City leaders have yet to come to terms on a 30-year lease agreement to convert the empty warehouse at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street into a large homeless shelter, as proposed by Mayor Todd Gloria.
With the deal, the city would lease the 65,000-square-foot facility for a 1,000-bed shelter, called The Hope @ Vine Campus. The mayor has framed the proposal as a bold move to tackle homelessness, with the facility designed to help people reintegrate into society.
As proposed, rent would start at $1.95 per square foot a month — or $1.5 million for the first year — and increase 3.5 percent each year. Rent does not include building operating expenses, which the city estimates at $32,469 a month.
The city is also budgeting more than $18 million to get the space ready for occupancy, with renovation and repair work extending to major building systems.
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The San Diego City Council recently put off a decision on the real estate deal, flagging concerns about deal terms, potential liability, ongoing funding of shelter services and proper due diligence.
The City Attorney’s Office said in a report that the lease, as is, “does not adequately protect the city’s legal or financial interests.”
Q: Should San Diego lease the Kettner and Vine warehouse for a homeless shelter?
Economists
Lynn Reaser, economist
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NO: There are shades of 101 Ash St. The 1963 building may well have lead and asbestos problems. Before starting, the site needs to certified for fire safety standards as to whether 1,000 people can be housed there. Building systems are old, tired and neglected. Food preparation, dining areas and sanitation systems are needed. In all — there’s not much quality of life for the mass of people crammed into 65,000 square feet with minimal privacy.
This will be Lynn Reaser’s final Econometer. She died Tuesday. She was a nationally revered economist but still took time to comment on the San Diego affairs of the day. We will miss her deeply. Read our story about her life here.
Alan Gin, University of San Diego
NO: At least not at the proposed terms. Summing up the projected rent shows that it is much higher than the most recent purchase price, meaning simply buying the property might be a better option. On top of that, whether a large facility is desirable or not is uncertain. While there would be economies of scale in running a large facility, there may be negative consequences in concentrating many homeless people in one place, including causing some homeless people not to want to use the facility.
James Hamilton, UC San Diego
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NO: The core problem is substance abuse and mental illness, not a shortage of beds. We need to clearly delineate that camping on a public sidewalk is prohibited and that offenders will be forced to receive treatment for their underlying problems. I’m very much in favor of a big commitment of funds to make sure we have a place to help the people who need it. But building shelters without providing support and enforcement is not going to solve the problem.
Norm Miller, University of San Diego
NO: We desperately need a large-scale homeless shelter, but the comps used to justify the rent are excessive for an old warehouse. While there are some nice features in the lease like landlord tenant improvements of $5 million, 14 percent rebate flip fees and 19 months free, this deal has a present value of $23 million to $28 million or as much as $430 per square foot while a similar property sold for $358 per square foot. Go back to the negotiating table one more time please.
David Ely, San Diego State University
NO: The city’s Independent Budget Analyst report notes several areas of concern, including lease terms that appear to be above market rates, the funding of annual operating costs over the lease’s 30-year life and the building’s condition. It would be imprudent to approve the current version of the proposal. Establishing a large permanent homeless shelter represents a significant financial commitment for the city. Additional analysis is needed before a decision is made to move forward.
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Ray Major, economist
NO: Too many unanswered questions remain regarding the project that could lead to serious real estate and financial liabilities for the city, especially given the 30-year commitment to the site. Homelessness is a crisis in our region that must be quickly addressed, but more work and analysis are needed before this proposal is approved.
Executives
Phil Blair, Manpower
YES: Of course assuming the negotiations go well and the city does not overpay. Echoes of 101 Ash St. The location seems prime, away from residential and tourist areas. The city needs to be bold in relocating up to a thousand homeless people in one spot, which seems more cost-effective then spreading the facilities all over town.
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Gary London, London Moeder Advisors
NO: This is a purely real estate analysis response. I am not weighing in on whether this is the right approach or the right location. I recommend, based on my analysis, that the city can do significantly better. In fact, compared to these terms, the better approach would be for the city to purchase the building. I recommend that the city slow walk this deal and bring in experts who can rightsize the terms.
Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates
NO: A better answer to the homeless crisis is the Sunbreak Ranch concept. It would serve as a central navigation center designed to house people, identify their needs, and move them with care and proper treatment to more permanent housing or treatment centers. It is not site-specific; it would be an emergency “triage center” where everyone in need would have a clean, healthy, safe, secure place and bed. It would be a solution, not a Band-Aid.
Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth
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YES: “The Hope” proposal for a homeless shelter must be reworked. The city should determine if it has adequate funds, is paying a reasonable lease, is protected from liability and can identify a capable operator. Otherwise, there will always be objections to proposed shelters. This location is less likely to impact residents near the industrial corridor between Interstate 5 and the airport. I appreciate attempted action toward the crisis. These issues are solvable and the project is needed.
Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere
NO: There are too many unknowns and more due diligence needs to be conducted. The proposed lease has several red flags. Currently there are no identified funding sources. Committing to a 30-year lease is a lengthy financial and legal commitment. And no current city homeless providers have managed a facility of this magnitude. With upfront costs in the millions and at an estimated cost of $30 million a year to operate, the proposed lease as it stands is a significant risk to taxpayers.
Haney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers Association
NO: This lease deal is about as sound as a screen door on a submarine. It’s yet another attempt by the city to add to its long list of real estate blunders, eroding taxpayers’ confidence in its ability to make sound decisions. The rent is above market rate, the shelter identification process raises eyebrows, the lease favors the landlord at the expense of taxpayers, contradicts the Community Action Plan on Homelessness, and the list goes on and on.
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Not participating this week:
Chris Van Gorder, Scripps HealthKelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic ResearchCaroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy
Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com. Follow me on Threads: @phillip020
Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song – San Diego Union-Tribune
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SUNG-MUN SONG
Position(s): Third base, second base
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 29
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 194 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in December 2025
Contract status: A four-year, $15 million deal will see Song make $2.5 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $3.5 million in 2028 and $4 million in 2029 if he does not opt out of last year; Half of his $1 million signing bonus is due in January 2026 and the other half in 2027; There is a $7 million mutual option for 2030.
.214 — Song’s isolated power in 2025, a career high as he prepared for a jump to the majors. Isolated power measures a player’s raw power (extra bases per at-bat) and Song had a .190 OPS in 2018, in his third year as a pro in Korea, before it dropped to .101 in 2019 and then a career-low .095 in 2023. Hitting 19 homers pushed Song’s isolated power to .178 in 2024 and then a career-high 26 homers push it even higher in 2025.
TRENDING
Idle — Drafted by the Heroes in 2014, Song debuted in the KBO the following year but didn’t become a regular until 2019. A drop-off in production — he had an .884 OPS in 78 games in 2018 and a .597 OPS in 103 games in 2019 — was followed by losing the 2020 season and a chunk of the 2021 season to military service obligations. Then three straight sub-.700 OPS seasons forced Song to rethink his approach to professional baseball, especially in the face of the likes of Ha-Seong Kim,Jung Hoo Lee and Hyeseong Kim generating big-league buzz. Song started with weight training and nutrition. A hitting coach also helped him with balance, pull-side power and the ability to catch up with the sort of fastballs that seem to dog Korean players when they arrive in the States. It all added up to a breakthrough year in which Song paired 19 homers, 104 RBIs and 21 steals with a .340/.409/.518 batting line. To prove it was no fluke, Song followed up his 2024 season with another strong effort that solidified his wish to try his hand in the majors. The ensuing, four-year, $15 million deal that Song signed with the Padres in December cost his new employer a $3 million posting fee to be paid to the Kiwoom Heroes.
2026 OUTLOOK
Like Kim before him, Song appears to be joining the Padres as a utility player with the hope that he blossoms into more as he gets comfortable in a new country and league. Song had experience in Korea at third base (500 starts), second base (149 starts) and first base (38 starts). Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller even mentioned outfield reps in passing as he assessed how Song could help the Padres in 2026.
