Sun-Bleached Bones History

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San Diego CA-057 Home History

History

Current Events

Detailed Timeline

Pre-Colonial

For nearly 12,000 years what is now San Diego County comprised a local indigenous population - mostly Kumeyaay.

Historically, Kumeyaay territory originally extended from near what is now Santo Tomás, Baja California, up to Escondido in California, and eastward over the mountains toward the Colorado River. Before European colonization, the Kumayaay had had run-ins with the Tlacique to the south, Gangrel, and the Pisanob line of the Giovanni throughout their history.

Spanish Colonial Period (1542-1821)

1542 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (with the ships the San Salvador, La Victoria, and San Miguel) lands in San Diego Bay. He names the area San Miguel, but does not settle the area. Some Kindred historians still debate whether vampires that joined Cabrillo on his expedition remained. Most believe they were Lasombra, Gangrel, Brujah, Ventrue, or Nosferatu.

1602 - Sebastian Vizcaino maps the coastline of Alta California for Spain in 1602. He renames the area “San Diego de Alcala” and performs the first Catholic service. Some Kindred historians believe that this effort was supported by the Lasombra, Gangrel, or the Ventrue.

1769 - Gaspar de Portola, Junipero Serra, Juan Viscaino, and Fernando Parron begin their expedition to Christianize Las Californias. They raised a cross and established Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. This expedition sent two Spanish galleons, The San Antonio and the San Carlos. The San Carlos was almost lost at sea, many of the sailors falling ill to scurvy and other ailments. More Kindred arrive, mostly as part of the Sabbat exploration of the New World.

1774 - Few Kumayaay converted. Supplies are scarce, and maintaining the Mission is very difficult. There is a tenuous peace between the Mission and nearby Kumayaay villages such as Kosa’aay. The San Antonio is almost lost on a resupply mission. Nearly half of the original members of the Portola expedition are dead. Still, Colonists begin arriving. Kindred followed. Unaligned, Anarchs, independent clans begin to show. Disease and survival are excellent cover for Kindred on the outskirts, away from the Camarilla, Sabbat conflict.

1775 - The Kumayaay rebel against the Spanish, burning down Mission San Diego de Alcala and killing three of the Spanish. Serra begins rebuilding the mission.

1780 - The rebuilt Mission is complete and relocated to its current location. Ghost stories surround the original Mission site.

1797 - The Mission is the largest in California, having converted approximately 1,400 Kumayaay and other indigenous peoples.

1803 - an earthquake destroys the Mission Basilica San Diego, and it is rebuilt in 1813.

Mexican Period (1821-1848) - Sabbat Rule

Presidio of San Diego

1821 - After the Mexican War for Independence, the Spanish are ousted. Changes in government lead to some radical local changes in Las Californias.

1829. The Mexican Government grants Santiago Argüello Moraga 10,000 acres for Rancho Tia Juana - which makes up modern day Tijuana and San Ysidro.

1833. The Mexican Government grants Emigdio Argüello the adjacent Rancho Melijo. They build “La Punta,” an adobe house that was one of the only structures in the area.

1834 - Mission Basilica San Diego is secularized and shut down, its land sold off to locals. 432 residents decide to form a pueblo, with Juan Maria Osuna elected as their first alcaide. This is what is now Presidio Hill, a town connecting several California Ranchos and small businesses. The total population is around 600. The nearest port is in what is now Point Loma, the military Presidio in bad shape. Lasombra and Lasombra antitribu trace their right to territory to this time period, each claiming control at this time. The Camarilla, Anarch, and Sabbat factions start building on the west coast. Whispers of a Setite temple in what is now San Ysidro. Benigma Pisanob, a local still manager and fence, is embraced, and rises up the ranks of the Pisanob family. Still, the population of San Diego does not have much growth.

In 1835, the Alta California authorities set aside a 1,400-acre (570 ha) tract of pueblo land in San Diego to be used for the public's recreational purposes. This land remains preserved as a major part of what is now Balboa Park.

