San Diego, CA
Opinion: City needs to have coherent rules on ‘transit-oriented’ projects
On March 7, 2023, as part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s 2022 Land Development Code Update, five San Diego City Council members voted to adopt the “Sustainable Development Area” (SDA) to apply to local San Diego zoning programs, including the Bonus ADU Program and Complete Communities. The council’s declaration that housing built up to a full mile from transit is “transit-oriented development” is unique to San Diego and unsupported by any academic or professional research.
Before the creation of the Sustainable Development Area, the city used Transit Priority Areas (TPAs) to define transit-oriented development. Transit Priority Areas were mapped as one-half mile from major transit stops “as the crow flies.” This measurement was always problematic because it didn’t consider natural or manmade barriers, including canyons and freeways, and resulted in real-world walking distances up to three miles from transit stops.
In 2022, the Planning Department finally acknowledged this absurdity and invented the Sustainable Development Area, which is one-mile walking distance from existing or planned transit, and declared this a reasonable walking distance for transit-oriented development (TOD). But the real motive for substituting the one-mile distance is not to increase transit use — which it doesn’t — but to preserve and even increase the area eligible for the Bonus ADU Program.
Neighbors For A Better San Diego shared research with our elected officials confirming that truly “walkable” transit is located no more than one-half mile unimpeded from a major transit stop.
We presented SANDAG data showing that 92% of San Diegans who use public transit walk a half-mile or less to a transit stop. We also proved that San Diego would be ineligible for most transit-oriented development grants, which limit walking distance to transit to one-half mile. Still, the City Council embraced the discredited definition of “transit-friendly” as being a full mile from a transit stop.
The city is two years into its blind commitment to the “Sustainable Development Area.” Roughly half of permitted Bonus ADU projects are located more than a half-mile from transit, which makes their residents vehicle dependent.
And this one-mile-from-transit SDA policy is totally at odds with state and local definitions of transit-oriented development.
For example, California ADU Code 66322 prohibits local entities from requiring parking for tenants “where the accessory dwelling unit is located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit.” Clearly this establishes that the state considers one-half mile walking distance the appropriate measure of transit-oriented development.
To be eligible for California’s Transit-Oriented Housing Development Program, a project must be “within one-half mile from a Qualifying Transit Station… along a walkable route. The walkable route… shall be free of negative environmental conditions that deter pedestrian circulation, such as barriers; stretches without sidewalks or walking paths; noisy vehicular tunnels; streets, arterials or highways without regulated crossings that facilitate pedestrian movement; stretches without shade or cover; or stretches without lighted streets.”
In addition, San Diego adopted the following definition for transit access in its 2022 Transportation Study Manual:
“Access to transit is defined as transit being located within a reasonable walking distance (½ mile) from the project driveway.”
Finally, San Diego’s Draft 2024 Edition Street Design Manual defines Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) as 2,000 feet (0.38 miles) from transit:
“A mixed-used [sic] community within a typical 2,000-foot (600 m) walking distance of a transit stop and core commercial area. The design, configuration, and mix of uses emphasize a pedestrian-oriented environment and reinforce the use of public transportation without ignoring the role of the automobile.”
San Diego’s Transportation Study and Street Design Manuals concur that transit-oriented development is one-half mile or less from transit. This undermines the Planning Department’s unsupported contention that one-mile walking distance from existing or planned transit qualifies as transit-oriented development.
That’s why the bogus “Sustainable Development Area” should be deleted from San Diego Municipal Code. Instead, the “Transit Priority Area” should be updated to one-half mile walking distance from existing transit as the appropriate measure of transit-oriented development, consistent with city of San Diego, California, national and international standards, and plain old common sense!
Givot is vice chair of Neighbors For A Better San Diego and lives in El Cerrito.
