Chula Vista’s Harborside Park is reopening after two-year closure

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz. It’s Friday, December 13th.

Chula Vista’s Harborside Park is reopening after a two-year closure.

More on that next. But first, let’s do the headlines.

San Diego is cooking up financial support for Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations or MEHKOS.

The County’s Department of Environmental Health and Quality received a grant from the state to waive permit fees for MEHKOS.

Those are home kitchens that allow people to run a business without the overhead costs and infrastructure required of a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Fee waivers will be issued on a first come, first served basis and will continue until available funds run out or the waiver period ends in May 2025.

This fall, California appointed Allison Ganter to direct reviews of deaths of people held by law enforcement.

She’s visiting San Diego to hear from people impacted.

Local equity advocate Yusef Miller helped push for the creation of her position.

“We understand that there's a lot of things she won't be able to answer. But we want to make input so that we can help be a true rudder for the office to steer in the right way and ask those questions that the families had never gotten answers for.”

The public listening session is tomorrow (Saturday) at the North Inland Live Well Center in Escondido.

It comes on the heels of another win for local advocates.

County supervisors approved a plan this week to give more power to the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board to investigate in-custody deaths.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is recommending six affordable housing projects receive $24 million from the city as part of the Bridge to Home Initiative.

The funding would help expedite the construction of 592 affordable housing units and six manager's units in three City Council districts.

125 of the units would be set aside as permanent supportive housing for unhoused San Diegans.

Mayor Gloria’s recommendations still need to be approved by the City Council's Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

Chula Vista is preparing to reopen Harborside Park next week, after a two-year closure. South Bay Reporter Kori Suzuki says the park had been at the center of citywide debates on housing and environmental justice.

It was in August of 2022 that the City Council announced they were closing Harborside Park …   so the city could evict dozens of unhoused people who had taken shelter there during the pandemic. At the time, the plan was to eventually reopen the park. But as the months went by city leaders started talking about closing it permanently. That shocked residents who live near Harborside. There’s already a divide  when it comes to access to parks  in Chula Vista …    Between the newer, wealthier east side – and the poorer, more industrial west side, where Harborside is. Residents fought back. Late last year, the City Council finally backed down. They agreed to reopen the park. With a new field and basketball courts, renovated bathrooms and a new park ranger station. “I feel really happy about that because I think about the kids mostly.” Chula Vista resident Genesis Sainz is excited. She’s lived close to the park for 37 years and says it means a lot to everyone – especially the neighborhood’s families. “I mean, nobody wants to be stuck in their apartment complex, and none of us really have like a playground. So, you know, I feel happier for the kids that can come out and play now. And if they have, like, soccer teams or whatever, they can go out and enjoy themselves.” Sainz still has some questions about how the park will fit into the city’s overall approach to homelessness. But ultimately she thinks reopening it was the right call for the neighborhood. City leaders plan to officially reopen Harborside on Monday. In Chula Vista, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

Buildings in Pacific Beach have been limited to three stories for decades. Now, a proposed 22-story apartment structure is concerning some neighbors as Andrew Bowen reports.

