Across the United States, most travelers choose cities such as Baltimore's Harborplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace (20 Million annual visitors), Disneyworld, the San Antonio River Walk, (5.1 million annual visitors), San Antonio SeaWorld, Pike Place Market in Seattle, the San Francisco Cable Car Tour, San Diego's SeaWorld (4.26 million annual visitors), SeaWorld Florida (Orlando, 5.8 million annual visitors) and the San Diego historic Mission.
 
It comes as no surprise, downtown Phoenix is not on the list. As a comparison, the downtown ASU Campus at a cost of $320 million plus $40 million for the park across the street now brings in 500 students per day.
 
The direction Phoenix is now pursuing with Downtown Phoenix development will never enable Phoenix to enter into the realm of world class destinations.

The "New Phoenix" is a diamond in the rough that will become a polished diamond ― La Playa del Sol. A giant lagoon of treated water resulting in a blue lagoon duplicating Tempe Town Lake is the primary concept. Ringing the periphery of the lagoon, high density centers each with its own theme, will be developed that collectively will become a magnet for attracting visitors from around the world including all parts of the Phoenix metro area.

La Playa del Sol is a development concept to use the Rio Salado extending from 19th Street to 19th Avenue (District 8 of the City of Phoenix) to develop a lagoon north and adjacent of the Rio Salado to form beaches as found along the Mexican Riviera to build hotel resorts, golf courses, a casino, entertainment centers, SeaWorld Phoenix, specialty retail shops and boutiques, mercado, Old Phoenix and Historic Mission, open market plaza, culture and arts center, non profit service centers, commercial offices, single family houses, condominiums, and affordable housing as part of master planned communities.

The architectural design theme will be Mexican similar to San Antonio’s River Walk. La Playa del Sol Mexican Village would duplicate the atmosphere, theme, lifestyle and tourist ambiance found in Mexico. Water features will be found through out. Many Americans have retired to Mexico's small villages and towns but because of the escalating drug war in Mexico and with the high cost of fuel, airplane traffic to Mexico is drastically curtained. This is an opportunity for Phoenix to replace traffic to Mexican resorts by promoting Mexican resort type developments on the banks of La Playa del Sol. The Phoenix La Playa del Sol would be secure, inviting and a much closer destination for visiting tourists from all parts of the United States.

And most importantly, an entertainment venue to include casino gambling, SeaWorld Phoenix, and the ambiance of a Mexican village.

Old Phoenix would be the focal point of La Playa del Sol. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Mexican businesses were the keystone on Washington Street from 3rd street to 7th Street. The horse drawn trolley went back and forth to the Salt River. Old Phoenix will be a re-creation of the Mexican businesses and the Hispanic Cultural Center, mercado, and plaza will be the primary focal points of this Mexican theme development.

A  major attraction would be a signature spectacular show each evening when the Phoenix ignites both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a young "New Phoenix" arises being re-born erupting from La Playa del Sol.

The type of cluster development at each lake will include activities that attract visitors and the major development center along Avenida del las Americas (Central Avenue) north of the freeway will be an entertainment mecca on the scale of a Las Vegas casino.

La Playa del Sol Task Force Task Force to prepare a comprehensive economic development strategy to grow economic wealth and vitality with La Playa del Sol program.

City of Phoenix Candidates for City Council, September 1, 2009

Robert D. Johnson, District 4: Bob Johnson’s decision to run for City Council is a culmination of years of commitment and dedication to Arizona and service to our community. As a third generation Irish-American and the first in his family to graduate from college (ASU 92) he understands working Arizonans, because that is what he is. Mr. Johnson has always taken the lead to organize neighbors to be active and involved. When his neighborhood needed leadership and direction, Mr. Johnson stepped to the forefront to organize and with his neighbors to eliminate graffiti, prostitution and drug trafficking. Mr. Johnson has worked in energy efficiency for more than fifteen years. Helping business use less energy to accomplish the same tasks saves money, lowers the amount of pollutants released creating energy and will create green collar jobs that pay living wages. Bob’s experience with working with and for local utilities across the US on Energy Management Programs will ensure a strong energy management/efficiency focus on the City Council.

Bob Johnson was the 2^nd Vice Chair of the Democratic Party in Legislative District 15. He has coordinated numerous Democratic State Senate campaigns, worked as staff for Democratic campaigns in KS and AZ and ran the Don Harris campaign for Maricopa County Attorney (2004) through the successful Primary Election.

