San Diego City Councilmember Henry Foster faces a newcomer who’s fed up with City Hall.
Martha Abraham, a nurse and community activist, first made a name for herself advocating against new development in the district. She’s been able to connect with residents upset at these projects — and at the same time fire up voters on the city’s lack of investment in southeastern San Diego.
Both candidates in this year’s City Council election are Democrats. Voter results reveal Abraham only came in second to Foster by 12 votes in a primary election where more than 22,000 people voted.
Our Mariana Martínez Barba set out to understand why the results were so close, and whether Foster’s long-record at the city will help or hurt him in withstanding Abraham’s challenge.
Some political observers say Foster’s focus on the day-to-day government can make it difficult for residents to see how his work at City Hall is impacting them. Some residents also expressed concerns about Abraham’s ties to a community group that is backing several conservative-leaning candidates this year.
The endorsements are also interesting. Last week, the firefighters union withdrew their endorsement of Foster. Within days, Abraham was endorsed by the Lincoln Business Club League, an led by former Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Some residents are simply fed up with the status quo. “We don’t know who’s supposed to help us,” said Carol Turner, a long-time resident of District 4. “We just need help.”
Out with the 101 Ash Scandals, In with 107 Ash Project
Time for a rebrand.
City leaders hope they’re one step closer to putting the 101 Ash Street dumpster fire behind them after a Tuesday City Council vote. And not just because the building will have a new address.
The City Council voted 8-0 (with Councilmember Marni von Wilpert absent) to make tweaks to a now 65-year lease that would transform the long-shuttered office building into a roughly 250-unit affordable housing project with retail space and a childcare center. The lease is with a development group that includes the chair of the city’s planning commission.
The Tuesday Council vote increased interest rates on its $45.6 million loan to developers and added a mandate to keep the apartments affordable for the entire 65-year term of the lease.
The Union-Tribune has more details on the still-controversial arrangement, which it reported means the city could be “just weeks away” from handing over the scandal-plagued building.
Rehash: The building has been vacant since 2020 when the city evacuated 101 Ash amid asbestos violations. The city has since poured tens of millions of dollars into the building and related legal battles. The scandal ultimately mushroomed to include a criminal case against a former volunteer adviser involved with the 2017 city lease deal and a 2022 settlement where the city bought out its lease on the building.
More on the Feds Daycare Fraud Charges
San Diego’s daycare fraud bust has gone national, and an in-depth article from the Union-Tribune unspooled even more details about the alleged crimes. According to the U-T, the two local agencies tasked with distributing federal funds to providers had reported concerns about the facilities in question.
The feds’ investigation also began about a month after conservative content creator Nick Shirley and local activist Amy Reichert approached and filmed a handful of facilities they claimed were likely committing fraud.
The feds didn’t charge any of the operators Shirley and Reichert visited in their video. They did, however, charge one man Reichert had posted about on X in January, before Shirley visited. Mohamad Alawad has been accused of fraudulently siphoning $1.2 million in funds meant for childcare, some of which he seemingly spent on fancy cars and watches.
Learning Curve: Teacher of the Year Gets Excessed
For nearly two decades, Stacy Williams worked at TRACE Alternative School in San Diego Unified. The school works with adult students with disabilities, helping them learn the skills they need to lead productive, independent lives beyond high school.
Williams loved this work – and she was good at it. Earlier this year she was named a San Diego County Teacher of the Year. Then, this week, her position at her school was eliminated, meaning she was “excessed.” The practice is common in school districts across the state. When enrollment ends up lower at certain schools than it was projected, teachers are removed and shuffled to a different position in the district.
For Williams, who’s built her life around this work, the news was devastating, not least because of the impact to her students, for whom consistency, stability and relationships are vital.
“None of that matters now,” Williams said. “It’s heartbreaking to look back on the 19 years in this school.”
Read the full Learning Curve here.
Your Ballot Questions Answered
At Politifest 2026, CalMatters will breakdown, analyze, and answer your burning questions about this year’s election with a focus on the propositions on this year’s ballot, in a conversation centered around the latest edition of their Voter Guide. Register here.
In Other News
- As e-bike-related accidents and injuries among children have increased in recent years, San Diego County wants to sue companies that are misleading people by selling high-powered electric motorcycles as e-bikes. (Union-Tribune)
- Poway is moving to ban AI data centers citing concerns about their use of water and energy and the amount of land they would take up without creating many local jobs. (Times of San Diego)
- Police are investigating after a husband, wife and their 11-year-old daughter were found dead inside their Lake Murray home Wednesday morning. (Union Tribune)
- San Diegans, you’ll be getting your mail-in ballots on October 5. The Supreme Court pushed back on Trump’s voting reforms that could have put over 2 million San Diego County ballots at risk. (inewsource)
- A new report estimates that Tijuana River sewage pollution is costing San Diego County hundreds of millions of dollars a year, hurting local businesses and tourism. (KPBS)
- An internal review found major issues with the county’s handling of public records requests but the county’s top official isn’t recommending changes. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Mariana Martínez Barba, Lisa Halverstadt, Jakob McWhinney, and Naomi Granata. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.