| Downtown San Diego E-News August 2010 |
In This Issue
Calendar of Events:
July Event's
Details
July Event’s Details Workshop for Prospective Small Business Owners SCORE is offering a new, free business seminar for people interested in starting a small business but need to learn the first steps in the process. The Business Basics 101 seminar is scheduled for Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 28 July from 9:30 to 11:30am at SCORE’s Downtown location at 550 West C St., Suite 550. The seminar focuses on understanding what it takes to start a business, learning the start-up basics and the advantages and disadvantages of owning your own business. The seminar also will cover the critical success factors to keep a new business alive, the advantages and disadvantages of starting a new business versus buying an existing business or franchise and the difference between home-based businesses and online businesses. Attendees will be able to talk to SCORE counselors at the end of the seminar to plan their next steps, including workshops they should attend, and to sign up for future one-on-one counseling sessions. To enroll, call SCORE at (619) 557-7272. Public Meeting on Ruocco Park Concept The Port will be holding an informational meeting on the proposed Ruocco Park on Thursday 15 July from 6-7:30pm at their administration building, 3165 Pacific Highway. This will be the fifth public meeting on Ruocco Park. The 3.3- acre park is planned for the southwest corner of West Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway on the former Harbor Seafood Mart site just north of Seaport Village. The park's landscape architect and lead designer will give a brief update on the park design. The park's design will include space for activities, events, gatherings, seating, tables and quiet areas. The meeting will also include a presentation by the artist responsible for the public art concept at the park. The Port has received a grant of $3.5million from the San Diego Foundation to help pay for the park. For additional information www.portofsandiego.org. Stickball on the Steets of Little Italy The Little Italy Stickball League will be holding games in their annual summer tournament on two Sundays in late July leading up to the playoffs in August. The dates are 18 & 25 July and they will be located on India and State Streets between Ash and A Streets. For more information www.littleitalysd.com. Luncheon to Consider SB 375 On Tuesday 20 July from 11:30am to 1pm the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will be holding a luncheon at the Downtown Information Center concerning the implementation of California Senate Bill (SB) 375. This law links land use decisions to transportation funding decision in a way that should move the State toward a stronger economy. Advanced registration ends on Wednesday 14 July. All registrations after that date will be processed at the door and will include an additional $10 fee. Cost is $20 for members and $40 for non-members. For registration or additional information ULI Customer Service sandiegotijuana@uli.org / (800) 321-5011. Comic-Con Returns to San Diego San Diego’s largest annual convention is coming to the Convention Center Thursday 22-Sunday 25 July with the preview night on Wednesday 21 July. The event is expected to draw 126,000 attendees and will likely generate a high volume of pedestrian and automobile traffic in the area around the convention center. The event usually sells out so if you would like to attend early registration is recommended. For more information www.comic-con.org. Private Viewing of Mission Federal ArtWalk Artwork On Friday 23 July from 6-8:30pm in the Versailles Ballroom at the Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Avenue, there will be a private showing of some of the artwork from the Mission Federal ArtWalk that took place on 24 & 25 April of this year. The event is called Art & Elegance and some of the artists will be painting at the event. The price of $29 a person includes hors d'oeuvres and two glasses of wine or beer. Part of the proceeds from the event will benefit Art Reach which is a non-profit that provides quality art education to San Diego County students in grades K-6. For additional information t5.clicknprint.com/tix/SilverStream/Pages/pgIndex.html?siteID=2739 / 615-1090. Films Under the Stars in the Park Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and bring your friends is the motto of Screen on the Green, the ten-year-old free outdoor film festival in Balboa Park run by the San Diego Museum of Art. This summer three film screenings will take place on Fridays at sunset in the heart of the Park on the East Lawn of the Museum. There are usually close to one thousand people for each presentation so getting there early is advisable. The three films will be: 23 July: Jason and the Argonauts 1963 06 August: The King of Masks 1996 (in Mandarin with English subtitles) 20 August: Moulin Rouge 1952 For additional information www.sdmart.org/programs-events/film. Wine, Cheese & Wisdom At Tenth