2025 is off to a rocky start.
San Diego is facing a big budget deficit. The County Board of Supervisors is once again without a leader. And the devastation from fires up north could result in big insurance rate hikes in San Diego.
Like I said, not a great start to the year. But don’t worry, we’re here to help you make sense of what’s happening and why it matters. Here’s what went down this week.
Ballin’ on a Budget?
If wedding planning has taught me anything it’s that you can ball on a budget.
I’m not sure that’s the type of attitude a city could adopt, but it certainly isn’t going to be an option for the city of San Diego. Mayor Todd Gloria has made it clear that this is going to be a year of “tough conversations” and “tougher decisions.”
The city is facing a $258 million budget deficit. Gloria told us previously on the VOSD Podcast what he’s proposing to cut. But this week, he also revealed he expects city department leaders to reimagine how to provide the highest level of service with less money.
“This approach is really no different from what you would do if your family was facing tough times,” Mayor Gloria said on Wednesday during his State of the City speech. “We adjust, we get creative, and we make the most of what we have.”
What that will look like remains to be seen.
Read more about what the mayor had to say here.
What he didn’t say: Our Scott Lewis writes in the Politics Report that Gloria did not go far enough during his speech. The mayor attempted to call out the county, other cities in the region and Caltrans for not doing enough to address homelessness. Lewis writes that there’s a flaw in the mayor’s attack. Read more here.
South County Decides
County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Nora Vargas. The former supervisor announced her resignation last month, citing safety concerns (we still don’t know what exactly).
The race is on. So far there are four candidates in the race: Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, San Diego Councilmember Vivian Moreno, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez. McCann is the only Republican.
Our South County Reporter Jim Hinch will be digging into everything you need to know about each candidate and why this race matters.
We will be publishing a series of stories on each candidate this month. You can read the latest here.
What do you want to know? I live in the district that these candidates are vying to represent. I understand many of the issues they are speaking to, but I’d love to hear what’s on your mind. South County will decide the county’s future. Send me a note at andrea.lopez@voiceofsandiego.org.
More South County news: Last year, Hinch wrote about tenants in Imperial Beach who were advocating for tenant protections. Many of those he spoke to had just received eviction notices. Hinch reports that Imperial Beach has adopted a tenant protection law as a result. Still, some feel it doesn’t go far enough. Read more here.
Also! Don’t miss your chance to meet Hinch this month! He’ll be at Bonita Museum & Cultural Center on Jan. 28 to talk about his stories and beat. The event starts at 6 p.m. and is free. You can RSVP here.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- Insurance rates could go up! Sacramento Reporter Deborah Brennan made sense of what impact the fires in Los Angeles could have on insurance rates. She explains in her newsletter why policyholders throughout the state could be on the hook for massive fire claims. Read the Sacramento Report here.
- Why San Diego is less blue. We published a series of stories on why voters in San Diego didn’t show up for the Democratic presidential candidate in November and why some historically Democratic strongholds shifted right. This work was done through our Public Matters partnership with KPBS and inewsource. Read all the stories here.
- Another open seat is getting a lot of attention in Poway. Our Tigist Layne reports that residents are asking the City Council to hold a special election rather than appoint someone to the Council. Residents say they want to decide who represents them. Read more here.