Category: Economy

By Kate Callen

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s 2026 “State of the City” address began hitting turbulence on January 14, the day before he delivered it.

His long-time ally Voice of San Diego (VOSD) shocked the city that morning with a takedown of the mayor’s leadership. Will Huntsberry’s “Disappointment Follows Gloria Into Sixth Year” described an executive in free fall with few achievements and fewer friends.

Later that day, word filtered out that the City Council would hold a special meeting at 1:00 p.m., two hours before Gloria’s speech, to allow public comment on a talk that hadn’t yet been given.

The hastily arranged meeting was sparsely attended. Most speakers railed against Immigration and Customs Enforcement abuses, entirely off topic, but Council President Joe La Cava allowed it.

The few speakers who stayed on topic echoed themes in the VOSD article: The mayor has lost the people’s trust. He has squandered money on expensive hires. He prefers cutting ribbons to carrying out tough decisions.

When Gloria stepped to the podium, he was under intense pressure to give a pivotal speech. Would he squarely face the challenges that plague his city? Or would he spin his record, carp about obstacles, and weave a rosy picture of the future?

Editordude: The following is a ground-breaking sweeping review and analysis of Todd Gloria’s tenure as mayor by one of his long-time allies and supporters, the Voice of San Diego. It really is a remarkable piece by Will Huntsberry — and it touches on just about every scandal and misstep by Gloria — so it’s clearly welcomed by those longtime critics of Gloria — like the Rag.

What it doesn’t do, however, is delve into the corruption angle of Gloria’s administration, such as awarding the contract for the redevelopment of the Midway Sports Arena area — a huge, gigantic project — to his top campaign contributor, the manager of Midway Rising. Nor does it examine how a Gloria-backed PAC exercised voter suppression efforts against a fellow Democrat running for City Council. It’s a rather long piece, so sit back and relax — no, no, sit back and get pissed off. 

by Will Huntsberry / Voice of San Diego / January 14, 2026

In early 2020, the future was bright for Todd Gloria. Gloria hadn’t been elected yet, but his campaign was cooking and it seemed he held all the cards to become San Diego’s next mayor.

He convened a kitchen cabinet — an unofficial group of advisers — at a political consultant’s office downtown. Gloria sat at the head of the table and the group had heady discussions about his future.

At the time, he was San Diego’s shining son. Affable, polished and able to work a room like few other politicians. Child of a gardener and a hotel maid. First-generation college graduate. And soon he would be the first openly queer, non-White person elected mayor. Gloria had an amazing story to tell – and the assembled team was there to decide how to tell it.

By Dani Miskell / 10News / Jan 13, 2026

Museums in Balboa Park report a drop in attendance following the rollout of new paid-parking regulations.

The San Diego Natural History Museum, which hosted the first Free Tuesday of January, coinciding with the parking system launch, has seen significant decreases in visitor numbers during what is traditionally one of the park’s most popular programs.

“We’re concerned because we’ve seen a drop off in numbers. We’re down by about 25%,” said Judy Gradwohl, President and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Free Tuesdays have been a longstanding tradition at Balboa Park, with museums taking turns offering free admission to visitors. However, the new paid-parking requirement appears to be deterring attendance, despite free museum access.

“We’ve only been in the first week of the parking regulations, but we’re getting a lot of negative feedback from members, from visitors, people in the community, anywhere I go, that’s all anybody wants to talk about,” Gradwohl said.

By Kelly Hessedal / CBS8 / January 12, 2026

Mayors from across San Diego County demanded Monday that San Diego city leaders repeal newly implemented parking fees at Balboa Park, citing fairness concerns, economic impact and a significant public backlash against the charges.

The coalition of mayors stand in support of activist Shane Harris’ proposal he drafted for the council calling for the parking fees to be repealed. Harris also said an online petition has gathered more than 1500 signatures.

The effort includes mayors from Coronado, Escondido, San Marcos, El Cajon and Chula Vista. It also includes council members from Del Mar and La Mesa. A news conference was held outside the Air and Space Museum Monday morning.

“Paying for parking to stay out and active is unacceptable,” said San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones.

By Csaba Petre

Following up on a thorough coffee tour of OB last year, I’m back to give a rundown and review of some local markets. I’ve chosen local stores (not huge chains, and not liquor-only stores) which can realistically qualify for at least a quick, missing-item type grocery trip. A couple of liquor-and-deli places have been added, if they met this criteria. Please feel free to add your favorite small store in the comments if I missed one you like.

Sunset Mini Mart

4799 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107

Sunset Mini Mart is a convenience store and liquor store on the corner of Voltaire Street and Sunset Cliffs Blvd. They carry a wide assortment of snacks, as well as non-alcoholic drinks and sodas. As far as groceries they stock some basics: canned goods, cereals, coffee, and cleaning supplies. The store is clean and conveniently accessible for North OB.

Best for: snacks and drinks; a quick canned/boxed meal; liquor and beer

Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting: Preservation and Progress Package A Approved to Move Forward for Review by the Full City Council

By South OB Girl

On Wednesday January 14, the Preservation and Progress Package A went before the San Diego City Council Land Use and Housing Committee.  Package A involves controversial proposals regarding preserving and protecting San Diego’s historic housing ideals and districts. Council Member Sean Elo-Rivera was absent.  This left a LUH Committee of three: Committee Chair Kent Lee and committee members Stephen Whitburn, and  Vivian Moreno.

