Category: Culture

Editordude: We offer this update on the billionaires bidding on the San Diego Padres as a way to introduce the crazy idea that perhaps the San Diego public ought to have some say in the future of the team. It’s not an unworldly idea; just look at the Green Bay Packers, a football team described this way:

a publicly owned, non-profit franchise in the NFL, owned by over 539,000 stockholders rather than a single individual or private group. Organized as Green Bay Packers, Inc. since 1923, the team is governed by a board of directors and a seven-member executive committee.  

National Today – San Diego / April 11, 2026

The sale of the San Diego Padres baseball team has turned into a high-stakes bidding war among billionaire investors, with four groups still in the running to acquire the franchise. The final bids are expected in April, and the winning bid could shatter the MLB record of $2.42 billion set by Steve Cohen’s purchase of the New York Mets in 2020.

Why it matters
The Padres sale reflects a broader trend of sports teams becoming prized assets for global investors looking to diversify their portfolios and build media and real estate empires. This raises questions about the future of sports ownership and whether local communities will have a meaningful stake as teams become global commodities.

By Gary Wonacott

A few years ago, the city’s contractor completed undergrounding work in South Mission Beach — originally planned in the 1970s.

The contractor tore up Mission Boulevard and the alleys.

More disruption is scheduled soon, so it would be wasteful to install expensive concrete paving now.

Yet the contractor left Mission Boulevard in terrible shape.

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general San Diego public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, April 13: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 200: Performance Audit of the Mission Bay and San Diego Regional Parks Improvement Funds, FY2024.

Why it matters: City audits should be performed in a timely manner. This item was heard at the Audit Committee meeting on November 12, 2025, and the City Auditor reported they “could not confirm that all Mission Bay Lease Revenue payments in FY2024 have been applied appropriately and the correct amount of funds were transferred…” There does not appear to be any updated information since then.

Item 251: Propositions for the November 3, 2026 Ballot Forwarded for 2nd Committee Review

Mission Bay Park is Not Surplus Land

By Donna Frye

A little over nine months ago, the issue of whether three properties in Mission Bay Park would be declared “surplus land” was being discussed at the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee. The committee voted to support that declaration and within a week, the public was informed about it by Geoff Page in the OB Rag.The three properties were Marina Village banquet and conference center, Dana Landing Marina and Sportsmen’s Seafood restaurant.

The reason cited by the city for the surplus land declaration was the State Surplus Land Act which required the city council to declare the properties “surplus” in order to request proposals for leases for a period longer than 15 years.

By declaring the land as surplus, first priority would be given to housing developers who could force the city into negotiations to build housing in Mission Bay Park.

The problem is that Mission Bay Park is dedicated public park land and San Diego City Charter Section 55 prohibits housing development in Mission Bay Park.

The public opposition to declare Mission Bay Park “surplus land” was instantaneous and unanimous. When the proposal made its way to the full city council for a vote on July 29, the item was continued instead of being approved.

Here’s what’s happening baby around Point Loma this month of April. Thanks to our friends at Peninsula News for getting it all together

Please join Ocean Beach Historical Society, Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 7:00 pm, for “What Ever Became of Dutch Flats“- an eye-opening excursion into the hidden history of the boggy estuary that once stretched between Old Town and Loma Portal – Dutch Flats.

Inflated land prices aren’t an unintended consequence. They were the expected outcome.

By Lisa Sinclair

San Diego’s housing strategy is built on a simple premise: rezone large swaths of the city to increase the housing supply until everyone can live where they want, and pay a rent they want to pay.

It’s a simplistic version of supply and demand that ignores the one factor that matters most— land value.

When governments increase the number of units that can be built on a property, they increase the value of that land. That is basic economics that everyone can understand.

In fact, during the implementation of the 2005–2006 Downtown Community Plan, officials warned that increasing density would drive up land prices, decreasing affordability.

OB’s legendary head shop, The Black, has re-opened. April 6 was their “soft opening” and the place appears to be the same, although by the looks of it, there are more beachy products – paddle boards, towels, etc.

Editordude: Paul Krueger testified before the City Council on Monday, April 6, about his experiences collecting signatures for a “Repeal the Fees” November ballot measure. This essay is based on his remarks to the council.

By Paul Krueger

I stand with the 81 percent of San Diegans who strongly oppose paid parking in Balboa Park.

Last Saturday, during the “Repeal The Fees” ballot measure rally at the Organ Pavilion, I stood by the parking payment kiosk behind the pavilion to gather signatures for the initiative. And I talked with locals and tourists as they waited in line to pay. What I heard – and saw – was both enlightening and infuriating.

The line at the kiosk stretched as long as 20 yards. It moved painfully slow. There is no display of instructions at that kiosk, so many visitors couldn’t begin to figure out how to pay. Some didn’t know they needed their license plate number to process their payment. If they had to go back to their car to get that information, they lost their place. Others didn’t know if they needed to return to their vehicle to put their payment receipt on their dashboards (they don’t).

When the wait hit 10 minutes or longer, some visitors worried they’d get a citation before they could pay. This was a legitimate concern; I saw at least one parking enforcement officer checking plates. Others were upset they might miss performances at the Houses of Hospitality or Balboa Park Club which brought them to the park.

No Fireworks on Nights of Drone Shows — California Coastal Commission Meeting is April 15

By Donna Frye

Sea World San Diego is seeking a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) from the California Coastal Commission to conduct up to 110 aerial drone shows, that would be approximately 15 minutes in length and “include up to 1,000 illuminated drones above the waters of Mission Bay for a pilot period of one year from the date of CDP issuance.” The Coastal Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 15 to hear the request; it is Item Number 10b on the agenda.

The Coastal Commission staff report states in part:

“SeaWorld San Diego has traditionally ended many of its park days with a nighttime fireworks show. However, in response to growing concerns related to the impact of fireworks on coastal resources, as well as improvements in drone entertainment technology, SeaWorld is proposing a pilot period of one year for aerial drone shows.The drone shows would involve up to 1,000 illuminated aerial drones that would be programmed to autonomously take off, perform an up to 15-minute show up to 660 feet above Mission Bay, and then return to land. The shows would involve the drones following pre-programmed routes that depict various shapes formed by their onboard colored lights, accompanied by music played at ground level for patrons within SeaWorld.”

By Dave Schwab / Peninsula Beacon / March 31, 2026

Named for a family sing-along, Loop-de-Loo’s children’s resale shop off Voltaire Street in Point Loma offers exceptional deals on gently used clothing at affordable prices.

With a healthcare background as a nurse, Lindsay Rutherford, the daughter of one of the principals in HGW Architecture in Ocean Beach on Bacon Street, has embarked on a new career as proprietor of the newly opened children’s resale shop.

Needing resale children’s clothing herself is one reason Rutherford opened Loop-de-Loo’s at 4030 Wabaska Drive in Point Loma Heights, which carries children’s clothing and shoes, sizes newborn to 14, along with toys, books, and some baby gear.

With three children of her own, Rutherford knows just how fast they grow and how keeping them clothed is a constant challenge.

The surreal mural on the east side of the Template in OB has gotten some attention. Richard Schulte runs a photo-dominant blog called cool san diego sights and recently shared a series of pics of the mural.

Signatures by the artists appear to be MURALIS, ART BY SOUP, EATHDUST, HAILYBROUS, JORDINDAVID, and SOURCE!

Here are Shulte’s pics, including details: