National City seeks input on park event

Every year, waterfront parks in San Diego are home to some of the largest community events the Port hosts for the public, free of charge. There’s nothing like that in National City’s Pepper Park — but that could soon change.

The agency said it plans to hold a special, public event on the South County city’s bayfront “to help bring the community together and build long-lasting memories and social ties.”

What kind of event? Maybe a festival, car show or family run. The Port doesn’t yet know. It needs residents’ input to decide the type of entertainment, theme and food and beverages that it would offer.

The public has two opportunities to participate: • Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 29, located at 1000 Bay Marina Drive, Suite 102.

• Thursday, Sept. 7, at the same time via a virtual meeting. Spanish and Tagalog interpretations will be available. Those who RSVP will receive a link to the meeting.

The effort is part of a new category under the agency’s Tidelands Activation Programs, which provides grant funding to organizations that host various community events that connect the public to San Diego Bay. Before the pandemic, the Port would budget anywhere between $430,000 and $776,000 to support about 70 events per year. However, the agency recognized that the program wasn’t benefiting as many communities as it could.

A review of the program’s history showed that 60 percent of sponsored events were concentrated in a few San Diego parks, usually around during May and September. Gatherings in South County cities like Imperial Beach and National City were the least sponsored.

The report also showed that organizations found several barriers to applying for what had turned into a highly competitive program, including not having sufficient staff to apply or too many residents lacking access to parks.

The goal of the program’s new category, Expanded Access Events, is to better balance the number of special events held in underutilized places, such as Pepper Park.