Author Topic: San Diego Convention Center Expansion  (Read 166553 times)

Offline perc2100

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #945 on: September 17, 2018, 04:30:34 PM »
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They have already stated that this is the case. CCI has publicly said that if they leave San Diego, it will be because of the hotels, not because of the convention center.
Pssst: Comic-Con is NOT leaving San Diego anytime in the remotely foreseeable future short of a ginormous bombshell (which I can't fathom what it would be).

I have my sources beyond CCI PR (thought CCI PR is pretty honest FWIW) ;)

Offline mattytreks

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #946 on: September 17, 2018, 04:32:46 PM »
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Pssst: Comic-Con is NOT leaving San Diego anytime in the remotely foreseeable future short of a ginormous bombshell (which I can't fathom what it would be).

I have my sources beyond CCI PR (thought CCI PR is pretty honest FWIW) ;)

...and with that, I am going to stop worrying 8)
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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #947 on: Today at 12:49:16 PM »

Offline perc2100

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #947 on: September 17, 2018, 04:38:08 PM »
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...and with that, I am going to stop worrying 8)
I hate being vague, but I'm sworn to secrecy.
On an unrelated note the new Museum is going to be off-the-hook

Offline BenEatsRice

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #948 on: September 19, 2018, 09:50:38 PM »
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...and with that, I am going to stop worrying 8)

[member=4905]mattytreks[/member], I love your avatar! I've been searching for one of those guys ever since I caught a glimpse of them at Comic-Con. So hard to find for a decent price these days. Did you grab one/some?
What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #949 on: September 20, 2018, 04:10:14 PM »
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An initiative to bankroll a long planned expansion of San Diego’s convention center has new life after the county Registrar determined Thursday that the measure has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot — just not in 2018. The news comes more than a month after backers of the well-financed initiative effort learned that the measure failed a random count of the more than 114,000 signatures collected by the campaign. That triggered a full verification of all signatures by the county Registrar of Voters, but the time-consuming process would come too late to make it in time for this November’s ballot.

Just how soon San Diegans will have a chance to vote on the measure remains unclear. Although the next regular election is not until 2020, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has made the convention center expansion a top priority, has previously said he would consider pushing for a special election next year if need be. The ballot measure, backed by a high-powered coalition of tourism and business leaders, organized labor and homeless advocates, calls for raising the city’s room tax to as much as 15.75 percent to not only fund an enlarged center but also underwrite housing and services for the homeless and pay for road repairs.

Faulconer, while he would not say Thursday whether he will for certain be pushing for a special election, it is likely given his longstanding desire to see the center expanded. The continued homelessness crisis is also likely to fuel a push for an earlier election. “This initiative is an incredible opportunity to shape the future of our city for the better by tackling our biggest challenges and it can’t happen soon enough,” Faulconer said in a statement his office posted on Twitter. “With one vote, San Diegans will be able to house the homeless, fix our streets, and grow our economy — and the best part is it will all be paid for by visitors staying at our hotels. I look forward to working with our diverse coalition of supporters to finally get this across the finish line.”

Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #950 on: January 17, 2019, 07:17:52 AM »
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San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who had been pushing behind the scenes for a public vote this year on a measure to finance the long-stalled convention center expansion, will now wait until 2020 when there will be an already scheduled March primary and November general election.

No decision has been made yet on the timing for next year, Faulconer’s office said Thursday. Instead, the mayor will be taking his cues from the coalition of business and labor leaders who are behind a citizens’ initiative to raise billions of dollars from a hotel tax increase to not only fund the bayfront expansion but also pay for homeless services and road repairs.

“The mayor thought it was more important to take the time and expand the coalition of supporters than pushing forward with a special election,” said Faulconer’s chief of staff, Aimee Faucett.

Faulconer, in his Tuesday state of the city speech, had sidestepped the question of whether he was still pursuing a special election. Instead, he simply said that he was “excited” that the initiative “is finally, without question, headed to a public vote.” His silence on the timing led many to believe a 2019 election was off the table.

Faucett acknowledged there had been some resistance to a special election this year, which in part influenced Faulconer’s decision. While Faucett would not say so, it had become apparent to many observers in recent weeks that the mayor would be facing an uphill battle securing majority support from the City Council, which has three new members who just took office last month.

Questions also have been raised about whether the initiative can even be considered for placement on anything but a general election ballot. Backers of a voter-approved charter amendment governing San Diego city elections say that the measure bars the council from calling a special election specifically for a citizens’ initiative.

“The mayor is looking to hear from the citizens coalition as to what their desire and preference is for (the timing in) 2020,” Faucett said. “But he does feel the sooner the better. We really do need the money for dealing with the homeless and the streets and expanding the convention center.”

The coalition, which also includes homeless advocates, launched a signature-gathering effort early last year with the expectation of qualifying the hotel tax measure for last November’s ballot. The measure, though, fell short of the valid number of signatures needed to qualify based on a random count. By the time a full verification of the petitions was completed, it was too late to make it onto the ballot last year.

