The San Diego River Conservancy (
The San Diego River area is called the “Birthplace of California,” having supported the first settlement in the state at the historic Old Town San Diego. Home to more than 500,000 people, the San Diego River Watershed stretches from the mountains northeast of San Diego, through the city to the sea. Five reservoirs linked to the river supply 760,000 residents with reliable water that is now threatened due to excessive extraction and contamination.
The river has changed course several times. It emptied into what is now Mission Bay until the 1820s when it altered direction and began emptying into the San Diego Bay. It continued in that fashion for 50 years, but in 1877 a dam was constructed and the river assumed its present course.
Multiple highways, roads and rail lines crisscross the river in a landscape that is a mix of residential communities, commercial areas and open space. The free flow of water from the mountains ends at El Capitan and San Vicente reservoirs, built in the 1930s and 1940s to prevent flooding of nearby areas. A seven-mile stretch of the watershed below the El Capitan Reservoir is still used for agriculture. Several cities occur within the watershed including San Diego, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon and La Mesa.
A number of parks dot the river’s path, including the 5,800-acre Mission Trails Regional Park that stretches from Santee to San Diego.
Since 1974, efforts to create recreational space along the river have been envisioned. The city of Santee stepped forward in 1986 with a plan for a greenbelt encompassing 706 acres of land straddling the San Diego River and stretching through the center of the city. After a major sewage spill spoiled the river in Mission Valley in 2000, conservation groups banded together to restore the health of the fragile watershed.
State Senator Christine Kehoe of San Diego sponsored the San Diego River Conservancy Act in 2002, which formed the non-regulatory San Diego Conservancy. The act established a governing board, consisting of both state and local representatives, with a sunset clause for January 1, 2010, requiring legislative approval to renew the conservancy’s charter. The future of the tiny conservancy was far from guaranteed.
The Legislature established the conservancy to acquire and accept donations of land of “cultural or historical significance” within one-half mile of the river’s tributaries or flumes—an important distinction amended in 2007. The act expanded land acquisitions from just the riverbed after the board refused a gift of 100-acres of land because a portion lay outside the conservancy’s jurisdiction. This amendment extended the conservancy’s authority to an area 8.5 times greater than the previous project area.
The San Diego River Conservancy appointed its first executive officer and only full-time employee, Deborah S. Jayne, in 2004. Transitioning from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, she established a reputation as a regulatory expert, adopting in 2001 the most stringent regulations in the state to reduce urban water runoff. Jayne joined the small agency without supplies, only borrowed office space to work in and annual funding that could barely buy a transit bus. Her task was patching grants, donations and state funding together, negotiate deals with private landowners and navigate state and local permit processes.
Progress was slow. Within two years the board of directors voted 6-2 to dismiss Jayne as executive officer. Criticism from Karen Scarborough, undersecretary of the state Resources Agency that controls the conservancy’s annual budget, indicated that Jayne “has not generated momentum nor a positive reputation for the conservancy.” The board expressed concern about her ability to raise funding and navigate the political waters.
Michael J. Nelson, a conservation consultant with decades spent in both the public and private sectors, took over as executive officer. He inherited an ambitious five-year plan written by his predecessor, that envisioned projects and activities which would cost $164.5 million to bring to fruition. By 2008, the agency expanded to two employees, Nelson and a deputy attorney general, and the board grew from 11 members to 13.
In 2009, Senator Kehoe helped save the San Diego Conservancy from the chopping block by promoting the legislative extension of its charter until 2020. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the extension although he had pushed for the conservancy’s elimination in 2004.
San Diego River Conservancy Act (pdf)
Useful Information (
The San Diego River Watershed (Project Clean Water)
The San Diego River Conservancy Is Far Behind Goals for Enhancing Waterway, Securing Funds (by Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego River Conservancy Given New Funding (International Rivers)
Conservancy Chief Seeks to Restore River (by Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego River Conservancy Selects New Executive Officer (Business Wire)
San Diego River Guided by One-Man State Agency (by Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union-Tribune)
History of San Diego (San Diego History Center)
Conservancy Has Big Plans For San Diego's Overlooked River (by Larry Sokoloff, California Planning & Development Report)
The San Diego River Conservancy is among the smallest state conservancies in California. The agency restores and cleans the polluted, although ecologically rich, 52-mile riverbed that is widely unused by the general public. It is literally not navigable by boat or kayak; parts of the river are too shallow and others are restricted to protect wildlife and the ecosystem. The conservancy has only two full-time employees, the executive officer and deputy attorney general.
