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San Diego County Grapples with Water Costs as Ambitious Infrastructure Projects Drive Rates Skyward

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Ratepayers face potential 150% increase over next decade despite reliable supply and political settlement San Diego Residents Discover The cost of water security is high living in a desert  San Diego County residents are confronting a paradox: the region has never been more water-secure, yet costs are projected to soar dramatically over the next decade, with wholesale water rates potentially jumping from about $2,000 per acre-foot next year to anywhere from $3,500 to $5,000 per acre-foot by 2035. The financial squeeze comes as the San Diego County Water Authority announced in October 2024 that the region has plenty of water to meet demands in water year 2025 regardless of weather conditions, thanks to regional investments in water reliability and two consecutive wet winters. SIDEBAR: Water Prices in Other Mediterranean Climate Regions How does San Diego compare globally? San Diego's water costs are among the highest for regions with similar Mediterranean climates worldwide. H...
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San Diego and Fresno: Homeless camps cleared

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San Diego and Fresno: Homeless camps cleared Raise Questions About Long-Term Solutions and Human Cost State-led sweeps remove camps but research shows displaced people often relocate nearby, face increased health risks, and lose essential belongings California's intensified campaign to clear homeless encampments from state property has removed thousands of camps and tons of debris, but mounting research and legal challenges suggest the approach may be causing more harm than progress in addressing the state's homelessness crisis. This week, Governor Gavin Newsom's SAFE Task Force cleared encampments along the 805 Freeway in San Diego, where up to 30 people had been living at various times, and removed camps in Fresno that housed up to 50 individuals. Caltrans collected 33 cubic yards of debris from the San Diego site and will install fencing and rocks to prevent people from returning. The Displacement Cycle While officials tout the clearances as progress, evidence sug...
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Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera to propose vacant second home tax in committee – NBC 7 San Diego

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Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera to propose vacant second home tax in committee – NBC 7 San Diego Can It Solve Housing Crisis Without Damaging Tourism Economy? Proposed $135 million annual levy would target empty second homes and short-term rentals, but enforcement costs, tourism impacts, and mixed results elsewhere raise questions about effectiveness SAN DIEGO — A controversial ballot measure that could fundamentally reshape San Diego's approach to housing affordability is heading to the City Council, sparking an intense debate over whether taxing vacant homes and vacation rentals will help residents or harm the city's vital tourism industry. Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera is sponsoring the Vacation Home Operation Tax, which would appear before voters in June 2026 if approved by the Rules Committee and full City Council. The measure promises to generate an estimated $135 million annually while encouraging property owners to rent vacant units or pay steep penalties. But critics warn i...
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Effort to declare Marina Village surplus land, opening it up to housing, implodes

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Effort to declare Marina Village surplus land, opening it up to housing, implodes San Diego's Marina Village Controversy: A $1.2 Billion Development Dream Meets Public Parkland Reality Powerful developers with deep political ties and billion-dollar ambitions collided this summer with an aroused citizenry determined to protect Mission Bay Park from housing development—exposing fault lines in California's affordable housing laws and a city government caught in a fiscal vise of its own making In the crystalline waters of Mission Bay Park, where families gather for weekend barbecues and sailboats drift lazily past palm-lined shores, few could have predicted that a 28-acre corner occupied by an aging conference center would ignite San Diego's summer of civic fury. Yet by July 2025, the Marina Village property had become ground zero in a battle that exposed the combustible intersection of California's housing crisis, a controversial state law meant to address it, billion-d...
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Study: Clean fusion energy could add $125 billion to California economy

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Study: Clean fusion energy could add $125 billion to California economy Fusion Energy's $125 Billion California Promise Collides With Financial Reality State study projects major economic windfall, but timeline and opportunity costs raise questions about betting on technology that won't arrive for decades BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: California could capture $125 billion in economic activity from fusion energy, according to a new state study—but only if the technology succeeds commercially in 20-40 years. When adjusted for the time value of money, those future benefits are worth just $9-23 billion today. With the state's 2045 clean energy deadline approaching and proven alternatives like solar and wind delivering returns within 5-10 years, critics argue fusion represents a speculative long-term bet, not the near-term economic development strategy being promoted. California stands at a crossroads in energy policy. A comprehensive analysis released this week by the San Diego Re...
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