Measure I: Balboa Park & San Diego High School

image
Published: 04 Oct, 2016
1 min read

San Diego, CALIF.- Measure I regards the leasing of Balboa Park lands to San Diego High School. A "yes" vote would continue the lease of Balboa Park lands to San Diego High School, allowing the students and the campus to remain.

Approval of Measure I would authorize a new lease for the school and allow the use of park lands by the high school.

Proponents argue against displacing the school's students onto other campuses, as well as against the waste in tax money to find a new site and build a new school.

If Measure I does not pass, the 34 acres would return to the city for park use by 2024. The high school campus would likely be demolished.

Opponents argue the land should be reverted to public park uses, and find that there are a number of potential locations for San Diego High to rebuild on.

City Councilmember David Alvarez was a San Diego High attendee who remembers the frequent field trips to museums. Councilmember Alvarez argues students have the opportunity to appreciate Balboa Park's importance when their school is part of the park, and shapes its curriculum.

San Diego Unified has withheld an investment of $30 million for improvements to the campus until the leasing controversy is resolved. The school has occupied the southwestern corner of the park since 1882. In 1974, a lease was signed to legalize the high school's occupation of park lands.

You Might Also Like

Partisan chess game.
The Gerrymandering Fight is About Democracy -- But Not for the Reasons You Think
The Texas GOP made two significant moves in the last few months to enhance their chances in the 2026 midterms. The first made national headlines and provoked a Democratic Party response. The second has flown under the radar....
20 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
The U.S. has entered Day 22 of the latest government shutdown with no end in sight. As pundits expect it to surpass the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term, a new Gallup poll shows voters’ approval of Congress has plummeted in the last month. Yet, for congressional leaders, there isn’t any urgency to re-open the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries trade jabs back and forth in the media, but the blame game continues to be prioritized over solutions....
22 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read