1846-1850. During the Mexican-American War control of the city exchanges between the two powers three times, in what is also an expression of territory between Camarilla and Sabbat. With the United States victorious in 1847, the country grants Statehood to California in 1850. The Camarilla takes control of San Diego.

The US/Mexico Border as of 1849

American Period (1848-1941) - Camarilla Rule

1850s - San Diego population remains low, between 600 and 800 people. The importance lay in the County - Military, Ports and Trade at Point Loma. Nearly 10,000 visitors pass through on their way to San Francisco to make their fortune. Few stay. While several investors attempt to develop San Diego, the investments dry up within the decade. The town’s attempt to build a local jail bankrupts the city in 1852.

William Heath Davis spends tens of thousands to create a wharf. It was completed in 1851, but seldom used. The steamer Los Angeles collided with the wharf in 1853 and the damage was never repaired. It was destroyed for firewood in 1862.

1857. Thomas Whaley designs and builds the Whaley House - a two-story Greek Revival mansion and General Store, the first of its kind in San Diego.

My new house, when completed, will be the handsomest, most comfortable and convenient place in town or within 150 miles of here. — Thomas Whaley, San Diego Coast Life

The house is known throughout Southern California as well as the Whaley & Crosthwaite General Store, making it a landmark of the area. Younger Kindred take up residence in the town, though never more than a petty Princedom.

1860s. The U.S. government marks the US/Mexico Border.

1867-1912. San Diego. - Alonzo Horton purchases land closer to the water, creating the Horton Addition, or “New Town.” This is what most of Downtown San Diego is today. In 1869, Horton replaces Davis’s wharf and moves into the Davis house.

The Whaley House becomes a focal point of the battle between Old Town residents and New Town for dominance in San Diego. Whaley offers to sell it to the county, while New Town wants county offices to move to New Town. In 1868, Thomas Whaley opens up a theater within the mansion, that could seat 150 guests. The Tanner Theater disbands in 1869. The House serves as the county courthouse in 1869. Despite threats of armed resistance, county records move to New Town in 1871. A Chamber of Commerce and the Capitol are moved to New Town, and it becomes the new City Hub. A part of this addition is designated as City Park, continuing the public land set aside during Mexican Rule. The city begins its first boom. The Horton Hotel becomes San Diego’s first Elysium.

1870 Julian. A.E. Coleman discovers gold near Julian, California. He founds the Coleman Mining District, later renamed Coleman City. The area becomes a gold rush town and the population rivals San Diego by 1873. East Coast Giovanni (Giovanni, Dunsirn, Milliner, etc.) move into Julian to take advantage of the gold business and make deals with local clans. They begin to get some investment into the area. Labor disputes in the county show rumblings of the arrival of the Movement. The Movement finds pockets of domain throughout the county.

1873 San Ysidro. The U.S. Government erects a Customs building.

In 1878, many project San Diego to rival San Francisco’s trade. Mysteriously, the Central Pacific Railroad does not built an extension into San Diego, ending the real estate speculation.

1880 Jacumba. The Jacumba Massacre. Ranchers occupied the area in the 19th century and were often in conflict with the indigenous population. 15 Kumeyaay and one European died in an event connected to alleged cattle rustling. Jacumba has remained Sabbat territory after the Mexican-American War.

1882. Violet Whaley commits suicide, and Thomas Whaley moves the family out of the Whaley House. He hires a caretaker while living in a single-story home Downtown.

1885. The transcontinental railroad route came through San Diego. The Second Anarch Revolt begins to show itself on the California coast. The Brujah and Ventrue begin to fight through local Labor concerns. Some Gangrel find some spots to settle. The local Nosferatu establish tunnels in New Town, Toreador, Brujah, Malkavian and Ventrue begin to move in.

1887 San Diego. The Stingaree - a neighborhood known for vice and “undesirables” of the time - grows to include 350 prostitutes working in 120 bordellos. The Stingaree’s 71 saloons boast names such as the First and Last Chance Saloon, Old Tub of Blood, and Legal Tender. This area is run by the Giovanni and some other independent clans that pass through. Benigma “Ma” Pisanob, a saloon proprietor, is the de facto community leader.

