Senate bill creates narrow pathway for San Diego’s Midway Rising redevelopment

Senator (author) presented SB 344 to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee as a narrow, project-specific pathway to advance the Midway Rising redevelopment in San Diego. The bill's author and sponsors said the project spans roughly 49 acres, would replace an aging arena, and deliver about 4,250 housing units including 2,000 deed-restricted affordable homes, a 16,000-seat arena, and more than 14 acres of parks and public space.

The author emphasized SB 344 does not exempt the project from CEQA: "This bill does not provide CEQA exemption for Midway Rising Project," the presenter said, adding that the final subsequent EIR already completed locally would be the operative environmental review and that the bill includes monitoring and enforcement of mitigation measures. Supporters from organized labor, the mayor's office and building trades described the project as transformational and said the bill would help move the project to construction while preserving environmental protections.

Several labor and business groups voiced support in the hearing room, including the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, the San Diego mayor's office, the State Association of Electrical Workers, and local chambers. The author pointed to memoranda of understanding for on-site childcare and health clinic commitments and said certification of the local EIR is a condition before the bill's urgency provisions would take effect.

Committee members asked technical questions about precedent and whether the bill shields the city from litigation; the presenter said the bill is intended to give legal clarity and speed construction but does not foreclose lawsuits. The committee took a motion to pass the bill to appropriations.