by Nadia Lathan / Voice of San Diego / August 18, 2026
They’re going for the wholesale workaround.
San Diego lawmakers are weighing new legislation to allow San Diego’s Midway Rising project to bypass state environmental review — a pivot from earlier proposals that sought to exempt parts of the project from certain environmental rules.
The Midway Rising plan involves a 16,0000-seat arena and roughly 4,250 housing units.
Under the new proposal, the city’s own study of the project’s environmental impacts would be enough to meet requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, according to proposed amendments of the bill obtained by Voice of San Diego.
A public hearing on the bill — which amended previously unrelated legislation about human remains — is expected to take place later this week. Lead author Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Assemblymember Chris Ward, who’s a co-author on the bill, said lawmakers are introducing the bill now after facing roadbacks locally.
“We’ve had years of public conversation around trying to do something good for the sports arena, for community development in that area,” Ward said. “And to any extent that I feel the public process has been over-exhausted and abused, we have a chance to step in here and help to guide what it’s going to be.”
Solana Beach Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, who also represents parts of the Midway District, said she was still reviewing the bill and declined to answer questions about the proposal.
Officials had previously said Senate Bill 958 was the primary legislation to help avoid further litigation that could cause lengthy delays.
Senate co-author Steve Padilla declined to answer any questions about the project.
Democrats Assemblymember David Alvarez and Sen. Catherine Blakespear said they will likely support the new changes.
“Generally, I’m supportive of CEQA reform,” Republican Sen. Brian Jones said, and that he’s also still reviewing the bill.
There’s precedence for developers working with state lawmakers to cut red tape for stadium projects. In 2013, legislators pulled a similar maneuver to help speed up the CEQA permitting process for the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Zack Defazio-Farrell, treasurer and law policy member for San Diego County YIMBY Democrats, said the last-minute proposal makes sense if the goal is to “CEQA-proof” Midway Rising.
“In theory, if it ends up being a blanket CEQA exemption for a specific project, it’s been done before,” Defazio-Farrell said, adding that he had not yet seen the bill language. “It should basically insulate the project from CEQA litigation.”
“… the public process has been over-exhausted and abused, we have a chance to step in here and help to guide what it’s going to be.” – Chris Ward
You pesky citizens have made our life hard, so we are just going to go around you …
Representative democracy at its finest
Come on folks, Ward won the June primary with less than 100,000 votes.
If you care, get out and vote. Anybody has to be be better than Chris Ward !
In other words, Ward: ‘I know better than the courts and you people better just STFU.’
Pretty much the same comment Ward made as City council member to his North Park constituents when they had concerns about parking issues: “if you don’t like what I am doing you should move.”
We rely on the OB Rag to print the list of legislators who enable this end-run around representative government and local control next election. I’m saddened to see David Alvarez
among them.
Using such corrupt political tactics is shameful. On the hopeful side, there are rules that go along with Gut-and-Amend bills. One is “Each house of the Legislature has rules related to determining whether amendments are germane. For example, under Assembly Rule 92, titled Amendment to Be Germane, an amendment to any bill, other than a bill stating legislative intent to make necessary statutory changes to implement the Budget Bill, whether reported by a committee or offered by an Assembly Member, is not in order when the amendment relates to a different subject than, is intended to accomplish a different purpose than, or requires a title essentially different than, the original bill.” SB344 clearly is not germane to its original improper disposing of human remains subject matter. Political corruption: the abuse of public office for unfair advantage. Weber-Pierson has sunk to this level. Email her, the mayor, padilla, ward, the Assembly Rules Committee, office of Legislative Counsel, Blakespear.
Today, Voice of San Diego had this to say about their article on the new bill for Midway Rising:
Correction: It’s Not a CEQA Bypass; You Just Can’t Sue Midway Rising’s CEQA Work
In yesterday’s Morning Report, we incorrectly wrote that a new bill would give Midway Rising a wholesale exemption from CEQA.
One lawmaker and Midway Rising’s representatives pointed out to us that the project would still have to follow CEQA, get an environmental impact report and officially establish what would have to happen to mitigate that impact.
But then, if the bill passes, the state would essentially validate all that work. Nobody would be able to file a lawsuit saying it was inadequate. When people don’t like a project, they usually sue under CEQA and allege that it wasn’t studied thoroughly or the proposed mitigation efforts weren’t good enough.
The carve-out for Midway Rising means no one can sue on those grounds.
So, yes, it’s not a CEQA exemption. It’s a shield from the worst part of CEQA for developers: the lawyers. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQhVrMvrBWllsGnvxjVxHMXVxvW
So if I understand this correctly, however the reviewers (DSD, City Council, etc?) interpret both CEQA and the interpretation of CEQA for this project will be i the ultimate determination and there will be no pathway to challenge their interpretation? Given the recent multiple word salad and nonsense interpretations I have recently seen (as well has Chatten-Brown law firm) regarding the Steep Hillside Code we should assume they will let the developers do pretty much what they want to do. Or?
Roy – the unofficial and unauthorized Todd Gloria model Magic 8 Ball sez:
“YOU CAN BET ON IT”
The minute the word salad starts, you know that as a proctologist might say “Here comes the choo-choo”