1887 San Ysidro. Real estate firm Hart and Stern develop Tia Juana City directly on the US/Mexico Border. It consists of a drug store, saloon, and boot shop and some scattered houses.

1888. A success, the Ventrue take credit for the Horton Addition, and claim praxis as a Camarilla city. This angers a local Lasombra antitribu line.

1890. San Diego’s 1880s real estate boom tapers off. By the end of the decade the population has dropped from 40,000 to 16,000. Prince Maire of San Miguel, a Brujah, takes praxis from the Ventrue claiming that outside forces have been manipulating the continuous cycle of boom-and-bust. Maire will have the longest tenure as Prince.

1891-1895 San Ysidro. Tia Juana City floods twice. They do not immediately restore the buildings and settlers move to higher ground. This lays the foundations for modern day Tijuana and San Ysidro.

1894. Alonzo Horton makes a deal city fathers can’t refuse: he sells them a valuable half-block of land for $10,000, stipulating that it must remain a park forever. Under the agreement, the city agrees to pay Horton $100 a month with no interest and no down payment. In the event of Horton’s death, the city would acquire the property outright. The city fathers underestimated Horton’s endurance.

1894-1899. The Spanish-American War and the acquisition of Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii leads to the expansion of naval and military interests throughout San Diego County.

1897. California establishes the San Diego Normal School in the Hill building on Park Avenue.

1900s Jacumba. The health and relaxation benefits of natural Jacumba hot springs began to be commercialized.

1903. Fred Baker and professor W.E. Ritter found the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

By 1906, the Arizona Railway links to San Diego from El Centro. The population booms again.

1907. Groundbreaking ceremony on September 7 in downtown San Diego for the San Diego & Arizona Railroad. John D. and Adolph B. Spreckels and Edward Henry Harriman, president of the Union Pacific Railroad were the primary backers in the project. Some believe Spreckels or someone close to him was influenced by the Camarilla, helping direct his actions. The county fell into a depression shortly after the project started, drying up funds.

1909. Francis Whaley returns to the Whaley house and takes over its operations.

1909 San Ysidro. William E. Smythe founds the first of several Little Lander colonies on what used to be the Belcher Ranch. It is dubbed San Ysidro, after the patron saint of farmers. Little Landers colonies attempt small-scale cooperative agriculture in California, based on the book A Little Land and a Living by Bolton Hall.

1910 US/Mexico Border. Fencing placed from the Pacific Ocean to Otay Mountain. Smuggling becomes more profitable.

1910-1916 San Diego. In preparation for the Panama-California World Exposition in 1915, City Park is renamed Balboa Park. City officials expand the park, design and build several new areas designed by famed architect Bertram Goodhue. The Camarilla were essentially announcing that San Diego is a city worthy of it, drawing tourists far and wide. Prince Maire establishes the city's second Elysium in the California State Building (now the Museum of Man).

1912. University of California acquires the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, becoming the Scripps Institution of Biological Research.

1912-1916. A city ordinance against street speaking squashes attempts to organize labor. The Brujah and the Ventrue clash.

Further, the city cracks down on vice in the Stingaree. Raids and law enforcement leads to the destruction of nearly 120 buildings by fire. This displaces several people and increases the city’s homeless population. Malkavian Eric Matheson, the city’s Seneschal, along with the Ventrue and Nosferatu have started pushing out the Giovanni. An unlikely ally, the Followers of Set help the Giovanni push back. Ma Pisanob and Matheson begin their rivalry at this point. Genevieve Mauntel, a Ventrue Elder, shows her strength in utilizing mortal influences against their enemies. The fires, on the other hand, were Sabbat attacks on the more vulnerable Independent clans.

1913-1916. The Wonderland Amusement Park opens in Ocean Beach and thrives for two seasons. Bad weather and competition from the Panama-California World Expo forces its closure in 1915. The San Diego Zoological Society purchases its menagerie in 1916 (some of which was on exhibition at the World Expo), and its roller-coaster falls into disrepair, and then is purchased and shipped to the Santa Monica Pier. The park was run by Ravnos attempting to establish domain in the area, thwarted by the Camarilla Gangrel.

