Daily Business Report: November 4, 2026
Election Day surprise: Group begins formal process to recall Mayor Todd Gloria
By Tessa Balc | Times of San Diego
Mayor Todd Gloria isn’t appearing on the ballot this Election Day, but an effort to oust him is moving forward.
A group led by criminal justice advocate Genevieve Jones Wright filed a Notice of Intent on Oct. 29 to recall Mayor Gloria, which now begins the recall process.
The notice published in the San Diego Daily Transcript on Election Day, Nov. 3, means the group can soon begin the formal signature-gathering process to call a special election.
Ninth Circuit Greenlights DOJ Noncitizen Ballot Probe; Full Court Reverses Hour Later
by Megan Barth | California Globe
In the latest twist in the ongoing battle between the U.S. Department of Justice and California over roughly 20,000 mail ballots linked to individuals federal authorities flag as likely noncitizens, a Ninth Circuit panel briefly restored the DOJ’s ability to request sequestration of those ballots, warn election officials of potential criminal liability, and pursue related investigations.
The 2-1 ruling, issued late on November 2, was vacated hours later by the full Ninth Circuit, which ordered an en banc rehearing and restored the underlying district court restrictions. The panel majority—Judges Carlos T. Bea and Consuelo M. Callahan, both appointed by President George W. Bush—stayed a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson, a Biden appointee in the Northern District of California.
That order, sought by groups including SEIU, AFSCME, LULAC, and the NAACP, had barred the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security from demanding that state and local officials halt processing, segregate, or refuse to count ballots of registered voters the administration alleges are ineligible, and from threatening officials with prosecution for following state procedures.
City and county crews prep popular hiking trails and open spaces ahead of El Niño
by Thaïs Giraudet | Times of San Diego
As city and county employees work to fortify berms along San Diego beaches, crews are also busy preparing popular hiking trails and protected inland areas for the possibility of flooding and rockslides during what could be a historically wet winter.
At the city level, officials are also concerned with the impact that heavy rains could have on bridges and park facilities, according to city spokesperson Benjamin Cartwright.
“City staff have been proactive in clearing out and removing accumulated leaf litter, debris, soil build-up and trash from drains around the park’s facilities and surrounding areas, reducing the risk of potential flooding,” Cartwright stated in an email to Times of San Diego.
