Jewel Of The Pacific

Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022 at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / On demand now with PBS Video App

Pacific Beach in San Diego, California, used to be a sleepy beach town until gentrification began reshaping its landscape. Surfers moved in. Next, college students made it a bustling neighborhood of their own. Then came entrepreneurs and work professionals, whom demanded better restaurants, better bars, and of course their own farmers market. The cost of living went up, and pushed out original residents.

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Aerial view of Pacific Beach in San Diego, Calif.

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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People enjoying a day at Pacific Beach in San Diego, Calif.

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Shareef Haq rides a skateboard by the beach in a scene from “Jewel Of The Pacific.” San Diego, Calif.

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Street signs at Tourmaline and Dawes in Pacific Beach, San Diego, Calif.

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Pacific Beach Centennial Mural, 1988, San Diego, Calif.

Courtesy of Cathleen King

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Eddie Okino, owner of Second Nature restaurant located on Cass Street in Pacific Beach, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Elise Thullen, from Volare Pole Art and Aerial Yoga Studio, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Jack Fields, chief executive officer at Treeline Interactive, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Javier Gonzalez, owner of Costa Brava restaurant located on Garnet Avenue in San Diego, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Julie Haq, a human resources professional, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Ray Agishi, owner of Izakaya restuarant, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

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Andrew Passaretti, rental property owner, is interviewed in “Jewel Of The Pacific.”

Courtesy of Eladio Arvelo

This happened in New York City in the ‘80s, then San Francisco in the ‘90s. Now gentrification is spreading across the United States and perhaps the world. Join us in exploring this topic with “Jewel Of The Pacific.” In the heart of San Diego, California: Pacific Beach.

Directed by Eladio Arvelo.

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