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Talamantez is the secretary of the Barrio Logan Planning Group. Corrales is the Barrio Logan politician for the Environmental Health Coalition. Both live in Barrio Logan.
Barrio Logan is a crown jewel of San Diego. It is home to Chicano Park, a National Historic Landmark and the largest outdoor collection of Chicano murals in the world. It is a designated California cultural district, one of 14 in the state. It’s an economic engine for hundreds of local artists and small business owners. The predominantly Mexican-American community hosts festivals and ceremonies that draw thousands of visitors: Aztec dances, Día de los Muertos celebrations, low-rider cruises, and of course Chicano Park Day. The importance of Barrio Logan to San Diego, the region, and the nation is undeniable.
Barrio Logan’s long fight against environmental racism is less recognized. Due to the historically racist land-use policies that allowed toxic industries to enter the community, cancer risk is higher than 97 percent of the nation and child hospitalization rates for asthma are double the county’s average. In 2013, a council-approved update of the parish plan would have improved incompatible land uses. However, an industry-funded campaign defeated the plan through a referendum, undoing years of collaborative work and adding to a long history of injustice.
Like many polluted communities, Barrio Logan is systemically overlooked. The median income is $ 36,512 per year and 87 percent of the population is eligible for decreed affordable housing. Now this vulnerable community is fighting for their right to stay.
Adjacent to the East Village, near Petco Park, the potential for future land gains for speculators is palpable. Landlords who are already absent are taking advantage of the community’s decades of work to build a food and art district. In 2019 the popular Chicano Art Gallery was priced and closed. Shortly thereafter, the remaining Chicano-focused gallery La Bodega moved due to rent increases.
How do we protect the vibrant culture in Barrio Logan and the people who created it?
Since January, dozens of residents have attended meetings of the Barrio Logan community planning group to call for increased needs for affordable housing and anti-displacement measures in the current community plan update. Some of the guidelines they want are:
A higher proportion of affordable units in new development areas within the planning area than is required across the city.
Financial moving assistance for displaced families.
Protection against evictions without good reason, including the tenants’ right of return in the event of minimal rent increases if the units are fundamentally remodeled.
Right of first refusal for residents to rent new affordable apartments.
A community sales law policy that allows community organizations to negotiate exclusively with sellers for at least 30 days.
Policies like this have been shown to be effective in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland.
In response to the community’s intervention, the city has agreed to increase the need for affordable housing in parts of the planning area from 10 to 15 percent of the new units. However, Barrio Logan-specific studies have not been conducted, although local residents have repeatedly requested them. In the absence of data, it remains unclear whether a higher percentage could be justified.
The city is committed to developing anti-displacement protection for Barrio Logan. These safeguards must include those proposed by the community, and they need to be incorporated now as Barrio Logan can no longer wait to pass a plan that separates industry from residential buildings.
The community plan update should have been implemented almost a decade ago. These protective measures are long overdue. The plan considered by the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group in October must include the strongest measures possible.
With a new mayor and council this year prioritizing justice, we are optimistic that anti-displacement protection for Barrio Logan will include bold, progressive measures modeled on what has been achieved in other cities. The community that has endured decades of racist politics while creating a cultural gem for all San Diegan people deserves this. They deserve to reap whatever they have sown nicely.
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