A recent San Diego Union-Tribune opinion column underscores growing community concern regarding the City of San Diego’s approval of a new exclusive lease covering 114 acres of public land in the San Dieguito River Valley floodplain.

​In a significant development for neighborhood and environmental protections in San Diego, Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal issued a preliminary injunction halting progress on a proposed 136-unit ADU project in Pacific Beach. The injunction, issued on December 19, 2025, requires City officials to cease processing permits and approvals until a proper review of the project’s environmental and cultural impacts is completed.

On December 5, 2025, Chatten-Brown Law Group filed a petition on behalf of Sierra Club, challenging the City of San Diego’s decision to terminate long-standing open space protections governing Surf Sports Park in the San Dieguito River Valley. The petition alleges that the City unlawfully removed restrictions contained in a historic 1983 grant deed without first conducting the environmental review required under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”).