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San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
Mayor Gloria Around Town
Mayor Gloria Around Town
Electric Truck Crosses Border
I spoke at a press conference marking a monumental leap in sustainability—the historic U.S.-Mexico border crossing of the first-ever Class 8 heavy-duty electric freight truck. In collaboration with SDG&E and Bali Express, this event marks a new era of eco-conscious transportation and a big step towards our goal for a greener future. The historic crossing of this electric freight truck symbolizes San Diego’s commitment to innovation, cross-border cooperation and our binational community.
Samsung Expands its Footprint in San Diego
A couple months ago, I led a trade mission to South Korea where we visited Samsung and other global tech companies to strengthen ties and encourage investment in bringing good jobs to San Diego. I was pleased to have the opportunity recently to help open Samsung's expanded footprint for semiconductors in our city. Every investment in San Diego goes a long way, and I appreciate all the companies who call us home.
An In-Depth Conversation with San Diego Latino Professionals
Thank you to the San Diego Latino Professionals for inviting me to their Fireside Chat! Our Latino community is an invaluable part of the fabric of our city. My administration will continue to do the work to amplify Latino voices and invest in this community.
Supporting San Diego Girl Scouts
It's Girl Scouts cookie season — and I got to hear the sales pitches from some of our local Girl Scouts! I love the cookies, but I love the business and goal-setting skills they learn even more. To all of our local Girl Scouts across San Diego: good luck this season!
Yes-In-God's-Backyard New Housing Project in Logan Heights
I joined Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) as they marked a significant milestone and broke ground on a new construction project in collaboration with Bethel AME Church of San Diego. This multifamily project will deliver 26 new homes on church property in Logan Heights, offering affordable housing to formerly homeless veterans and seniors. This development project is an innovative collaboration between philanthropic organizations, the faith community, the private sector, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the San Diego Housing Commission.
Kicking off the Holiday Season at Liberty Station
I got to help kick off the holiday season with a tree lighting alongside thousands of San Diegans at Liberty Station. Be sure to go to this exciting arts and entertainment district to shop local while you cross some names off your holiday list, check out the holiday decorations, enjoy live performances, eat great food or have some family fun on the ice-skating rink.
Kicking off the Holiday Season at the Festival of Trees
I was thrilled to stop by the third annual Festival of Trees in Hillcrest, which is the holiday kick-off event for the LGBTQ+ and allied communities. The annual event serves as a fundraiser for Being Alive, a San Diego nonprofit that provides AIDS and HIV services in San Diego. The Festival of Trees features professionally decorated, themed holiday trees that are auctioned off and delivered to winners’ homes.
Celebrating Our International Achievements
I had the opportunity to highlight my office’s international achievements over the past three years at the annual International Affairs Board Forum & Reception. I shared the work we’ve done through trade missions to places like South Korea and Mexico City. Establishing “Sister City” relationships and promoting San Diego in this increasingly globalized world is important to foster global economic partnerships that grow jobs and investments here at home.
Gyeonggi Governor Dong Yeon Kim
Our first meeting in South Korea was with Gyeonggi Governor Dong Yeon Kim. Gyeonggi province is known for its strong tech, manufacturing, and life science industries. I was proud to deliver a letter from Governor Gavin Newsom conveying California's interest in growing collaboration. To thank Governor Kim for welcoming us, we gave him a special San Diego gift: a signed Ha-Seong Kim Padres jersey! This year, MLB Opening Day will take place in Korea with the Padres taking on the Dodgers. We wanted to ensure he knew the right team to root for!
Food, Performances and Fun at the So Sarap Festival - Philippine Festival
Thanks to the Philippine Performing Arts Company, or PASACAT, for hosting the So Sarap! Philippine Festival! I was happy to take part in the festival and enjoyed delicious food and beautiful performances. I am proud to be San Diego’s first Fil-Am mayor and share our pinoy culture, traditions and history with our city.
Kicking off Dia de Los Muertos Celebration in Sherman Heights
The Sherman Heights Community Center’s Noche De Mole event marks the start of a three week-long Día de los Muertos celebration. Noche de Mole is a beloved annual tradition, and I was thrilled to attend for the third year in a row. This year, I added a photo of my Grandma Margarita to the community ofrenda. Honoring lost loved ones together is such a beautiful, community-building experience. The Día de los Muertos community altars are on view inside the Sherman Height’s Community Center through Nov. 2.
50th Anniversary Celebration for The San Diego LGBTQ Center
The San Diego LGBTQ Community Center is 50 years old! The Center has transformed over five decades from a single answering machine in a utility closet to one of the most vibrant and largest LGBTQ community centers in the nation. It is a critical resource for our region providing community programs and services our LGBTQ+ community depends on.
