children's park slightly less awful; we don't need no stinkin' platforms

ccdc has completed its enhancement of the children's park just north of harbor drive downtown. as you can see above, they've flattened out several of the (pointless) mounds that comprised the park, and removed many of the pine trees (pine trees in downtown san diego?) that had turned the park into a shady place, both literally and figuratively. one of the goals was to make the park less friendly to the homeless, and sure enough there was only one cart-pusher there when we visited today.

i know the city is cash-strapped, and it is an improvement, especially considering that they only had about 100K to work with. however, is ccdc hurting for cash? one wonders if more money could have been budgeted/raised to truly make a difference to this park. there's still no reason to come here, especially if you're a kid, except to maybe play in the fountains outside the grassy area. but with no park benches (again, to keep the homeless away), no playground equipment, dismal landscaping, the result is still zero character, and another essentially empty space. it's yet another disappointment from a port authority that's doled them out across san diego's harbor. one consolation: the ccdc wants your input on future parks downtown. well, just naming them.

speaking of the port authority, they've immediately stated their opposition to a proposal to place a platform on top of the 10th avenue marine terminal (shown below). the platform would potentially be used for a new chargers stadium or other mixed use. the authority's opposition is no surprise - they opposed a similar project in the late 90's for a new padre stadium, and generally don't seem to like it when anyone wants to mess with their property for the benefit of the public, rather than their bottom line.



except it's not their property, it's the taxpayers of the port district's property. and that's the beauty of this proposal - the backers plan an initiative asking the citizens of the five cities comprising the port district whether they want to amend the port's master plan to allow such a project. of course, the authority says the public has no authority to modify the plan, since the authority are trustees of the state land commission. to paraphrase cartman, "RESPECT MY PORT AUTHORITY!"

it's time for the public to stand up and take back their harbor, and voting yes on this proposed initiative would be a good start. the port authority is supposed to answer to the public, and yet has had the gall to put rental car lots on prime harbor-front land, walled off the bay from downtown with the convention center and marriott, and built disasters like the children's park above. san diego is a city that's finally coming of age with some interesting architecture and dining options, and yet it's still hindered by the same small-mindedness and lack of vision that's plagued this conservative city throughout its history. at the least, having to deal with an initiative that attempts to check the power of the port authority might make them realize whom they should be answering to.