes,” which creates a mock drunk driving accident to show students the real dangers of driving drunk and/or being in a car with a drunk driver. Elena and I both attended Terra Nova, and we were able to participate in the Peer Helping program for students and contribute to this effort to inform students about drug and alcohol dangers.

During our senior year (2014-2015 school year), there was a Xanax abuse outbreak among underclassmen, and it was our job, as peer helpers, to work with the students to teach them about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and allow them to feel safe talking to us about any questions or concerns they had about the issue. By being peer mentors, we allowed the underclassmen to freely express their concerns without the fear of an adult, but we were still reporting these incidents and helping these students to find a path to sobriety. The effects we had on the students were heartwarming, but despite these efforts, the drug and alcohol problem is still a very large issue in Pacifica. It’s going to take a lot of work in order to completely fix this problem.

In an attempt to improve the educational aspect of Pacifica, the elementary school district remodeled and restructured nearly every campus more than a decade ago. Though this has proven very successful for primary schools, the high school district is still in need of mass improvements in order to fulfill the needs of its students. The Jefferson Union High School District consists of four traditional high schools, two of which are in Pacifica. In our years at Terra Nova High School, we saw improvements made throughout the years, but we also saw many things that could have been different. The main issue that affects students in our entire district is teacher turnover. The teachers we learn the most from typically end up leaving our district for another one along the Peninsula due to the low salaries our district offers in comparison to the others in our area. Very few teachers stay, causing a staff turnover nearly every year. Why would someone stay in our district if they could double their salary with (likely) little to no change in their commute time? During our junior year, nearly one-third of the Terra Nova staff consisted of new employees. This lack of consistency affects students dramatically. Nearly every year, there were new academic counselors, making it difficult for students to develop a relationship with them for college recommendation letters and general help. It is honestly ridiculous that the salaries have this much variety in nearly the same area. It only puts students at a disadvantage. There has to be a better option for school district employee salary basis than property value in the area.

Despite these sizable issues, our little town of Pacifica isn’t a bad place to live. We’ve both grown up here and have made so many wonderful memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. There is no doubt in our minds, as well as many other Pacificans’ minds, that things need to be done to fix these issues in order to improve the city for future generations.