It’s dealmaking season at City Hall. The push for a new $25 minimum wage for some workers in the tourism and entertainment industry in San Diego is heading to a City Council vote Sept. 16. Here’s what we know about all the entities trying to get out of having to pay workers that. 

Prop 50 mailers are hitting mailboxes and the ads are on TV. We’ve talked about it the last two podcasts but now it’s already set a congressional race in motion.

 

SHOW NOTES

Buy Your Tickets for Politifest 2025

Politifest is back on Oct. 4, and this won’t be our usual public affairs summit.  This year, we’re bringing together community leaders to go head-to-head in our first ever Solutions Showdown. Hear their ideas and cast your vote on which proposals you think could solve the biggest issues facing San Diego.

Save on tickets with early bird pricing at vosd.org/politifest

SEGMENT 2 - Subscriptions Gone Wild

The Atlantic wrote about Alden Global Capital, the U-T’s owners, four years ago.

“What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption or abstract market forces. They’re being targeted by investors who have figured out how to get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits. The model is simple: Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, and wring as much cash as possible out of the enterprise until eventually enough readers cancel their subscriptions that the paper folds, or is reduced to a desiccated husk of its former self,” the magazine wrote.

Bottom line: I think the U-T’s journalism is worth $2,000 a year, if it were a philanthropic cause and I could afford that. We have lots of donors who make bigger contributions than that. But this is not the way and it’s hurting trust.

Nieman Lab 

Alden Global Capital is miffed that The Dallas Morning News won’t offer itself up for disembowelment

The hedge fund threatens to shift their takeover bid to shareholders — while trying to sweet-talk the only shareholder that matters.

 

SEGMENT 3 - Minimum Wage, the Cost of Living, and the Padres

SD Chamber teams up with Padres





SEGMENT 4 - Congressional Race - The (potentially) Redrawn 48th District

Mason Herron ran numbers:

Congressional District 48 - Issa

Trump +15.3%

Trump: 56.4% | Harris: 41.1%

Harris +2.6%

Trump: 47.4% | Harris: 50.0%

 

Congressional District 49 - Levin

Harris +7.8%

Trump: 44.7% | Harris: 52.5%

Harris +12.1%

Trump: 42.5% | Harris: 54.6%

 

Congressional District 50 - Peters

Harris +29.6%

Trump: 33.6% | Harris: 63.1%

Harris +17.5%

Trump: 39.7% | Harris: 57.2%

 

Congressional District 51 - Jacobs

Harris +23.5%

Trump: 36.7% | Harris: 60.2%

Harris +18.0%

Trump: 39.6% | Harris: 57.5%

 

Congressional District 52 - Vargas

Harris +21.2%

Trump: 38.1% | Harris: 59.3%

Harris +16.8%

Trump: 40.3% | Harris: 57.1%

 
San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert announces congressional campaign

"I've spent my career fighting for workers, women's rights and safety for everyone — the very priorities Darrell Issa and Donald Trump attack at every turn," she said. "This will be a must-win seat to take Congress back from Trump, and I'm the only Democratic candidate running who has won an election, flipped a seat from red-to-blue and actually delivered for working people."

Early endorsements include State Senators Catherine Blakespear and Steve Padilla, Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner and Chris Ward, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and her council colleagues Stephen Whitburn and Jen Campbell, among others.

 
Ammar Campa-Najjar has also found a hat to throw into the ring

"This campaign is about making sure that all families, from San Diego to Riverside, have a representative who works for them," Campa-Najjar said in a statement released Friday. "That's why I've officially filed to run in CA- 48. If the proposed maps are approved, I'll be on the ballot, ready to represent this community and fight for a fair economy, affordable health care, and take on corruption."

 

Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego.

Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, managing editor

Bella Ross, social media producer

Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer.

Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer

Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy: Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County.

Become a Member: Voice Member Benefits
Join today and receive insider access.