The executive officer is the driving force behind land acquisitions to create open space, recreation areas and habitat protection. The conservancy is led by a 13-member governing board consisting of 11 voting and 2 non-voting members.
Of the 11 voting members, five are public members with three appointed by the governor and two appointed by the Senate Rules Committee along with the Assembly Speaker. Other voting members are: the San Diego mayor, a councilperson and a county supervisor; the state Department of Finance director; the Department of Parks and Recreation director; and the Natural Resources Agency secretary. The Wildlife Conservation Board and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board are represented by non-voting members.
Despite ambitious project planning since its inception in 2002, the conservancy has received criticism for the little progress made toward establishing a funding base, acquiring land, cleaning up the river and implementing capital projects. The agency created a five-year plan in 2006 calling for a lofty $164.5 million in expenditures for building bike paths, buying more land and completing various projects. As of 2008, the conservancy had only collected a total of $32.2 million from the state and its various partners.
The “San Diego River Park Conceptual Plan” envisions a riverside park that runs the entire 52-mile length of the river, from its headwaters near Julian to the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach. The conservancy works—in conjunction with the San Diego River Park Foundation, the California Coastal Conservancy and river-bordering city governments—on the expansive conceptual plan that has seen little progress in a decade.
Land acquisitions are at the heart of the Conceptual Plan and a major focus of the conservancy, which also works with municipalities and San Diego County to obtain pivotal areas within the watershed. The City of Santee signed an option agreement in 2011 to obtain a 125-acre span of riverfront, known as the Hanlon-Walker property, thanks to a $1.25-million grant from the California Coastal Conservancy and $1 million from the San Diego River Conservancy.
Removal and management of invasive, non-native plants in the watershed is a significant component of the conservancy’s five-year plan. A project begun in 2009 in conjunction with the Department of Fish and Game undertook to map where the worst areas of infestation are, begin securing permits for their removal and secure funding. It is hoped that the ongoing efforts improve water quality, reduce backwater flooding and fire threats, and discourage use of riparian areas as shelters by people.
The conservancy partners with a number of local institutions dedicated to restoring the San Diego River. They include: the San Diego Foundation, the Coastal Conservancy, the San Diego River Park Foundation and the San Diego River Coalition, a collection of more than 70 environmental, user, community and planning groups organized by the San Diego River Park Foundation. In some cases, private owners like the Grant family in Mission Valley have donated land or given easements across their land.
Over the years, the conservancy has worked to complete a 10-foot-wide, two-lane bike path linking Mission Valley to Ocean Beach. It reached the one-quarter mark in July 2009 upon completion of a one-mile stretch in Mission Valley, bringing its total to 13 miles.
Santee Working on Phase Three of San Diego River Park Development Project (by Margie M. Palmer, Santee Patch)
The Trickle of Success: The San Diego River Conservancy Is Far Behind Goals for Enhancing Waterway, Securing Funds (by Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune)
$2.5 Million Trail to Link OB, Mission Valley (by Sebastian Ruiz, San Diego Community Newspapers)
Five-Year Strategic and Infrastructure Plan 2006-2011 (
San Diego River Trail Gaps Analysis (
San Diego River Conceptual Plan (pdf)
Santee Wins Grant to Conserve 125 Acres on the San Diego River (by Steve Bartholow, Santee Patch)
Decision on Sale of Carlton Oaks Golf Course Delayed (by Dorian Hargrove, San Diego Reader)
The state set aside $12 million for capital projects when the San Diego River Conservancy launched in 2002. The conservancy’s 2006 five-year strategic plan identified $61.7 million in funding needs for the first two years with a goal of executing projects—to build bike paths, acquire land and complete various projects—requiring a total of $164.5 million. The conservancy only managed to raise $32.2 million.
About $2.7 million went towards capital projects fund in 2011-12. The proposed project budget for the following year is less than half that amount.
A huge, $11.1 billion water bond proposition—the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012—is on the November 2012 ballot and if approved would provide $15 million for the conservancy.
