Wetlands Are Waiting: Tell The City to Start ReWilding

The ReWild Coalition continues to advocate for advancing wetland restoration in the northeast corner of Mission Bay, focusing now on funding sources and getting the city to act on De Anza Natural and Fiesta Island wetlands plans. In May of 2024, we got the City to approve a substantial wetland restoration plan with over 80% of the ReWild acreage. Now, we need to make this wetland restoration real. 

There is a dedicated funding source for wetlands, water quality and habitat projects in Mission Bay Regional Park, due to a voter-approved fund created in 2008, the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund. However, this fund has primarily been allocated to deferred maintenance projects, the lowest city charter priority. This fund can only be spent in Mission Bay, and wetland expansion is the highest unfunded priority, so progress can still be made to ReWild despite a tough budget year for the city.

This is a critical opportunity for the City to prioritize San Diegans—ensuring access to clean water, healthy natural spaces, and a deeper connection to Indigenous lands. As these connections become increasingly rare, restoring Mission Bay’s wetlands is not just an environmental imperative, but a chance to honor our shared responsibility to people and place.

We need our coalition members and ReWilders to contact their councilmembers, via letter, phone, email, and public comments. Below is the contact information for each council member, and messaging to share.

Pro tip: Phone calls take the least time and have the most impact!

Contact Information – Find your council district here

Introduction – The Ask

The ReWild Coalition urges the City to align the FY 2026 Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund (MBPIF) budget with voter-established priorities by allocating a portion of the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund, toward critical wetland restoration. Funds continue to be diverted to lowest-priority projects, deferred maintenance of parking lots and playgrounds instead of environmental restoration. 

To correct this, we request that $5 Million be directed to:

• De Anza Natural Approval – Completing required Coastal Commission studies.
  
• Fiesta Island Wetland Restoration – Funding an already approved but stalled project.
  
• Grant-Matching Fund – Securing additional state funding for wetland restoration.

These investments will help realign funding with voter-mandated environmental priorities and support essential restoration projects.

1. Opportunity to Fund the Environment in Difficult Budget Times – The City is facing difficult budget cuts that will impact critical services and programs. This is one opportunity to advance major climate actions with a fund that cannot be used for other purposes.

2. Honor Voter Priorities – The proposed FY 2026 Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund budget continues to misallocate funds to low-priority projects instead of the voter-mandated wetland restoration and environmental improvements.

3. Redirect Unallocated Funds to Wetland Restoration –The City has an opportunity to advance major environmental projects that align with both voter priorities and climate action goals.

4. Address Environmental and Public Health Needs – Mission Bay’s poor water quality and neglected wetlands require urgent action to meet Climate Action Plan goals 

5. Correct the Funding Imbalance – 91% of MBPIF spending has gone to the lowest-priority projects, ignoring the legally binding environmental priorities.

Example Script

“Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m a constituent from [DISTRICT/NEIGHBORHOOD]. I’m calling to urge Councilmember [INSERT NAME] to support allocating funding from the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund toward critical wetland restoration projects. 

As someone who [INSERT PERSONAL CONNECTION – e.g., “walks my dog at Mission Bay weekly” / “loves visiting wetlands with my family” / “knows the importance of wetlands for carbon sequestration and water quality” This is a critical opportunity for the City to prioritize San Diegans—ensuring access to clean water, healthy natural spaces. 

The City approved wetland restoration plans last year with community support, but now we need funding and action to make it real. With 91% of the dedicated Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund going to deferred maintenance instead of environmental priorities, we’re not honoring what voters intended in 2008. The highest unfunded priority for this fund is wetland expansion and water quality. 

I’m asking that you redirect $5 million toward furthering De Anza Natural, Fiesta Island wetland restoration, and grant-matching funds. This is a chance to advance major climate action even during tough budget times, using money that can only be spent in Mission Bay anyway. 

Can I count on your support for realigning this fund with voter-mandated environmental priorities? Thank you.