1916-1921. Harry M. Wedgeforth founds the San Diego Zoological Society. The Society purchases animals from the World Expo and Wonderland Amusement Park to create a zoo in San DIego. The location moves several times until a permanent tract of land is found in Balboa Park. The famous San Diego Zoo opens In 1921. The city agrees to own the animals while the Zoo is maintained by the Zoological Society. Ellen Browning Scripps finances the fence, and the Zoo begins to charge admission to offset costs.

Camarilla Gangrel control the Zoological Society, some take refuge in Balboa Park.

1916. Violent flooding in January, including the collapse of the Lower Otay Reservoir Dam, damaged the recently constructed tracks of the SD&A Railroad, especially along Campo Creek. It is believed the flooding was caused by the Koldunic Sorcery and other thaumaturgists of the Sabbat.

1917. The United States enters World War I, labor shortages and inflated costs for materials slow construction. Parts of Balboa Park become training facilities and hospitals for the Navy. On the California Quadrangle, the Administration Building becomes a Navy Hospital. The Navy buys a partition of the Miramar Ranch from E. W. Scripps, establishing Camp Kearny (the future sight of the MCAS Miramar).

1918. The end of World War I solidifies the military role in the local economy. Aside from soldiers, aircraft and defense industries boom in the local economy. Military investment expands throughout San Diego. The Navy had built seven bases, including a Naval Training Center and most of the citywide expansion begins to serve the military. Some believe this to be a long-term plan by the Ventrue, though some also suspect the Giovanni had hands in the building contracts.

The 1918 Flu Pandemic lasts until 1920. (more later)

1919-1933. Prohibition. San Diego’s proximity to the border, and police willing to turn a blind eye made San Diego a destination for visitors looking for some hooch. Giovanni and Setite power grow during this time. Ma Pisanob has several stills in the Stingaree to circumvent the Sabbat to the south.

1919 Jacumba. The Jacumba Hot Springs are connected to San Diego by rail. It remains Sabbat territory. In December of this year, Southern Pacific Locomotives were running between San Diego to El Centro, only to be held up a few months later by a major rock slide in and the threat of others. Another possible Sabbat attack.

1920s Jacumba. Lao An, now known as the Chinese Castle, is built in Jacumba by Frank Battles. It is believed he was a Sabbat ghoul and he made the structure for their sanctuary. In 1922, Bert Vaugn begins construction on the Desert View Tower.

By 1925, Jacumba had a world class hotel, the Hotel Jacumba.

1926. John D. Spreckels - one of the founding fathers of modern San DIego - dies. Flash floods and fires continue to impact the SD&A Railroad thereafter, believed to be further Sabbat attacks.

1927-1928. Charles Lindbergh flies the first transatlantic flight. His test flight was from Dutch Flats, a Ryan airlines airstrip near the neighborhood of Midway. Inspired by Lindbergh's flight and excited to have made his plane, the city of San Diego passed a bond issue in 1928 for the construction of a two-runway municipal airport. Lindbergh encouraged the building of the airport and agreed to lend his name to it. The new airport, dedicated on August 16, 1928, was San Diego Municipal Airport – Lindbergh Field.

1930-1940. During the Great Depression, San Diego County grew 38%, from 210,000 to 290,000. There was enough money in the city to establish golf courses, tennis courts, and improve the water system. New Deal money was used to expand the naval fleet, bringing even more money into the area. The Marine Corps establishes Camp Elliot east of the Naval Camp Kearny.

1931. The San Diego Zoo ranks best in the United States. The Museum of Fine Arts exhibits valuable artwork from Rubens, Murillo and Riber. In a great example of local economic disparity - there is a year-long political dispute over authorizing a new golf course and a jobs bill for those hit by the Depression. The City Council delays development of the golf course several times but then approves it when it goes from a 9-hole to 18-hole course with an additional 9-hole executive course (The Balboa Park Golf Course). Meanwhile, a jobs bill remains in limbo for another year. The military becomes a de facto jobs program, becoming the largest local employer in San Diego. Growing too large for the Hill building, California moves the San Diego Normal School to neighboring Aztec Mesa (now La Mesa), overlooking Mission Valley. In 1935, it becomes San Diego State College. This is Kumayaay land, still controlled by the tribe. California leases it from them.

