When you think of museums in San Diego, Balboa Park probably comes to mind; it’s home to 18 of them.
But this year, for the first time in San Diego Museum Month’s 35-year history, it’s no longer confined to the United States.
It’s gone south of the border, to include museums and cultural institutions in Tijuana, including the Museo de Historia de Tijuana, the Tijuana History Museum. The multi-story museum opened in 2010.
“We have videos (in the museum). We also have the archive of the history of Tijuana, which the citizens can also come and investigate anything they would like to know about the city from the beginning, and also our binational history from San Diego to Tijuana,” said Daniela De Leon, the binational liaison for arts and culture for the city of Tijuana.
Advertisement
It tells the story of our neighbor to the south in many ways — from the history of sports, to the development of the city, to its music.
An exhibit featuring famous musicians from Tijuana, including their hands set in plaster, is shown at the Tijuana History Museum on Feb. 13, 2024.
One new display shows the different kinds of music that have found a home and flourished in Tijuana. Included are not only the pictures of musicians, but also their hands cast in plaster; the modus operandi of music making.
The history museum is one of eight museums in Tijuana that are participating in San Diego Museum Month.
“You have CECUT, they have like different sites in the development, it’s also El Cubo — that’s one of the spaces, it’s like contemporary art and then you have the aquarium. You also have the Museum of Las Californias, you have theater there also,” Berenice Martinez said.
Berenice Martinez is shown inside the Tijuana Historical Museum on Feb. 13, 2024.
The Tijuana native, who teaches graphic design at Xochicalco University, is steeped in the arts and culture scene south of the border. She said the addition of hercity’s museums dovetails nicely with the fact that the San Diego/Tijuana region is the World Design Capital for 2024.
Advertisement
The World Design Organization selects cities for the honor every two years. The San Diego/Tijuana region is the first binational World Design Capital in the program’s history. On its website, the WDO says the selection was a result of the region’s “commitment of human-centred design and legacy of cross-border collaboration.”
“I heard about World Design Capital and saw it as the perfect opportunity to start incorporating those museums with our museums to make San Diego a cultural destination,” said San Diego Museum Council Executive Director Bob Lehman.
KPBS interviewed Lehman outside the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum on 3rd Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter.
The front of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum in the Gaslamp Quarter is shown on February 13, 2024.
The building itself is part of the story of Chinese people in San Diego.
“There was a lot of evangelization of the Chinese immigrants in the early 1900s, and so this building was built to house them in the back,” said museum Executive Director Jacinta Wong.
Advertisement
Jacinta Wong, executive director of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum is shown inside the museum on February 13, 2024.
Wong showed us around the museum, pointing out the stunning pieces of art.
“We’ve got donations of cloisonne and paper cuttings and you know textiles such as this beautiful dragon robe that we have here,” she said.
But there’s another kind of history here that is anything but beautiful.
“The Chinese are the only nationality, you know people, who are specifically listed on an act, a government act, the Chinese Exclusion Act. It’s the only one that was targeted against one specific population,” she said.
That population was largely excluded from society and its commerce. Wong said that’s how Chinese laundries came about, because it was a niche that wasn’t being filled.
Advertisement
A Chinese Dragon Robe is shown inside the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum in downtown San Diego on Feb. 13, 2024.
Various pieces of art are shown inside the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum in downtown San Diego on Feb. 13, 2024.
The Chinese Historical Museum is one of more than 60 institutions offering half-price admission for the month of February, with a San Diego Museum Month pass.
“Go to any of our 85 libraries all over the city and the county of San Diego and pick up a pass,” said Lehman, who added that they’re also available online, along with links to all the participating museums.
Four suspects were behind bars Friday for allegedly beating a man to death two months ago during a fight at Linda Vista Park.
Arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the violent death of 59-year-old Ruben Rimorin were Juan Garcia Alavez, 21, Juan Manuel Lopez, 26, Brian Reyes, 20, and Franklin Joseph Tuell, 21, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Rimorin was found gravely injured about 3:45 a.m. Oct. 18 on a sidewalk in the 6800 block of Osler Street, just west of the park, SDPD Lt. Chris Tivanian said. Paramedics tried in vain to revive the victim before pronouncing him dead at the scene.