Avenue Theatre This periodical event will have Kyle Donnelly dispensing the wisdom at 5:30pm on Tuesday 27 July. She has directed at the Old Globe, the O'Neill Theatre Festival and off-Broadway in NYC. Kyle is also head of the Master of Fine Arts Professional Actor Training Program at UCSD. The Tenth Avenue Theatre is located at 930 Tenth Avenue (between Broadway and E street) and you are asked to bring something to drink as well as a munchie to share or make a $10 donation at the door. There is limited space so reservations are requested. For additional information or reservations mooleloblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/wine-cheese-wisdom-with-kyle-donnelly / tickets@moolelo.net / 342-7395. One Day Event to Aid the Homeless On Saturday 31 July from 10am-4pm the downtown community will provide aid to about one thousand homeless people. This event call the July Jubilee will take place on 15th Street between Island Avenue and J Street. This outreach event will provide services, food, care packages, and music to those in need. For more information or to volunteer www.julyjubilee.org. August Event’s Details Americans Finest City (AFC) .5 Marathon Ends in Balboa Park The 33rd Annual AFC .5 Marathon will start 7am on Sunday 15 August at the Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point Loma. It then follows San Diego Bay and Harbor Island along the Embarcadero to the Star of India, winds through downtown and ends in Balboa Park. The race is limited to 8,000 entrants. There is also a 5-kilometer AFC run/walk that day that has a limit of 1,500 entrants. The 5K is run completely within Balboa Park and starts at 6:45am. For additional information www.afchalf.com. Tour Five Cities on a Bicycle Fun Ride On Sunday 29 August the annual Ride the Bridge-Bike the Bay fun bicycle ride will take place. This is an updated version of the Five Cities Bicycle Ride of the 1980s. This is not a race and it is a fairly easy flat course of 25 miles that follows the bay except for crossing the Coronado Bay Bridge. The ride goes through in order:
September Event's Details Fleet Week Returns Over two weeks of events will mark this year’s Fleet Week celebration that honors the men and women of the US armed services. A new free event has been added — the Port of San Diego Fleet Week Big Bay Family Festival Saturday & Sunday 18 & 19 September at the B Street Cruise Terminal. This event will feature ship tours, military static displays, in-water demonstrations, live music, a beer garden and a children’s fun zone. Tentatively scheduled ships available for tour are the USS Curts, USS Pinckney and the new high-tech littoral combat ship the USS Freedom. One of the main events of the celebration is the Coronado Speed Festival, a full weekend of activities and family fun Saturday & Sunday 25 & 26 September. Naval Air Station North Island throws its gates open to visitors to get a glimpse of a working US Navy base. Coronado Speed Festival features auto races on a live US Navy runway, flyovers, naval ship and air demonstrations and ship tours. Military admission and under 13 are free. Major Fleet Week events include: • Operation Liberty Call: Friday 17 September 4-9pm, Dick’s Last Resort • Big Bay Family Festival: Saturday & Sunday 18 & 19 September 10am-4pm, B Street Cruise Terminal • Enlisted Recognition Luncheon: Tuesday 21 September 11:45am-1:30pm, Sea World • Coronado Speed Festival Car Parade: Thursday 23 September 4:30pm, Rotary Park • MCRD Boot Camp Challenge: Saturday 25 September, 9am, MCRD • Coronado Speed Festival: Saturday and Sunday 25 & 26 September, Naval Air Station North Island • Navy Open House: Saturday and Sunday 25 & 26 September 10am-4pm, Naval Air Station North Island • All-Enlisted Golf Tournament: Tuesday 28 September 11am, Admiral Baker Golf Course • MCAS Miramar Air Show: Friday-Sunday 1-3 October, gates open 8am daily, MCAS Miramar. For further information and a full listing of the activities www.fleetweeksandiego.org. 50-Mile MS Walk The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Pacific South Coast chapter will conduct a walk of 50 miles over three days during its ninth annual Southern California Challenge Walk for MS. It will be from the flower fields of Carlsbad to Downtown San Diego from Friday 24 September to Sunday 26 September. This fundraiser has a goal of raising $1.2million for MS research and programs and services for those living with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. Last year’s Challenge Walk featured almost 300 walkers who helped raise $867,000. The minimum donation required to walk is $2,500 per person, which includes overnight hotel accommodations, meals and entertainment. Registration and additional information is available at www.mymschallenge.com / (800) 486-6762. Downtown News of the Day Gaslamp Quarter Association Tallies Economic Impact The Gaslamp Quarter contributed more than $86 million in tax revenue to the city and the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) from fiscal year 1998 to fiscal year 2008, the