Category: Economy

by Lawrence A. Herzog / Beach & Bay Press / Dec. 21, 2025

San Diego (and southern California) face a watershed moment in our quest to build more affordable housing near the sea. We are in, let us call it, a “zeitgeist design moment,” when intersecting concerns — environmental protection of our precious coastal zone, community character in low- to medium-density beach towns, social justice, and the right of all citizens to housing — collide.

This has created a maelstrom of decision choices that challenge elected officials, planners and designers. A buzzword that continues to pop up in these debates is “density.” How much is acceptable and where?

But, glaringly absent in these conversations about affordable housing, density and land use, is the question of “place.” We cannot look at a new building proposed for a given location merely in terms of its height, floor-area ratio, or the number of affordable units, or even what it looks like from the outside.

We must also consider the larger context, the types of nearby commercial establishments, the scale of existing buildings and homes, and their relation to the street, how people move around, and the mix of land uses, neighborhood institutions, cultural landmarks, and local ecological features — in short, the overall quality of the “place” where a building sits.

On Tuesday, December 16, the San Diego City Council approved new updates to community plans of two long term neighborhoods– Clairemont and the College Area. The updates are considered blueprints for development changes over the next 30 years — and both project thousands of new residents to both of the neighborhoods by allowing mid-rise and high-rise housing in more places.

Although approved on the same day by votes of 7–1, the updates were treated differently. The College Area plan slams the community with a projected tripling of the current population to nearly 77,000. U-T reporter David Garrick calls the approach to College as “more aggressive…” Clairemont is projected with a 50% population increase.

Also, as Garrick reported:

The number of housing units in Clairemont would rise by 59%, from 33,300 to 52,800, while the number of units in the College Area would more than quadruple, from 8,200 to 34,000.

By Danna Givot

If rudeness to his constituents and fellow council members (as noted by Paul Krueger in “Councilmember Elo-Rivera Leaves the Dias while Resident Speaks at City Council Meeting”) isn’t enough to kill Sean Elo-Rivera’s political career, there is plenty more working against him besides bad manners.

On December 16th, Sean was the primary cheerleader for the College Area Community Plan Update that quadruples the density in this area with no funds or firm commitment to remedy the long term park, recreation center, and fire station deficiencies in this neighborhood in his District 9. The upzoning in the newly passed College Area Plan will immediately make those upzoned properties more expensive based on their development potential. That will please Sean’s campaign donors, but it won’t
solve the community’s serious and long term infrastructure deficiencies, and it won’t make housing more affordable, as noted by Council President Joe LaCava.

While chairing the Select Committee on Addressing the Rising Cost of Living in San Diego, Elo-Rivera has supported exorbitant trash fees

Town Hall Hosted by San Diego Community Coalition on Dec. 13

Rag Staff Report

At the December 13 San Diego Community Coalition Town Hall, Union-Tribune City Hall Reporter David Garrick spoke candidly, listened carefully, and laid out the challenges facing journalists who cover local government.

As the City Hall reporter for the city’s major metropolitan daily, Garrick is the unofficial dean of the San Diego press corps. When he started covering City Hall in 2014, Kevin Faulconer was the new Mayor, Todd Gloria was City Council President, and Sempra Energy occupied the tower at 101 Ash Street.

In an hour-long exchange at the Logan Heights Library with community activists from across the city, Garrick was straightforward and thoughtful.

He explained that while journalists rarely report things perfectly, they always try to report things accurately. Throughout the discussion, he was open to hearing views that had not occurred to him.

By Jillian Butler

As wallets tighten under economic uncertainty and SDG&E  prices soar to astronomical highs, a beloved Ocean Beach gathering place is fighting to keep its doors open.

Owned by Kyle Schubert, Long Story Irish Pub has been a community hub for people hailing from all walks of life -– from aspiring musicians playing at their Tuesday open mic nights to Little League teams celebrating a win over lunch, to sports fans catching a Padres game.

A seasoned restaurateur, Schubert moved from Sacramento to San Diego to both open Long Story Irish Pub with his friends and to be with his long time partner, Azure. The namesake of his pub is a tribute to the “long story” of his love for Azure. Schubert met his partner when he was only 13 years old, and followed her down to San Diego decades later, laying down roots here.

Developers of 186-unit apartment building have the green light to continue work

By Paul Krueger

Developers of an eight-story, 186-unit apartment building in the heart of Golden Hill can resume work on their controversial project following a significant legal ruling.

Opponents of “The Lawson” housing project on 29th and A Streets had temporarily stopped excavation of the complex in October, following a favorable ruling by Judge Joel Wohlfeil.

But Judge Wohlfeil last week declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the developer, which which would have extended his initial stop-work order. In his 16-page ruling, the judge said a more thorough review of evidence in the case convinced him that the community group challenging the project does not have the “probability of prevailing” at a trial.

