City denies permits for April’s upcoming EarthFair
By Morgan M. Hurley | SDUN Assistant Editor
San Diego, represented by the office of Mayor Bob Filner, denied a permit application from San Diego EarthWorks for their 24th annual EarthFair, which takes place each spring in Balboa Park on Earth Day. This year’s fair is scheduled for April 22.
As part of the Council-approved Plaza de Panama project, a bridge and parking structure will be built near the center of the park.
Construction is scheduled to begin mid-February and end October 2014, depending in part on a current court case questioning the legality of the project.
On Jan. 7, EarthWorks CEO Carolyn Chase, CFO Chris Klein and board member Ahouva Steinhaus secured a meeting with the mayor and his deputy chief of staff to address the future of EarthFair.
After the meeting, which an update on the EarthWorks website called “productive,” the mayor issued a statement saying, “the City is making every effort to accommodate the event and at the same time provide a safe environment for attendees.”
With “liability” deemed the main reason for the denial, Chase said her organization already carries “the standard $2 million of liability required for special events all over the city,” and she said she is confident they can get more, if the City outlines the specifics so they can get a proper assessment.
“I’m doing everything I can think of to move it forward,” Chase said. “If it’s really about liability we can manage that. They want us to move to the west side of Balboa Park … but how does that improve the liability?”
Filner was asked about the permit at the Jan. 9 Hillcrest Town Council meeting.
“The Earth Day event is a great thing,” he said. “I have a long history with it and they have a long history in San Diego.” The mayor then told the group that prior to him taking office a decision was made that would affect all large events in the park due to the “incredibly large construction project” that the bridge and parking changes would create.
A court challenge to that construction will be heard in early February, leaving the project’s status currently in question.
“[EarthWorks] were offered the west side, the Sixth Avenue side, … that has a different configuration [and] a different amount of grass and concrete, but they said no,” the mayor said. “If the liability is real, they will have to adapt.”
Filner said he promised to look closely at the situation before making a final decision.
