SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Bill Walton’s passing is bringing up a score of things that the San Diego native did to help his city.
One of them is his involvement in trying to end the homelessness crisis.
“He was very visible, but he was very vocal,” Sunbreak Ranch Co-Founder George Mullen said.
Drew Moser, CEO of The Lucky Duck Foundation, said Walton would have used his voice to help others if he felt he could.
“If he saw an opportunity to help some poor, suffering souls, he absolutely was going to speak up to try to help them if he thought that was going to help them," Moser said.
The Lucky Duck Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping curb the homelessness crisis in San Diego, was one of the groups that Walton worked with.
“Bill and Lori have been there from the very early days and loyal supporters of Lucky Duck,” Moser said.
Moser told ABC 10News Walton cared deeply about helping those in need and that he and his wife, who sits on the Lucky Duck board, were loyal supporters of the co-founders of the Lucky Duck Foundation, Pat and Stephanie Kilkenny’s efforts, and what the Foundation was trying to accomplish.
“More recently, he was passionate about using his voice to try to influence change. And he helped us announce Shamrocks and Shipwrecks, our public scoring system that’s meant to grade political will and effectiveness,” Moser said.
Another initiative he was supportive of was Sunbreak Ranch, along with George Mullen.
As ABC 10News reported, Sunbreak Ranch plans to house the homeless in tents outside San Diego with supportive services.
“He saw what we were doing, liked what we were doing, and he was perfect for coming on board and really taking the ball and running with it,” Mullen said.
Walton also shifted gears from being a supporter of Mayor Todd Gloria to an outspoken critic of his specifically on the handing of the homelessness crisis.
"He saw his neighborhood, which is near Balboa Park, go to hell and all of these people suffering and dying on the streets. And so, he became from one of Todd Gloria's biggest supporters to one of his, I guess you could say, antagonist,” Mullen said.
Gloria’s office provided ABC 10News a statement on Monday following Walton’s passing.
"San Diego mourns the loss of the legendary Bill Walton today. He was a towering figure in basketball and broadcasting, as well as a civic icon who loved his hometown. Our City's thoughts are with his wife, Lori, and the entire Walton family. Godspeed, Bill," Gloria said in a statement to ABC 10News.
Through the ups and downs, those who worked with Walton think his words helped contribute to this cause, one of the many he fought for in San Diego.
“With him shining a light on the issue and having such a deep concern for it, I think that only positioned the City to be more bold and aggressive - again, probably not to the level that he had [hoped] or we had hoped - but, I think it resulted in some positive steps forward,” Moser said.
