Category: Economy

By Shane Harris / Voice of San Diego / May 29, 2026

I don’t own a home in San Diego. Like many residents, I rent. I feel the pressure of rising costs. I understand how difficult it is for working people and families to find stable, affordable housing in this city. And like most San Diegans, I want real solutions to our housing crisis. That’s exactly why I’m voting no on Measure A.

Initially, the City Council wanted Measure A described as an “empty homes” tax until a judge ruled that the city could not use that misleading language. Now the measure is identified as a “non-primary homes” tax. Supporters claim it will free up housing supply by encouraging owners to sell their property or rent it out to local residents. It sounds simple, even appealing. But when you look closer, the reality is far more complicated — and far more concerning.

This measure isn’t just about abandoned or speculative properties. It creates a tax of up to $10,000 annually on homes deemed not to be a primary residence and “vacant” for more than half the year. That definition sweeps in far more people than many voters realize.

This is a brief summary of David Garrick’s piece at The San Diego Union-Tribune, published May 26-27, 2026, entitled “Here’s who’s drawing the most money in San Diego City Council races”. Our primary focus is on District 2, and Garrick’s review was primarily on the candidates drawing the most money.

Josh Coyne

Josh Coyne — who’s a Democrat (as are all the D2 candidates except Bailey) has been receiving strong financial support — “more than $200,000 — from an independent committee led by Local 89 of the Laborers International Union of North America.”

In terms of positioning for a future campaign should he be one of the winners in the Primary, Coyne has “essentially nothing — he has $30,000 in cash on hand but a matching $30,000 in unpaid bills,” reports Garrick.

However, all the top Democrats in this race expect party and labor help for whichever of them wins in the Primary.

Nicole Crosby

Nicole Crosby, is also getting labor support, mainly from the largest labor union for city workers — the Municipal Employees Association

OB Rag Staff Report

San Diego’s 22-year experiment with a “strong mayor” has been hobbled by a string of financial crises.

Is it time to consider restoring the position of City Manager?

Jack McGrory, a former city manager for San Diego, will share his thoughts at a town hall forum on “Why We Need a City Manager and Other Insights” on Saturday, June 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Mission Valley Library, 2123 Fenton Parkway.

Sponsored by the San Diego Community Coalition (SDCC) and Neighbors for a Better San Diego (NFABSD), the forum is the fifth in a series of question-and-answer sessions on important civic issues.

These events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Sponsorships Light this Year for Free Concert Organizers

By Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / May 25, 2026

With the start of the Point Loma Summer Concerts series just weeks away, organizers are seeking donations to help offset the rising costs of delivering five weekly concerts from July 10 to August 7.

The free concerts are held every Friday evening at Point Loma Park, 1049 Catalina Blvd., with a performance on the junior stage at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Main Stage band kicking off at 6:30 p.m.

“For 26 years, the Point Loma Summer Concerts has brought our community together for free summer concerts in the park,” said Glenn Millar, president of the nonprofit concert series for 2026. “But keeping the concerts free is not free.”

From Voice of San Diego / May 27, 2026

When Mayor Todd Gloria first proposed eliminating grants that support arts institutions and community programming in the city’s budget, many of us in the arts community were deeply concerned. The proposed $11.8 million reduction to arts funding—an 86.6% cut—would have a significant impact on organizations and programs that serve hundreds of thousands of San Diegans each year.

Arts and culture contribute so much to the economic vitality and civic life of our region, but these proposed cuts threaten the ability of arts organizations to continue to play that role into the future.

When the mayor later released his revised budget in May, however, no funding was restored for arts and culture. Indeed, as funds were found for other areas of the budget, the arts were left behind. For many in the sector this was profoundly discouraging and intensified fears about the future stability of arts programming. It raises significant concerns about the city’s priorities and our collective future.

City arts and culture funding does not bankroll lavish galas or extravagant productions. It supports community theater in neighborhoods that otherwise have little access to the arts. I

By Jacob Mitchell

I am a fourth generation San Diegan and the son of an Olympian. My life has been defined by the idea that if you play by the rules and put in the work, you deserve a fair shot at the podium, but if you look at San Diego today, you’ll see a city where the playing field is tilted.

We are currently governed by a system that treats residents as a revenue source and institutional developers as the only viable solution to our problems. I am not a politician, as a chemist and an MBA candidate, I don’t believe in vague talking points; I believe in data, systems, and accountability. It’s time we stopped managing San Diego through headlines and started managing it for long term results.

