Daily Business Report: Friday, December 12, 2025
A Major Housing Policy… Maybe?
By Voice of San Diego
On Wednesday, Mayor Todd Gloria rolled out a plan — a plan to create a plan that could lead to more housing.
At a press conference, Gloria said he wants to create far more townhomes and row homes — units which could be closer to affordable for working class families. But the mayor gave almost no details on how he planned to do it.
Whatever the new policy looks like, it will have to increase the number of units allowed on single-family lots, which cover about 80 percent of the city.
NRCC Fires Back: California Democrats’ Gerrymandering Gambit May Backfire in Key GOP-Held Seats
By Megan Barth | California Globe
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is pushing an aggressive counter-narrative ahead of California’s 2026 midterms, arguing that Governor Gavin Newsom and state Democrats are banking on a controversial Proposition 50redistricting plan to flip as many as five Republican-held congressional seats – but historical voting patterns, voter registration trends, and GOP over-performance in blue districts suggest California Democrats’ gerrymandering scheme could fall flat.
According to an NRCC memo, Democrats are targeting the districts currently held by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Kevin Kiley (CA-03), David Valadao (CA-22), Young Kim or Ken Calvert (depending on final lines), and Darrell Issa (CA-48). The committee calls the effort a “Prop 50 redistricting scheme” designed to erase Republican representation through aggressive gerrymandering.
On Wednesday morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced it is expanding House Democrats’ Districts in Play for the 2026 election cycle to include Issa and Valadao.
A Real-Estate Tycoon’s San Diego Exit Is Turning the City Upside Down
By Peter Grant | The Wall Street Journal
A famed investor’s decision to dump a half-dozen San Diego office buildings is turning this city’s image upside down.
Donald Bren, the 93-year-old tycoon who owns real-estate firm Irvine Co., has been offloading San Diego office towers since 2024. He shed the last of his downtown buildings this fall at a deeply discounted price. Bren, whose firm had been the district’s largest office landlord, concluded that its growth prospects were dim.
Now, his vote of no-confidence tells other downtown property investors that Bren expects the near-record-high office vacancies and other problems could endure for years.
