Circulator - 10/27/2025 - Circulate San Diego

What a Night! Celebrating the 2025 Momentum Awards

What a night! The 2025 Momentum Awards brought together hundreds of community leaders, advocates, and partners to celebrate the people and projects moving San Diego forward.

Held at Quartyard in downtown San Diego, the evening was filled with energy and inspiration as we recognized efforts creating safer streets, better transit, and more homes across our region. From local governments to grassroots advocates, this year’s honorees showed what’s possible when we work together for a more connected city.

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us — and to our generous sponsors whose support made the event possible — as well as to Quartyard for once again hosting us.

This year’s Walk the Walk Awards honored Councilmember Vivian Moreno, Climate Action Campaign Founder Nicole Capretz, and County of San Diego Senior Planner Hugo Salgado for their leadership in building a safer, more sustainable region. Assemblymember Chris Ward also joined to offer congratulations and highlight statewide progress on safe streets.

Congratulations to all our 2025 Momentum Award winners for keeping San Diego moving forward.

Join us for World Day of Remembrance

Join Families for Safe Streets San Diego and safe streets advocates for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on November 16th. This is a global day to honor the 1.35 million people killed each year in preventable traffic crashes and to push for change.

In San Diego County alone, 538 people were killed in 2023 and 2024. Each memorial sign represents a real life lost and a reminder that these tragedies are preventable.

We’ll begin with remarks from family members, advocates, and public officials, followed by volunteer deployment across the county. Teams will receive sign kits, site lists, and safety instructions before installing memorial signs honoring neighbors killed in traffic crashes.

You can also support the effort by sponsoring a memorial sign — a $15 donation covers printing, hardware, and placement.

Clairemont Drive Station Audit – Caltrans Update!

Circulate collaborated with RideSD to conduct a pedestrian audit back in March 2024 between Clairemont Drive Trolley Station and Mission Bay Park. The audit identified key safety concerns along the Interstate 5 overcrossing, including missing curb ramps, faded crosswalks, and narrow sidewalks. Circulate submitted a service request to Caltrans, and they conducted a safety investigation along the overpass.

Caltrans completed a series of updates in May 2025, adding high visibility crosswalks, updated pavement markings, pedestrian warning signs, and Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) at key intersections, with more improvements to come in 2027.

These improvements mark a step towards safer connections for people walking, biking, and rolling between transit and accessing the parks and beaches in San Diego.

A Year of Progress: Circulate’s Planning Projects in Action

This year was an exciting and impactful one for Circulate’s planning team. From planting trees and installing wayfinding signs in MLK Park to collaborating with SDSU students to design and paint creative crosswalks on campus, our projects left lasting marks on communities throughout San Diego County.

The work extended across California—including Ventura, Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Ana, and Adelanto—where Circulate provided pedestrian, bicycle, andtraffic safety education for all ages. We strengthened and expanded partnerships throughout San Diego County, including with our new Imperial Beach OTS grant, and deepened relationships that led to new clients and opportunities—such as a bike bus with Jones Elementary School.

Much of this year was spent out in the field, leading bike rides, organizing additional Walk ‘n’ Bike to School Days, and encouraging safe, active transportation for students and families. Through these initiatives, Circulate’s planning team created meaningful, lasting change—building safer streets, vibrant public spaces, and stronger, more connected communities.

To see more of what Circulate has accomplished, stay tuned for upcoming blog posts or follow us on social media.

Bike Talk Podcast Appearance

Earlier this month, Circulate’s CEO and General Counsel appeared on Bike Talk to talk about our latest report “The Powerless Brokers: Why California Can’t Build Transit.” Colin’s segment begins at 27:05.

Bike Talk is a radio show dedicated to the idea that we need to prioritize transportation by bikes. The show broadcasts on FM and streaming since 2008 from their home station in Los Angeles, KPFK, and sister station Valley Free Radio in Florence, as well as Massachusetts and Pacifica affiliates.

LISTEN HERE!

YIMBY Legislative Town Hall

Circulate San Diego has been a major voice in the YIMBY movement, both in San Diego, and statewide with our legislative advocacy in Sacramento.

In November, we are partnering with statewide and local YIMBY organizations for the 2025 YIMBY Legislative Town Hall. The YIMBY Movement took huge strides toward making California housing more affordable and abundant this year – and YOU helped make it happen.

When: Saturday, November 15 @ 10:30am
Where: Downtown San Diego (register for the address)
Who: Circulate San Diego, California YIMBY, YIMBY Democrats of San Diego, YIMBY neighbors and allies, and special guest!

We’ll share a preview of our 2026 legislative ideas, talk about how to make our 2026 campaigns inclusive and effective, and field legislative ideas from grassroots YIMBYs like you!

We hope you’ll join us for this important conversation as we prepare for the 2026 legislative session (over food and beverages). Register today!

San Diego Offers Lessons for Cities to Boost Housing Production

As local governments seek to meet ambitious state housing goals, a new commentary from UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation offers insights into how the City of San Diego has reformed both planning policies and permitting processes so that housing moves through the system much more quickly and with greater certainty as to the outcome.

The commentary includes interactive maps and figures highlighting data on what types of housing are getting permitted, where, and how. From 2016 – 2022, the City averaged just over 5,000 housing units permitted per year, which nearly doubled to an average of over 9,000 housing units per year for 2023-2024.

November 17: FREE Housing Policy Forum

Join Global Policy Leadership Academy (GPLA) for a FREE housing policy forum exploring what San Diego and other U.S. cities can learn from Vienna’s housing example.

This event begins with a short lecture on Vienna’s housing ecosystem, followed by a panel of San Diego leaders who recently visited Vienna as part of GPLA’s Social Housing Field Study.

“Designing Inclusive Communities: Vienna’s Approach, San Diego’s Opportunity”

When: Monday, November 17, 2025
5:00 – 7:00 pm, PST | Networking reception 7:00 – 7:45 pm

Where: In-Person Location: St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 6th Ave, San Diego

Panel Guests: