A growing coalition of civic groups is lobbying San Diego to accelerate efforts to rebuild Lake Hodges Dam and to raise the dam’s existing water level — but city officials are limited by state regulations and cost concerns. The lobbying effort comes as city officials finalize two complex studies: one analyzing whether a new dam should be built, another analyzing how to handle the existing 108-year-old dam until there’s a long-term answer. The civic groups say a new dam is crucial to keeping downstream communities like Rancho Santa Fe safe from flooding, securing a reliable local water supply, supporting existing wildlife and limiting risks to homes in the wildfire-prone area. The groups, which include the Rancho Bernardo Community Council and the Friends of Lake Hodges, also want the water level raised from 280 feet to 295 feet during the roughly 10 years it will take to build a new dam.