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SOHO Joins the Newly Formed San Diego Community Coalition
July/August 2025
 Forty-five activists and leaders from communities all over San Diego met recently at Point Loma Assembly Hall to discuss protecting community character and our shared heritage against current attempts at overbuilding in our neighborhoods. |
 Among the community activists at the San Diego Community Coalition meeting were (left to right) Kate C, Frank G, Eric L, Bonnie K, Jim F, and Pete. Photos by Margaret Virissimo |
We are pleased to share that the SOHO board of directors has voted to join the newly formed San Diego Community Coalition, a growing alliance of community leaders and advocates united in protecting the character, safety, and livability of our neighborhoods.
This partnership reflects SOHO’s broader mission, which affirms that: “Through education, advocacy, and stewardship, SOHO’s mission is to preserve, promote, and support preservation of the architectural, cultural, and historical links and landmarks that contribute to the collective identity, depth, and character of our region.”
Since 1969, SOHO has worked to ensure that our built environment reflects not just our history, but our shared values and quality of life. This includes standing with residents when those values are threatened—whether by demolition of our historic places, overdevelopment that undermines neighborhood scale and infrastructure, or planning decisions that bypass public participation.
Forty-five community leaders representing neighborhoods across the city, from Encanto to La Jolla, Mission Hills to Mira Mesa, gathered at the historic century-old Point Loma Assembly Hall on May 10, 2025, the OB Rag reported. They came together united by shared concerns and a vision for grassroots leadership. (Find links to the Rag’s news story on this first meeting and related stories at the end of this article.)
It was in this spirit that the San Diego Community Coalition emerged and formally took shape: a citywide network of activists focused on multiple urgent and intertwined issues:
- Overbuilding in residential neighborhoods From out-of-scale ADU developments to mid-rise luxury towers, these projects strain urban infrastructure while delivering little to no af-fordable family housing.
- City Hall’s increasing disregard for public input From the marginalization of community planning groups to the erosion of democratic planning processes.
During the meeting, SOHO was recognized alongside Neighbors for a Better San Diego for our longstanding leadership and groundwork on these issues. We’re pleased to continue our advocacy within this coalition, reinforcing shared goals and amplifying our preservation message.
Why This New Coalition Matters to Preservation
We believe the fight to preserve community character is inseparable from the fight to protect our historic neighborhoods. The very same places at risk from unchecked development—Linda Vista, Talmadge, Golden Hill, and beyond—are also home to the architectural and cultural legacies that SOHO was founded to protect.
By joining the San Diego Community Coalition, SOHO is not expanding its mission, we are fulfilling it. Our role in this effort is to help ensure that San Diego’s historic and cultural assets remain an integral part of a livable future.
We encourage SOHO members to stay informed and engaged as a tsunami of core issues engulf San Diego. You’ll be hearing more in the months ahead from SOHO and the community coalition as we take on these challenges together. Keep an eye on the OB Rag at obrag.org for its summer series, “Spotlight on Coalition Communities.”
The coalition seeks more activists. Please contact pwk4871@gmail.com and kate@katecallen.com if you would like to get involved.
Articles documenting the rise of this new citywide coalition
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