Two county labor unions could press for pay hikes for their members if voters countywide support a sales tax hike that one of those groups is championing.
Our Lisa Halverstadt reveals that the Service Employees International Union Local 221, a leading backer of a sales tax measure that could pull in $360 million annually, and Teamsters Local 986 included clauses in their labor deals that call for reopened wage negotiations if the sales-tax measure prevails in November.
But first: The coalition behind the sales tax measure, which includes SEIU Local 221, earlier this month turned in signatures to the county Registrar of Voters in hopes of making the November ballot. If the measure qualifies and voters approve the half-cent sales tax hike, it’s expected to fund healthcare, child care, Tijuana River sewage solutions and public safety.
What SEIU is saying: The union’s president told Voice of San Diego that the group’s focus for now is on the ballot measure, not labor talks. Her statement and another recent one to the county Board of Supervisors suggest the group’s focus could end up being on pay raises for specific groups of county staff rather than across-the-board raises.
Others aren’t saying much: All but one county supervisor didn’t send Voice a formal statement – and the supervisor who did wasn’t on the board during last year’s labor talks. A county spokesperson said it was too premature to comment.
South County Report: A New Artistic Leaf in Bonita
Chula Vista metal sculptor Michael Leaf and the tiny Bonita Museum this month plan to unveil four sculptures they hope will set the stage for the museum to become South Bay’s first regional artistic attraction.
In his latest South County Report, our Jim Hinch spotlights museum leaders’ plans for a public sculpture garden featuring Leaf’s large-scale metal designs.
Also in this week’s South Bay blast: A tidbit about Chula Vista Mayor John McCann’s claim that serving as a Naval reservist keeps him from weighing in on policies that conflict with federal law.
Read the full South County Report here.
In Other News
- The Union-Tribune reports that San Diego is now the 12th most expensive rental market in the United States, the best ranking it’s had since real estate site Zumper ranking cities in 2020.
- KPBS dove into why the Metropolitan Transit System’s trolley system isn’t gated.
- Speaking of MTS: Fox 5 San Diego reports that worker strikes are impacting some paratransit and minibus routes.
- The Union-Tribune explored how second-home taxes are working elsewhere as San Diegans prepare to vote on whether to proceed with one in June.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.