On Tuesday, June 3, San Diego voters will weigh in on Propositions B and C -- a set of community plan updates for Barrio Logan already passed by the San Diego City Council last year.
Prop B would create a buffer between residential and industrial land use, separating neighborhoods and schools from the the community's shipyards. Prop C would amend the Ordinances to allow for the implementation of the Barrio Logan Community Plan, so votes for or against the propositions are typically aligned.
A "Yes Vote" would implement the approved Barrio Logan Community Plan
- Improve health and air quality for children in Barrio Logan, who are three times as likely to visit the ER from asthma-related symptoms
- Creates a buffer zone between heavy industry and chemical-use facilities and neighborhoods
- Protects existing businesses and home owners by including a Grandfather clause
- Creates 5,000 jobs due to the increase in industrial and commercial acreage
A "No Vote" Would strike down the approved Barrio Logan Community Plan
- Increases overall damages from greenhouse gasses because of proposed neighborhood's proximity to the I-5 freeway and expected population growth
- Threatens expansion of San Diego's Shipyard industry in Barrio Logan
- Increases costs for the shipyard industry in Barrio Logan by potentially restricting hours of operation for shipbuilders and ship maintenance facilities
While the Barrio Logan Community Plan passed a City Council vote, opponents waged a well-funded campaign to put the issue to a city-wide vote.
In this conflict between neighborhood well-being and economic interest, those in favor Propositions B and C are concerned that the dangerous mix of land use threatens the health of all community members, especially children.
According to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, visits to the ER due to asthma-related health issues in Barrio Logan are nearly three times the county average.
Councilmember David Alvarez, who has experienced the effects of pollution first hand, openly supports the proposals.
“As a resident who grew up with asthma from polluted neighborhoods and who has family and friends working in the shipyards, I urge voters to support B and C to achieve our goals of protecting our children’s health while allowing our economy to grow.” Opponents of the Barrio Logan Community Plan, however, are concerned that these buffer zones could mark the beginning of the end for the shipping industry in the area.
Chris Wahl, spokesman for Shipyards industry executives, acknowledges the need to separate land use, "but it can’t be at the expense of the shipyards and their future,” he argues.
Ballot language goes so far as to call the plan "a dangerous first step toward elimination of San Diego's shipyards," KPBS reports, to which proponents have disputed.
“We don’t want to encroach on industry cause those jobs are good jobs and we want to keep them," Alvarez points out, citing the inclusion of a Grandfather clause aimed to allow businesses and homeowners to keep their property, although it prevents them from expanding.
If passed, Proposition B and Proposition C will be the first community plan update for Barrio Logan since 1978.
The primary election will be on June 3.
Photo Source: Voice of San Diego and Healthy San Diego