Category: San Diego

By Danna Givot

If rudeness to his constituents and fellow council members (as noted by Paul Krueger in “Councilmember Elo-Rivera Leaves the Dias while Resident Speaks at City Council Meeting”) isn’t enough to kill Sean Elo-Rivera’s political career, there is plenty more working against him besides bad manners.

On December 16th, Sean was the primary cheerleader for the College Area Community Plan Update that quadruples the density in this area with no funds or firm commitment to remedy the long term park, recreation center, and fire station deficiencies in this neighborhood in his District 9. The upzoning in the newly passed College Area Plan will immediately make those upzoned properties more expensive based on their development potential. That will please Sean’s campaign donors, but it won’t
solve the community’s serious and long term infrastructure deficiencies, and it won’t make housing more affordable, as noted by Council President Joe LaCava.

While chairing the Select Committee on Addressing the Rising Cost of Living in San Diego, Elo-Rivera has supported exorbitant trash fees

by Calista Stocker / Times of San Diego / Dec. 16, 2025

In 2017, the Metropolitan Transit System spent $1.4 million upgrading bus stop benches throughout the county. In addition to improved water drainage and material updates, the new benches came with dividers, which their contractor refers to as “vagrant bars.”

That was a year after the city of San Diego raced to install jagged rocks downtown under Interstate 5 in time for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Petco Park, and five years before the Downtown Partnership built a controversial bike rack/bench designed to deter lying down.

These are all examples of what urban designers call “hostile architecture.” Commonly referred to as “anti-homeless architecture” or “defensive design,” the concept is used to describe public infrastructure design intended to subtly (or not so subtly) change behavior.

San Diego-based urban designer Howard Blackson argues that hostile architecture reflects the hostility of human nature.

By Paul Krueger

If you’re motivated enough to share a concern with our elected city officials be prepared for some disrespect.

As a rule, only two council members — Steve Whitburn and Joe LaCava — will even acknowledge your presence during non-agenda public comment. They’ll make eye contact with you, and at least give the appearance of listening.

The other seven council members might be listening but they don’t show it. They usually won’t even glance up from their phones or laptops when you start speaking, and rarely give the slightest indication of any interest in what you’re saying.

There have been some recent displays of more blatant disrespect by council members.

On November 19, Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera abruptly walked out of a council Rules Committee meeting — with no explanation — depriving the Committee of a quorum and ending discussion of a citizen-proposed ballot measure to reinstate free parking on Sundays in Balboa Parking.

But on December 8th, Sean Elo-Rivera raised the bar for discourtesy.

By Jennifer Van Grove / San Diego Union-Tribune / December 16, 2025

The local agency that controls the land around San Diego Bay has finalized the governing document that will expand its authority to 7,900 more acres in the bay and another 100 acres on land.

Last week, the Board of Port Commissioners for the San Diego Unified Port District unanimously approved what’s known as the Trust Lands Use Plan, or TLUP, a land-use framework for the mostly submerged lands transferred to the agency in 2020. The commissioners also approved the plan’s associated environmental impact report, or its Mitigated Negative Declaration, which determined that there will be no significant effects once mitigation measures are implemented.

The actions advance the plan for consideration by the California Coastal Commission.

The TLUP is an amendment to the Port Master Plan that, once certified by the Coastal Commission and approved by the California State Lands Commission, will give the port permitting authority over what has colloquially been referred to as “the doughnut hole.” The moniker describes how the port’s jurisdiction has historically wrapped around the coastline of the entire bay, from Shelter Island to the South Bay and Coronado, but excluded the more central water areas.

The mostly submerged lands, previously held in trust by the State Lands Commission, were transferred to the port on Jan. 1, 2020, through California Senate Bill 507. The water and land area, which includes the deep-water federal navigation channel, is said to have been granted to the port for more streamlined management.

A sandy, muddy salt marsh is the reason San Diego is the West Coast home of the Marine Corps

By Eric DuVall / Point Loma– OB Monthly SDU-T / December 15, 2025

I liked the old main post office on Midway Drive. Perhaps I should have spoken up sooner. The place was intentionally, brutalistically, functional. Plus, it was close.

Remember the Old Town Philatelic Center in there? No? I don’t know if stamp collectors made much use of that desk or not, but somewhere in that big airplane hangar of a room I once noticed a plaque on the wall, maybe 16 inches square, that proclaimed “DUTCH FLATS — On this site on April 28, 1927, the Spirit of St. Louis was flight-tested by Charles A. Lindbergh.” How cool is that?

I had heard of Dutch Flats, but it is certainly not a place name that folks use these days.

The area referred to as Dutch Flats is simply the alluvial flood plain and former arroyo created by the watercourse of the San Diego River as it flowed past Old Town at the base of Presidio Hill, hung a hard left and was seemingly drawn directly toward San Diego Bay. A substantial portion of what is now arbitrarily referred to as the Midway District, all of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and parts of Liberty Station and San Diego International Airport were once known as Dutch Flats.

Town Hall Hosted by San Diego Community Coalition on Dec. 13

Rag Staff Report

At the December 13 San Diego Community Coalition Town Hall, Union-Tribune City Hall Reporter David Garrick spoke candidly, listened carefully, and laid out the challenges facing journalists who cover local government.