Judge Wohlfeil did agree with several arguments made by attorneys for “Preserve Greater Golden Hill.” He acknowledged that project opponents have a “reasonable skepticism” that a required bus stop will ever be established within walking distance of the development. He also said the community group made a strong argument that the Golden Hill neighborhood “will be irreparably diminished…if adequate infrastructure” is not built.

By Lori Saldaña  / Op-Ed  San Diego Union-Tribune / December 15, 2025

The Clairemont Mesa Community Plan Update — envisioning the future of the region’s 8,557 acres — goes before the City Council on Tuesday, seeking to update a vision last adopted in 1989.

It calls for tens of thousands of new homes in San Diego’s original, post-World War II “planned community” and seeks to enhance “mobility” and “connectivity,” “protect open space,” and preserve “historical resources and districts that embody architectural and cultural history.”

But while these are admirable, aspirational goals, the plan should not be adopted until it also addresses more recent housing and transportation concerns in Clairemont. They include:

From OB Community Foundation

December 15-20, 2025

A 40 year tradition in Ocean Beach, the OB Food & Toy Drive brings together volunteers, neighbors, donors, and community members during the holiday season. This year our goal is to spread extra holiday cheer to 100 families and 75 seniors in OB.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Receive Cheer [Editordude: it’s too late to sign up to receive food and toys as registration closed on Thanksgiving (11/27).]

Donate Time, Treasure, Food, Toys, Gifts, and More

Volunteer – Register for a volunteer shift December 15-20.

Donate (financially) – Earmarked donations to OB Food & Toy Drive supports supplies (wrapping paper, boxes, etc.), toy and gift purchases, food purchases, as well as gift cards for the families and seniors.

Our 2025 toy collection locations throughout OB are hosted by:

City Says Environmental Impacts in Community Plan Updates for Clairemont and the College Area are Significant, Unmitigated, Unavoidable but Acceptable
City Council to Vote on December 16 to Approve Plan Updates without Requiring an Updated Environmental Impact Report

By Donna Frye

The following is a letter I sent to the city council on December 14 requesting a continuance on the Community Plan Updates for Clairemont and the College Area and the Overlay Zones.

RE: December 16 City Council Meeting, Items 609, 610 and 611; Request for a Continuance to Allow for the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report

Dear Councilmember,

On December 16, the San Diego City Council will be voting on whether to approve the Community Plan Update for the College Area (Item 609), the Clairemont Community Plan Update (Item 610) and the Citywide Community Enhancement Overlay Zone and Removal of the Community Plan Implementation Overlay Zone for College Area and Clairemont Community Planning Areas (Item 611).

According to the city, Clairemont and the College Area have not had a comprehensive update to their community plans since 1989 – over 35 years ago. The updates will provide “ a comprehensive policy framework for growth and development over the next 30 years.”

Editordude: Since the issue of “middle managers” employed by the City of San Diego has again emerged during the most recent debates over the city’s budget, we thought it appropriate to re-publish U-T reporter David Garrick’s piece on the subject from last July. And just to remind, Garrick, will be speaking on Saturday, December 13 on “This Just In: Covering the City Hall Beat.” See here for more.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / July 14, 2025

The recent fight at San Diego City Hall over how many middle managers the city employs could signal the start of a shift away from such jobs in the future, after years of their ranks quickly growing. The battle over middle managers, which emerged during controversial budget negotiations this spring, pitted Mayor Todd Gloria against city labor leaders — and eventually most of the City Council.

Labor leaders lobbied for sharp cuts to middle management positions so the city could lay off fewer front-line workers like librarians and parks maintenance staff in its effort to close a $350 million deficit. The Municipal Employees Association stressed that there are more than five times as many high-paid middle managers known as “program coordinators” and “program managers” at the city as there were a decade ago.

By Michael J. Stepner & Mary Lydon / The Daily Transcript / Dec. 10, 2025

The city of San Diego is going through a process to update their heritage preservation program called “Preservation and Progress.” The initiative is a comprehensive update that will streamline processes for new homes and other uses while protecting places of historic, architectural and cultural importance, and encouraging their adaptive reuse.

Historic preservation has gotten tied into the controversy that every perceived obstacle to more housing needs to be eliminated. This is incorrect, but it has become part of the YIMBY versus NIMBY debates, which have become counterproductive.

by: Rhea Caoile / Fox5 San Diego / Dec 8, 2025 

The parent company of SeaWorld San Diego and Sesame Place in Chula Vista has been faced with a class action complaint, accusing the theme parks of misleading customers about ticket prices.

Johnny Ngo, an Orange County resident, filed the complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California for San Diego County against United Parks & Resorts, Inc., also known as SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc.

The complaint alleges that consumers have to navigate through multiple screens when buying tickets online for all of the company’s theme parks but do not learn the “true” cost of those tickets until they reach the final checkout screen.

The multiple screens include requiring a customer to select the number of tickets at a certain price for a specific date and then being presented with additional experience they may choose to add to their cart.