The TAKE BACK SAN DIEGO effort was launched by five all-volunteer native San Diegans:
GEORGE MULLEN (Principal of StudioRevolution) — native San Diegan — Sharp Hospital
BRIAN CASTER (CEO of A-1 Self Storage) — native San Diegan — Mercy Hospital
BILL WALTON (NBA legend and Hall-of-Famer) — native San Diegan — Quintard Hospital
RICHARD BAILEY (Mayor of Coronado) — native San Diegan — Grossmont Hospital
RICK SWEENEY (retired business owner) — native San Diegan — Naval Hospital
The organic inception of TAKE BACK SAN DIEGO happened at Hob Nob Hill Restaurant on February 28, 2023. The effort quickly gained traction and was publicly introduced via this Times of San Diego article:
We the undersigned endorse TAKE BACK SAN DIEGO and the immediate implementation of Sunbreak Ranch and a Real Time Shelter Dashboard in order to end the homeless humanitarian crisis that is ravaging our streets, canyons, and public parks.
TAKE BACK SAN DIEGO is a “compassion-centered”, non-partisan, non-political, all-volunteer grassroots coalition of native (and long-time) San Diegans who, in unison, are saying NO MORE to the homeless status quo of suffering.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness recently counted 10,264 homeless residents in the San Diego region with 5,171 of them living outdoors. These numbers represent a 22% increase from the previous year, and a mind-numbing 26% rise of those living outdoors. This is by far the largest percentage increase of all the big cities in America.
We also recognize that these point-in-time counts are significantly understated. Those in the know estimate our real homeless numbers to be more than 20,000 in the City of San Diego, and 45,000 countywide.
We are all desperate for a viable answer to this unrelenting humanitarian catastrophe; with its accompanying devastation to every aspect of our lives, and culture.
Many of us can no longer walk or bicycle our streets, sidewalks, bike paths, and public parks without facing an obstacle course of tents, bodies, human excrement, needles, trash, and a slew of walking-zombies who are impossible to distinguish between those just down on their luck and others who are out-of-control substance abusers about to attack us.
Anarchy, chaos, and misery now define San Diego.
We are in the midst of the greatest humanitarian crisis we have ever faced.
We are also devolving into the economic self-destruction of our all important and inter-related hospitality and tourism industries.
In 2019, the number of homeless deaths in San Diego reached 165 persons.
In 2023, homeless deaths jumped to 624 persons. This is an astonishing 280% increase in just a few years…and, yet, those who can do something about all of this — won’t.
To humanize this 624 number, think about the NFL Super Bowl with its one-hundred-yard long football field.
If we stand one person on every yard-line in a row down the field, we would have over six rows of 100 persons to represent how many homeless people died in just 2023.
Visualize these seven lines of humanity stretched down the field.
These 624 persons are NOT just statistical numbers…they are individuals…our brothers and sisters…our sons and daughters…our mothers and fathers…our friends…our fellow citizens.
Something has gone terribly wrong in San Diego. We are here to TAKE BACK SAN DIEGO from the catastrophe of homelessness and fix it.
MAKE OUR ELECTED LEADERS HEAR YOU — Email our elected leaders and media. Please repeat doing so daily, weekly or monthly. They need to be awoken to the urgency of the humanitarian crisis on our streets.
REQUEST A PRESENTATION FOR YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP — Request a Sunbreak Ranch presentation for your community group, business improvement district, town council, service club, HOA, and other groups.
REJECT “HAPPY TALK” — Refuse to listen or accept any more “happy talk” about the homeless crisis from our leadership, media, and fellow citizens. Let’s solve the problem facing us…and dispense with continuing verbal games of pretend.
END THE HOMELESS HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THAT IS RAVAGING OUR STREETS, CANYONS, AND PUBLIC PARKS — Despite what elected officials say, this is an achievable goal via a combination approach of Sunbreak Ranch as our region’s central homeless triage location, coupled with the development of a Real Time Shelter Dashboard and a Real Time Employment Dashboard. This dual “compassion-centered” approach will help save thousands of lives of our fellow citizens, as well as save billions of taxpayer dollars.
RETURN TO THE RULE OF LAW ON ALL OF OUR STREETS, CANYONS AND PUBLIC PARKS — AND ESTABLISH A FUTURE OF DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR ALL — This is achievable once Sunbreak Ranch is operational, because “Sunbreak will establish a clean, healthy, safe, and secure place for everyone in need”. This is the key ingredient to enable our return to the Rule of Law and establish a future of dignity and respect for all.
MAKE SAN DIEGO THE CLEANEST BIG CITY IN AMERICA — San Diego was once one of the cleanest big cities in America, but now is disgustingly filthy beyond recognition. With the Sunbreak Ranch homeless triage location operational, matched with our return to the Rule of Law, making San Diego the cleanest big city in America will become a reality.
RETURN OUR STREETS, CANYONS, AND PUBLIC PARKS TO CLEAN, HEALTHY, SAFE, AND SECURE PLACES FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY — By achieving our first three goals, this one will quickly fall into place.