As the City Hall reporter for the city’s major metropolitan daily, Garrick is the unofficial dean of the San Diego press corps. When he started covering City Hall in 2014, Kevin Faulconer was the new Mayor, Todd Gloria was City Council President, and Sempra Energy occupied the tower at 101 Ash Street.

In an hour-long exchange at the Logan Heights Library with community activists from across the city, Garrick was straightforward and thoughtful.

He explained that while journalists rarely report things perfectly, they always try to report things accurately. Throughout the discussion, he was open to hearing views that had not occurred to him.

Developers of 186-unit apartment building have the green light to continue work

By Paul Krueger

Developers of an eight-story, 186-unit apartment building in the heart of Golden Hill can resume work on their controversial project following a significant legal ruling.

Opponents of “The Lawson” housing project on 29th and A Streets had temporarily stopped excavation of the complex in October, following a favorable ruling by Judge Joel Wohlfeil.

But Judge Wohlfeil last week declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the developer, which which would have extended his initial stop-work order. In his 16-page ruling, the judge said a more thorough review of evidence in the case convinced him that the community group challenging the project does not have the “probability of prevailing” at a trial.

Judge Wohlfeil did agree with several arguments made by attorneys for “Preserve Greater Golden Hill.” He acknowledged that project opponents have a “reasonable skepticism” that a required bus stop will ever be established within walking distance of the development. He also said the community group made a strong argument that the Golden Hill neighborhood “will be irreparably diminished…if adequate infrastructure” is not built.

By Lori Saldaña  / Op-Ed  San Diego Union-Tribune / December 15, 2025

The Clairemont Mesa Community Plan Update — envisioning the future of the region’s 8,557 acres — goes before the City Council on Tuesday, seeking to update a vision last adopted in 1989.

It calls for tens of thousands of new homes in San Diego’s original, post-World War II “planned community” and seeks to enhance “mobility” and “connectivity,” “protect open space,” and preserve “historical resources and districts that embody architectural and cultural history.”

But while these are admirable, aspirational goals, the plan should not be adopted until it also addresses more recent housing and transportation concerns in Clairemont. They include:

Coalition Bulletin: “This Week at City Hall”

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the public informed about important Council and Planning Commission Hearings. City Hall is beginning to wind down this week before it goes into a 3-week legislative recess for the holidays. We will resume this bulletin when the city government reopens Monday, January 12.

Monday, December 15: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

Agenda link:

Items include: Closed session discussion of “City of San Diego v. 101 Ash, LLC et al,” involving “the City’s claims against its contractors for negligent disruption of asbestos during renovations of the 101 Ash Street property.”

Why it matters: After 10 long years of civic disgrace and hundreds of millions of dollars gone, this albatross is still around the city’s neck. Will it ever end?

Monday, December 15: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda link:

By Paul Krueger / Times of San Diego / December 13, 2025

Mayor Todd Gloria is spreading the word about a national survey that shows 76% of San Diego residents are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their city.

According to Gensler Research, San Diego ranks second in “satisfaction with their city as a place to live,” trailing only San Antonio with a 78% score.

But Axios, which published the results, cautioned that “satisfaction” is a “broad” term, defined as “a general vibe check on how people are feeling about job opportunities, housing costs, safety and other key urban issues.”

And the survey’s methodology reveals a very significant — even disqualifying — limitation: The poll was conducted more than a year ago, from July 18 to Nov 24, 2024.

Since then, there’s been a flurry of activity at City Hall, and most of it is having a negative impact on our personal finances.

City Says Environmental Impacts in Community Plan Updates for Clairemont and the College Area are Significant, Unmitigated, Unavoidable but Acceptable
City Council to Vote on December 16 to Approve Plan Updates without Requiring an Updated Environmental Impact Report

By Donna Frye

The following is a letter I sent to the city council on December 14 requesting a continuance on the Community Plan Updates for Clairemont and the College Area and the Overlay Zones.

RE: December 16 City Council Meeting, Items 609, 610 and 611; Request for a Continuance to Allow for the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report

Dear Councilmember,

On December 16, the San Diego City Council will be voting on whether to approve the Community Plan Update for the College Area (Item 609), the Clairemont Community Plan Update (Item 610) and the Citywide Community Enhancement Overlay Zone and Removal of the Community Plan Implementation Overlay Zone for College Area and Clairemont Community Planning Areas (Item 611).

According to the city, Clairemont and the College Area have not had a comprehensive update to their community plans since 1989 – over 35 years ago. The updates will provide “ a comprehensive policy framework for growth and development over the next 30 years.”

Editordude: Since the issue of “middle managers” employed by the City of San Diego has again emerged during the most recent debates over the city’s budget, we thought it appropriate to re-publish U-T reporter David Garrick’s piece on the subject from last July. And just to remind, Garrick, will be speaking on Saturday, December 13 on “This Just In: Covering the City Hall Beat.” See here for more.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / July 14, 2025

The recent fight at San Diego City Hall over how many middle managers the city employs could signal the start of a shift away from such jobs in the future, after years of their ranks quickly growing.

The battle over middle managers, which emerged during controversial budget negotiations this spring, pitted Mayor Todd Gloria against city labor leaders — and eventually most of the City Council.

Labor leaders lobbied for sharp cuts to middle management positions so the city could lay off fewer front-line workers like librarians and parks maintenance staff in its effort to close a $350 million deficit.

The Municipal Employees Association stressed that there are more than five times as many high-paid middle managers known as “program coordinators” and “program managers” at the city as there were a decade ago.