Backers of the measure, which calls for raising the city's hotel tax to as high as 15.75 percent for hotels closest to the downtown convention center, still face a high bar for winning voter approval. Normally a ballot measure seeking a tax increase for a special purpose requires a two-thirds majority. However, a California Supreme Court decision in 2017 suggested that only a simple majority is needed for a citizens initiative, although the ruling remains open to legal interpretation.

Under the initiative, the greatest share of revenue generated by the proposed tax hike — nearly $3.5 billion over 42 years — would go for the convention center project, including continued upkeep and marketing. More than $1.8 billion would be set aside for addressing homelessness, and $551 million is targeted for road repairs.

Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #951 on: April 16, 2019, 02:53:49 PM »
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San Diego voters will decide next March whether to raise hotel taxes to expand the waterfront convention center and provide many millions for local homelessness programs and street repair.

The City Council voted 5-4 Monday to hold a citywide vote on raising hotel taxes eight months earlier than previously anticipated – the March 2020 primary instead of the November 2020 general election.

Monday’s vote was a resolution in favor of presenting the hotel tax to voters in March 2020. The council must vote again this fall to formally place the measure on that ballot.

Offline mattytreks

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #952 on: April 16, 2019, 03:10:17 PM »
The wheels of progress move slowly in San Diego.

The back & forth continues with voters, the courts, and elected officials...since 2013.


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Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #953 on: April 22, 2019, 12:07:53 PM »
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sdconventionctr This year we’re celebrating 30 years of success as the premier gathering place for conventions, trade shows and events that economically benefit the #sandiego region. We're kicking off this milestone today and will be spending the rest of 2019 celebrating with stories, videos and events for the community.

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Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #954 on: September 14, 2019, 05:08:17 PM »
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SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Convention Center announced Thursday that it will hold an event later this year to give residents a behind-the-scenes look at how it operates.

The convention center has celebrated its 30th anniversary all year long and hopes to help residents understand the unseen work to keep the 2 million-square-foot facility running year-round. In addition to the center’s 427 full- and part-time employees, workers from companies like FedEx Business and food and beverage partner Centerplate also share the building.

Convention center officials estimate the facility has generated more than $22 billion in regional impact since opening in 1989 as well as $555.7 million in tax revenue and $13 billion in direct spending by convention center attendees. The facility has held more than 5,800 events since it opened.


Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #955 on: October 11, 2019, 03:08:29 AM »
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The upcoming March 3 ballot measure will culminate a more than decade-long effort to enlarge the convention center, which city and tourism leaders have long said is too small to accommodate larger meetings and conventions that want to come to San Diego.

What’s different this time around is that the proposed hotel tax increase, which calls for raising San Diego’s room tax to as high as 15.75 percent for hotels closest to the downtown convention center, includes substantial funding to also attack homelessness, plus a much smaller amount for repairing roads.

The greatest share of revenues generated by the proposed tax hike — nearly $3.5 billion over 42 years — would go for the convention center project, including continued upkeep and marketing. More than $1.8 billion is to be set aside for addressing homelessness, and $551 million is targeted for road repairs.


Offline AzT

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #956 on: December 20, 2019, 02:38:14 AM »
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The disagreements over what should be the proper wording of a 75-word ballot summary stem from two recently filed lawsuits — one by San Diegans for Open Government, a self-described government watchdog group, and the other by a board member of the civic engagement group Alliance San Diego, along with homeless advocate Michael McConnell, who has been critical of the ballot measure.

Given the multiple suggested changes for rewording the ballot description, Whitney asked everyone to submit by late Thursday evening their proposed ballot statements, along with a couple of other acceptable alternatives. Timing is critical for resolving the issue because the County Registrar of Voters is facing a Dec. 27 deadline for printing ballots for the March election.

A few hours after the hearing, City Attorney Mara Elliott filed a statement with the court saying that the city would not be able to provide any changed wording because that would require the approval of the City Council and there is not time to convene a special hearing.

Offline sorb3t

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #957 on: January 08, 2020, 12:20:25 PM »
I recall seeing proposals for convention center expansion. Has an actual design been settles on, or is it all proposals until there is actual funding in place?

Offline Mistborn

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #958 on: January 12, 2020, 05:09:45 PM »
Can you imagine how much the tickets would be if they expanded? Im sure the local restaurants and hotels won't be happy since they will have high taxes and fees

Offline TheSa|nt

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Re: San Diego Convention Center Expansion
« Reply #959 on: January 31, 2020, 02:55:13 PM »
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Can you imagine how much the tickets would be if they expanded? Im sure the local restaurants and hotels won't be happy since they will have high taxes and fees

I remember when it was like $50 for the whole run. Less than that even, but I was too young to pay my own way back then so I don't know how much it was. Eventually, you'll have to survive The Hunger Games just for a spot in the online waiting room to join the lottery system.