San Diego, CA
San Diego County Gun Owners PAC gives reaction to latest shooting death by ICE
The San Diego County Gun Owners PAC (Political Action Committee) calls the fatal shooting of Minnesota man Alex Pretti by ICE agents “tragic and deeply troubling.”
The executive director of that organization, Michael Schwartz, told NBC 7 he’s calling for full transparency and due process moving forward.
“Both sides, Mr. Pretti and whoever the border agent was involved in the shooting, deserve a thorough investigation,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz says gun owners are loyal to principles, not parties, and believes it’s important to not turn Alex Pretti’s death into a political narrative.
“The Second Amendment has never been a Republican, Democratic or Libertarian or Green or any party issues, it’s nonpartisan. When people no matter their party do something to support the Second Amendment, we sing their praises and when they do something against it, we harshly condemn them. You saw that in this case, you saw Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association quickly come out with statements that were bashing certain Trump Administration officials and saying, hey we need to investigate this shooting,” Schwartz said.
On Tuesday, when talking about the most recent deadly ICE shooting in Minnesota, President Donald Trump said, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns.”
Schwartz disagrees with what the Trump Administration has recently said about those legally carrying a firearm.
“I am completely opposed to some of the statements by Trump employees, like Kash Patel and others, who implied that somehow being a concealed carry permit holder somehow makes you more dangerous to law enforcement or implies that you’re a criminal,” Schwartz said.
According to Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, strict regulating of public carry laws are associated with lower rates of firearm crimes. Schwartz believes the rise of physical interactions between citizens and ICE might provide an opportunity.
“I think law enforcement needs to be better educated on who a concealed carry permit holder is. The fact that they go through a background check and training and the fact that as a group they tend to commit fewer crimes than the general public. Educating on who they are and what their motivation is is important to all levels of law enforcement,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz says gun rights advocates have been concerned with government overreach for decades surrounding the Second Amendment and will be closely following how current events play out.
While California has some of the most restrictive gun carry laws in the nation, it’s interesting to note that San Diego County has gone from 11,000 carry permits to over 26,000 in last seven years.
San Diego, CA
Investigation underway after person shot, injured by Escondido police
An investigation is underway after one person was shot and injured by an Escondido Police officer early Tuesday.
Police were called to a transitional house on the 100 block of S Elm Street, on reports of a man who cut himself and was armed with a knife, San Diego Police Homicide Lt. Lou Maggi said.
Police tried to negotiate with the man, who then barricaded himself inside a bathroom. Officers then left to try to de-escalate the situation, Maggi said.
Police were called again after the man had left the bathroom and was roaming the outside of the property. A K-9 officer arrived to find the man in an alleyway with a “24-inch stick.” After multiple calls from the officer to drop the weapon, the man then charged at the officer, prompting the officer to shoot the man, Maggi said.
The man was shot multiple times and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The Escondido officer involved in the shooting was not injured.
Neither the man nor the officer has been identified at this time.
The other residents at the transitional housing were safely evacuated.
The San Diego Police Department is investigating the incident per a memorandum of understanding that prevents law enforcement agencies from investigating use-of-force cases involving their own officers.
Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.
San Diego, CA
55-year-old Lakeside school employee arrested on child sex abuse charges
Authorities arrested a 55-year-old Lakeside Union School District employee for child sexual abuse charges on Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
The department announced on Monday that back on Sept. 8, 2025, they received information regarding allegations of sexual abuse on a minor by 55-year-old Kent Cable. Detectives working with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Child Abuse Unit (CAU) stepped up to take over the investigation and did a follow-up.
Following the investigation’s completion, detectives said they had probable cause to believe Cable was in violation of three counts of sexual penetration with a child 10 years of age or younger, and four counts of lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14 years of age.
Cable was arrested on those charges and booked into the San Diego Central Jail on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Cable was employed by the Lakeside Union School District in a non-teaching role, the sheriff’s office added.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Child Abuse Unit at 858-285-6222 or after hours at 858-868-3200. You can remain anonymous by calling San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
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