The conservancy operated on a $361,000 working budget for 2011-2012. This is one of the smallest budgets for any for the nine state conservancies in California. The operating budget relies almost entirely on support from the environmental license plate fund, which people support by paying an extra fee for their plates.
Salaries and benefits for the two full-time employees accounted for $199,000, or 55% of costs in 2011-12 and the rest went for operating expenses and equipment.
3-Year Budget (pdf)
The Trickle of Success: The San Diego River Conservancy Is Far Behind Goals for Enhancing Waterway, Securing Funds (by Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune)
Decision on Sale of Carlton Oaks Golf Course Delayed (by Dorian Hargrove, San Diego Reader)
Conservancy Leader Ousted
Only two years after hiring Deborah S. Jayne in 2004 as the first executive officer for the San Diego River Conservancy, the board of directors voted to dismiss her in a 6-2 vote.
She had lost the support of state Senator Christine Kehoe, who had spearheaded creation of the conservancy, and board members complained about the lack of funding and the slow moving land acquisitions. Karen Scarborough, undersecretary of the State Resources Agency, claimed that Jayne does not “understand procedural aspects” of the job. Reports showed that Jayne had become alienated from Scarborough, who controls the conservancy’s budget, leaving board members looking for someone who could navigate the political waters.
“Sometimes regulators look at the micro rather than the macro,” Senator Kehoe said. “We need someone who can really brand name the San Diego River Conservancy and let people know the agency is there to protect the river and to find innovative ways for San Diegans to enjoy and appreciate the river.”
Despite 31 letters of praise presented at a hearing and 18 influential people from San Diego County urging to keep Jayne, the board dismissed her after just two years on the job.
Speculation by one of the two voting board members to oppose the decision attributed recent maneuvers by the governor’s office to find fresh appointees willing to vote in favor of Jayne’s removal. Two of the members who voted against Jayne were only recently appointed to the board and this was their first hearing.
The board had approved a five-year strategic plan written by Jayne before her removal that set up restoration projects and an ambitious public trails scheme along the length of the watershed. She also claimed to be close to securing more funding and land acquisitions before the board let her go.
“I have no apologies whatsoever,” Jayne said. “My head is high.”
River Conservancy Chief Fired (by Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union-Tribune)
S.D. River Authority Seeks Agile New Leader (by Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego River Conservancy Selects New Executive (Business Wire)
When Rob Hutsel, executive director of the San Diego River Foundation, appeared as a guest on the KPBS radio show “These Days,” both Hutsel and host Maureen Cavanaugh made a point of saying that an awful lot of San Diegans don’t even know their city has a namesake river running through it.
“A lot of the river, believe it or not, is actually privately owned, and most people don’t realize that, and there’s no way to get to it. So how can you get people to care for something?” Hutsel said. “Most people don’t even know that it exists.”
This anonymity has prompted some to suggest that the San Diego River Conservancy would be best served by changing its focus from acquiring land to creating more public access on existing land.
The City of Santee developed much of the river area with trail access and public access to parks so residents may enjoy the natural resource. The city also obtained a 125-acre span of riverfront to give greater public access thanks to grants from the San Diego River Conservatory and State Coastal Conservatory. The increased use of the Santee river area by hikers, equestrians and nature lovers has led to better maintenance of the waterfront and less trash, according to local reports.
Other key public areas in Lakeside and Mission Valley are also likely to spur interest from local and state funding to continue to bring more people to the area. The total San Diego River area draws more than 25 million visitors annually, which generates more than $5 billion.
“How can you get people to care about something if they can’t touch it and see it and feel it? And so we got to build trails,” Hutsel said.
What Are the Unique Challenges Faced by a River That Runs Through a City? (Interview by Maureen Cavanaugh, KPBS)
Michael Nelson, 2006-2013
Deborah S. Jayne, 2004-2006. Jayne was dismissed from her position as executive officer after a contentious struggle within the board. Despite support from the activist community, some board members questioned her ability to generate funding for the conservancy and said her relationship with key members of the state Natural Resources Agency had deteriorated.
- Table of Contents
- Overview
- History
- What it Does
- Where Does the Money Go
- Controversies
- Suggested Reforms
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