With Erik Judson and Barbara Warden to her right, and Gina Campion-Cain to her left, Nikki Clay poses with her President’s Award presented during the Downtown Partnership’s annual Alonzo Awards dinner. (photo/ma5en.com)

Just days after losing her home of 26 years to the October wildfires, Barbara Warden oversaw the production of the Downtown San Diego Partnership’s 45th annual Alonzo Awards at the U.S. Grant. “We are really going to be better for this, but we are never going to be the same,” she said, providing a somber start to the festivities, which included recognition of a variety of emergency personnel. With the destruction serving as a silent counterpoint, the program moved on with an upbeat video zeroing in on new Downtown development. A host of politicos were in attendance, including councilmen Kevin Faulconer and Scott Peters and supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts. Roberts, praising the community for its actions, couldn’t resist a jab at City Attorney Mike Aguirre. “If one elected official had his way, we all would be evacuated,” he said, following the laughter with, “Go ahead, sue me. I don’t care.”

Faulconer, who needs a new line, told the group, “You may think I’m on the city council but I actually work for Barbara Warden.” Erik Judson, the Partnership’s chair, had the second best Warden line: “When I walked in tonight I said to Barbara, ‘That is a beautiful dress.’ She said, ‘Yeah, it’s new.’” The night’s first award went to the Ivy Hotel. Emcee Gina Champion-Cain went on so long praising the project she had to get the crowd back by suggesting they imagine, really hard, the hotel’s great bathtubs. Developer Michael Kelly, who accepted the award on behalf of his partners, brother Richard and sister Louise, who was ill and not in attendance, thanked Champion-Cain “for the commercial.”

Alonzo Awards went to Anthology’s Howard Berkson, Smart Corner’s developer Lankford & Associates, Cisterra Partners for DiamondView Tower and Flexcar. The Humanitarian Award went to Christie’s Place and the Chairman’s Award to TSA Contracting’s Terry Arnett. Lobbyist and Downtown booster for too many years Nikki Clay received the President’s Award. “There’s lots of us who remember we worked Downtown when there wasn’t lots of living and playing going on,” Clay said. The award’s main sponsor was Westfield. By the time its Australian executive v.p., Jonathan Bradhurst, got up to speak, the crowd was restless. “I now wait for you to kindly shut up,” was how Bradhurst got their attention before announcing where the gift cards were hidden at each table. His company plans to spend $2 billion renovating its San Diego properties. The evening’s final honor, the Founder’s Award, went to Herb Klein, the retired Copley News executive with Washington credentials and a stellar history of volunteerism. Moving to the microphone via walker, he bent down and declared, “First of all, I’d like to deny I am a compatriot of Alonzo Horton.” Klein praised the political direction of Mayor Sanders, Roberts’ performance during the fires and the spirit of San Diegans to better their community. “I am an optimist,” Klein said. “I believe you can get things done if you really try.”

— Tim McClain