Morning Report: El Cajon Lags on Homebuilding
You’ve probably seen the headlines about coastal San Diego communities pushing back against housing development. But as our Will Huntsberry reveals, El Cajon is the city that’s permitted the fewest […] The post Morning Report: El Cajon Lags on Homebuilding appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
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You’ve probably seen the headlines about coastal San Diego communities pushing back against housing development.
But as our Will Huntsberry reveals, El Cajon is the city that’s permitted the fewest new homes in recent years.
State data analyzed by Voice of San Diego and KPBS showed that the East County city was the only city in the region that permitted under 10 new homes per 1,000 residents from 2018 to 2024.
So what’s up with that? Mayor Bill Wells attributes the dearth of development to a shortage of available land and noted that his city has policies that should encourage development. Meanwhile, one developer told Huntsberry fellow builders are eyeing aging single-story strip malls across the city that could be eventually converted into denser housing development.
Interestingly: El Cajon and National City, which permitted twice as many homes per capita as the East County city from 2018 to 2024 are already two of the most densely populated cities in the county.
South County Report: What’s Next for D1 and Imperial Beach
San Diego’s South Bay will soon have a representative on the powerful county Board of Supervisors after months without one.
In his latest South County Report, our Jim Hinch offers a review of the District 1 special election and forces that may have led Democrat Paloma Aguirre, now the outgoing mayor of Imperial Beach, to best Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, a Republican.
What’s next? As Hinch notes, Aguirre’s swearing in at the county on July 22 could usher in the need for a special election in Imperial Beach – but it’s not clear it will. An Imperial Beach councilmember told Hinch he expects the City Council to appoint a new mayor to save cash – and for Deputy Mayor Carol Seabury to temporarily serve in the post before the appointment process kicks off.
Read the South County Report here.
Sacramento Report: Chula Vista Film Studio Hoping for Tax Credits
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $750 million tax credit package meant to lure film and TV shows to California. A South Bay filmmaker hopes tax credits can help boost his fledgling Chula Vista Entertainment Complex.
Deborah Brennan explained the tax credit program and how it could help the Chula Vista filmmaker in her latest Sacramento Report.
Also in the state political news rundown: Marines are now at San Diego County’s border and the governor executed major reforms to the state’s premier environmental law that could bolster housing development.
Read the Sacramento Report here.
In Other News
- The San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend that the Council approve converting 101 Ash St. into affordable housing. The committee took the official action of declaring the building as surplus, clearing the way for the city to lease out or sell the site. (Union-Tribune)
- Did you spend time at the beach for the fourth? You might want to check on closures and contamination warnings. (KPBS)
- A new affordable housing development was approved in Chula Vista, inewsource reports that some are concerned about what the plan lacks: parking.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Tessa Balc. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: El Cajon Lags on Homebuilding appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
