The analysis concluded that the current facility, built in 1958, does not support the growing city staff and modern standards. Four city departments are currently operating outside the single-story building, working from two nearby trailers.
Expansion for the La Mesa Civic Center has been one step forward, two steps back for more than two decades.
However, the city will be taking yet another step forward with a brand new City Hall and a resolution to expand the La Mesa Library.
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According to an August Space Needs Analysis, the city expects to break ground on a brand-new city hall in spring 2029, with an anticipated opening date of spring 2031. The analysis concluded that the current facility, built in 1958, does not support the growing city staff and modern standards.
Four city departments are currently operating outside the single-story building, working from two nearby trailers.
The library has been operating out of a “temporary” space since 2008, when the city tore down the old, smaller library to build a new police station that is still in use today.
In addition to a new two-story City Hall, the analysis also blueprinted a parking structure, residential apartments and an expansion of the library into the post office.
‘Delays’ are not part of the equation
City Manager Greg Humora has become an expert on the 25-year history of Civic Center redevelopment, and says “delays” are not part of the equation.
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“It’s been going on for quite some time, and I’m happy to tell the story,” Humora said. “I know people get very passionate and concerned, and it’s never fast enough. It’s never fast enough for me, either. But there are steps that we have to go through. Not everything is under our control. And we’re trying to make do as fast as we can, and the city council has been super supportive.”
Discussions on Civic Center facility limitations began in 2000, as outlined by a March 2000 master plan, when the city began to evaluate space usage of abandoned buildings.
In 2004, Proposition D was passed in La Mesa, which provided a $25 million bond to upgrade the fire and police departments – a massive overhaul.
A temporary fire station was built in the abandoned Helix Water District while a new station, administrative building and Emergency Operations Center were constructed over the old fire department site. A new, temporary library was built nearby while the old, smaller library was demolished and the new police department was built over it.
Due to state requirements, slow contracts, state/county funding issues and developer partner lawsuits, the affordable housing apartment building atop the old police site just opened for residents this past July — a full 15 years after the new police department opened.
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Getting around to the city hall and library needs
While new facilities for the fire and police departments were completed in 2006 and 2010, respectively, expansions and redevelopments for City Hall and the La Mesa Library are just now getting underway.
“So, it took us quite some time to get back settled on our feet, where we’re able to get back working on the Civic Center, this part of it,” Humora said. “And so now we’re on the next phase, since all that other stuff is done and taken care of.”
City Hall redevelopment is still in the planning phase, with a projected cost of $35.7 million and proposals to add more conference rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms, storage and office space.
The proposed Civic Center redevelopment map, from page 10 of the Space Needs Analysis. (Photo courtesy HMC Architects)
The current plan also includes the relocation of the post office to a smaller, attached space, which would allow the library to expand into the post office space currently attached to their building.
This proposed relocation comes after the city council approved the library’s expansion into the post office in 2023, the cheapest of three redevelopment outlines presented by the Library Task Force. However, the post office has not yet agreed to move, and expansions for the library cannot begin until City Hall construction has been completed.
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As a result, the La Mesa Library community is passionate about the subject, yet grateful fo the city’s transparency.
“I appreciate [the city’s] willingness to listen and to consider the idea of a larger library,” said Sheila Dowe, a volunteer at the Friends of La Mesa Library Bookstore.
“And I would love for the library to be renovated at the same time, like concurrently. Because, as it stands now, the library will wait until the Civic Center. I didn’t know how old the Civic Center is, but it would be great if we could have the library a little bit sooner.”
Sheila Dowe has been volunteering at the Friends of the La Mesa Library Bookstore for five years. (Photo by Calista Stocker/Times of San Diego)
As approved by the La Mesa City Council in 2021, a Library Task Force was created to explore expansion options for the library.
The Task Force concluded in early 2022 and presented its Library Needs Analysis and Library Feasibility Study to the City Council, which outlined three potential options for expansion.
In July 2023, the city council approved option number 2 to renovate the interior library space and expand into the attached post office, adding 6,395 square feet. At a price tag of nearly $5.9 million, this was the cheapest option compared to vertical expansion or the construction of a brand new library facility.
