SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Several months after the devastating Jan. 22 floods, a resident in San Diego’s Southcrest neighborhood said he still has a long way to go to fix his home.
Greg Montoya’s house on Beta Street has been in disarray since the disaster.
“It’s very frustrating, especially when your politicians and other people sit there and say, ‘America’s Finest City,’” Montoya told ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija. “Yeah, ‘America’s Finest City’ for some, not for all."
ABC 10News first spoke to Montoya in 2019 when he sued the City of San Diego over flooding at his home then.
“There’s no drainage,” he told ABC 10News crews in 2019.
He’s repeated numerous concerns over the years and what he calls lack of action from city officials. Right after the historic January floods, Montoya reiterated to city officials, “They need to address the problem with the storm drain.”
He said he knows city leaders are tired of hearing from him but added he will continue to advocate for his community.
Montoya recently took ABC 10News cameras around his home that is still a work in progress. While he does have a bed to sleep in, there is still a lot of construction work to finish.
“I got the kitchen to do, the bathroom to finish, some windows to do [and] some doors to hang,” Montoya said.
It has been a lot of paperwork, phone calls and money over the past several months.
“The insurance would only cover one structure, so they said take your pick. ‘Which one you want?’” Montoya said.
He chose his newer garage to repair. He said his insurance company gave him about $84,000 because he had flood insurance. Montoya received about $4,400 from FEMA and several thousand dollars through his church, other donations and the Housing Commission.
However, that money was not enough to cover all the damage.
Montoya said he wants the city to fix the issues he has been dealing with for years, including problems behind his home.
“We still got dirt alleys with no drainage,” Montoya said. “The slope of the terrain, the water is going to go directly to the properties.”
Montoya is suing the city again. His attorney said Montoya’s claim has been denied and the lawsuit -- which involves hundreds of plaintiffs -- is moving forward.
“We have our first court date in November, and then we're going to have a first argument about this case set in January of 2025,” attorney Evan Walker said.
When asked about the time frame of the case, Walker said it is “typical, especially given the size and scope of a lawsuit like this.”
The San Diego City Attorney’s Office said they are going to let the court process play out.
City Councilmember Vivian Moreno, who represents the Southcrest neighborhood,” told ABC 10News:
“My office has worked closely with the city’s Engineering and Capital Projects Department to create and move forward the Beta Street Storm Drain Improvement project. The project is being designed utilizing $4.5 million dollars. Once design is complete on this project, work will begin to build the improvements, including upgrades to the dirt alley behind Beta Street.”
A time frame on the improvements was not given.
“We’re neglected,” Montoya said. “I wish more news people would do more stories on how underserved this community is.”
