NewSchool of Architecture & Design
1249 F Street, San Diego 92101

January 18th, 9:30 AM

When Angeles Leira spoke to Friends of San Diego Architecture in March 1999, she talked about the Revitalization of Sherman Heights neighborhood. A lot has happened in San Diego, and Leira’s life, since then. She retired after more than 30 years as a San Diego City Planner but continues to be very active on various boards and committees, for communities involved in historical preservation and planning issues. She has lived in La Jolla for more than 60 years and is well-known for her knowledge and expertise on development projects.

She has said, “Contemporary architecture tends to get a bad rap in San Diego.”  But Ms. Leira does not dismiss Modern architecture. In 2011 Leira curated the La Jolla Historical Society’s lecture series Contemporary Architects Make History. Her stated aim was to:

…educate the public and inspire more dialogue about what constitutes “good” architecture in San Diego. While we might consider “good” architecture to be subjective, knowledge and exposure to new architecture can sharpen our
community to excellence in design.

Harriet Gill, Founder of Friends of San Diego Architecture, was of like mind when she gathered lay people and design professionals together for mutual education and enlightenment about the built environment.

Angeles Leira was born in El Ferrol, the most important naval port on the Atlantic Coast of Spain. All the males (father, grandfather, uncles) were naval officers. She grew up on their stories of naval history and exploration. Women, at that time, were not accepted at the Naval Academy, so she became an architect. Her mother, Angeles Alvarino, was a well-known marine biologist and oceanographer who discovered 22 new species of zooplankton. Her talents piqued the attention of Roger Revelle who brought her and the family to the United States and eventually to La Jolla, working at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Because very few Spanish were given residence in the USA, her request was authorized by an Act of the US Congress in the 1960’s.

We have asked Angeles to give us an insider’s view of what it was like to be a San Diego City Planner over her 30-year span, what changes have transpired over time, what battles have been won or lost. How does a planner bring developers, politicians, community planning groups, and the general public to final agreement?

Come hear Angeles Leira talk about her Adventures in Planning!  It will be a morning of enlightenment!

P.S. If you think a plan for Mission Valley has been a “hot” issue for 30 years you won’t want to miss this San Diego Reader article by Gordon Smith written on Nov. 11, 1982. WOW! See: https://sandiegoreader.com/news/1982/nov/11/cover-all-the-way-to-the-banks/