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La Mesa Library gets solid traffic
Given that the La Mesa Library is the fourth most visited library in San Diego County, some patrons are unhappy with the council’s decision.
However, Humora says that going back on the decision is unlikely, unless the post office refuses relocation and the city council changes its mind.
“Given the statistics we just heard that this is one of the most used libraries in the whole county system, why do we have to live with a second-hand kind of building and convert it to be a library?” Jack Shu asked at a Friends of the La Mesa Library community meeting.
“I want a library that looks like a library, with buildings and structures that are designed in that fashion, because that’s how libraries really work. Not making a multi-purpose building converted into a library-type space, which architecturally just doesn’t work very well.”
The La Mesa Library hosts many accessible community events, from daytime concerts to crafting, but does not currently have any study spaces, community rooms or multipurpose rooms.
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“The La Mesa Library is consistently standing room only for events, and many programs ‘book out’ within an hour of registration opening due to lack of space,” said Leslie Stump, co-chair of publicity and promotions for the Friends of La Mesa Library. “Some programs and community partnerships have had to be turned away or postponed simply because the current facility cannot accommodate them.”
While volunteer Dowe would love a new library, she hopes that any expansion will bring these much-needed spaces.
“I would love to get a bigger area for the bookstore,” she said. “All the money we bring in goes to the library, so the more we can make, the more we can donate. So, I’d love a bigger space for that. For the unhoused, [it would] be nice to have a couple of long tables where people could sit, maybe play games.”
Beyond space maximization and usefulness, the community generally wants to see the library continue to be an inviting and creative third space.
The same goes for City Hall. Humora says it will be.
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“If you look at this current City Hall, I believe it’s a mid-century modern architectural style. It’s kind of like a house… So it’s low, one story, tall roofs, but it’s inviting. It has a nice door in the front. The lobbies are a really good space,” Humora said.
“And we wanted the public to feel invited, still. We still wanted it to feel like a home. No one wants to come to city hall, but if you have to come to city Hall, we want it to be an inviting place where people can conduct business, feel comfortable, and then the employees have a nice space, too.”
Help needed to get projects paper and into the ground
To get the City Hall and library redevelopment projects off paper and on the ground, Humora said he needs everyone’s help.
“So far, we’ve gotten everyone’s help by passing Proposition D back in 2004,” he said. “The community was a big help by passing Proposition L renewal in November, that passed by 81%. That’s our three-quarter-cent sales tax that keeps our funding stable, so we’re able to proceed and move forward with projects like this.”
However, there are still a lot of unknowns, as the city looks to potentially expand the parking district and increase meter rates to offset project costs, and building affordable housing on the Civic Center site. Nothing has been set in stone yet.
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“Those are puzzles we need to figure out still,” Humora said. “But again, we’re lucky. We have land. None of the existing library parking would be impacted during that construction. They’ve got Allison Avenue open, there’s parking next to the library, none of that would be touched … There’s ways to maneuver the puzzle around.”
To stay updated on the progress of the Civic Center redevelopment, Humora recommends checking the city’s website and signing up for their biweekly newsletter.
Padres roster review: Miguel Andujar – San Diego Union-Tribune
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MIGUEL ANDUJAR
Position(s): Third base, left field, first base
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 31
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 211 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in February 2026
Contract status: Will make $1.5 million in 2026, with the opportunity to earn another $2 million-plus in performance bonuses; his $4 million guarantee includes a $2.5 million buyout against an $8 million mutual option for 2027.
.986 — Andujar’s OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, the second-highest mark of his career and well above his career .807 OPS against southpaws. Andujar had been below .600 in 2021 and 2022 before jumping to .871 in 2023 and a career-high .995 in 2024.