Housing: Bridging the Generational Divide

The most pressing issue facing our beach communities is the housing crisis. State policy mandates a certain number of new homes San Diego needs to build in 9 year cycles. Currently, the City’s response to the mandate is to drop development fees for corporate entities and hand out subsidies for hyper-dense projects that lack community oversight.

I hear two very different, yet equally valid, fears in our district.

Voice of San Diego / May 27, 2026

Tonight, Wednesday the 27th, the San Diego City Council will hold a public hearing on this year’s proposed budget, which seeks to close a $118 million deficit. Tonight’s public hearing will be held in Council Chambers starting at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting is the latest deliberation following Mayor Todd Gloria’s May revision. He restored some library and recreation center hours after Councilmembers pushed back, saying those cuts pose a threat to public safety.

But there are still some tense conversations ahead.

WE WANT MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION
Join San Diego ART Matters, Arts+Culture: San Diego, and regional arts and culture leaders for a public press conference calling attention to the proposed elimination of City funding for arts and culture grants in the FY27 budget.

News Item: In 2025, the San Diego City Council passed a final budget that reduced the San Diego Humane Society’s (SDHS) annual animal services contract by $1 million. While the city initially proposed a more devastating 20% ($3.5 million) cut, the compromise forces the organization to evaluate fee increases and operational adjustments while facing critical shelter capacity issues.

By Debbie L. Sklar

Public discussion has included questions about the San Diego Humane Society, including shelter capacity, animal control responsibilities, and executive compensation. San Diego Humane Society President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman is compensated at more than $500,000 annually, according to publicly available IRS Form 990 filings. Records published through ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer list total compensation of approximately $509,396 in the most recent reporting period, including salary and other reportable compensation. The filing also lists approximately $72.8 million in annual revenue and more than $100 million in net assets.

Weitzman has served as president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society since 2010.

REI Workers, Labor Leaders, and Community Members to Rally Ahead of Union Election in San Diego

REI workers, union members, labor leaders, and community supporters will gather on Tuesday, May 26 at 1:00 p.m. outside REI’s San Diego store in Kearny Mesa to rally in support of workers as they prepare to vote in a union election to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 135.

The rally will take place at:

REI Kearny Mesa
5556 Copley Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

The event comes one day before workers at the store, known as Green Vests, begin voting in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election on Wednesday, May 27 and Thursday, May 28. More than 100 workers are eligible to vote on whether to join UFCW Local 135.

By Michael A. Hernandez

On Thursday, May 21, San Diego-based nonprofit organization ‘Serving Seniors’ and management firm Hyder Property Management, held a resident’s meeting in the campus’ Judith L. Seltz Wellness Center to provide an update on concerns and take questions from the public.

The last-minute resident’s meeting was held two days before a press conference the Senior Residents Council was slated to take place; and comes in the wake of a recent article titled “Clairemont’s Mt. Etna Project: The Affordable Housing Misnomer,” posted on the local community initiative and media platform Explore Clairemont.

In her article, Explore Clairemont writer and publisher Tanja Kropf compiles the growing number of concerns voiced by the senior residents including the lack of parking, a rent hike, and fear for their safety, even though they were promised affordability, ample parking, and safety prior to moving in. Kropf writes before seniors even completed their first year living at the residence, just one day before Thanksgiving of 2025, they were told their rent was going up by 8.8%. The increase would be more than three times the 2.8% they receive annually from the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment.

Another failed promise is the 465 parking spaces originally proposed for the Mt. Etna project during community planning and outreach stages in late 2018.

Here’s three media reports on the candidates for District 2, including on the last candidate debate / forum, held May 14th at Paradise Point Resort & Spa. We have reports from Times of San Diego, the Union-Tribune and Axios San Diego.

Here’s Dave Schwab of Times of San Diego‘s account:

District 2 candidates Richard Bailey, Josh Coyne, Nicole Crosby, Mandy Havlik, Jacob Mitchell, Mike Rickey and Paul Suppa answered curated questions from a panel of community leaders on far-ranging issues from the city’s budget to people living out of their vehicles, homelessness, housing density, public safety and quality of life.

The Ocean Beach Community Foundation along with the Pacific Beach and Mission Beach town councils joined forces to host the event ahead of the June 2 primary election. It is the last public candidate forum before the primary, which will send the top two vote getters to a November runoff election to replace termed-out incumbent Jennifer Campbell.