“Right now we're on Turquoise Street, which is, I don't know, four or five blocks from the beach.” Marcella Bothwell is a 20-year resident of Pacific Beach and chair of the PB Planning Group. “What's behind me has been a cherished restaurant for decades, which is the French Gourmet. Frogies — I've played games there — and then we have the gym, and then we also have the liquor store.” This modest strip mall could soon become the neighborhood's first high-rise in more than 50 years. Development firm Kalonymus is seeking to build 213 apartments over ground floor retail and more than 300 parking spaces. In theory, it's exactly where San Diego needs more housing. It's within walking distance to public transit, in alignment with state and city climate goals.  And it's in a high-opportunity neighborhood, rich with good schools, jobs and amenities. But Bothwell fears the project's height and density will change Pacific Beach for the worse. “We need housing for our firefighters. We need them for our teachers so they can go and they don't have to make a commute that's like an hour long. We need affordable housing in Pacific Beach and all along the coast. That's not disputed. But the trade-off here is a mockery to a well-intentioned law.” That law is the state's affordable housing density bonus. It offers developers incentives, like relief from height and density regulations. In exchange, the developer has to subsidize a portion of their homes and rent them below the market rate. San Diego created its own density bonus program in 2016. In 2020 the program was written into state law. It's boosted housing production significantly, at a time when the scarcity of homes is pushing up prices for everyone. “I mean, I think there are all sorts of unintended consequences that we see from laws all the time.” Catherine Blakespear is a state senator who represents Pacific Beach. She recently sent a letter to state housing officials voicing opposition to the project, which includes 10 affordable homes. Part of her opposition is over a technicality: Most of the apartments in the building will legally be considered "visitor accommodations" — that’s urban planning speak for hotel rooms. But they'll be built like apartments and can be rented out as long-term housing, which is exactly what the developers plan to do. Blakespear calls this a loophole — though she can't say whether it's illegal. “I think there are ways for us to provide housing for our community that we need, while also largely maintaining the neighborhoods that we have and protecting our sensitive coastal resources and providing for a better quality of life for everybody.” “The whole point here is that we do not have taxpayer money to continue to just build affordable housing on the backs of taxpayers.” Assemblymember David Alvarez, who represents the South Bay, wrote one of the laws that the proposed high-rise is making use of. AB 1287, signed last year, expanded the density bonus law. It offers developers even more incentives if they include affordable housing for both low-income and moderate-income households. This law also started as a local ordinance in San Diego. Alvarez says it's helping to integrate exclusive neighborhoods by creating a wider variety of housing options. “Through the use of local laws called zoning, we have excluded particular segments of our population from living in certain parts of San Diego, and historically have led to things like a segregated city. And so I firmly believe that people from all walks of life should be able to live in any part of our great state and certainly of our amazing city.” Even still, Alvarez is wary of high-rises popping up all over San Diego's coast. And he's open to changing the density bonus law to clarify the difference between homes and hotels. “Projects like these are great for students because if I graduate next year and I start working in San Diego, where am I supposed to live?” Mike Borisov is a student at UC San Diego and an advocate for housing policy reforms. He says the proposed high-rise isn't perfect, but that more housing is better than none. And he questions whether any version of the project would satisfy opponents. “This is not the first time, nor will it be the last time, where people come out against housing projects claiming it's just too big, it's too much, or there's too little affordable housing. The truth is, they say this every time about any development, be it five-story affordable housing or a three-story apartment, or condo or duplex, you name it. People are just against development. That's the reason we have an affordability crisis in the state of California.” The city of San Diego is still reviewing the developer's application. Staff have asked state housing officials for help in determining whether the project complies with the law. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

Poet and educator Jason Magabo Perez will soon wrap up his two-year term as the City of San Diego's official poet laureate. Arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans talked to Perez about his work.

"Here is a parable. Prayer, perhaps for those unmapped." Jason Magabo Perez reads from his poem, "We Draft Work Songs for the City." He kicked off his term as poet laureate by reading this poem at the State of the City Address in 2023. "Still the problem of rent. Still, the problem of loans, still the problem of property. This alley off university is a gallery of abandoned mattresses stacked against…" Perez's poetry is deeply rooted in place, identity and memory. He sees poetry as an accessible and essential artform. But community expression and growth hinge on planting and nurturing the seeds of creativity. "I'm a community organizer. I know it takes a lot of time to build relationships, to build trust, to build reciprocity, to build cultures of accountability." A poetry festival at UC San Diego on Saturday will include poetry readings, panel discussions and a zine-making lab. And officially celebrate the end of Perez’s term. But for the poet laureate, the festival is more like a beginning. "I'm hoping it's just another space where we convene and we dream and plant more seeds." Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news.

It's a tale as old as time. In December, a generous and jolly fellow visits well behaved children and rewards them with gifts. But in some German and European legends, that man is accompanied by a being known as Krampus, who punishes naughty kids. North county reporter Tania Thorne says this weekend a procession of “Krampuses” will touch down in Vista.

“It was a way for German and Austrian parents to maybe threaten their child and say, you know, if you're not good, you know, around Christmas time, like then the Krampus is going to come and get you.” Tania Yager is the founder of the Dark Xmas Market and the Wild Hunt of Vista. An event that celebrates and teaches about a centuries-old tradition. “So that's kind of where it comes from. It's a very, very long tradition. First recorded history goes back to 1600s.” Different vendors sell their arts and crafts. And as the night gets darker, Yager says the chiming of bells in the distance means the Wild Hunt is about to begin. The procession will feature different characters that parade through the market. Yager acknowledges the scenery may not be for everyone. The event is family friendly and offers a learning opportunity for all. But Yager does have some advice for younger visitors. “If you would take your child maybe to a haunted house during Halloween and you would take them into even just walk them into the Spirit Halloween store. I think this is okay.” The dark Xmas market starts 4 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Vista. The Krampus procession begins at 7:15p.m. Tania Thorne, KPBS News 

In other holiday events, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights will have its last cruise of the season on Dec. 15th.

The free event brings more than 100,000 San Diego residents and visitors to the shores of San Diego Bay each year. The 54th annual procession will include approximately 80 decorated boats.

The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. at Shelter Island and will wrap at the Coronado ferry landing.

That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by Elaine Alfaro and edited by Brooke Ruth. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.