Keep the Pressure On: Tell Our Leaders to Show Up for Golden Hill
The momentum is real—and it’s working.
Thanks to your emails, we have a meeting scheduled with Councilmember Whitburn’s office this Monday. Now is the time to double down and make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.
Below are ready-to-send messages to key elected officials. We encourage you to personalize them—but even sending the message as-is makes a powerful statement. Let’s remind our representatives that we expect them to stand with the community—not developers.
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Email to Councilmember Stephen Whitburn
To: stephenwhitburn@sandiego.gov
Subject: Please Attend Monday’s Meeting In Person and Represent Golden Hill
Dear Councilmember Whitburn and Staff,
As constituents in Greater Golden Hill, we respectfully request that both your staff and Councilmember Whitburn attend Monday’s scheduled meeting in person. This is more than a formality—it is a critical opportunity to demonstrate that you stand with the community you were elected to represent.
We will be joined by the Deputy Chief Fire Marshal, who will share serious public safety concerns related to the increasing development density in our neighborhood. Golden Hill is now overwhelmed with construction projects, yet there is no coordinated infrastructure plan, no upgrades to utilities, and no evaluation of fire evacuation risks—especially in a canyon-surrounded area pinned in by freeways.
We’ve gathered over 700 petition signatures, had hundreds of residents at public meetings, and received coverage from five major media outlets—yet we’re still waiting to feel real support from your office.
We ask you to:
Attend Monday’s meeting in person—this moment matters
Help us negotiate a revision to the A Street project so it adheres to the Greater Golden Hill Community Plan
Support community-led planning, not developer-led disruption
This is a defining moment. Please show the community that you're with us.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Street or Zip]
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Email to Mayor Todd Gloria
To: mayortoddgloria@sandiego.gov
Subject: Mayor Gloria—Golden Hill Needs Your Leadership Now
Dear Mayor Gloria,
As former Councilmember of District 3, you know Golden Hill’s character, charm, and community vision better than most. Today, that vision is under threat.
A developer is proposing an 8-story, 180-unit project on A Street, using policy loopholes to bypass the Greater Golden Hill Community Plan—the very plan you helped shape. The project adds density without infrastructure, fails to contribute real affordability, and poses significant public safety risks, according to our Deputy Chief Fire Marshal, who is deeply concerned about evacuation routes and emergency access.
So far, we’ve received no word from your office, despite:
700+ petition signatures
Hundreds attending public meetings
5 major media outlets covering the issue
We’re asking you now to:
Speak up and stand with your former district
Help bring the A Street project back to scale and scope per our community plan
Support local planning control so developers don’t dictate the future of our neighborhoods
We’re not anti-housing—we’re pro-community. Please help us protect the soul of Golden Hill.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood or Zip]
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Email to Assemblymember Chris Ward
Instructions: Please submit via web form
https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=AD78
Paste the following message with your wording into the form.
Subject: Support Community-Led Planning and Pressure the City on A Street Project
Dear Assemblymember Ward,
As your constituents, we deeply appreciate your understanding of Golden Hill’s character and planning history. Right now, we’re asking for your continued leadership in pushing back on unchecked developer incentives that ignore community voices.
The proposed 8-story project on A Street is exploiting streamlining laws to override the Greater Golden Hill Community Plan. It adds no meaningful affordability, no infrastructure support, and no community benefit—just luxury apartments and higher rents.
We ask for your help to:
Draft legislation that restores local control to community planning groups
Pressure San Diego City Council and the Mayor to scale back the A Street project
Support a temporary moratorium on large-scale development in Golden Hill
Reinforce the importance of neighborhood-scale planning and public safety
SB 78 will extend this predatory capitalism at the expense of our health, safety and wellbeing, so please change or oppose this when it's time.
We have momentum—700+ petition signatures, large-scale resident engagement, fire safety concerns, and news coverage. We need our elected leaders to step up now.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood or Zip]
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Email to Senator Steve Padilla
Instructions: Please submit via web form
https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/contact
Paste the following message with your wording into the form.
Subject: Help Golden Hill—Support a Moratorium and Community-Led Planning
Dear Senator Padilla,
Thank you for your current support. As residents of Greater Golden Hill, we ask for your help and voice in protecting our neighborhood from overdevelopment driven by developer loopholes—not community planning.
The proposed 8-story A Street project is just one of many flooding our historic neighborhood, with no infrastructure upgrades, no fire safety plan, and no real affordable housing. Our Deputy Chief Fire Marshal has expressed serious concern, and over 700 residents have signed a petition asking for action.
We ask that you:
Support a temporary moratorium on large-scale development in Greater Golden Hill
Help draft state-level legislation that returns power to local planning groups
Pressure San Diego City Council to scale back this project to fit within the scope of our community plan
Prioritize neighborhood safety and planning equity
SB 78 will extend this predatory capitalism at the expense of our health, safety and wellbeing, so please change or oppose this when it's time.
We’re not against housing—we’re for balanced, thoughtful growth. We need your voice in this fight.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Your City or Zip]
