Daily Business Report: March 4, 2026
Opinion: The Empty Home Tax Is a Win-Win for San Diegans
by Itzel Maganda Chavez and Stephen Russell | Voice of San Diego
The availability of housing is a major problem in the city of San Diego — and it affects working families who are struggling to build a future in the city that raised them and where they call home. For us, this is personal. Like many San Diegans, the cost of renting is a big chunk of each paycheck. It is difficult to think about growing a family, cultivating a career, and one day retiring in the city we love.
Part of the reason there are not enough affordable homes for San Diegans is that big corporations and wealthy investors are snatching up properties and leaving them vacant to avoid landlord-tenant regulations or to turn a profit on them later.
When property owners who can afford to, buy up second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth homes and keep them vacant, they tighten the housing market and make it more expensive to rent or buy. They also negatively affect the sense of community and quality of life in San Diego neighborhoods.
About that Fake Public Commenter at City Council
by Bella Ross | Voice of San Diego
He lives in Colorado, but has six homes in San Diego. He hates renters, loves Prop. 13 and is very opposed to taxing empty second homes.
Could you imagine a more perfect villain for tax-hungry lefties?
This person is not real, but a character conjured up by Ocean Beach Planning Board Vice Chair Kevin Hastings, who put on his best get-off-my-lawn voice to call into last week’s City Council Rules Committee hearing on the tax.
Free Educational Resources provided by SDCCU for National Credit Education Month
By Chris Jennewein | Times of San Diego
San Diego County Credit Union, one of California’s largest credit unions, is committed to helping the community by offering free educational resources during National Credit Education Month. Throughout the month of March, SDCCU will present free weekly webinars aimed at educating the community on the basics of credit and how financial management can impact credit scores. Webinar topics include: Understanding Credit Reports, Preventing Identity Theft and Scams, Understanding Your Spending and Financial Behaviors, Preparing for Retirement, and more.
“A strong credit history and a healthy credit score play an important role in achieving financial goals,” said SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Campbell. “In recognition of National Credit Education Month, SDCCU is pleased to offer free educational resources and presentations to help community members build credit confidence and set themselves up for a successful financial future.”
National Credit Education Month encourages the community to learn more about credit, how it works, why it’s important, and how to build or maintain your credit score. The National Credit Education Month webinars are part of Financial Wellness Wednesdays, an ongoing program hosted by SDCCU to help provide the community access to free financial wellness information. Upcoming topics, dates, and times can be found at sdccu.com/fww.
SDCCU is one of the nation’s top credit unions and was named one of America’s Best Regional Credit Unions in 2026 by Newsweek, ranked a top credit union in California in 2025 by Forbes, and voted San Diego’s BEST Credit Union for 2025 in The San Diego’s Union-Tribune Readers Poll. SDCCU proudly serves the financial needs of customers in Southern California counties, including Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. SDCCU has more than 412,000 customers and 30,000 surcharge-FREE ATMs. SDCCU provides breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and delivers banking services that save customers money. SDCCU is leading the way, offering FREE Checking with eStatements, SDCCU mobile banking, mortgage loans, auto loans, Visa? credit cards and business banking services. Federally insured by NCUA. Membership required. Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS #580585. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.
