Daily Business Report: Thursday, July 24 2025
State Unlocks New Territory for San Diego’s Encampment Crackdown
By Mariana Martínez Barba | Voice of San Diego
When Jonathan Montanez, 37, sees yellow flashing lights and guys in orange shirts, he knows he must gather his stuff quickly.
“I surely don’t want to be out here, and I know my wife doesn’t want to be out here,” he says standing on a parched slice of land nestled by Interstate 5.
Montanez has been homeless for seven years and, for the last year, has been living on state property near freeways with his wife, Alyssa Gonzalez, 27, and their dog Diesel. He says state clean-up crews routinely push them out, but the couple usually finds another spot along the freeway.
San Diego Hotel Market Summary | July 2025
By Rober Rauch | Hotel Guru
The San Diego Hotel Market consistently leads California in occupancy, with a 12-month average of 73.8% through June 2025. RevPAR grew by 2.4%, outperforming the national average of 1.5%, though growth has slowed due to weaker government-related travel.
My forecast for the balance of 2025 and all of 2026 is steady 2% – 2.5% RevPAR growth, with flat occupancy and modest rate growth. This is due to new supply, a slight improvement in international travel, and steady group, business, and leisure demand.
‘My Heart is Here.’ Aguirre Arrives at County Amid High Hopes, Wariness
By Jim Hinch | Voice of San Diego
Incoming San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre is a surfer, not a golfer.
To celebrate her recent election to fill a vacant South County seat on the powerful San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Aguirre, previously mayor of Imperial Beach, did not hit the links, as many politicians do.
She gathered at Ocean Beach one recent Sunday morning with a few dozen like-minded elected leaders, campaign supporters and friends from the community. Everyone suited up, grabbed boards and plunged into what Sierra Club San Diego chapter leader Mark West, who joined the group, described as “a nice south swell, two to four feet…very playful.”