There were 49 speakers in Council Chambers downtown –a mix of those in favor and those opposed, and many in attendance ceded minutes to others who were speaking.  Bruce and Alana Coons spoke, representing Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO).  Mission Hills Heritage also spoke, as did local OBceans including Kathy Blavatt and Coastal Caretakers.

By Madison Beveridge / Point Loma – OB Monthly SDU-T / January 11, 2026

Funding for a new Ocean Beach Pier, bike path lighting, trash cans and ongoing park and pedestrian issues are among the list of things the Ocean Beach Planning Board would like to see in the city of San Diego’s budget for next fiscal year.

The volunteer advisory group even included San Diego County in the 2026-27 wish list it created during its meeting Jan. 6, calling for funding for what it considers necessities and vital areas of interest in Ocean Beach.

The San Diego City Council intends to vote on the new budget in June. The fiscal year begins July 1.

Much of the Planning Board’s budget request is the same as in previous years, including items such as park maintenance, public space enforcement and pedestrian safety.

Multiple board members voiced concerns about dogs being off leash and who should be enforcing rules against it.

The Committee to Consider Dumping OB’s Historic District Should Use Current Housing Data Before Making Decision

By South OB Girl

Dear Land Use and Housing Committee Members:

San Diego’s Historic Preservation and Progress Package A will be brought before you by city staff on Wednesday, January 14 for your consideration. However, this package involves controversial proposals regarding preserving the city’s historic housing ideals and districts, yet current housing data is not available. Decisions about San Diego housing should be delayed until the housing data for 2025 has been prepared and analyzed in the forthcoming 2026 Annual Report on Homes.

A report issued once a year based on data from a full year prior does not seem sufficient for assessing the current housing crisis nor sufficient information for
government officials to make decisions about housing moving forward into this year.

This annual reporting seems particularly insufficient given the escalation of public concern and opposition in the past year regarding ADUs, high density projects, plans for resiliency, evacuation route safety, Complete Communities Housing, and Preservation and Progress Package A, among other issues. Given this escalation of public concern in recent years and some of the concern expressed in this letter, now would also be a good time to consider how San Diego’s housing data and building permit data is tracked, managed, and evaluated.

By Rob Campbell / Op-Ed SD Union-Tribune / Jan. 9, 2026

“Bonus programs delivering needed local housing,” the Dec. 28 commentary by Colin Parent, presents bonus density programs as a success story but ignores the most critical issue in San Diego’s housing crisis. Who is bearing the burden of these bonus “solutions”? [Parent is head of pro-developers group, Circulate SD.]

While the author characterized San Diego’s bonus housing density programs as an elegant workaround to “political gridlock,” they have created a system that strategically targets low-resource, infrastructure-deficient, historically marginalized neighborhoods while leaving the city’s Whitest, wealthiest, highest-opportunity areas functionally untouched.

Ignoring this reality turns the argument into a one-sided celebration of YIMBY (yes in my backyard) production numbers, which are detached from actual equity outcomes the city is legally and morally obligated to comply with.

A claim that the bonus density programs “apply everywhere” is misleading at best. In practice, these programs overwhelmingly land in communities of color in neighborhoods like Valencia Park, Lincoln Park, Chollas View, City Heights, Logan Heights, etc. These are the very same areas that have higher asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease burdens; worse mobility with old, non-ADA compliant pathways (sidewalks); fewer jobs; and long-standing histories of redlining, freeway construction and environmental racism.

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings. City Hall reopens this week after a 3-week legislative recess for the holidays.

First, a word about Balboa Park parking fees and non-agenda public comment:

The outrageous new fees to park in Balboa Park are on the City Council’s political front burner right now. But they aren’t on any of the Council’s agendas this week – which means the public can raise that issue during the non-agenda public comment at every Council meeting.

Council President Joe La Cava, who strongly supported the new fees, needs to hear a loud message from a lot of constituents: City Hall must live within its means. Stop spending money irresponsibly and then demanding that taxpayers cover your losses. La Cava won’t like having his meetings slowed down by non-agenda comments on Park fees. But he can’t interfere with our right to make those comments.

Monday, January 12: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda link here.

Items include: Public Utilities FY 2027-2031 Five-Year Financial Outlook

Why it matters: Last year, the Council fought over a proposal to increase water rates by 63% through 2029 and wastewater rates by 31% in the same period. The final 5-4 vote approved less draconian hikes of 14.7% and 14.5%. A year later, public furor over bait-and-switch trash fees and erratic Balboa Park parking fees will make utility rate hikes even more contentious.

Nearly 600 Events Planned as of Friday Evening

By April Rubin / Axios / January 9, 2026

ICE Out For Good” vigils and protest events were quickly planned nationwide for Jan. 10 and 11 in response to a fatal shooting by immigration officers in Minneapolis, organizers told Axios on Friday.

Why it matters: The killing and a subsequent Border Patrol shooting in Portland have sparked outrage and anger at the Trump administration, which has defended its agents.

Driving the news: There have been at least seven officer-involved shootings since President Trump ramped up Homeland Security operations in early 2025.

On Wednesday, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis as she drove past immigration agents. The Trump administration claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense as Good drove away, but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has rejected that claim.

On Thursday, two people were shot by Border Patrol agents in Portland during what officials said was “a targeted vehicle stop.” Both were hospitalized.

State of play: Protests, vigils and other “ICE Out For Good” events are being held by groups including Indivisible, 50501, the Disappeared in America Campaign, Voto Latino and the American Civil Liberties Union. The mobilization is meant to humanize ICE victims and demand accountability.