50 Years of the San Diego Press Club
I helped celebrate San Diego Press Club’s 50th Anniversary at their annual dinner and awards show that celebrates the best work in the San Diego news world. This year, the Press Club recognized the successful careers of two local icons, Diane Bell and Georgeanne Irvine, and bid farewell to Terry Williams, who’s retiring after 20 years as the club’s executive director. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Affordable Housing for Artists
I was thrilled to celebrate the opening of CoPlace’s new affordable artist housing development in Barrio Logan. The Monarch Artists Residence project turned shipping containers into 21 modular apartments located near a trolley stop. It's creative projects like these that will help us out of our housing crisis.
Mira Mesa Street Fair Fosters Sense of Community
I stopped by the Mira Mesa Street Fair, a great annual tradition that’s been running for more than 20 years. Thanks to the Mira Mesa Town Council for hosting this community event where neighbors enjoy entertainment, international food, children’s activities and booths by local artists and businesses. Events like these enliven neighborhoods and help foster a sense of connectedness and community.
Breaking Fast with UCSD Studetns for Yom Kippur
I was so honored to share in the breaking of the fast at the new Glickman Hillel Center at UC San Diego for Yom Kippur. This beautiful new community center gives UCSD students of Jewish faith a place to learn, grow and foster connections. It was so wonderful to see it filled during this important Jewish tradition.
Honoring San Diego's First Responders
I was proud to help honor the hard work of our first responders at the annual Police and Emergency Services Appreciation Night with the Pacific Beach Town Council. From the bottom of my heart, I thank our police, lifeguards, firefighters and park rangers for all they do daily to help make San Diego one of the safest big cities in America.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the Chicano Federation
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I had the honor of presenting a proclamation to the Chicano Federation at the “Celebrando Raices” event. We enjoyed food, drinks, music and cultural celebrations and the Chicano Federation updated attendees on the programs and services they provide to many of San Diego’s under-resourced communities.
Skills, Tech and Talent at the Miramar Air Show
I stopped by the Miramar Air Show, the largest military air show in the country. What a thrill to watch flyovers by the Navy’s Blue Angels, the Air Force’s F-16 Viper team, the Marine Corps’ F-35B, and other elite military teams. New to the beloved annual event this year was the Innovation and Tech Expo, which showcased the latest and greatest in aerospace technology, from cutting-edge drones to next-generation fighter jets.
Celebrating San Diego’s Pacific Islander Community
I had a great time celebrating the traditional cultures of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The Pacific Islander Festival held here in San Diego every year is the largest and longest running event on the mainland with the biggest Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander audience in the entire United States. The festival features music and traditional dance, arts and crafts booths, community resources and lots of amazing food. Cultural events like these are such a great reminder of how lucky San Diego is to be home to so many people who share their heritages and traditions from around the world with us.
Cross-Border Facility Serves 20 Millionth Binational Traveler
I visited our U.S.-Mexico border to help Cross Border Xpress (CBX) celebrate a significant milestone. The facility located in the Otay Mesa community of San Diego connects to the Tijuana airport via pedestrian bridge and just served its 20 millionth binational traveler. CBX, the only one of its kind in the world, helps boost our binational region’s economy and tourism. It’s also a great example of what we can get done through cross-border collaboration.
Recognizing Our Region's Changemakers
LEAD San Diego’s annual Visionary Awards bring together community leaders, business leaders, and elected officials to celebrate the organizations and people who power our city and region through innovation, collaboration and change-making leadership. Congratulations to this year’s awardees: Alan Ziter, Dr. Steven Jones, the USS Midway Museum, Dr. Nicholas Holmes and San Diego Wave FC. All those recognized have made meaningful, long-lasting impacts on our region and are working hard to move San Diego forward!
Celebrating the Communities of 92123
Neighbors and residents gathered to celebrate the fun fact that this Thursday’s date, 9/21/23, lines up with Serra Mesa, Birdland and part of Kearny Mesa’s zip code, 92123. Councilmember Raul Campillo and I issued a proclamation for “92123 Day,” a fun event that featured vendors, a photobooth, arts and craft activities and various carnival games. Residents also showed off their neighborhood memorabilia and swapped stories about why they love living in these unique San Diego neighborhoods.
Honoring Mexican Independence Day
I celebrated Mexican Independence Day alongside Consul General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez and food vendors, musical and dance performances and other exciting entertainment at El Grito de México en San Diego, an annual event led by the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. This cultural celebration recreates the call for independence from priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla that took place at dawn on September 16, 1810 and helped lead to Mexico’s independence.
Honoring our Fallen 9/11 Heroes
The San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb is a poignant annual tribute to the brave emergency workers lost in the September 11 attacks. Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, military personnel and other San Diegans join together every year to honor the memories of those lost. It was an honor to climb 110 flights of stairs – the same number as those in the twin towers – wearing the name of fallen firefighter Joseph Mascali.