Former KBO player Sung-Mun Song shakes hands with Padres vice president of amateur and international scouting Pete DeYoung after signing a contract with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday. (Photo by Armond Feffer/San Diego Padres)
Drivers traveling through the city of Poway may have noticed a dramatic change to the landscape. Since September, more than 1,400 trees — many of them eucalyptus — have been removed as part of the city’s hazardous mitigation grant project aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving public safety.
Poway is spending roughly $3 million on the effort, which focuses on removing trees that are dead, dying or considered dangerous. Much of the cost is being reimbursed by FEMA. Officials say the project is designed to make emergency evacuation routes safer while improving the overall health of trees along major roadways, rights-of-way and open spaces.
“I was relieved that there were some efforts being put into improving our resiliency to wildfire in our community,” said Poway Fire Chief Brian Mitchell.
Mitchell said spacing out trees can slow the spread of a wildfire and prevent roads from becoming blocked during an emergency.
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“That certainly has the potential to block our first responders from accessing somebody’s house in the middle of an emergency,” Mitchell said.
City leaders also point to storm safety as a key reason for removing hazardous trees under controlled conditions rather than risking falling limbs or entire trees during severe weather.
“I don’t want to be driving down that street and just a random limb just happened to collapse, you know, just hit me,” said Poway resident Dawn Davis.
Davis said she also worries about the threat the trees pose to nearby homes.
“I don’t want anybody’s homes here to be damaged, either by them or fire,” Davis said.
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A Poway spokeswoman said a certified arborist evaluated nearly 6,800 trees in Poway. About 2,800 invasive trees were recommended for removal.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.
The front of the Fowler Athletic Center at San Diego State includes a pair of double doors that open from the inside out. Replacing them with revolving doors would seem appropriate, given all the comings and goings nowadays.
SDSU had two dozen football players — including five starters on the defense — enter the NCAA transfer portal, which opened Friday. The first wave of candidates to replace them visited over the weekend.
And by Sunday afternoon, SDSU announced its first two signings. It was a package deal.
Sophomore offensive linemen Charlton and Mercer Luniewski are Michigan State transfers from Cincinnati. And twins.
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Charlton Luniewski’s social media says that he goes by “Big Chuck,” although Mercer is listed as an inch taller and 13 pounds heavier at 6-foot-6, 320. Mercer is also, by the way, 45 minutes older.
Charlton profiles at guard and Mercer at tackle, though SDSU typically works players in multiple spots to find the ideal fit. The twins are expected to challenge for spots on the two-deep if not the starting O-line, which lost three starters to graduation.
The twins were highly recruited two years ago out of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, where they also competed in track and basketball. They have three years of eligibility remaining.
The Luniewskis were among a dozen transfer recruits who visited SDSU over the weekend. Commitments have come from half of them. More recruits are scheduled for the coming this week as the Aztecs look to replenish the roster.
SDSU also received a commitment Sunday from Nate Henrich, a 6-6 edge from Division II Gannon University in Pennsylvania. Henrich had six tackles at Gannon, but he is viewed as having high upside with good size and length. He could provide needed depth at a position where the Aztecs lost four players to the portal.
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SDSU also expects commitments from Oregon State edge Kai Wallin, Portland State safety Isaiah Green and College of the Sequoias wide receiver Marshel Sanders.
Wallin is a 6-5 senior from Sacramento who played in nine games this season (seven starts) for the Beavers, making 17 tackles with one sack and four quarterback hurries. Green, a 6-1 junior from Oxnard, had a team-high 101 tackles at Portland State. Sanders is a 5-11 junior from Fresno who had 70 receptions for 929 yards and four touchdowns.
Bostick back
SDSU wide receiver Jacob Bostick announced on his social media Sunday that he is returning for the 2026 season.
His post read, in part: “Excited to get back to work with my coaches and teammates.”
Bostick had 11 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns over six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice six games into the season. He anticipates being ready to return by fall camp.
