Morning Report: Beef Week: Mayor Todd Gloria vs. the County
EM - News Moderator 
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria essentially started 2025 by trying to stir up a fight.
He called out the county for what he deems a lack of urgent action on the city and county’s shared behavioral health and homelessness crises in his big annual speech. Weeks later, he started an unsuccessful campaign to get the county to fully fund a homeless shelter they partnered to open a few years earlier.
County officials, meanwhile, have spent 2025 trying to avoid a battle with the man with the city’s largest bully pulpit. They’ve sought to spotlight stepped-up efforts to respond to those crises and to partner with the city.
For our first Beef Week story of the year, our Lisa Halverstadt breaks down the battle that Gloria very much wants to fight that the county would rather not.
Beef Week is here: This week, our newsroom is bringing you stories about all the beef and battles in San Diego. We will be publishing a new Beef Week story every day.
Encinitas Ramps Up Homeless Enforcement
In a Q&A with Mayor Bruce Ehlers, our Tigist Layne found out more about Encinitas’ recent push to ramp up legal enforcement related to homelessness.
Ehlers said Encinitas wants to use what he called a carrot and stick approach. Officials want to make sure that homeless people have access to the services they need — but if they aren’t using those services, and they are breaking the law, cops will target them.
“Homelessness per se is not a crime,” Ehlers said. “People can be homeless and walk around on the street. What we have to stop is illegal behavior, be it being drunk and disorderly in public, threatening people, defecating in public, urinating in public, petty theft, illegal camping and RVs on public lands.”
VOSD Podcast: Chickens, Taxes and Beef Week
On the latest episode of the VOSD Podcast, our hosts shared some holiday-friendly stories you can tell at upcoming gatherings. They also had updates on stories our reporters have been following. Listen to the episode here.
In Other News
- Things aren’t looking great for San Diego’s tourism industry. The Union-Tribune has more on projections from the San Diego Tourism Authority and stories from hotel and rental shop owners. Read more here.
- Don’t put your umbrellas away just yet. (Times of San Diego)
- Last year, Lemon Grove residents approved a one-cent sales tax. Now, the city is ready to bring on long-overdue infrastructure improvements. (Union-Tribune)
- La Mesa Police Department is going to focus officer on training and enforcement actions to improve road safety thanks to a $150,000 grant. (KPBS)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: Beef Week: Mayor Todd Gloria vs. the County appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
