KPBS\u2019 Jake Gotta reports for our In Whose Backyard series that the huge mismatch means the tens of thousands of San Diegans who clock into workplaces in Sorrento Valley each day are forced to choose between long, traffic-choked commutes or sky-high housing costs.<\/p>\n
Read the full story here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In Whose Backyard <\/strong>looks at where homes are being built, what kinds of homes are popping up and how that impacts the surrounding communities. Read more stories in our series here.<\/a><\/p>\n Mayor Gloria Really Likes His New Ninth-Floor Office<\/strong><\/p>\n The city of San Diego\u2019s recent budget wrangling was no walk in the park. It put into stark relief the deep divisions that have developed between councilmembers and Mayor Todd Gloria.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a recent Q&A with our new City Hall reporter and Report for America corps member, Mariana Mart\u00ednez Barba, Gloria makes clear he has no regrets.<\/p>\n Gloria is now working from the ninth-floor office of the chief operating officer, whose position he subsumed against the wishes of the City Council. Between the savings from eliminating the position, his new power as COO and even his new office, he feels he\u2019s now more effective and answerable to San Diegans.<\/p>\n He also made a prediction we\u2019ll continue to keep an eye on: \u201cMy strong belief is that this means that stuff will happen faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the whole Q&A here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n 101 Ash Street Is Turning Into Affordable Housing<\/strong><\/p>\n On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a 60-year lease deal to redevelop the notorious 101 Ash building into affordable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Currently, the city owned building has been sitting empty since 2020 <\/a>after a series of bad real estate deals, high profile lawsuits, and environmental hazards like asbestos.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the new agreement, the property will be turned into a mixed used building to include over 200 units of affordable housing, a daycare, and retail commercial space.\u00a0<\/p>\n How much will it cost?<\/strong> Noah Fleishman with the Independent Budget Analyst\u2019s Office said the total development costs will be $267.6 million with each unit costing $1.1 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where\u2019s the money coming from?<\/strong> The funding comes from a combination of federal low income housing tax credits, historic tax credits and bonds. The Union-Tribune has more on the purchase here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n A report by the Independent Budget Analyst\u2019s Office said the proposal is financially and economically feasible, and emphasized the need to be transparent with the new leasing process.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mayor-Todd-Gloria_00021-1024x683.jpg\")
Mayor Todd Gloria in front of a green screen before being filmed for an internal communications video on July 22, 2025 in downtown. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n