By Danna Givot
On September 9, 2025, Saad Asad, paid Communications Manager for California YIMBY and Advocacy and Communications Director for YIMBY Dems published the following false statement about the College Area in the YIMBY Dems Newsletter:
“The university [SDSU] went from housing 2,100 students to 8,500 in recent decades, but the surrounding neighborhood stayed frozen in place.”[emphasis added]
The implication here is that the surrounding College Area is not producing new housing.
From 2021 to 2023, the College Area was responsible for 1,414 building permits (401 of those for affordable units) representing 7.1% of San Diego’s total permits and 10.7% of the City’s affordable permits.
The College Area represents only 1.8% of San Diego’s population (2020 Census) and 0.9% of the City’s acreage. As such, instead of being “frozen in place,” the College Area is producing well beyond its fair share of new housing – especially new affordable housing. The facts don’t support Saad’s position, making his claim invalid.
This information is readily available in San Diego’s 2024 Annual Report on Homes. I hope next time Saad will fact check his claims rather than spreading misinformation as the Advocacy and Communications Director for YIMBY Dems.
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