Taxes on second homes. Combining police departments. The city taking over SDG&E.
There was plenty of news this weekend at Voice of San Diego’s Politifest, the annual festival of local politics and civic debate.
Here are three of the biggest takeaways from the event.
1. A New Tax on Second Homes?
San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera just led the successful effort to raise the minimum wage for some tourism and event venue employees. He won his solutions showdown at Politifest by proposing a new tax on second homes and a fee for non-residents to enter Mission Bay Park.
He said his office is going to draft a new ordinance for the tax. He said the city already has the data on which homes are being used for second homes or vacation rentals. The money would go to infrastructure and child care.
2. Mayor Gloria Eyes Harbor Police Takeover
Mayor Todd Gloria didn’t win his Politifest session, but he made headlines anyway.
He said he wants the San Diego Police Department to take over the Harbor Police, who currently patrol San Diego Bay on behalf of five surrounding cities.
The move, Gloria said, would strengthen the city’s police force. He also endorsed expanded use of police drones and artificial intelligence to help with law enforcement.
3. Public Power Advocates Don’t Trust the City
A group has been working for years to force the city of San Diego to buy or seize power lines from SDG&E. They say SDGE takes 20% as profit and the city could use that money to lower bills and provide other community benefits.
But this group actually doesn’t want the city to do it. The leader, Bill Powers, won his solutions showdown. He agreed with a critic on the panel that the city could not be trusted with this responsibility and argued there are other districts or ways to create a community-owned power company.
A question of trust
Across Politifest panels, one theme kept resurfacing: a lack of public trust in the city of San Diego.
Whether it’s taxes, policing, or utilities, the skepticism about how City Hall manages power and money loomed over every discussion.
These proposals show just how deep that distrust runs.
