Lines drawn at City Hall

Yesterday was an especially busy day for city and county government.

First up came the county decisions, where supervisors voted to restrict or limit access by immigration agents in county buildings, following ICE-related chaos in Minneapolis and elsewhere. 

Then came a unanimous vote to put emergency funding toward the Tijuana River Valley’s air pollution crisis. The funding puts some temporary fixes into place and allows for more data to be collected and analyzed while the county works on longer-term solutions.

The board also authorized buying more much-needed air purifiers for affected residents. 

And what was going on in the city council chamber while this was happening? Funny you should ask.

A proposed ballot measure to tax empty second homes and short-term vacation rentals died in the City Council committee, surprising even some of my more politically nerdy friends. 

The proposal, which had been put forward by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, would have taxed empty second homes and short-term rental homes — about 11,000 in the city of San Diego — to the tune of $8,000 a year, in some cases more.

The Council committee also voted down a proposal to wind back paid parking in Balboa Park — but a roadmap to eventually ditch all or some of those parking fees is starting to come into focus.

I’d like to end this with a shout-out. Every so often I see someone I know featured in a story. This time around it’s the great JP Balmat, one of the best musicians around and who’s up for a prestigious award. 

I’m a musician of sorts and I’ve known JP for years, and he’s one of the people kind enough to allow me to sit in and jam with him whenever I’ve asked. This may not sound like a big deal — but I’m an accordion player. (I know, I know, I was born this way.) That’s how you know he’s tolerant as well as talented. Good luck JP, the weird accordionists are all cheering for you!

Thoughts? Opinions? Let us know what you think by emailing news@timesofsandiego.com.