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Up — Signed for $700,000 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in the international amateur market, Andujar needed two years to get out of the Yankees’ rookie-ball affiliate in the Gulf Coast League and finally cracked top-100 lists ahead of the 2018 season — No. 59 at Baseball America and No. 65 at MLB.com — after reaching Triple-A following a 16-homer season (.850 OPS). Andujar even made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in 2017 and looked like he’d be a big part of the Yankees’ future after pairing 27 homers and 92 RBIs with an .855 OPS in finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018. But a right shoulder labrum tear derailed Andujar in 2019 and Andujar was never able to grab a starting job again in New York. The Pirates claimed him late in 2022 and then the Athletics claimed him after the 2023 season. By then, he’d developed into a platoon player with defensive limitations. Andujar had a .697 OPS in 75 games in his first year with the Athletics and a .765 OPS in 60 games last year when, after missing time with a right oblique strain, he was shipped to the Reds for a minor league pitcher. Andujar went on to hit .359/.400/.544 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games to help the Reds lock up a wild-card spot. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in the NL Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.
Miguel Andujar #41 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2026 OUTLOOK
The need for right-handed balance in the lineup was painfully obvious in the Padres’ NL Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs, so Andujar became a target after 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn walked as a free agent. Expect Andujar to get at-bats against lefties as either a DH, first base, third base or left field — the spots he’s been playing in spring training.
Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, California, a decision announced Tuesday by the Vatican after the bishop was arrested on embezzlement charges. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said last week it had arrested Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta on Thursday at San Diego International Airport as he tried to leave the country, reports the AP. The office said it acted after someone from Shaleta’s church provided a statement and documentation “showing potential embezzlement from the church.” Shaleta was being held on $125,000 bail on eight counts of embezzlement, money laundering, and aggravated white collar crime, the statement said. Shaleta pleaded not guilty on Monday, reports NBC San Diego.
“He was on his way to Germany,” prosecutor Joel Madero said. “Given his access to funds, the fact that he had over $9,000 in the bag when he was stopped, and the fact that he has these international ties … I do believe that some bail to ensure he shows up is appropriate.” There was no immediate reply to an email sent to Shaleta’s parish, St. Peter Chaldean Church, seeking comment and contact information for his attorney. The Vatican said in its daily bulletin Tuesday that Leo had accepted Shaleta’s resignation under the code of canon law for eastern rite churches that allows for the pope to agree if a bishop asks to step down.
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Leo actually accepted the resignation when Shaleta presented it in February, but an announcement was not made until Tuesday, according to the Vatican embassy in Washington. The Holy See appears to have waited to announce the decision to avoid interfering with the police investigation. Leo named Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop as a temporary administrator. Shaleta, 69, was ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Detroit in 1984. He was named to the San Diego branch of the eastern rite Catholic Church in the US in 2017.
36.9 — The percentage of groundballs that Márquez yielded in 2025, a career low and significantly below his career average (48%). Márquez’s groundball rate was regularly above 50% before requiring Tommy John surgery in early 2023. He made one start in 2024 and struggled mightily while making 26 starts last year.
TRENDING
Down — Márquez had a 4.40 ERA through his first seven years in the majors, not bad considering he pitched roughly half his games at one of the best hitting environments in the majors. In fact, Márquez has a 5.17 ERA in his career at Coors Field and a 4.22 ERA in road environments. But Márquez underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023, made one start in the majors in mid-July in 2024 (4 IP, 3 ER) and struggled throughout his first full year back in the Rockies rotation. The season was so difficult for Márquez that he was actually worse on the road (7.32 ERA) than he was in 11 starts at Coors Field (5.98 ERA). His strikeout rate (5.9 per nine innings) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.73) were the worst of his careers, as was his walk rate (3.4 per nine innings), while his hit rate (12.0 per nine innings) was the second worst of his career. On top of that, Márquez’s groundball rate was also the lowest of his career (see stat to note) and ranked in the bottom 22nd percentile of the league and his hard-hit rate (48.5%) and average exit velocity (91.7 mph) both ranked in the bottom 2 percentile of the league. One reason: a 94.8 mph four-seamer is down a few ticks than the height of his effectiveness. Márquez reached free agency after the season and signed with the Padres in February.
2026 OUTLOOK
Márquez has a big-league deal with the Padres, but he’ll have to rediscover his pre-elbow-reconstruction form to hold onto a roster spot, as RHP Griffin Canning (Achilles) is expected to push for a spot at some point this season and the likes of LHP JP Sears, RHP Matt Waldron and minor league signees like Marco Gonzales could warrant looks if Márquez’s struggles continue into 2026.
German Marquez #33 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