 

It&rsquo;s dealmaking season at City Hall. The push for a new $25 minimum wage for some workers in the tourism and entertainment industry in San Diego is heading to a City Council vote Sept. 16. Here&rsquo;s what we know about all the entities trying to get out of having to pay workers that.&nbsp;
Prop 50 mailers are hitting mailboxes and the ads are on TV. We&rsquo;ve talked about it the last two podcasts but now it&rsquo;s already set a congressional race in motion.
&nbsp;
SHOW NOTES
Buy Your Tickets for Politifest 2025
Politifest is back on Oct. 4, and this won&rsquo;t be our usual public affairs summit.&nbsp; This year, we&rsquo;re bringing together community leaders to go head-to-head in our first ever Solutions Showdown. Hear their ideas and cast your vote on which proposals you think could solve the biggest issues facing San Diego.
Save on tickets with early bird pricing at <a href="http://vosd.org/politifest">vosd.org/politifest</a>
SEGMENT 2 - Subscriptions Gone Wild
The Atlantic wrote about Alden Global Capital, the U-T&rsquo;s owners, four years ago.
&ldquo;What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption or abstract market forces. They&rsquo;re being targeted by investors who have figured out how to get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits. The model is simple: Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, and wring as much cash as possible out of the enterprise until eventually enough readers cancel their subscriptions that the paper folds, or is reduced to a desiccated husk of its former self,&rdquo; the magazine wrote.
Bottom line: I think the U-T&rsquo;s journalism is worth $2,000 a year, if it were a philanthropic cause and I could afford that. We have lots of donors who make bigger contributions than that. But this is not the way and it&rsquo;s hurting trust.
Nieman Lab&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/alden-global-capital-is-miffed-that-the-dallas-morning-news-wont-offer-itself-up-for-disembowelment/">Alden Global Capital is miffed that The Dallas Morning News won&rsquo;t offer itself up for disembowelment</a>
The hedge fund threatens to shift their takeover bid to shareholders &mdash; while trying to sweet-talk the only shareholder that matters.
&nbsp;
SEGMENT 3 - Minimum Wage, the Cost of Living, and the Padres
<a href="https://sdchamber.org/affordability/">SD Chamber teams up with Padres</a>
 
SEGMENT 4 - Congressional Race - The (potentially) Redrawn 48th District
Mason Herron ran numbers:
Congressional District 48 - Issa
Trump +15.3%
Trump: 56.4% | Harris: 41.1%
Harris +2.6%
Trump: 47.4% | Harris: 50.0%
&nbsp;
Congressional District 49 - Levin
Harris +7.8%
Trump: 44.7% | Harris: 52.5%
Harris +12.1%
Trump: 42.5% | Harris: 54.6%
&nbsp;
Congressional District 50 - Peters
Harris +29.6%
Trump: 33.6% | Harris: 63.1%
Harris +17.5%
Trump: 39.7% | Harris: 57.2%
&nbsp;
Congressional District 51 - Jacobs
Harris +23.5%
Trump: 36.7% | Harris: 60.2%
Harris +18.0%
Trump: 39.6% | Harris: 57.5%
&nbsp;
Congressional District 52 - Vargas
Harris +21.2%
Trump: 38.1% | Harris: 59.3%
Harris +16.8%
Trump: 40.3% | Harris: 57.1%
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/09/03/san-diego-city-councilwoman-marni-von-wilpert-announces-congressional-campaign">San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert announces congressional campaign</a></li>
</ul>
"I've spent my career fighting for workers, women's rights and safety for everyone &mdash; the very priorities Darrell Issa and Donald Trump attack at every turn," she said. "This will be a must-win seat to take Congress back from Trump, and I'm the only Democratic candidate running who has won an election, flipped a seat from red-to-blue and actually delivered for working people."
Early endorsements include State Senators Catherine Blakespear and Steve Padilla, Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner and Chris Ward, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and her council colleagues Stephen Whitburn and Jen Campbell, among others.
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/08/25/campa-najjar-to-run-for-congress-in-proposed-48th-district">Ammar Campa-Najjar has also found a hat to throw into the ring</a></li>
</ul>
"This campaign is about making sure that all families, from San Diego to Riverside, have a representative who works for them," Campa-Najjar said in a statement released Friday. "That's why I've officially filed to run in CA- 48. If the proposed maps are approved, I'll be on the ballot, ready to represent this community and fight for a fair economy, affordable health care, and take on corruption."
&nbsp;
Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego.
Andrea Lopez-Villafa&ntilde;a, managing editor
Bella Ross, social media producer
Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer.
Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer
Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy:<a href="https://vosd.fundjournalism.org/?amount=15&amp;campaign=701f3000001Dna8&amp;frequency=monthly"> Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County.</a>
Become a Member:<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/member-benefits/"> Voice Member Benefits Join today and receive insider access.</a>
&nbsp;

This is Voice of San Diego’s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.

This is Voice of San Diego&rsquo;s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.