Gaslamp Quarter Association (GQA) reported in an economic impact report recently released. During that period, combined tax revenue from property tax increment, sales tax, transient occupancy tax (TOT) and tourism marketing district fees generated by the Gaslamp Quarter increased 470% according to the report. Also during that period, property tax increment increased 509%, TOT increased 1,587% and sales tax increased 122%. The report was put together by the GQA and an MBA student consulting team from the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University (SDSU). Data was collected from the city of San Diego’s Treasurer’s Office and the county Assessor’s Office. A copy of the report is available by calling Brandy Shimabukuro, 233-5227 at the GQA office. Council approves construction of downtown quiet zone After a major effort that extended for many years the City Council on Tuesday 22 June approved the construction of the largest railroad quiet zone in the US. It will start on Laurel Street and extend to the end of the line in the train yards southeast of the convention center. Construction should start this summer and it should be complete in November of next year. The noise of the train horns was the number one complaint of residents and visitors in the downtown area near the train tracks. The cost of the project will be funded by CCDC. For additional information www.quietzonesd.info. Housing Commission to Run Winter Homeless Shelters The San Diego Housing Commission has been given authority to oversee the city’s two homeless winter shelters under an agreement approved by the San Diego Housing Authority. The main shelter will be in downtown and their other will be in the Midway District for veterans. The tent-like structures will be open from December through April. Downtown’s shelter will be able to accommodate up to 200 persons while the veterans shelter will handle up to 150. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) calls for the Housing Commission to manage the contracts awarded to nonprofit social service agencies to operate the winter shelters and city funded homeless programs. Under the MoU, the Housing Commission will receive the city’s allocation of $660,000 in federal Emergency Shelter Grant Funds along with $857,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding. The Housing Commission will continue to contribute up to $400,000 of its own funds. The combined funding of $1.9 million will also be used to operate the two emergency winter shelters; Cortez Hill Family Shelter, which provides emergency housing for up to 45 families or about 150 individuals; and the Neil Good Day Center in East Village, which offers homeless services such as laundry, mail, storage, and showers. The complete press release can be found at sdhc.org/uploadedfiles/media_center/news_releases/nrwintershelter.6.29.10.pdf Long Time Downtown Resident Elected Tijuana Mayor National City born Carlos Bustamante has won the Tijuana Mayor's race in the election held on Sunday 4 July. He owns a downtown San Diego condo where he lives much of the time and crosses the border almost daily. His political party the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has been in opposition since 2000 when they lost the presidential election after 70 years in power. The newly elected Mayor is 65 years old and speaks fluent English. He has a business degree from the University of San Diego. During the campaign he repeatedly stressed the economic ties between Tijuana and San Diego, and said he would fight to ease congestion at the border crossings. He came from behind to beat out his rival in the election by a fairly comfortable margin of 5%. More information can be found at www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/04/bustamante-appears-win-tijuana-mayoral-election. Mayor Unveils New Civic Center Plan Mayor Jerry Sanders is proposing construction of a new Civic Center that would cost less than $300million and save taxpayers $24million over 10 years and $232million over 50 years if the city redevelops the site instead of leasing expensive offsite office space as it now does. Mayor Sanders announced his proposal Thursday 24 June and said he will present it to the City Council’s rules committee and then to the full council. He will ask that the proposal be placed on the November general election ballot. If approved by the voters, construction would begin in January 2012 and be completed in 2014. Under the proposed plan a 19-story building immediately next to City Hall, where Golden Hall currently stands, would be built. The new facility would allow the city to consolidate city employees, who work all over downtown, into one building, negating the need for the city to continue paying $13million a year for leased office space and making necessary fixes to the current Civic Center that are projected to cost $37million over the next 10 years. The new Civic Center would contain a one-stop shop on the first level to give citizens direct access to city services, and expanded City Council chambers