It remains unclear what sparked the deadly fight.
Advertisement
The suspects were being held at San Diego Central Jail without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
National City’s Pepper Park can soon expand in size by nearly 50%, thanks to a ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission to approve the National City Balanced Plan.
The approval of the plan at the CCC’s Wednesday meeting, developed by the Port of San Diego, means that not only will the popular park have the ability to increase in size, big changes are coming for commercial, recreation and maritime uses on the National City bayfront.
“We are grateful to the California Coastal Commission for its support of the National City Balanced Plan,” said Danielle Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The progress we have made has been anchored in tireless collaboration with the community, business leaders and, of course, the city of National City. It’s about bringing more recreational opportunities to the bayfront while also streamlining and strengthening maritime operations, and we are eager to bring these projects to life.”
Other components of the balanced plan include:
Advertisement
Realigning Marina Way to serve as the buffer area between commercial recreation and maritime uses
The closure of Tidelands Avenue between Bay Marina Drive and West 32nd Street, and West 28th Street between Tidelands Avenue and Quay Avenue, around six acres, to increase terminal efficiency by eliminating redundancies
The development of a recreational vehicle park, tent sites, cabins and the “ultimate development of up to two hotels with up to 365 rooms, as well as dry boat storage,” a port statement read
A connector rail project to connect the existing rail and loop track located on the National City Marine Terminal to additional rail car storage spots at the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe National City Yard east of the National Distribution Center
The Board of Port Commissioners must accept the CCC’s certification, then the port and city can begin the process of completing the above projects.
“I am proud of the work we have done to help create a lasting legacy for National City, the Port of San Diego, and the entire region,” said Port Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab. “Nearly a decade in the making, this plan balances the interests of the community and many other stakeholders, addresses public access, maritime, and recreation uses, and expands waterfront access in my community.”
The National City Bayfront is 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water, and includes the National City Marine Terminal, Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Aquatic Center and pieces of public art.
Mayor Todd Gloria announced an initiative Wednesday intended to expand housing options in neighborhoods by integrating small-scale residences such as townhomes, rowhomes and cottages into an area’s existing character.
The Neighborhood Homes for All of Us initiative is also intended to support community land trusts — nonprofit organizations that acquire land to create permanent affordable housing.
“Since Day 1 of my administration, I have been focused on building more homes that San Diegans can actually afford — and getting them built faster,” Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday. “‘Neighborhood Homes for All of Us’ is the latest piece of that puzzle. This innovative program will break down the barriers that have gotten in the way of building the type of housing that I believe is ideal for young families and first-time homebuyers for whom the dream of homeownership has long felt out of reach.”
Around 80% of land zoned for housing in the city is restricted to single-family homes, which continue to increase in price, Gloria said. And a significant portion of new housing being built consists of apartment buildings with primarily studio and one-bedroom units, leaving working-class families fewer and fewer options for homes.
Advertisement
Neighborhood Homes for All of Us is intended to increase the housing supply and allow community land trusts to keep housing affordable in disadvantaged communities for low- to middle-income families.
“San Diego is an incredible place to raise a family, and more families need the opportunity to do that in San Diego’s existing, highly desirable single-family neighborhoods where their kids can learn and play in a great community,” City Planning Director Heidi Vonblum said. “But today, that comes at a price that is out of reach for too many. Integrating more options for families requires careful and thoughtful planning, with input from existing and future community members across the city, to ensure these new home opportunities for San Diego’s families are built in ways that best enhance and benefit San Diego’s amazing neighborhoods.”
The initiative will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, beginning this week and continuing through next summer, San Diegans can help determine what the neighborhoods can look like. The public will be able to see renderings showing small-scale neighborhood homes within San Diego’s existing communities, along with new regulations that “provide a clear pathway for building these homes,” according to a statement from Gloria’s office.
Phase 1 will also include an open house and ways for the community to provide feedback and concerns.
Phase 2, scheduled for the second half of 2026, will be for city staff to develop regulations allowing for the building of more neighborhood homes in a way informed by the public feedback.
Advertisement
The initiative is partly funded through a Regional Early Action Planning grant from the San Diego Association of Governments.