Mourning K9 Officer Sir
San Diego is mourning the loss of K-9 Sir, a beloved canine officer who was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a shooter on the Mesa College Campus last month. I joined an intimate memorial for Sir alongside members of the San Diego Police Department’s Canine Unit and SDPD leadership to mourn this tragic loss and honor Sir’s service. Thank you for helping keep San Diego safe, Sir.
Returning Home for Clareimont Family Day
I grew up in Clairemont and enjoy returning to my old neighborhood for the festivities at the 34th annual Clairemont Family Day. I was proud to present a certificate to recognize the 2023 Clairemont Family Day Honoree, Tom Lamke, a former event chair and president of the South Clairemont Park and Recreation Council. Tom has been a longtime volunteer and community leader in Clairemont, and our community appreciates all he’s done to make the neighborhood an even greater place to live.
Honoring Labor Leader of the Year, Carol Kim
Every year, the John S. Lyons Memorial Banquet honors a labor leader for his or her commitment to working families and to our community. This year, the group named Carol Kim, business manager for San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, Labor Leader of the Year. Carol has been an advocate for working families and underserved communities for years and it’s great to see her get this much-deserved recognition.
Rady Children’s Hospital’s Historic Moment
I had the honor of joining Rady Children’s Hospital to break ground on a major new expansion project that includes a seven-story Intensive Care Unit/Emergency Services Pavilion, featuring an expanded emergency department; advanced pediatric, neonatal and cardiac intensive care units; and state-of-the-art operating rooms. This is part of the hospital’s largest transformation in its nearly 70-year history and will help the hospital continue its work serving San Diegans well into the future.
Remembering Ruth
I recently toured RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust, an exhibition currently on view at the Rancho San Diego Library. The exhibit is a curated by Sandy Scheller and is a beautiful remembrance of her mother Ruth, a Holocaust survivor. The County of San Diego Board of Supervisors funded the current exhibition, which will be on display through May 2024.
Getting to Know a Border NGO
I joined a local group of alumni from the University of Iowa to learn more about what the nonprofit VIA International does to serve migrants and other communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. I was excited to learn more about VIA International’s Via Barrio program, which helped to incubate and launch Pan Y Paz, San Diego’s first women-owned bakers’ cooperative. The City’s Economic Development Department has provided grants for VIA to purchase equipment and fund the marketing and overall development of the Pan y Paz as a collective business.
Meeting Our City's Solar Providers
I toured SOLV Energy’s San Diego headquarters and got to know more about how the solar services provider works with utility solar, high-voltage substation and energy storage markets across North America. The SOLV team is one of many local companies contributing to the clean energy movement and helping move the needle when it comes to combatting climate change.
Supporting San Diego Workers on Labor Day
On Labor Day, I dropped by a picket line to show my support for the Machinists Union Local 1484 Mercedes Benz technicians who have been on strike for over a year. Workers on strike are demanding an honest effort in negotiations and asking Mercedes Benz management to take their demands seriously so they can continue to operate as union factory-trained technicians.
Celebrating 70 Years of Small Business Support
The U.S. Small Business Administration in San Diego celebrated its 70th Anniversary, marking seven decades of small business support. San Diego’s small businesses community is such a vital part of our local economy. I'm so grateful to the Biden-Harris administration and to the SBA for providing funds during COVID-19, which were used here in San Diego to directly assist struggling small businesses across our city.
Honoring Labor Leader, Fahari Jeffers
I stopped by the new Fahari L. Jeffers Elementary School to talk about the legacy of Fahari Jeffers, who, along with her husband Ken Seaton-Msemaji, was an important part of the labor movement in San Diego in the early 1970s. I also talked about the importance of getting a good education and had the chance to speak directly with teachers, parents, students and community leaders.
Congratulating Our Future Public Servants
I was honored to join Councilmember Kent Lee and other community and business leaders to help congratulate and present certificates of recognition to the students who are part of the Alliance of Chinese Americans (ACA) civic engagement internship programs. ACA provides students with opportunities in civic engagement, such as internships with local government offices, independent projects for community services and more. The goal of the program is one I stand firmly and proudly behind: To inspire civic engagement and foster future leaders.
New Off-Leash Opportunity for Dogs in University Heights!
I joined Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field, San Diego School District Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson and other community leaders to celebrate the opening of a new off-leash dog park for University Heights. The University Heights community has long advocated for this park, since neither Birney Elementary Joint Use Field nor Old Trolley Barn Park allows dogs off-leash. This City-funded interim dog park on the school district headquarters lawn will remain in place until the school district vacates the site permanently to move to Kearny Mesa.
