San Diego Comic-Con has no affiliation with the “Meeting of Styles” mural festival planned for National City’s westside this month, a convention official said, contradicting how the event was described to the City Council when it approved a temporary use permit (TUP) last month.
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The festival, organized by Vision Culture Foundation, is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at Wilson Avenue and 17th Street, where international artists will paint cartoon-themed murals on overpass walls along the Interstate 805 corridor. Comic-Con, an annual comic book and multi-genre entertainment convention held at the San Diego Convention Center, will take place July 23 through July 26.
David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer for San Diego Comic-Con, said he had no knowledge of the event before reading news reports linking the festival to Comic-Con. He said he does not know how the link was erroneously made.
“We contacted Vision Culture and let them know that we’re not affiliated, that we’re certainly not sponsoring,” Glanzer said. “And while it sounds interesting, we have no knowledge and nothing to do with it.”
Glanzer said Vision Culture had agreed to remove Comic-Con references from its website and promotional materials.
Mayor Ron Morrison, who cast the lone dissenting vote against granting the TUP during last month’s June 30 City Council meeting, said the council had relied on information presented by event organizers.
“We were just taking Vision Culture at their word, since Comic-Con was not there at the meeting,” Morrison said, adding that the origin of the Comic-Con reference remains unclear to city officials as well. “There’s a bunch of tin cans with strings between them. We just don’t know what the first tin can was.”
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Morrison said Vision Culture has worked with the city on previous projects, including a mural at the public works building, without issue. He said the event still depends on Vision Culture securing a Caltrans permit, which had not been issued as of Wednesday.
“We don’t know yet because they still do not have a permit from Caltrans, which could kill everything right there on the spot,” he said.
The council voted 3-1 during the June 30 meeting to approve the permit for the event, with Vice Mayor Luz Molina and Councilmembers Marcus Bush and Ditas Yamane voting in support, while Mayor Ron Morrison voted no. Councilmember Jose Rodriguez was absent.
Morrison said he opposed issuing the permit outright, arguing the city should have required organizers to meet all conditions first rather than granting the permit. Those conditions included securing a Caltrans permit, finalizing insurance and resolving safety concerns tied to an active construction site adjacent to the planned event site.
“It should be their responsibility to make sure they have their ducks in a row first,” Morrison said. “And once they do it, then they get their TUP.”
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Vision Culture Foundation could not be reached for comment.