on the second level. The new chambers will have a seating capacity of 400, an increase of 43 percent from the existing chambers. The project also would have a 1.25-acre public plaza. The existing Civic Theatre would remain as is. More information can be found at www.sandiego.gov/mayor/agenda/cip/civiccenter.shtml. Council Action Moves Chargers Stadium Plan Forward The San Diego City Council approved spending $500,000, on Tuesday 22 June, to hire a consultant to study the viability of increasing downtown redevelopment funds, a step considered vital for the hopes of a downtown Chargers stadium. The study will help determine whether to increase the spending cap on CCDC the group that played key roles in building Horton Plaza and Petco Park. CCDC takes funds generated downtown and recycles them into further downtown development projects. Proponents support increasing the cap from $2.9 billion to $9 billion for further downtown redevelopment. The latest stadium pitch estimates cost between $700-800 million, $400-500 million expected from public funds. Opponents of the cap increase argue that funds should be diverted into the general fund, not to further downtown development. Mayor Jerry Sanders is among the supporters of the increased cap on CCDC funds. For additional information www.sandiego.gov/iba/pdf/10_54.pdf. Convention Center moves on Expansion Plans The San Diego Convention Center Corp. (SDCCC) has started the ball rolling on expanding their facility. It has launched the search for an architectural team to provide a design for the center expansion. They issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which will be followed by a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design of the expansion. A selection committee will oversee this process and make a recommendation to the SDCCC board of directors to approve the final contract. This process (RFQ & RFP) should take about five months. It will be followed by the SDCCC and the Unified Port District managing an 18-24 month Entitlement, Environmental Impact Review (EIR) and California Environmental Quality Act processes. Candidates for the design work will be instructed to consider the public’s input—much of it collected last year by the Mayor’s Citizen Task Force—that includes public accessibility to the waterfront, preservation or enhancement of public realm spaces along the waterfront, view corridors, environmental sustainability, functionality and cost. The convention center opened in November 1989 and an expansion was opened in 2001. Supporters of the new expansion proposal say the additional space is needed to keep such profitable events as Comic-Con from moving elsewhere. The firm that produces Comic-Con claims that they now require more space that is available at the San Diego Convention Center at this time. The proposed $750 million expansion would provide an additional 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a third ballroom, 100,000 square feet of meeting rooms and a new 500-room hotel behind the Convention Center. Total exhibitions space is now about 615,000 square feet. For further information www.sdccc.org/pressroom/details.cfm/newsid/175. New Central Courthouse Proposed The Superior Court of San Diego County is currently located in multiple facilities in the San Diego metropolitan area most of which are seriously outdated. The proposed project would replace the County Courthouse, the Family Courthouse, and the Madge Bradley Courthouse all in downtown San Diego. These buildings have been found to be unsafe, overcrowded, and inadequate for modern court operations. It also would bring downtown the small claims calendar from the Kearny Mesa courthouse. The proposed courthouse would provide the court's central court district with a full-service, consolidated facility for criminal, probate, family court, and small claims services. It would also provide an underground connection between the courthouse and the downtown county jail. At this time prisoners must be taken through the streets between the jail and the downtown courthouse. This project is fully funded under the recently approved California Senate Bill (SB) 1407 court construction program. The County of San Diego and the City of San Diego are in strong support of the project. The County and the court system have negotiated an equity exchange agreement that, subject to approval and environmental review, may provide the state with a site near the central downtown jail. The site in question is between West B, West C, Union and State Streets. It is often called the Stahlman Block. Project facts: * Courtrooms: 71Business Bank to Open New Downtown Office First Business Bank, which changed its name to Bank of Southern California on 28 June of this year, is opening a new office in downtown. The new branch will be located a few blocks north of the Gaslamp Quarter at 1620 Fifth Avenue. The bank also has offices in Del Mar, Carlsbad and Ramona and has $125 million in assets as of 31 March this year. Recurring Events Little Italy Association Meeting The Little Italy Association Board of Directors’ Meetings are open to the public. They discuss the Little Italy Association's general business, upcoming events and downtown issues. This monthly meeting is usually held on the first Tuesday at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Hall, 1654 State Street, from 8:30am-10am. