|
Defending San Diego’s Historic Preservation Program
An Update and Our Thanks
By Bruce Coons
May/June 2026
Since announcing SOHO’s legal action following the City Council’s February 24, 2026, approval of the so-called Preservation and Progress Package A, we have been deeply moved by the extraordinary outpouring of support from our community.
Your generosity has made it possible for us to take the critical first step: filing our case and beginning the legal process to challenge a decision that disregarded environmental law, bypassed required analysis, and weakened long-standing protections for historic resources.
More than 600 written public comments were submitted on this proposal, with roughly twelve to one in opposition. Twenty-eight community planning groups voted against it, joined by preservation organizations citywide. The City’s own Historical Resources Board rejected it twice. Yet the Council moved forward.
When the public process fails, the courts become the forum of last resort.
With the help of our legal counsel, Susan Brandt-Hawley, one of California’s leading experts in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), SOHO is advancing a case that addresses serious deficiencies in the City’s actions. These laws exist to prevent irreversible harm to historic buildings, cultural resources, and neighborhoods. Upholding them is essential.
Because of your early support, we have been able to cover the initial costs of filing and launching this effort. For that, we are truly grateful.
As our case moves forward, however, the work and the expenses continue. Preparing the administrative record, court filings, expert review, and ongoing legal representation through hearings and potential appeals all require sustained resources over time.
At the same time, a second phase of the City’s Preservation and Progress program, Package B, is already taking shape. Early indications suggest it could negatively affect the Mills Act program, one of California’s most effective preservation tools, potentially reducing benefits or limiting existing and future contracts that help property owners maintain historic properties across San Diego.
For more than fifty years, Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) has worked successfully through collaboration, advocacy, and public engagement to protect the places that define our region. Litigation is not a step we take lightly, but when the law is set aside and historic places and neighborhoods are put at risk, it becomes necessary.
If you have already contributed to SOHO’s Legal Defense Fund, please accept our most sincere thanks. Your support is making this work possible.
For those who have been considering a contribution, we invite you to become part of this community effort as it continues. Every gift helps sustain our case and ensures that preservation laws are upheld.
Together, we are standing for San Diego’s historic places, and for the integrity of the laws that protect them. Thank you for helping strengthen SOHO’s efforts!
Contributions to SOHO are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
BACK to table of contents
|
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
|
