A high-visibility law enforcement operation in the Gaslamp Quarter is the response to an increase in assaults, disorderly conduct and other unlawful behavior in San Diego’s prominent entertainment district.
“Operation Last Call” came on the heels of a melee that broke out in front of Tacos el Gordo late Saturday night/early Sunday morning as Gaslamp bars closed on August 23.
Videos of the street brawl have circulated worldwide. Multiple posts on Instagram show men and women shoving, hitting and choking one another. A group of San Diego Police Department officers deployed on bicycles can be seen intervening. In an effort to control the crowd, officers don’t hesitate to use pepper spray on the combatants.
Five arrests were made after the incident.
Gaslamp Quarter Association Executive Director Michael Trimble had a lot to say about the cause, effect and official reaction to the Tacos El Gordo fight that led to the SDPD deploying an extra 25 officers to the area.
Trimble said that since Covid, defiance of authority has ramped up.
“When people are allowed to steal or do drugs on the street…or be an illegal street food vendor…with no consequences, it breeds a ‘you can’t tell me what to do’ attitude,” Trimble said.
“Unfortunately, there are also groups of people looking for dramatic opportunities to film for social media,” Trimble said. “In some cases, they go out and instigate and antagonize people who have been drinking. Some of these people are underage and have been drinking in cars in the area.”
In the case of the recent Tacos El Gordo fight, at least one person who posted video of the fight on Instagram appears to be an innocent bystander.
Trimble noted the Gaslamp Quarter’s main drag, Fifth Avenue, has narrow sidewalks. At night, when there are 30,000 people traversing the sidewalks it’s inevitable people will bump into each other. Drunk and hangry crowds attempting to buy late-night tacos in close quarters is a powder keg ready to blow.
FYI: Tacos El Gordo has removed its outdoor seating.
Lack of walking space is one reason the GQA had been pushing for a Promenade on Fifth Avenue, Trimble said.
From May 2023 to the beginning of 2025, the city of San Diego was paying for removable metal bollards to be inserted in the road to remove car traffic on Fifth Avenue and allow pedestrians to walk on the street during times when lots of people were in the area.
The bollards were in place for seven blocks, from Broadway to K Street, including the portion of Fifth Avenue in front of Tacos El Gordo.
Those bollards were supposed to be the first step toward creating a Fifth Avenue Promenade. The plan was to plant trees, create visitor activations and make the area a more desirable destination.
“People are less apt to fight in a nice setting,” Trimble said. “I think if we’d seen progress on the Promenade, we’d have seen fewer problems.”
Trimble said the Promenade idea is not dead, but he doesn’t believe the current city administration has a desire to restart the project. He said representatives of Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (whose district includes downtown) have not attended GQA meetings for more than a year-and-a-half.
Previously, representatives from Gloria and Whitburn’s offices told The Sun they stopped attending GQA meetings because of vocal disagreements and threats of litigation regarding Promenade funding. Currently, there is no pending lawsuit.
“Violence in the Gaslamp is not the result of a communication issue with the mayor’s office,” according to an email response from a mayoral spokesperson. “The City is taking action — deploying police officers, increasing enforcement and addressing quality-of-life concerns. We need the Gaslamp Quarter Association to do its part by addressing businesses whose practices are contributing to disorder and making clear that operating in the Gaslamp comes with a responsibility to the neighborhood.”
Trimble said GQA member businesses are not responsible for street violence.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a follow-up question about what the city is doing to address qualify-of-life issues.
Neither was a statement sought by The Sun from the Downtown San Diego Partnership specific about its current efforts to help make downtown “safe and welcoming at all hours of the day and night.”
The DSDP promotes economic growth and cultural events, and has safety ambassadors that work for a Clean & Safe team. DSDP touts a vision of San Diego being “America’s Outdoor Downtown.” That slogan may be in trouble of being hijacked in favor of “America’s Outdoor UFC Octagon.”
The GQA’s Trimble said he worked with the the police department on Operation Last Call.
“The plan was initiated and coordinated by SDPD leadership and supported by the mayor’s office and the Public Safety Committee of City Council, in alliance with SDFD and other business partners in the Gaslamp Quarter,” confirmed Sergeant Saum Poorsaleh, SDPD Public Information Officer/Media Relations.
Poorsaleh said there will be a visible presence of police officers in the Gaslamp Quarter seven days a week, with a majority of the focus on peak days and holidays.
Operation Last Call will feature increased foot patrols, dedicated tactical units, strict enforcement of public consumption and disorderly conduct laws, and immediate intervention in active disputes. There will be a zero-tolerance posture toward unlawful activity.
“They will remain in place until conditions demonstrate a noticeable and sustained change,” Poorsaleh said. “Once this is achieved, we will reassess and make any necessary changes.”
Last year, the Gaslamp Quarter had three times the number of disorderly conduct cases as Pacific Beach, one of San Diego’s other nightlife hubs, according to Poorsaleh. He added that assaults on SDPD officers in the Gaslamp increased by 172% over the past two years.
Poorsaleh asked for Gaslamp visitors to enjoy themselves in a safe and responsible manner.
“If you see officers working, give them space and allow them to do their job,” he said. “If you see something that doesn’t look right, speak up. Community awareness is one of the most effective tools we have for maintaining safety.” SDSun
