Daily Business Report: February 5, 2026
Agreement by Padre owner’s widow, brothers ends part of legal battle
By Jennifer Vigil | Times of San Diego
The battle over control of family trusts left by late Padres owner Peter Seidler has reached at least a partial conclusion, according to court filings in Texas.
His widow, Sheel Kamal Seidler, sued Matthew and Robert Seidler, two of his brothers, last year in their roles as the current and former executors of Peter Seidler’s estate and current and former trustees of his trusts.
She accused them of “egregious acts of self-dealing” in their management of the affairs of Peter Seidler, who died in November 2023, alleging that they had ignored their brother’s wishes that the trusts existed for Sheel’s “sole benefit” during her lifetime.
Supervisor Floating Big Changes to County Leadership
by Lisa Halverstadt | Voice of San Diego
County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer is floating possible reforms that could extend term limits for supervisors including herself and make the county’s top manager an elected official, creating a county mayor.
Lawson-Remer has recently been in talks with groups including the Center On Policy Initiatives about potential changes to the county charter – essentially, the constitution for county government. Voters would have to approve any change put forward by the Board of Supervisors.
The possible pitch to voters, which Lawson-Remer and CPI Executive Director Kyra Greene emphasize is far from finalized, could call for an extension of term limits beyond the two four-year terms that labor groups and Democrats fought to secure in a 2010 ballot measure to usher more Democrats onto the board. It could also urge San Diegans to follow Los Angeles County’s lead in converting its top administrative position into an elected one. The Los Angeles change was a controversial one that won’t fully take effect until after the November 2028 election.
The Learning Curve: A School Board Race Just Started – and Maybe Ended
By Jakob McWhinney | Voice of San Diego
The race to replace Trustee Cody Petterson, who represents coastal areas on San Diego Unified’s board, may be ending just as its kicking off in earnest. That’s because the union that represents San Diego Unified teachers, the biggest power player in board elections, has picked their man.
His name is Hayden Gore and it would be next to impossible to find a candidate that checks as many of the union’s boxes. He’s a veteran 18-year educator, a vocal progressive and a former teachers union president who … (wait for it) … unionized the High Tech High charter chain.
If Gore’s name rings a bell, it’s because I covered in detail the ups and downs of High Tech High teachers’ battle to secure their first contract. Veterans of that struggle still affectionately refer to Gore, who led the union during that time, as their “wartime president.”
