It’s 7 p.m. You’re probably just settling in this evening, staring at your laptop, phone or iPad and wondering, “How come no one writes about the waterfront?” Right?
We’ve got you covered.
Take a trip back in time to when San Diego was a “true liberty town” and the future of the waterfront belonged to the people. inewsource invested more than six months exploring the roots of an unprecedented “vision” for the bayfront ‒ and its slow demise. Why? Because we feel this project, called The Port, the Lawyer and the Salesman, is important.
It’s important because thousands of acres of waterfront land, referred to affectionately by crafters of the vision as the city’s “front porch,” is public land. It’s important because chunks of that land are up for grabs right now. And it’s important because you should know how things get worked out in this city behind closed doors.
This story illuminates a process dominated by strong wills and financial interests. It also reveals gaps in the public record that, if filled, might answer some of the “whys” necessarily left hanging in the reporting.
For this project, reporter Brad Racino interviewed 23 people, mined thousands of pages of documents and, by his estimate, burned close to 10,000 calories pacing downtown’s North Embarcadero. At the heart of the story? An unlikely alliance between businessman and government insider Steve Cushman and environmental attorney Cory Briggs.
Here’s what Mike McDade, former chairman of the Port of San Diego and champion of the original “vision” for the North Embarcadero, had to say after reading the story today:
“It is great investigative reporting, but even more it captures a very important period in San Diego’s history. I believe it will be a source document for years to come.”
At inewsource, we promise to dig deep into issues that matter to this community. We hope you agree San Diego’s front porch is one of those.
I’m eager to hear your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Lorie Hearn
Editor and Executive Director
loriehearn@inewsource.org
Click here to read the story, watch the videos and listen to interviews.