Three days after the 4th District Court of Appeal once again threw out a voter-approved measure that lifted the building height limit for the Midway neighborhood, it was still not clear what it meant for the nearly $4 billion development project at the city’s Sports Arena land.
The mayor said Monday in a written statement, he was still committed to seeing it through. He and the city attorney were going to ask the City Council to appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court but that’s not the only path.
“In addition to the appeal, City staff have identified multiple paths to keep the redevelopment of the City’s sports arena property moving forward. I will not allow San Diego to miss out on an opportunity that holds massive benefits for San Diegans, including thousands of permanent new jobs, affordable homes, a new entertainment center and billions in economic activity. Failure is simply not an option, and we will get this done.”
In the same written statement, the mayor also announced he had extended the exclusive negotiating agreement with Midway Rising through 2026.
Opponents are triumphant: “This is a historic victory. This is protecting the I-5 and I-8 junction from gridlocking the entire north-south freeway network, protecting the public’s rights to access the coast, and preventing a massive taxpayer burden. Had the city followed the law, we would not be here today,” said John McNab, one of the leaders of Save Our Access.
City Council Bars Cops from Some Task Forces
The San Diego City Council on Monday passed an ordinance to protect civil liberties in response to the federal administration’s immigration crackdown. The new law also bars the San Diego Police Department from collaborating with the feds on some federal task forces and requires cops to report participation.
SDPD has participated on 13 task forces so far this year, we reported last week.
“The hope is that through that information we as a community have a better understanding of what the federal government is doing here,” said Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who proposed the ordinance. His colleagues thanked him for working with the police department to balance public safety needs.
However, the Police Officers Association (POA) remains opposed.
“This ordinance may be simply performative, but it could easily harm our ability to compete for federal grants and make San Diego a focal point like Portland or Seattle,” said Jared Wilson, president of the POA.
The ordinance would also require federal agents to have a warrant to access non-public city spaces. And prohibits the city from sharing personal information with federal and out-of-state law agencies.
More from City Hall: The San Diego City Council approved the appointment of Rolando Charvel as the city’s new chief financial officer.
“One of my central priorities will be improving communication in the budget process,” said Charvel during his appointment at City Council. He added that his approach will be built on early dialogue during budget negotiations. Charvel pointed to the tough budget decisions under his predecessor Matthew Vespi, and a need to streamline communication with Council.
Councilmember Von Wilpert brought up a 2024 audit from the city that revealed the city had spent more than $6 million on a rental contract without Council approval. Von Wilpert asked Charvel what plan the city has to “wrap its arms around that.”
Charvel said they have been looking into the particular audit, and will treat the problems with the sense of urgency they deserve. “It’s important for us to identify those types of issues and be transparent and forthcoming with the Council,” he said.
Border Report: Mexico Cracks Down on Organized Crime Amid US Pressure
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has played hardball with Mexico when it comes to organized crime. His government has designated drug cartels as terrorist groups and even threatened to use the U.S. military to attack them. He has also demonstrated what that may look like in the form of a half dozen strikes against boats in the Caribbean the government claims to have been drug vessels.
Mexican leaders seem to be responding to those tactics by ramping up enforcement against cartels, reporter Kate Morrissey writes in the latest Border Report.
In the less than a year since President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken office, her government has arrested nearly three times as many high profile cartel figures as former President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s government made in six years. But exactly what this all means in the long-run – and whether it will bring a fix to the longstanding crisis – is unclear.
As enforcement against organized crime has increased, other crimes are on the rise.
South County’s Trauma-Informed Preschool
Therapist Spencer Mattox reads a book to students during a small group therapy session at Mi Escuelita in San Diego on May 20, 2025. / Adriana Heldiz for CalMatters
Childhood trauma can have a drastic impact on the life of kids. But it can be difficult for parents to find the right resources to help guide their children toward healing.
One innovative Chula Vista preschool is doing just that.
Mi Escuelita, run by the nonprofit SBCS, was set up to serve children who have experienced domestic violence or other family related trauma. The program is free for parents and gives children access to both one-on-one and group therapy throughout the day.
Research shows that the program is working. A recent report produced by officials at UC San Diego showed that 82 percent of students at Mi Escuelita scored above average on the Kindergarten Readiness Test, which evaluates a student’s preparation for kindergarten.
Oops! We Posted a Broken Link to Prop. 50 Photo Essay
Players warm up at Moore Than a Game baseball practice in Rancho San Diego, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. / Zoë Meyers for Voice of San Diego
In yesterday’s Morning Report we included a photo essay by contributor Zoë Meyers exploring the East County communities that would be impacted by Proposition 50 – should it pass. The proposition is a response to mid-decade redistricting in Texas aimed at delivering more Trump friendly maps ahead of the midterm elections.
Proposition 50 would make once-Republican heavy districts more winnable for Democrats. One of the seats slated to be changed is East County’s 48th district, currently represented by Republican Darrell Issa.
There was just one problem – the link to the story we posted didn’t work. Our bad. Here’s the correct link.
In Other News
During a meeting last month, the University of California’s board of regents, the university system’s governing body, approved a request by UCSD police to purchase military equipment – two drones and 5,000 rounds of lethal rifle ammo. (UCSD Guardian)
With Republican Jim Desmond terming out, San Diego County’s political attention is turning to the 2026 election of North County’s District 5 Supervisor race. A spate of candidates have already announced runs to represent the longtime Republican stronghold, which has trended Democratic in recent years. (Union-Tribune)
A popular streamer was assaulted by a fan during last weekend’s Twitchcon, a gathering of streamers and content creators who use the video-sharing platform Twitch hosted at San Diego’s Convention Center. The incident has fueled years-long frustrations with security not only at the platform’s yearly gathering, but on the site. (NBC News)
After a five-day strike, unionized Kaiser Permanente employees are returning to work ahead of a planned resumption of contract bargaining. (City News Service)
The Morning Report was written by Scott Lewis, Mariana Martínez Barba and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.