Jacumba. The Unseen Circle, a cult interested in the occult and the afterlife, is on the rise. They meet regularly at the Jacumba Hotel.

1932. The Spreckels family sells their share of the company to Union Pacific Railroad. They would rename it the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway, eventually transitioning into a passenger service.

1934-1936. California Pacific International Exposition. After the close of Chicago’s Century of Progress, Frank Drugan incorporates the Exposition and begins to update and add construction within Balboa Park. Seneschal Eric Matheson organized the entire celebration to celebrate 20 strong years of Camarilla rule.

1937 Del Mar. The Del Mar Turf Club (Now the Del Mar Racetrack) opens, co-owned by Bing Crosby and William A. Quigley. The racetrack brings a lot of business and attention to the area. The opening race included popular racehorses of the time, Seabiscuit wins by a nose. This attracts gambling and sports fans throughout the area, and the racetrack quickly grows. The Club was proposed by the Toreador and Ventrue to establish Del Mar as an expansive domain, to “bring a little class” to the area. To do so, they dealt with a group of local Ravnos, who allowed it in return for a cut of the gambling proceeds. Under threat of the Treatment, the Toreador complied, though the Ventrue try to renegotiate this arrangement several times in subsequent years..

1938. Vice raids against what was once known as the Stingaree neighbrohood increase. Seneschal Matheson and the Camarilla again go after the Independent Clans.

Anarch Period (1944-1995)

1941-1945. The attack on Pearl Harbor marks the entrance of the United States into World War II. As a result, there’s an increase of investment into San Diego. The U.S. Navy builds the San Diego Aqueduct. Several Naval bases expand throughout Point Loma and San Diego County. The SD&A Railroad runs more smoothly, though not perfectly. Even without Sabbat intervention, accidents occur. The increased military presence in the area makes the Sword of Caine tread more carefully.

Prince Maire dies in the Second Anarch Revolt. Shortly after, Anarch Theresa Holcomb claims praxis and declares herself Baron of San Diego.

Ventrue and Toreador claim domain over Del Mar, to the Ravnos' chagrin. They maintain their working relationship over the Race Track.

1941 Campo. Construction begins on nearby Camp Lockett to house the 11th Cavalry Regiment.

1942 Campo. The 11th Cavalry Regiment is transferred to Georgia and converted into a motorized unit. the 10th Cavalry Regiment replaces it at Camp Lockett.. As mobilization for World War II continues, more men are organized into the 28th Cavalry Regiment, forming the 4th Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division. The Western Defense Command's Southern Land Frontier Sector also moved to Camp Lockett at this time.

1942-43 Campo. Camp Lockett sees more construction and further expansion, most of it for the troops of the 28th Cavalry Regiment. The original veterinary complex is expanded for the 2nd Veterinary Company.

1944 Campo. The 4th Cavalry Brigade is sent to North Africa then disbanded and converted into service units. The Camp was in standby status for several months. The Mitchell Convalescent Hospital is activated at former Camp Lockett. It is the first Army Service Forces convalescent hospital in the United States. A prisoner of war, housing German and Italian, was constructed alongside the hospital, for which they provided labor.

1945. A military city, San Diego celebrates the end of the War, including a visit from President Truman. Baron Kearny had been in power for a year, and previous doubts about the Anarch Free State are mostly abandoned. Skirmishes with the Sabbat to the south increase, but ultimately, Baron Kearny is able to keep them at bay. With her attention to the south, there is some slow progression from the Camarilla to the North.

1946 San Diego. The Navy moves out of Camp Kearny, transferring ownership to the Marines. Camp Kearny and Camp Elliot become MCAS Miramar. Campo. The convalescent hospital is closed down at Camp Lockett and declared surplus.

