By Ron Donoho San Diego Sun
Lucky Duck Foundation’s new “Shamrocks & Shipwrecks” list cuts hardest on the City of San Diego
The Lucky Duck Foundation has released its first-ever list of political entities it says demonstrate both “progress” and “ineffectiveness/inaction” when addressing homelessness in the San Diego area.
This b old new initiative by the nonprofit organization is called “Shamrocks & Shipwrecks.”
“ The current trajectory of homelessness and deaths on the streets in San Diego County is nothing short of a humanitarian, public health and public safety crisis,” says Lucky Duck Foundation executive director Drew Moser. “While some positive initiatives are happening, our elected officials must b e more swift and decisive in their approach in addressing unsheltered homelessness.”
The inaugural list of Shamrocks (positive progress) includes: the City of Chula Vista; the City of La Mesa; and one shared by San Diego County and the cities of San Diego, Oceanside and Vista.
Three Shipwreck (ineffectiveness/inaction) designations were given to: The City of Chula Vista; the City of San Diego; and one shared by the City and the County of San Diego.
Weighing positive and negative designations, the City of San Diego fares worst on the list.
“It’s fair to say the City of San Diego is the 800-pound gorilla–with the most homelessness and the most growth of homelessness,” Moser says.
In the past, the foundation and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s interactions in the press and on social media have been heated.
A war of words erupted this past September after a Lucky Duck press conference was held to announce the creation of Shamrocks & Shipwrecks.
NBA legend and San Diego native Bill Walton participated in the press conference and called the mayor “less than useless.”
The mayor subsequently accused Walton and Lucky Duck of disseminating false statements. Gloria has continuously pointed to a list of efforts and programs his administration has initiated to address homelessness.
The Shamrocks & Shipwrecks list went public on December 8, 2022, after feedback from the general public and a consensus
vote by members of The Tuesday Group, an ad hoc group of high-powered local business executives closely connected to The Lucky Duck Foundation, Moser says.
The Tuesday Group was founded by San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler and Feeding San Diego CEO Dan Shea.
The Shamrocks & Shipwrecks moniker is loosely modeled on the “Orchids & Onions” program run by the San Diego Architectural Foundation. That nonprofit annually selects go od and bad examples of recently designed buildings and public spaces.
Moser is not aware of any other foundation in the country that calls out positive
Lucky Duck’s September press conference included, from left: Bill Walton, Dan Shea and Drew Moser. (Photo by Sal Giametta)
Homeless tents line C Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in downtown San Diego.
