{"id":237315,"date":"2014-11-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/more-downtown-briefs-november-2014\/"},"modified":"2014-11-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T08:00:00","slug":"more-downtown-briefs-november-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/more-downtown-briefs-november-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"More Downtown Briefs November 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Padres plan to renovate left field<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part of their multi-million dollar plan to improve Petco Park, the San Diego Padres announced the details regarding renovations of left field for 2015. Included in the changes are enhancements to their video display system, known as the \u201cjumbo tron,\u201d which after upgrades will be the third-largest in Major League Baseball. Additional improvements include updates to the left field seating area below the video display, with two new rows and an increase of 171 total seats. The overhang above will be recessed and raised to allow better viewing angles for fans in the lower seats.<\/p>\n

\"PetcoThe new state-of-the-art high definition video board will measure over 60 feet tall and 120 feet wide and will cover almost 8,000 square feet of space, nearly five times the size of the current video screen. New LED \u201cribbons\u201d will be installed along the first and third base lines and the left field grandstand. The Padres said the changes are an investment in the latest technology to improve fan experience. In addition to the added seats in the front of the section, two rows of fixed seats will be removed in order to add barstool seating and additional barstools and drink rails will be added to the upper section. Seats in this area may be sold as individual tickets or used as an area for fans to socialize. To further accommodate the changes, the padded left field wall will be brought in 34 \u2013 38 inches and lowered a foot. Demolition is set to begin next week and improvements are scheduled to be complete prior to opening day in spring 2015. For more information and specifics, visit padrespressbox.com.<\/p>\n

New program grants free admission to participating institutions<\/b><\/p>\n

On the first full weekend of each month, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch customers\u00a0<\/b>can now take advantage of a free program, \u201cMuseums on Us.\u201d By showing a credit or debit card from either financial institution (along with photo ID) park visitors will get free general admission to participating museums, aquariums and more. In San Diego, Birch Aquarium at Scripps (2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla), the Museum of Photographic Arts (1649 El Prado, Balboa Park) and the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado, Balboa Park) are part of the program, which has 150 participating locations nationwide. To see upcoming \u201cMuseums on Us\u201d dates and a full list of participants, visit museums.bankofamerica.com.<\/p>\n

Martinis Above Fourth brings two sirens to stage<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Carol<\/a>Martinis Above Fourth Table and Stage in Hillcrest have expanded their cabaret and have scheduled the tributes of two singing legends this month. On Nov. 13, Carol Welsman will take the stage at 8 p.m. with her tribute called \u201cReflections of Peggy Lee.\u201d Welsman is an internationally known singer and pianist. This is the first time Peggy Lee\u2019s life story has been told through her music on stage. Welsman\u2019s delivery and looks are said to be \u201chauntingly\u201d similar to Lee. Doors open at 6 p.m. On Nov. 20, Chantal will take the stage with her tribute to Edith Piaf, the French singer-songwriter and subject of the academy award winning film, \u201cLa Vie En Rose.\u201d Songs about loss, love, sorrow, hope and romance will be part of the set. Martinis Above Fourth Table and Stage is located at 3940 Fourth Ave. in Hillcrest. For tickets and more information, visit\u00a0martinisabovefourth.com.<\/p>\n

Asian Film Fest offering discounts to library members<\/b><\/p>\n

In conjunction with the San Diego Public Library\u2019s annual One Book, One San Diego reading program, the San Diego Asian Film Festival is offering library card holders a discount for tickets purchased for this year\u2019s 15th annual festival. Attendees may show their library card at the host box office at Ultra Star Cinemas in Hazard Center, or use discount code SDLIBRARY for tickets purchased online and get a $2 discount off any general admission ticket. This year\u2019s One Book selection is \u201cMonstress\u201d by Lysley Tenorio, a book filled with short stories set in both the Philippines and California. For more information about the San Diego Asian Film Festival visit sdaff.org. To learn more about the One Book, One San Diego program, visit sandiegolibrary.org.<\/p>\n

Chargers Blood Drive<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Chargers-Drive-2013-2-credit-San-Diego-Blood-Bankweb\"<\/a>The Chargers and their fans are ready for \u201cChargers Drive XXXVI for Health and Wellness,\u201d presented by San Diego County Credit Union, Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. \u2013 6 p.m. at the Town & Country Convention Center in Mission Valley. This is one of the Chargers\u2019 longest running community events of the year. San Diego Blood Bank has expanded the drive this year, adding a \u201cWellness Zone\u201d with interactive exhibits, activities, food sampling, entertainment and much more. In addition to donating blood and meeting Charger players, the first 500 people will get free blood typing and all attendees may take advantage of the free bone marrow registry onsite. Admission is just $5 for adults, $1 for children ages 3 \u2013\u00a012 years. Proceeds will help the San Diego Blood Bank get a new Bloodmobile. Those who donate will receive a parking validation and may also request a refund of their admission price. Blood donations will begin at 9 a.m. with the exhibits and entertainment starting at 10 a.m. For more information call 619-296-6393 or visit sandiegobloodbank.org.<\/p>\n

First Rapid Transit bus now in service<\/b><\/p>\n

The MTS Mid-City Rapid Transit Bus debuted on Park Boulevard in early October, offering a speedier bus route with its own dedicated traffic lane. The \u201cRapid 215\u201d will run from San Diego State to Downtown San Diego. Earlier this year, Voice of San Diego reported that while a rapid transit bus system is considerably less expensive than other \u201chigh-end transit,\u201d the mid-city line only reduces travel time by 10 to 22 percent during peak hours, which equates to shaving four to 11 minutes off a rider\u2019s daily commute.<\/p>\n

SANDAG eventually plans to turn the route into a light-rail transit line by 2035, according to its Long-Term Transportation Plan, but the agency is currently fighting a lawsuit that claims the plan does not meet state-mandated greenhouse gas-reduction targets. The \u201cRapid 215\u201d runs seven days a week from 5 to 1 a.m., picking up every 10 minutes during rush hour.<\/p>\n

Local minimum wage increase now up to voters<\/b><\/p>\n

The minimum wage ordinance passed earlier this year by the City Council will now require passage by San Diego voters in June 2016. After a successful petition campaign led by the right-leaning San Diego Chamber of Commerce to block the ordinance, the City Council was forced to either rescind the measure or put it on a citywide ballot; they chose the latter. \u201cMinimum wage opponents delayed the implementation of the minimum wage increase by funding a deceitful referendum campaign,\u201d stated Council President Todd Gloria, who authored the ordinance, in a press release. \u201cThe result is that 172,000 San Diegans will have to wait at least two years to get these necessary raises that will help them keep a roof on their heads and food on their tables. I look forward to a campaign based on facts, rather than the lies told during the signature gathering process.\u201d The ordinance would raise the minimum wage to $11.50 over a three-year period and guarantee employees the right to earned sick leave. Meanwhile, the statewide minimum wage, currently $9 per hour, will bump up to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2016.<\/p>\n

For more Downtown Briefs click here.<\/a><\/h3>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Padres plan to renovate left field As part of their multi-million dollar plan to improve Petco Park, the San Diego Padres announced the details regarding renovations of left field for 2015. Included in the changes are enhancements to their video display system, known as the \u201cjumbo tron,\u201d which after upgrades will be the third-largest in […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":237312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"More Downtown Briefs November 2014","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}