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3 August. For more information www.littleitalysd.com/events.asp. Lunch & Learn Series The Downtown Sound Bites Speaker Series is held on the first Tuesday of every month from noon-1pm at the Sheila Hardin Downtown Information Center (DIC) in Horton Plaza. The DIC is located just above the CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody's. You are asked to bring your own lunch to this free event and then listen and learn from a variety of interesting speakers all of whom will approach issues that are important to downtown's future. A question and answer period will follow each presentation. The event sponsor is CCDC and further information can be found at www.ccdc.com. The next scheduled event in the series is on Tuesday 3 August and the featured speaker is to be determined. Coffee with CCDC The bi-monthly event that toggles between Thursday evening and Friday morning will resume on Friday 6 August at 8am at the Sheila Hardin Downtown Information Center in Horton Plaza. It is a good chance to learn what is happening with the redevelopment agency arm of the City of San Diego. It is held in all even numbered months. For more information www.ccdc.com. Horizons Downtown Book Club The Horizons Downtown Book Club will meet on Monday 20 September. The Club is taking a Summer break with the last meeting having been in May. The book to be discussed is to be determined. Everyone is welcome to the book club to facilitate a lively discussion. It meets in the Horizons South Tower Lounge, 510 First Avenue, at 7:30pm. It usually meets the third Monday of each month. For additional information Heather Forward, hhumblef@aol.com / Pat Getzel pbgetzel@cox.net. Critical Mass Monthly Bicycle Ride San Diego Critical Mass is a loosely affiliated group of over 700 bicycle riders that take over San Diego streets and public rights of way to conduct a group bike ride on the last Friday of every month. The group meets at the large fountain in Balboa Park in front of the Ruben H. Fleet Theatre / Science Center and the National History Museum at 7pm and participants should be prepared for up to 20 miles of riding. The ride may go in any direction from the fountain but usually goes through downtown. The next ride will be on Friday 30 July followed by Friday 27 August. Additional information at www.sdcriticalmass.com. Police Captain's Community Outreach Meeting The Commander of the San Diego Police Department's (SDPD) Central Division, Captain Mark Jones, holds a bimonthly meeting with the public to address problems and provide information on what the division is doing to keep us safe. The meeting is usually well attended and lasts about one and a half hours. The meeting is always on the fourth Tuesday of each odd numbered month at 5:30pm at the SDPD's Central Division Headquarters, 2501 Imperial Avenue. For additional information www.sandiego.gov/police/neighborhood/ccm.shtml. Free Downtown Tours Monthly Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Free Period & Tours On the third Thursday each month the MCA, 1100 Kettner Blvd, will open its doors from 5-7pm to the public to allow free admission. Visitors can browse anywhere in the museum on their own or join an organized tour that will begin at 5pm and 6pm. For additional information (858)454-3541 / www.mcasd.org. Sofia Hotel Downtown Walking Tours Each Saturday and Sunday the Sofia Hotel offers complimentary guided two mile walking tours of downtown that include the Gaslamp Quarter and the bay front area. The tours are open to all and not just guests of the hotel. No reservations are needed and the tours leave from the lobby of the hotel at 9am. The Sofia Hotel is at 150 West Broadway at the corner of Front Street. For additional information 234-9200. CCDC Downtown Bus Tours Free Downtown bus tours offer close-up views of downtown's unique neighborhoods and highlight recently completed and upcoming new projects. All tours begin at the Sheila Hardin Downtown Information Center, 193 Horton Plaza, just above the CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody's. Reservations are required, please call 235-2222 for reservations or further information. Masthead All items in this publication are the opinion of the writer of the piece. Any item without a named author is the responsibility of the editor. Any submissions for inclusion in this publication should be submitted to the editor via email within the body of a message (not as an attachment). All telephone numbers are in the 619 area code unless otherwise noted. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this publication please email the editor, Stan Marder stan@gaslampquarter.org. Editor, Stan Marder, smarder1@alum.ups.edu |