1949. Charters are granted to the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart to found the the San Diego College for Women (opens in 1952), the College for Men, and School of Law (both open in 1954). This is the future site of the University of San Diego.

1949 Campo. The Army begins to close Camp Lockett.

1950. San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission to abandon operations. It is believed Holcomb’s Anarchs were behind this maneuver. They saw the Sabbat were no longer actively preventing the construction of the SD&A, and if the Sabbat wanted it, Holcomb'faction was happy to deny it.

1956. University of California authorizes the San Diego Campus around the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The campus will not break ground until 1960, classes begin in 1964. College protests against the Vietnam War were at the height, and local rumors indicate that the newly built campus includes tunnels for law enforcement to operate against them.

1964. Four graduates of UCLA decide to create an underwater restaurant. After finding that unfeasible, instead they expanded to a 22 acre marine zoological park along the shore of Mission Bay called SeaWorld. Alongside, they found the Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute. The San Diego Zoological Society begins developing an endangered species preserve known as the Wild Animal Park.

1960 The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, investing in the study of biotech and synthetic blood.

1966-69 Jacumba. Residents of Jacumba are excited by the coming arrival of Interstate 8. It is projected to be a significant event in its history. Instead, it passes the town by 2 miles. It is suspected the Anarchs of San Diego influenced the contracts that governed the route of the Interstate.

1968. SeaWorld becomes a public company, expanding into a nationwide business.

1970. The San Diego State College becomes a part of the California State University System, becoming San Diego State University.

1972. The College for Women, College for Men, and School of Law merge to become the University of San Diego. The San Diego Zoological Society, after nearly a decade of planning, opens the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The main purposes were endangered species conservation and breeding of animals for the San Diego Zoo. The Wild Animal Park opened in May.

1973. The United States National Bank, headquartered in San Diego and the 86th largest bank in the country, fails. Bad loans to companies owned by the National Bank’s owner exceeded their lending limit. C. Arnholt Smith used the bank’s money for his private business and bribed bank inspectors.

1978. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System bought the SD&A railroad company in restored condition. A few years later, freight briefly resumed between San Diego and Plaster City until fires destroyed two bridges on the desert line. Natural disaster or arson? And by whom?

1980. The creation of the new downtown redevelopment agency, the Centre City Development Corp. The city set out to build the future downtown landscape - the Convention Center, Horton Plaza, the Gaslamp Quarter, and various other landmarks throughout the city.

The CCDC becomes a way to update locations for each area. The area once known as the Stingaree (between 1st and 5th and Market and K) is redeveloped as the Gaslamp, and continues to be held by the Giovanni and Settites. Redeveloped as upscale shopping, bars and nightclubs of the Gaslamp Quarter. Setites settle in the Labor Temple building, the Giovanni have interests throughout the area and have a non-descript office in the Carriage Works building. Some Ravnos stick around, though most move into Del Mar to take advantage of the Racetrack there.

1983 Jacumba. The Jacumba Hotel closes and is destroyed in an arson fire. It is rumored Holcomb’s Anarchs were behind the attack. The Jacumba Motel is the only hotel facility left in Jacumba, it acquired the rights to the spring and opened a spa.

1984. C. Arnholt Smith is convicted of embezzlement and tax fraud. Jerry Dominelli is convicted for wire fraud, his investment company J. David & Co. discovered to be a Ponzi scheme. Mayor Roger Hedgecock is convicted of conspiracy and perjury in connection to the J. David $ Co. scandal. While Kindred are suspected in engineering the savings and loans scandals as a Camarilla attack on the Anarch Free State of San Diego. Theresa Holcomb is ousted as Baron. Theories point to a rival Anarch gang, the Camarilla, and the Sabbat each making a power play in the area.

1986. Something is growing under San Diego. The official explanation is Petroleum from an underground storage tank. An estimated 460,000 gallons of volatile petroleum was floating beneath a nine-block area downtown. The problem was simply known as “the Blob.” The CCDC creates a cleanup plan, but the problem will continue until 2005. Encinitas incorporates from the communities of historic Encinitas, new Encinitas (Village Park, etc.), Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and Olivenhain. Tremere Olive Sloan claims this new Encinitas by exercising boons with the local Barony.

