Last week, San Diego hosted one of its biggest tourist events of the year, Comic-Con International 2024. It brought in an estimated $160 million to our local economy, according to the San Diego County Regional Chamber of Commerce. That includes a big boost for hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants and ride-hailing services.
But downtown San Diego is not the picturesque scene it once was, and locals know it. So do city officials.
On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of anti-camping laws that prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public areas. Yet many visitors who came to the Gaslamp District for Comic Con saw just that. According to the city, San Diego Police Department did not make any operational changes related to homeless encampment abatements leading up or during the event. San Diego police confirmed that additional officers assigned to Comic-Con were not tasked with addressing homeless, only security.
As a result, the tents and homeless people were visible to locals and tourists, including those living along freeways, under freeways and on the sidewalks near the Gaslamp. Given San Diego County’s public health responsibilities — including responding to troubled individuals with mental issues — the criticism the city faces can definitely be spread around. Yet that solves nothing — starting with the fact that organizers of Comic-Con have already threatened to leave San Diego after 2026. Cost of lodging is one factor, but does the city really want an unsightly, scary downtown to be another?
In all fairness, in preparation for Comic-Con, the city’s Environmental Services Department did ramp up staffing and equipment in order to address the anticipated increase in trash downtown due to the influx of visitors. Crews provided an additional trash truck and driver to assist with loading and transferring waste collected each of the event’s four days and provided for the disposal of litter containers in downtown neighborhoods. The city says more than 22 tons of trash were removed during the event.
Two employees from the Environmental Services Department were brought in, along with nine employees from Urban Corps (a city contractor). The additional cost for this effort was approximately $9,300.
Yet let’s face it. We count on tourists who flock to San Diego to get away from the heat and enjoy our beaches and sunny weather. But they don’t need a San Diego with its dirty laundry on such extensive display.
This should be a red flag for City Hall. If we can’t clean our house before inviting guests, we shouldn’t invite them. If Comic-Con pulls out after 2026 in part due to our homeless issues, it will only be a matter of time before other major events do, too.
