Daily Business Report: February 26 2026
Property tax for Balboa Park upgrades could be headed to November ballot
Andrew Keatts | Times of San Diego
San Diego voters could soon be asked to approve a property tax to pay for a bunch of upgrades in Balboa Park.
One political boost the measure could have going for it: It would eliminate paid parking in the park, along with the big-money additions it would fund.
The measure would allow the city to issue up to $1 billion in general obligation bonds, which would be paid off through a new parcel tax assessment of between $3.50 and $23 per $100,000 of assessed value per parcel. The assessment would increase within that range as the city issues debt up to the $1 billion limit, and the tax would expire when the debt is paid off.
Opinion: San Diego County Governance Needs an Overhaul and Stronger Guardrails
by Jack McGrory | Voice of San Diego
San Diego County is one of the largest and most complex local governments in California. It manages nearly $9 billion in public funds and delivers essential services to more than 3.3 million residents, from health care and housing to public safety and disaster response.
That scale of responsibility demands excellence, transparency and accountability.
Yet our governing structure has not kept pace with the county we have become.
County Supes Have Tough Questions About Contract Oversight
By Lisa Halverstadt | Voice of San Diego
Four of the county’s five elected supervisors say they have tough questions and requests for the county’s top bureaucrat since learning that the chief operating officer of a former county contractor is facing criminal misappropriation charges.
Voice of San Diego broke the news last week that the District Attorney’s Office had charged former Harm Reduction Coalition finance chief Amy Knox with allegedly taking more than $130,000 in public funds from the organization. Knox, who previously served time for embezzling more than $500,000 from a former employer, allegedly used the money on everything from plastic surgeries to San Diego Gas & Electric bills.
The county contracted with the Harm Reduction Coalition to deploy overdose reversal drugs and test street drugs for fentanyl.
