SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego is demanding for the downtown California Theatre to be torn down after deeming it a hazard to the public.
The venue on the corner of Fourth Avenue and C Street has been shut down for more than three decades. It's now painted with graffiti and boarded windows.
"It is definitely a hazard and has been fenced up," said Elyse Lowe, San Diego's Development Services Department Director.
The city said the theater is in a state of disrepair, structurally unsound and a danger to people walking by. Despite no trespassing signs, people are still seen going inside.
"Trespassers have illegally breached into the building and potentially even living in there," she said. "They're visible from atop the building and it's not safe for them to be there."
Businesses nearby notice the foot traffic.
"We do get homeless people that come in and try to cause problems," said Thuy Pham, an employee 9Juat Mocozy restaurant down the street. "It'd be nice to not have to deal with that kind of stuff so often."
The theater owner was sent a letter on Aug. 10. The city asked them to vacate, board up and ultimately tear down the building. Now a third party is working with the city as the theater owner went into bankruptcy. The third party has put the property up for sale.
"The city's code enforcement has referred the case to the city attorney for potential civil or criminal prosecution if the owner does not take action," Lowe said.
The city is concerned about pieces of the building falling onto the sidewalk. There are plans to close part of Fourth Avenue to create a safe path for pedestrians to walk through.
WATCH RELATED: Downtown San Diego hotel to be vacated due to rodents, mold, other hazards (July 2022).