Tremere Maria Wakefield works out a deal to take La Jolla, specifically UCSD as part of personal domain.

1987-89. Construction of the San Diego Convention Center begins.

1990s. The end of the Cold War leads to more privatised military technology, including telecom company Qualcomm. Qualcomm will soon be the largest employer aside from the military. Biotech becomes a new industrial sector.

1991 Jacumba. The ruins of the Jacumba Hotel was razed. Only a husk of a building still stands.

Gehenna that Never Was - 2nd Camarilla Period (1995 - 2013)

"Red Stars have risen and set - comets in the Middle Ages, then Communist Russia - even Sputnik had Kindred Scholars gibbering and weeping with fear of rising Old Ones. Yet no Old Ones rose, no Gehenna. Only shamefaced scholars looking crestfallen and relieved at the same time."

- Diego Giovanni

1995. Theresa Holcomb returns and claims San Diego for the Camarilla, declaring herself Prince. Tremere Olive Sloan becomes Seneschal. Several other Anarchs jump ship to the Camarilla, fueling speculation that they were Camarilla agents all along.

Jacumba. The unmanned crossing to Jacumé, Mexico was closed. The border lies a quarter-mile south of Jacumba. The economy of both towns suffer. It is believed Prince Holcomb had her hand in this event, making an economic attack against the Sabbat held territory. Other rumors point to a new hunter group within the US Border Patrol after many Sabbat conflicts in the area.

1999. The Red Star ignites fears of Gehenna. Caitiff proliferate. The Sabbat sees that the End Times are Nigh and up their efforts against the Elders and the Camarilla they control. Attacks from the south increase. The Week of Nightmares decimates the local Ravnos.. The Ventrue take control of the Del Mar Racetrack, at a cost. Almost immediately after taking control, crime in Del Mar increases, several Ventrue real estate deals fall through. Property value in the area busts. The gaming commission and SEC investigate the track’s holding company that tie it up in legal battles for a few years. The track legal gambling operations are closed, and as a result the track becomes far less profitable. It begins making its money on renting land for special events and concerts. Opening day is still a cultural event, but races are not nearly as well attended. Some Ventrue disappear.

2001. The formation of Homeland Security leads to the rise of the surveillance state. Security around San Diego’s many military bases increases, and the Camarilla begin to see the eyes of the kine slowly pierce the Masquerade. This is the beginning of the Second Inquisition.

2005. Prince Theresa Holcomb mysteriously disappears. Prince Eric Matheson rises to power shortly after. Though it’s heretical, Matheson is obsessed with Gehenna himself, and amasses influence to protect the local Camarilla. He guards power jealously, and only allows his own cronies in positions of the city’s leadership.

2008. A powerful coalition of Three Sabbat Diocese unite and launch an unofficial crusade into the South West Region. The domains of Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico are heavily damaged in the year-long engagement with the Sabbat. It is only when a coalition force, built of all three Sects and numerous Unaligned, is assembled that the leaders of the invasion are slain and the Sabbat are thrown back into Mexico, with one exception:

Jacumba. The last time cargo was transported along the desert line when MTS leased the line to private company Carrizo Gorge Railway only to have the route embargoed pending tunnel and bridge rehabilitation. Near the U.S./Mexico border, the Sabbat Domain of Jacumba remains, represented by local Tzimisce, and a few other holdouts in San Diego County.

2009. World economic collapse. Giovanni wrest control of Swiss Banks from the Ventrue. Locally, the Pisanobs manage to control half of the local Credit Unions, Check cashing stations, and banks. Lasombra take advantage of this and pick up real estate at a discount rate. Ventrue power in the area decreases. Matheson presses them to devote resources towards telecom companies.

2010. The rise of the Second Inquisition. Prince Matheson creates a larger firewall between the local residents and mortal influences. Citing the rise of technology as how the Second Inquisition takes over, most of the Camarilla abandons devices of convenience for the security of Matheson’s Domain.

