Daily Business Report: May 11, 2026
Sacramento Report: What’s Behind the Changes to the Midway Rising Bill
by Nadia Lathan | Voice of San Diego
Dramatic changes to a bill aimed at helping the Midway Rising project in San Diego continue as negotiations to exempt the planned sports arena and housing from the state’s preeminent environmental law press on.
The bill, Senate Bill 958, would clarify state law that if a project examines and mitigates its environmental impacts adequately, its height alone cannot be considered additional impacts needing study. It is a direct legislative follow up to a state Supreme Court ruling that struck down a voter-approved ballot measure that lifted the 30-foot coastal height limit for the entire Midway planning area. The new bill is authored by Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, who represents the Midway District.
It’s common for housing bills that target CEQA to undergo numerous changes as construction unions bargain for minimum pay levels and union hiring requirements. Recent changes to SB 958, including removing language about labor contract agreements, are one example of the ongoing conversations with interest groups.
City Council will consider settlement in trash fee case
By Arturo Garcia | Times of San Diego
The San Diego City Council will consider a settlement in the lawsuit challenging the city’s trash fee during a closed session on Monday.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, attorney Gabriel McWhirter, who is representing the city against a group of local homeowners, told Judge Euketa Oliver during a hearing on Friday that a proposed settlement is “currently on the table” regarding Measure B, which instituted a pickup fee for single-family households after being passed in November 2022.
North County Report: Homelessness Decreased Inland, Slightly Increased on Coast, Census Shows
By Tigist Layne | Voice of San Diego
The results from the annual homelessness census are in and in North County, there’s some good news and some bad news.
Street homelessness decreased in inland North County and increased in coastal North County year-over-year, according to the annual point-in-time count.
At the same time, coastal North County saw an increase of people staying in shelters, while the number of people in shelters in inland North County stayed relatively consistent year-over-year.
