Month: July 2025

The STRO Ordinance aims to ensure short-term rentals of less than a month are regulated.

By Jeanette Quezada / 7SanDiego / June 29 -30, 2025 

Starting Tuesday July 1, short-term rental property owners will be able to apply for a tier four occupancy license.

Applications will be limited to a 45-day period that will end on August 15th.

Existing license holders are eligible to apply to be added to the whole home short-term rental list, also known as the Tier 4 list. If they are approved, they will have to cancel their existing lower-tier license.

The city closed applications more than two years ago because it had reached capacity.

“It’s probably due to the fact that so many people have been placed out of the market, so places opened up,” Marty Zimmerman said.

From ThereSanDiego

Arts District Liberty Station has something special planned for summer evenings, and it’s exactly the kind of community celebration we love to see. Summer Arts Fest kicks off a three-month series of free outdoor concerts that transform the North Promenade into an open-air venue showcasing some of San Diego’s most compelling musical talent.

The Perfect Summer Setup
The timing couldn’t be better—second Saturdays from July through September, running when the afternoon light starts getting golden and the temperature becomes perfect for outdoor gatherings.

By the SD Union-Tribune Editorial Board / June 27, 2025

As expected, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday [June 24] approved a plan to begin collecting its new monthly fee for trash collection — with a base rate of $43.60 a month — from 226,000-plus single-family homes in lump sums twice a year via property taxes. Approved on a 7-2 vote, it was billed as a cost-saving measure that would avoid $18 million in start-up costs and $10 million in annual operating expenses for an in-house city billing system.

But did the seven supporters take seriously the criticism the plan faced? As Steven Cordova, a North Park retiree who owns a small multi-unit building, wrote for U-T Opinion, “The fee becomes part of the secured tax obligation on your property. If unpaid, it’s treated like a delinquent tax — risking liens, penalties and collections.”

The idea that residents should trust a city coming off 30 years of grievous management errors to handle this task well is hard to believe. Nevertheless, that’s the expectation of Councilmember Joe LaCava, who dismissed the idea that this change could imperil any homeowners.

Raul Campillo, one of the council “no” votes along with Henry Foster, struck the proper note of caution: “I have significant concerns about the impact this method could have on low-income property owners, particularly seniors and homeowners on fixed incomes.”

by Alina Ajaz, Tessa Balc and Lisa Halverstadt / Voice of San Diego / June 30, 2025

In the initial six months after San Diego police started enforcing Proposition 36, Black San Diegans were disproportionately affected by the new state law.

Police data shows 32 percent of 374 people arrested for Proposition 36 related drug or theft charges in the city of San Diego from mid-December through May were Black, a community that makes up 6 percent of the city’s population. Disparities were consistent for both drug and theft charges.

Black San Diegans were also disproportionately arrested more than once on Proposition 36 charges, making up 40 percent of those with a second offense.

San Diego police say they work to minimize disparities but argue that those tied to Proposition 36 may be spurred in part by a concentration of enforcement downtown, which has a large homeless population that’s also disproportionately Black.

Community leaders and advocates who opposed Proposition 36 say the early data shows their concerns about the law, which increased penalties for repeat drug and theft offenses, were merited. They say the early numbers echo past disparities in policing and prosecution, particularly among communities already overrepresented in the criminal justice system.

“It is depressing. It’s extremely unfortunate but it’s not surprising,” County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said.

Local group “Protect Public Land” stages demonstration in downtown San Diego, emphasizing the importance of preserving environmental policies.

 By Elizabeth Sanchez / CBS8 / June 28 -29, 2025

UPDATE: Sen. Mike Lee pulled his proposal to sell public lands out of the spending bill late Saturday night before it was ultimately passed by the Senate on a 51-49 vote.

ORIGINAL STORY-
The Senate is set to hold an initial vote on President Trump’s budget bill, which includes a controversial provision for the sale of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In response, a local group in San Diego staged a protest to oppose the sale of all public lands.

More than a dozen demonstrators from the group “Protect Public Land” gathered Saturday, June 28, in downtown San Diego, carrying signs and distributing fliers to raise awareness about the issue. The protesters emphasized the importance of preserving environmental policies and maintaining public access to these lands.

“This is important because conservation is a key trait of American history,” protestor Michael Williamson said. “We are trailblazers in protecting public land and the nature that’s on it.”

From Neighbors for a Better California

Neighbors for a Better California Pushes for a Pause

San Diego’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Bonus Program, a key initiative to increase housing supply, is under scrutiny due to safety hazards, particularly fire risks, and community concerns about its impact on neighborhoods.

On June 16, 2025, the City Council voted 6-3 to revise the ADU Bonus Program, with changes including:

• Restricting large lots: The program will be repealed in single-family zones with lots of 10,000 square feet or greater to limit oversized projects.
• Unit caps: As of June 2025, ADU limits are set at 4 units for lots under 8,000 sq. ft., 5 units for 8,001–10,000 sq. ft., and 6 units for lots over 10,000 sq. ft.
• Safety and infrastructure: Reforms propose stricter fire code standards and new infrastructure fees for ADU projects.

The very some meeting,  Councilmember Joe La Cava addressed the City Council, highlighting public unease about the ADU Bonus Program’s effects.

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings July 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th.

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine:

San Diego FixIt Clinics

Veterans, Allies Fast For Gaza: “We Cannot Normalize Genocide”  
San Diego Pride Month More info:  
July 2nd Wednesday 4 pm The Encampments Living Room Edition Webinar

July 5th Saturday 9 am – 12 pm Morning After Mess Event by Surfrider Foundation

July 5th Saturday  7:30 pm – 10 pm Movie night at the Park