A local resident of the beach, Adam Huntington, posted a short video on X showing numerous trees next to Belmont Park in Mission Beach simply chopped down by the City of San Diego. Fences were erected and yellow tape was strung up.
He says, “They’re destroying our parks.” Moments later he says they’re taking all of the fun away.
Was the local Mission Beach Town Council informed? Did the city announce this move to the local community planning board? 
His vid tells the story. He also claimed the city did the same thing at Tecolote Shores.
Huntington doesn’t say it enough, but the video yells out “Why??”
The city did a similar chopping of trees along San Diego Bay a few years ago.
Thx, Editor Dude, for posting this social media post. Hopefully, someone in the District 2 council office or the mayor’s office will find out why these trees were/are being cut down, and inform the public.
I know this lack of information/outreach/community input from the city is a constant source of frustration and anger for our neighborhoods.
I asked the Parks Dept. in am email, which they just forwarded to the Communications Dept. The email asked me for a lot of detail like “number of trees or when exactly they were removed.” They said this would help them – the Communications Department -to determine which city department.
My reply was simple. The trees were cut in Belmont Park. The Parks Dept. is responsible for the park. Someone at Parks must know the details. Waiting a reply.
This is an example of why we do not need a Communications Dept. The people at Parks should be able to answer a question like this, they are paid good salaries from our taxes. Why do we need an intermediary?
This video is powerful and super disturbing. I reposted it on Nextdoor in hopes of wider distribution. I thank the author of it and agree with everything he said.
How are we not protecting our green spaces especially amongst all of the push for high density developments?? Do we not understand how valuable trees are for shade protection as well as mental health? Who is in charge of this destruction?
Thanks Sara. Who’s in charge period?
The City explained that cutting the trees is part of the sea level rise resiliency plan for City land, Belmont Park. The idea is to dig out the whole grassy area and replace it with layers of different materials that will absorb water, thus helping to prevent flooding. They did not inform that Mission Beach Town Council because it is not a very useful organization.
OMG!!! Let’s then just dig up Mission Boulevard, as it will just be flooded again during the next King Tide. (No King tides?) Let’s begin the evacuation of South Mission immediately. No excuses. (Did the city parks and rec dept know it isn’t useful?)
Does anyone else find this a hilarious answer other than you, Frank?
Cut down trees and dig out a whole grassy area and…what? Are you kidding me? Some little layers of ‘absorbent’ paper towels or whatever against the ENTIRE Pacific Ocean?
MB is going to eventually drown with sea level rise at some point in time, just like Tavarua in the Pacific already is (along with so many other islands) which is in the Equator’s ocean ‘bulge’ our planet has. The South Pacific island nations have already starting the relocation of their populations, which is a very smart thing to do.
But I guess that is because their leaders are far more intelligent than the idiots who thought up this nonsense who obviously do NOT understand the science behind sea level rise.
As land-based glaciers continue to melt away along with the absolutely gigantic ones in Antarctica like the Pine Island and the Thwaites (the nicknamed ‘Doomsday Glacier’) that is already fracturing, mitigation like cutting trees so somebody can dig up grassy areas on a freaking sandbar…
Can’t fix stupid. Did these people graduate from Trump University before it was shut down for fraud? That could explain it.
sealintheSelkirks
Too outrageous to be funny, dude.
If we can’t laugh at the idiocy, all we have left is anger or grief. Actually, I have all three at different times over the same subject depending on my THC levels…but the reality is that no matter what we do at this point we are far past the ‘tipping points’ with what our industrial technology has done to the planetary systems that keep our species alive. Worse, those that are ‘in charge’ (the wealthy) are doing diddly squat to change it. Instead, they are building bigger and better bunkers…
Don’t read this one:
The Billionaire Bunker Boom: How the Tech Elite Built the Collapse They’re Now Hiding From
When the builders of our digital world start digging bunkers, it’s not foresight—it’s confession. The tech elite are preparing for a collapse they themselves engineered, and the rest of us…
https://futuredude.substack.com/p/the-billionaire-bunker-boom-how-the?publication_id=261517
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sealintheSelkirks
Doesn’t everyone see the fading foot tracks of Todd Gloria in the sand? Cutting down the trees is a first step to declare “surplus land” and then drag in some sleazy land developer who will claim his project will provide housing and plenty for the homeless!
Here is what is actually going on: https://www.sandiego.gov/cip/project-info/project-profiles/south-mission-beach-storm-drain
https://timesofsandiego.com/life/2025/10/22/removing-trees-mission-beach-water-basins-flooding/
So, in the city’s plan:
Anticipated work September 2025 – May 2026:
South Mission Beach Storm Drain Replacement (System 1 and System 9):
Storm drain installation along San Fernando Place and Mission Boulevard, low-flow diversion structure replacement and new meter pedestal, outfall grading, and eel grass mitigation.
South Mission Beach Green Infrastructure: Installation of water quality basins.
To install the water quality basins and ensure the project’s success, the contractor will remove 46 existing trees and relocate eight trees. Once the installation is complete, 43 new trees will be planted, along with new landscaping and irrigation.