There’s a brand new community coalition in San Diego that is already making waves. It’s called the San Diego Community Coalition and it made its public debut May 1 at the San Diego Planning Commission when its members discussed proposed changes to the controversial “Bonus ADU” ordinance.
The coalition is a citywide network of neighborhood activists focused on two interconnected issues:
Overbuilding in residential neighborhoods — from mid-rise towers to giant multi-unit ADU complexes — which erodes our urban infrastructure and produces minimal affordable housing.
City Hall’s disrespect for constituents, its refusal to engage the public in open dialogue, and its suppression of community planning groups.
So far, the coalition includes activist leaders from at least 15 communities — from Bay Ho, City Heights, Clairemont, College Area, Encanto, Golden Hill, Linda Vista, Middletown, Mission Hills, North Park, to Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Talmadge and University City.
Guess which community is missing. Ocean Beach.
Even though members of the OB Rag have been instrumental in its formation and individuals from OB have expressed interest in the group, no organization or activist from Ocean Beach is really involved — yet.
OB knows well the threats from overbuilding and has certainly experienced city hall’s disrespect. From an earlier rash of ADUs, a history of being ravaged by short-term vacation rentals, the planned ADU buildings on Point Loma Avenue and the building on Pescadero, heaven knows that the abuses of Mayor Gloria’s housing policies are and have been harming the community.
Not to mention that one of OB’s leaders, OB Planning Board chair Andrea Schelgeter has been involved in the issue of ADUs from her seat as head of the Community Planners Committee. Not to mention that it was a mass movement in OB in the 1970s that created the very first community planning group in San Diego’s history — still Ocean Beach has not joined this new campaign … and coalition.
This needs to end. And there’s a great reason to end this non-involvement this weekend.
The coalition is holding its general monthly meeting on Saturday, May 10, right here in Point Loma.
If you or your group is interested, contact the Rag and we’ll give you details. Email us at obragblog@gmail.com
More on the Coalition
The network will empower these leaders to mobilize residents and business owners in their individual communities, turn out large numbers at public meetings, and flood city offices with constituent messages.
The group’s plans include large public rallies at the sites of mega-projects that exemplify how politicians, developers, and corporate investors are colluding to plunder San Diego neighborhoods.
The coalition will have a special focus on two critical issues:
Family Housing: The most pressing housing problem in San Diego by far is the appalling lack of homes for families, especially working families with limited resources. Almost all the rental units produced by the Complete Communities program are unaffordable studios and small one-bedroom apartments.
Fire Safety: The construction of multi-unit complexes with very few or very small setbacks in high-fire zones puts San Diegans at risk for wildfire disasters when residents in saturated housing areas cannot evacuate safely.
Has the group reached out to OB leaders? How would one know about it or be able to join? Is there a process, pledge, or something to join this group?
The Rag has run maybe half a dozen articles about the coalition (Times of San Diego ran at least one). General agreement with our two main issues. Let me know if you’re down with it.
We’ve been contacted by probably a dozen people who’ve seen the posts and wanted more info, etc.
Thank you a million for helping to build and foster the coalition, Frank. We need to stand in unity against City Hall’s efforts to destroy our neighborhoods. Their lack of citizen engagement is so appalling, disrespectful and undemocratic.
Despite the outreach the OBPB does utilizing multiple social media accounts, emails, putting door tags on homes next to proposed projects, and changing our meeting day away from farmers market night, citizen involvement in OB has been terrible. There are occasional upticks when super hot topics pop up but that’s rare. Now, we don’t even get to see development projects and the community doesn’t get much input in anything anymore so we can’t even get people excited to come out to the meetings unless they are mad about some wildly impactful plans the city has for something. I also have the vibe that the majority of people who use to care, have moved, sold their homes, passed away, or reached a level of hopelessness so they don’t bother anymore. All that paired with the fact that OB is so renter heavy, so many STVRs, and there is very few long-termers in this town (for many other reasons) attendance and interest has essentially dwindled the community participation in OB community meetings across the board.
I’m not sure it’s disrespectful or undemocratic as you say, but it is certainly sad and disheartening-especially to those who put in the volunteer hours to keep on carrying on.
Sounds like Andrea will be participating. She just couldn’t make the last meeting.
It would be good if there was more than 1 person from OB.
There were 45 people at the Community Coalition Saturday and half a dozen were from OB!