The future of homebuilding in areas outside of local cities could rest on the outcome of the contentious battle between County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Both are vying to represent many of the county’s coastal communities but the winner will cast a crucial vote on how much housing and where the county will allow developers to build.
Lawson-Remer, a Democrat and environmentalist, argues the county needs to follow state direction on climate change policies meant to limit driving and greenhouse gas emissions. Faulconer, whose win would usher in a Republican majority on the board, contends that the county should prioritize delivering more homes during a housing crisis above all else.
The beef: Business groups have argued that the county’s vehicle miles traveled rules spurred by state law and meant to curb commutes are hampering development. Developers argue the prospect of hefty fees to mitigate commutes tied to their projects have already had a chilling effect even though the county has yet to start charging them. Meanwhile, environmentalists who previously sued the county arguing its transportation plans weren’t climate friendly enough are keeping close tabs too.
Our MacKenzie Elmer explains the debate and the differences between the two candidates.
Environment Report: A New Tactic in the Tijuana Sewage Saga
County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre are pushing a new strategy to try to combat the Tijuana sewage crisis.
They want to make the Tijuana River Valley a Superfund site in hopes of unleashing more federal money to clean up the area, our MacKenzie Elmer writes in her latest Environment Report.
Today Lawson-Remer will ask the Board of Supervisors to vote to petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to add the area to its Superfund list. Her move follows a separate request Aguirre made to the Biden administration last month.
Get all the details in the Environment Report.
Related: In coming weeks, volunteers will survey about 6,000 South Bay households to learn how the sewage has impacted them. (Times of San Diego)
The 101 on Measure G
A coalition that includes unions and environmental groups is rallying behind Measure G, a countywide sales-tax hike that would fund transportation projects.
As the Union-Tribune reports, half of the funding would support transit projects while 27 percent would back road projects. The rest of the estimated $350 million annual haul would flow to operations and maintenance for the Metropolitan Transit System and the North County Transit District plus local street and transportation projects.
The beef: Critics including County Supervisor Jim Desmond and San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones argue the tax hike would disproportionately aid urban areas of the county and would direct more money to scandal-plagued Sandag. Backers contend Measure G would improve commutes across the region with guaranteed local cash and protect the environment.
The campaign cash: inewsource revealed that five Sandag contractors cited in an internal audit for receiving hefty increases to their contracts with minimal oversight have contributed more than $1 million to the Measure G campaign.
Get caught up on other big races and measures: Check out our guide to what’s at stake.
In Other News
- Following a spike in hate crimes across the county, San Diego leaders announced a new fund increasing rewards for tips that lead to arrests in those cases. (CBS 8)
- Carlsbad beaches are set to get some new sand this winter. (Union-Tribune)
- Incoming freshmen at UC San Diego are now required to take a class on climate change. (NBC 7)
- Carlsbad was the only San Diego County city to receive funding in the latest round of state grants to address encampments. (KPBS)
- The Union-Tribune reports that Forever Balboa Park, the nonprofit focused on beautifying and raising funds for projects in the iconic park, has hired a top executive at the San Diego Symphony to serve as its CEO. (Warning: This one’s only for subscribers.)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and edited by Scott Lewis.