Daniel Joseph Hernandez says he has been a DJ since he was 14. Born out of a passion for music and people, his sets, hosted in Golden Hill Park, an extension of Balboa Park, started last summer as a way to get his group of friends together on Friday afternoons.
That all changed when the young musician started posting on TikTok, inviting people out to come and hang out in the area during his sets.
“I posted a TikTok that got viral, like 100,000 views,” Hernandez said. “A couple of days later, we ended up having around 200 people come out to the park. I was just playing music for the community... very mellow park music that people can kind of sit and enjoy.”
Hernandez said the event kept growing naturally, with more and more people coming out to enjoy his sets on Fridays, until park rangers shut his event down.
Nevertheless, video content from his TikTok account shows hundreds of people still showing up to hang out, even without his music, on the same day.
Now, the City of San Diego is requiring him to get a permit. Though a spokesperson for the city expressed support for what Hernandez was doing, he said that a permit is usually required for larger events as well as services like EMS and porta-potties, depending on the group size.
While permitting fees for events in a public park are less than $20, paying for those other private services can be a little pricier.
The city confirmed that they are working with Hernandez to obtain permits for his events. Still, it did not confirm the costs associated with the other services Hernandez claims are required, other than the park permit fees.
Hernandez says the city’s requirements will cost him $ 1,600, but he has had a private sponsor offer to pay the fees, allowing him to continue hosting the events. Hernandez is in the process of working out the permits as of Thursday, but says he is facing some roadblocks.
“The community really does crave it,” Hernandez said. “I really mean it. People come out, and when they have a free thing they can attend, they bring their friends and their families.”
It’s more than just music to Hernandez; he said he chose the location of Golden Hills Park to honor his family and the community he grew up in.
“I currently live on the same street that my father grew up on. So it means a lot to me because this park and this neighborhood was not a good neighborhood in the '90s, and I think it has come a long way ... We’re putting a positive light on it, and we’re making something great for the community," he said.
