Throughout the year, there are some waterfront parks in San Diego County that don’t get the kind of attention that the more popular, well-known ones enjoy, like those near the Embarcadero and at Spanish Landing.
The Port of San Diego is trying to remedy that, and it took a step in that direction Saturday with a special “A Day at the Park” event devoted exclusively to César Chávez Park, where community turned out to watch multi-cultural performers, partake in free food, and learn about local resources available to them. Last year marked the first time such an event was held at the park.
Port officials had a booth of their own in hopes of soliciting ideas from local residents on what kind of improvements they’d like to see at the park.
While the bayfront park has a commanding view of the water and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, it’s also located in an area surrounded by industrial and vehicle pollution. Barrio Logan residents have long lobbied for more parks and cleaner air.
“One of our primary goals as a community is to activate green spaces,” said Olympia Beltrán, a Logan Heights resident and a leader of Yaquis of Southern California who came in of a group of Native American performers, the Soaring Eagles, who led off the day’s lineup of entertainment. “As you can see, this park is juxtaposed to shipyards and distribution industries, so activating green spaces is not only a priority for our mental health but also our physical well-being.”
“This was a hard-won battle to actually have this park, so to draw attention to it and encourage our elected leadership to invest money, I can’t say enough.”
The Port of San Diego is planning to make further improvements to the park in the coming years, but first needs from the community. Pepper Park in National City, also on state tidelands overseen by the port, is currently getting a refresh, including a new splash zone, said port Parks and Recreation Director Larry Hofreiter. But the Day at the Park series has a much more focused purpose, he said.
“We found that there are a lot of special events that come to San Diego but they tend to focus on the bigger parks in San Diego because of infrastructure and hotels, so we also want to make sure the nearby residents can enjoy their parks in their communities and that there are events to bring their community together.”
Port staff said it believes as many as 750 people turned out Saturday, less than last year, likely because of thunder and lightning and unstable weather.
“This is our second year out here,” said Luis Lechuga, 34 of Barrio Logan, who was at the park with his wife, Nancy, and three daughters, ages 3, 4 and 6. “We come out here for all the entertainment, games for the little ones, free food. This is all about community.”
As for future park improvements, Lechuga said he told port representatives that he’d like to see more family-friendly amenities like additional seating, playground equipment and a splash zone.
Port Commissioner Danielle Moore, who chairs the seven-member board, said she is a big fan of what’s known as the Tidelands Activation Program because it’s so focused on showcasing under-utilized parks for local communities.
“Through this program, we can open the gates to our parks and transform them into these lively spaces where we have families, neighbors, and visitors all come together to celebrate and create memories within this space,” she said in an interview. “It’s an excuse to come together, particularly in spaces where people might not be visiting frequently.”