Bob Johnson has been a dedicated advocate for the rights and needs of working families through services to labor unions. Mr. Johnson has been an OIT, Organizer in Training, for AFSCME International, an Organizer for the Communication Workers of America, Local 7026 and a graduate of the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute.

Bob Johnson has worked in Energy Management/Efficiency for commercial and industrial clients for the last 15 years. Bob Johnson is holder of the Green Advantage Environmental Certification-Commercial and has been involved in projects that have removed thousand of tons of pollutants from our environment through energy efficiency projects. This knowledge of the LEED certification process, sustainability issues’ and energy management/efficiency programs will ensure that Phoenix receives its fair share of the Federal Stimulus Monies.

A history of commitment to public service makes Bob Johnson the ideal candidate to represent the people of City Council, District 4. Mr. Johnson was an Arizona Ranger from 2002 to 2005. He will fight for working families; with practical solutions to protect our neighborhood from crime is what Phoenix City Council District 4 needs.

Robert D. Johnson, Centrist Democrat, for Phoenix City Council District 4

Nathan Oshop, District 6: A successful management background, and a passion for humanity, is what Nathan Oshop aspires to bring to the People of Phoenix. Born in Pittsburgh PA January 2, 1979, Nathan spent most of his life living just outside Nashville, TN. There he found early success in his first corporate management position with a national oil change service. At the age of twenty Nathan was running a multi-million dollar a year business that set new standards in company efficiency, customer service, and volume. The Tennessee housing boom of the early part of this century provided Nathan the chance to hone his existing skills as well as adopt new ones. He again quickly advanced from an entry-level laborer to superintendent of a locally owned construction company. As the post 9/11 housing boom began to slow, Nathan recognized the need to adapt his existing skills to a more secure industry and started spending his increasing amount of spare time washing dishes at a locally owned restaurant. Six months later, he was the assistant manager, and general manger with in a year of that. The local values of Small business combined with an already strong skill set proved to be a profitable combination. It also allowed Nathan the chance to network with the managers and owners of the other local businesses. The open exchange of ideas, concerns, and techniques with his colleagues proved to be an experience that made him more effective as well as rekindled a life time fire for politics.

Eager for fresh experience Nathan and his Long time Girlfriend moved to Phoenix in 2008. She quickly found work following her passion as a therapist, working with those with Autism and the related disorders. Nathan struggled for months in the shrinking job market and was eventually fortunate enough to find an entry-level position with a multi-national retailer. The ability to contribute to his household again, allowed Nathan to again focus on his passion, and on May 1st, 2009, Nathan R. Oshop file his notice of candidacy to be the Council representative for District 6, of the City of Phoenix. When asked about his candidacy Nathan has this to say:

“The time has never been more right then now for change. I simply want to be heard, and I want the people of Phoenix to be heard”- Nathan Oshop. (http://site.beheardphoenix.org/Home.html)

Jon Garrido, District 8: 5th generation Arizonan; U.S. Army, Vietnam era, 34th General Hospital, 760th Medical Detachment; Magma Copper Company, Superior, Arizona, Copper Miner, Member of AFL-CIO; City of Tucson and Member of AFSCME, City Planner I, II & III, Economic Development Coordinator, Federal Public Works Coordinator, prepared application and obtained U.S. Department of Commerce approval establishing Tucson Foreign Trade Zone; City of El Paso Executive Director of Economic Development, Staff Director of El Paso Industrial Development Authority, prepared application and obtained U.S. Department of Commerce approval establishing El Paso Foreign Trade Zone; Owner and CEO of JG Manufacturing Company, Cuidad Juarez, Mexico; Director of Community Development, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community; Vice President for Planning and Development, Valgroup (formerly largest real estate development company in Arizona); Owner & CEO of The Jon Garrido News Network (www.JonGarrido.com); Founder and President of the Blue Dogs of the Democratic Party (www.BlueDogs.US), and Member, Arizona Coalition for a State & National Health Plan.

Resume and family history at The Jon Garrido Story (http://PhxAZ.org/Jon_Garrido.htm).

Jon Garrido believes commerce is what takes cities to a higher level when the creation of jobs is done in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship conceptualized from a vision of using proven policies to attract not only commerce but also visitors to a city to achieve world class destination status.

This is what Phoenix lacks!

In the eight years of the present City of Phoenix leadership, the only strategy is to develop Downtown Phoenix but the strategy is a dismal failure and without visitors (consumers), Downtown retail will never succeed.

Nobody in the entire world wanting a tourist experience will ever visit Downtown Phoenix to visit the Downtown ASU campus or the U of A medical school to see medical students scrub up for surgery. No one!