ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE
The City of San Diego has 1.4M people and 52 neighborhoods. Livability and affordability had kept this city mellow since WWII. Lightly urban. Great burbs.
This has changed. It's less livable, less affordable. Less mellow. More urban. More tall buildings. High rents. Single family home zoning is over.
Less of a paradise.
San Diego has great weather but young people have fewer choices. The message is clear, urban = permanent renter, no green spaces, no cars. Married? Kids? That's a tough choice.
"Complete Communities" promotes 1-2 people living in a 440 sqft apartment, commuting 15 minutes to their jobs by public transportation or bicycle.
Locals are pushing back. We protest and tell city leaders when new policies are too much. Life is about balance.
For more easy to read stories about San Diego, click on the little box in the upper right to see the topics.
Want to become an armchair activist? Share this website link with family and friends, the mayor, and the president of the city council. mayortoddgloria@sandiego.gov, joelacava@sandiego.gov
Got a story? I want to hear from you! @TootsTells
Summer of '26, the high bacteria count at the ocean and Mission Bay poses a health issue and 50% of MB public bathrooms are closed
4th of July '26 was hot! People cooled off in the ocean and Mission Bay. The city waited until 7/07 to report water contamination. COUNTY CLOSED BEACHES 8/1/26. :(
https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/beach-advisories/
Mayor Gloria,
The City of San Diego is spread out. The reasons why people drive vehicles more than they take buses and trolleys:
a) there's no service near them or its unavailable when they need it,
b) they don't have the time to use a bus,
c) they need to transport things, or go somewhere at odd hours.
Complete Communities is not providing affordable housing. High-rise luxury apartments are not a solution. Studios and ADUs are not a solution.
As the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, you know mayors from throughout the US. Someone could have a better housing solution than CC.
Cordially,
Toots Tells
Summer 2026
Mayor Gloria,
San Diego is not a bicycle-friendly city. Streets are in poor condition. Bike lanes do not exist throughout neighborhoods, let alone connect to other areas.
It's unreasonable to expect us to take children to school and to after school sports on bicycles. We can't bicycle to our jobs, to grocery stores, and to medical appointments. We won't bicycle to the Sports Arena.
We drive vehicles because trolleys and buses aren't everywhere, and where they do exist the stops are not every block or so. Buses don't run 24/7/365.
We don't expect City council members to ride a bicycle to work. But if they rode the trolley to city hall, this would save the city (now in a fiscal crisis) $1.5 million on their parking fees, and would reduce greenhouse emissions.
Cordially,
Toots Tells
Summer 2026
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Shelter Island fishing pier, no permit required. People can keep and eat what they catch if the fish meets the size limit.
Mission Valley traffic 9 pm on a weekday in winter, 6 miles east of Ocean Beach. Not tourist season.
Mission Beach, Mission Blvd, a weekday in summer
Cars headed to the coast in tourist season, the I-8
Turquoise St, Pacific Beach, a few blocks from Tourmaline Surf Beach. This 2-lane street is where the developer Kalonymus wants to build a 23-story Airbnb hotel & luxury apartment tower. The neighbors are opposed. The street is 400% over traffic capacity and near three schools. (Read more: Fight the Turquoise Tower section)
SAN DIEGO TOURISM FEATURES WATER -- WHAT'S THE POINT IF THE WATER IS CONTAMINATED?
TRIP ADVISOR https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g60750-a_contentId.126414734358+14161074636-San_Diego_California.html
SAN DIEGO TOURISM: https://www.sandiego.org
COSTCO TRAVEL SAN DIEGO https://www.costcotravel.com/Vacation-Packages/California/San-Diego
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SAN DIEGO https://www.southwest.com/vacations/destinations/san-diego/
TRAVEL AND LEISURE SAN DIEGO https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-diego-ca-travel-8557070
SAN DIEGO SURF BEACH CAMS https://thesurfersview.com/live-cams/california/windansea-beach-cam-and-surf-report/
San Diego water sports: sailing, jet skis, swimming, SUP, surfing, bodysurfing
RIDE A BICYCLE! RISK YOUR LIFE!