Tag: City of San Diego
Designation of Old Mission Hills Branch Library Upheld, Redevelopment Allowed
By Jennifer Machian On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the San Diego City Council voted 5 to 3 to uphold the historic designation of the old Mission Hills Branch Library, ending a long-simmering debate over the fate of the building. The Library’s historical designation originated from a 2019 nomination by Mission Hills Heritage (MHH), a preservation […]
A Dysfunctional City with Questionable Leadership
It’s really very sad when we get to this place in our lives when we lose total faith in the people who are running our city. San Diego used to be a great place to live. We used to trust the people we elected to act on our behalf. Transparency existed and businesses thrived. People […]
Abuse of Power by Elected Officials
In the March issue, I shared serious concerns from San Diegans about the abuse of power of our elected officials and that their constituents are “fed up” with being the victims. As I expressed, we have a major dilemma on our hands. As taxpaying members of the City of San Diego and State of California, […]
San Diego Sold To the Highest Bidder
There is this impression, as I talk to people in San Diego and around the country, that our fine city has been put on an auction block for speculators who are willing to pay the highest price for changing the character of our city. Unfortunately, as alarming as that might be, it is potentially true. […]
City Council Unanimously Approves New City Auditor
In a historic vote, The San Diego City Council unanimously approved Interim Assistant City Auditor Andy Hanau to become San Diego’s second ever City Auditor and the first City Auditor to take office since Measure D was overwhelmingly implemented by voters in March. The appointment of Hanau marks the end of a years-long endeavor by Audit Committee Chairman Scott Sherman to reform the process of how the City Auditor […]
Re-structuring City Government in the New San Diego: A Blueprint Going Forward
In a few short weeks, the NFL established a completely new, socially distanced process for drafting college players. In the same time, Development Services successfully transitioned to online permitting and a work-from-home business model. Necessity is and will be the mother of invention. Tough times create the opportunity for positive and lasting change. With municipal […]
San Diego’s Homeless Scenario Brings Tension to Neighborhoods
Over the past several months I have been participating in meetings and efforts to address the homeless situation in various parts of urban San Diego. What is obvious is that all of us who live and work in these areas of the county are being impacted by an increasing experience with homeless people and encampments. […]
Hearing on Legal Challenge Looms
Mission Hills Heritage’s (MHH) legal challenge to the new Uptown Community Plan is finally heading toward a court hearing in late September. MHH’s legal challenge was filed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and is based on flaws in the environmental analysis underlying the community plan update. As background, in November 2016 the City […]
Update on the Legal Challenge to Uptown Community Plan
As many of you know, Mission Hills Heritage (MHH), with co-petitioner SOHO, filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego this January over the Uptown Community Plan Update. Last November the City Council adopted a last minute re-write of the Uptown Community Plan that had been in the making for over seven years. Only […]
Hostage to Water
When I was doing some work for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), I put together a private dinner at Rainwater’s (remember Rainwater’s? what a loss). Among San Diego’s civic leaders invited that night was Malin Burnham, as great as any civic leader we have. At the dinner Malin made a comment that […]
