Current San Diego city councilmembers aren’t the only ones upset about the recent trash fee debacle. The candidates running for City Council also say the scandal was avoidable — and many think it’s time for Mayor Todd Gloria to hire a COO and stop insisting he has the job under control.
Ahead of the November election, our Mariana Martínez Barba asked City Council candidates to weigh in on the error.
City Council District 2 candidate and former Republican Richard Bailey floated the idea of a new rule about sampling data to avoid the error. His opponent Democrat Nicole Crosby said the city needs a COO who can run operations and ensure communication across departments.
Others are just flat-out mad at Gloria.
“We continue to see these significant mistakes in operations, and ultimately, this speaks to the mayor’s competence as the chief operating officer,” wrote Councilmember Henry Foster on Instagram. Foster is running for reelection in District 4, which represents southeastern San Diego.
The last COO, Eric Dargan was fired by Gloria in early 2025. Gloria took on Dargan’s duties himself.
Some people have been calling for a more direct apology from Gloria. He issued something of an apology on Monday in a newsletter.
“This error was unacceptable, and I apologize for the confusion and concern it has caused,” Gloria wrote.
SDPD Headquarters Downtown Is Getting a $3 Million Fence
You heard that right.
According to the city’s news website, construction of a high-security fence is slated to begin this week at the downtown police headquarters. The design will feature a fence eight to ten feet tall encircling the building.
The $3 million build has been in the works since 2018 and is intended to align security at the headquarters with other San Diego Police Department facilities.
The department’s headquarters experiences frequent vandalism, disturbances, trespassing and in one case an assault on an employee – hence the need for a really big fence, according to the city’s post.
There could be some changes in public access too.
“To comply with public park space in front of headquarters, the outer gates will allow public entry to the grass and public spaces along Broadway and will remain open 24/7, but can be closed when security needs arise,” the post reads.
Politifest Updates; San Marcos Showdown
San Marcos is at a pivot point. Not only is the city growing rapidly, but over the past decade its voter base has shifted decidedly Democratic. Still, over the past two cycles, San Marcos voters have elected Republican Rebecca Jones as mayor.
But now, Jones is leaving to run for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. Will voters reelect a Republican in the form of Councilmember Mike Sannella? Or will they shift Democratic for former councilmember and Democrat Sharon Jenkins?
On Friday, Oct. 2, we’ll be hosting a satellite Politifest event in North County, where our Tigist Layne will host a moderated conversation between Jenkins and Sanella. They’ll discuss how they plan to navigate state housing mandates, provide for the city’s aging population and revitalize the city’s economy long-term. The event will be in Carlsbad at 6 pm. Get your tickets here.
Read more here on the North County event.
More Politifest updates: This wouldn’t be a politics event without some late-breaking shakeups. The debate for the City Council District 6, which represents north central San Diego, between Democratic incumbent Kent Lee and Republican challenger Mark Powell has been cancelled. Both candidates opted not to participate.
Additionally, Martha Abraham has pulled out of the debate for City Council District 4, which represents southeastern San Diego. We will host a conversation between Councilmember Henry Foster and Voice of San Diego’s City Hall reporter Mariana Martínez Barba, instead.
You can view the updated schedule for Politifest 2026 here.
Why Beaches Are Closed in IB… Again
Despite all that is being done to try and fix the Tijuana River sewage problem at the U.S.-Mexico border, the river can’t be tamed when it rains.
It rained in Tijuana over the weekend, and likely elsewhere in the 1,750 square-mile watershed that drains into the river. Over 168 million gallons of water shot through the river around 1:45 a.m. Monday morning, according to a river gauge maintained by the International Boundary and Water Commission.
When it rains, the wastewater agency in Baja California stops pumping water out of the river into a treatment plant in Tijuana that sends the water toward the Mexican coast. There’s too much water in the system for any normal treatment system to handle.
By 6 a.m. Sunday morning, San Diego County’s water quality monitoring program found levels of bacteria in the water off the Imperial Beach pier ten times higher than what’s considered safe. So the county shut the shoreline down. The most recent test publicly available at the pier reads bacteria that’s 50 times higher than what’s safe.
In Other News
- After years of delays and legal skirmishes, Midway Rising has passed a monumental milestone. On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that gives the project’s environmental review, long the source of developmental headaches, a passing grade. The next step will be for the City Council to officially approve the project, which they’re expected to do in the coming weeks. (Times of San Diego)
- SDSU’s football team is dealing with a mumps outbreak as the team heads into it PAC-12 opener. (Union-Tribune)
- Congressmember Sara Jacobs called on the Navy Inspector General to conduct an investigation into the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after visiting the aircraft carrier on Sunday. The vessel has been at the center of controversy after crewmembers raised alarms about living conditions during its abnormally long 10-month deployment. During the deployment, eight crewmembers are said to have attempted suicide. (KPBS)
- San Diego homes just got more expensive. According to a housing index report, San Diego home prices rose at their fastest rate in nearly 1.5 years this summer. (Union-Tribune)
- San Diego homeless nonprofit Father Joe’s Villages just got a massive financial boost. Philanthropist Irwin Jacobs announced a $50 million donation to the organization to help fund a three-building, 18-story complex in the East Village. (Union-Tribune)
- District Two Candidates Richard Bailey and Nicole Crosby clashed on how to fix the city’s budget and address homelessness in San Diego at a community forum. (Times of San Diego) Don’t forget: You can catch them this weekend at Politifest, too!
The Morning Report was written by Mariana Martínez Barba, Jakob McWhinney and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