Under Matheson, San Diego restricts personal electronic devices away from Camarilla gatherings, despite - or some would say because of - Matheson’s interest in Qualcomm developed a lot of the underlying technology shared across smartphones.

In the wider world, the Giovanni withdraw from the Promise. The Camarilla threatens war with the Giovanni, but the Followers of Set step in and use boons to force the Camarilla to stand down. Matheson is vocally disappointed

2011 February. Anarch Sovereignty. The Brujah leave the Camarilla, followed by the Gangrel. Many of the local Anarchs move to Vista and Carlsbad.

2011 May. The Giovanni and Followers of Set form the Independent Alliance. The merge interests at the Gaslamp, now a series of bars, nightclubs, and shopping.

2011 October 31st The Beckoning. Eric Matheson and half of his leadership are among the disappearances. Local Camarilla attempt to regroup, but are not able to. Tremere Seneschal Olive Sloan acts as Prince in his absence, though never claims Praxis for herself, denying that the elders have disappeared. The Camarilla lose most of the mortal influence that Matheson and his cronies have set up. Family of the Beckoned show up to investigate the disappearance. Maria Wakefield, a Tremere Elder, leads a charge to follow the Elders, but ultimately does not succeed.

2012. In early spring, the Arcanum (a hunter group) destroys the Prime Chantry in Vienna. The local Camarilla Tremere begin to regroup their resources. Olive Sloan directs moving the chantry to her domain in Encinitas.

2012 The Wipe. NSA operatives pierce ShreckNET, the Nosferatu hackers begin to dismantle it. The Camarilla becomes more insular and eschew technology.

Independent Alliance takes the Reigns (2013 - present)

2013- The Sabbat convene in Mexico City, leaving a small local presence. When news that the Sabbat have gone, some local members of the broken Sword look to join other factions.

2013 (August). After several months of absence from Camarilla leadership, Doña "Ma" Pisanob claims the domain of San Diego after an extensive leak from a hacktivist group nearly breaks the Masquerade. Seneschal Olive Sloan relinquishes control.

Doña Pisanob holds a bidding war for the surrounding cities, settling territory for the following clans:

Lasombra Antitribu -

Tremere, Independent -

Tremere, Camarilla - Seneschal Sloan claims Encinitas as a Camarilla Embassy, though she mysteriously disappears shortly after a public altercation with several Camarilla Elders.

Ravnos, Independent -

Gangrel, Unaligned -

Tzimisce, Unaligned -

2013 Jacumba. The Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel and Spa opens in the site of the original Jacumba Hotel.

2014. Clan Tremere fractures into three Houses.

  • House Tremere remains loyal to the Camarilla.
  • House Carna largely joins the Anarchs, though some choose to stay in the Tower.
  • House Goratrix removes themselves from the Tower to be an independent power.

Maria Wakefield had already done so publicly in 2013, and claims her territory for House Goratrix. There is a search for a suitable location for a Goratrix Chantry.

2015. The Followers of Set and their cousin bloodlines rebrand as the Ministry. FIRSTLIGHT attacks a Giovanni family gathering in Rome. Blamed for the attacks, the Premascine bloodline begins to find themselves largely unwelcome in the Alliance.

2016. The Independent Alliance begins to expand.

Lasombra join first, and the Treaty is codified further to adjust for new members. The work between the Lasombra in San Diego and the Giovanni show the benefits of such an alliance.

The Kolduns, the Ahrimanes, and House Goratrix all follow closely behind, Shelly Castle and the Domain of Jacumba joins the San Diego Independent Alliance along with Maria Wakefield and House Goratrix.

The Treaty of Alliance is amended with signatories representing each new clan.

Discussions open with Lamia and Samedi, but the bloodlines do not join yet.

2017. The Ravnos, including Brahmin, join the Independent Alliance. Bugsy Malone and the Ravnos within the county join the San Diego Independent Alliance. The Ravnos get a small portion of the Gaslamp while offered South Park, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach.

2018. The Lamia and Samedi officially join the Independent Alliance. Several Giovanni reveal themselves to be Lamia and Cappadocian.