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San Diego City Council passes resolution supporting striking hotel workers

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1 year ago

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San Diego City Council passes resolution supporting striking hotel workers


In a largely symbolic move, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday threw their overwhelming support behind the more than 700 hotel workers on strike at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

In a 7-0 vote, they approved a resolution that calls for a “fair and just” conclusion of the dispute that has embroiled the workers and the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel since Aug. 31, when the last contract expired.

The resolution accords no funds or resources to support the workers or their cause. But it sends a message of solidarity with workers as the strike pushes into its third week.

One by one, every council member present spoke about fairness and the courage it takes to strike. They lamented the long distances some workers have to commute to their jobs at San Diego hotels and they said it’s tough to need work two jobs to make ends meet.

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Roughly 700 unionized hotel workers are striking at the 1,190-room Gaslamp Quarter hotel in a bid for higher wages, staffing increases, improved protections from harassment and reduced workloads. The union has said that efforts to reach an agreement with the hotel started in July and didn’t succeed in time for the contract expiration.

“We will continue to strike until we get a FAIR contract,” a Facebook page of the union states.

Hilton did not provide a statement on Tuesday. Before the strikes began, Hilton had said it was “committed to negotiating in good faith to reach fair and reasonable agreements.”

At Tuesday’s council meeting, hotel worker Rosa Carillo said in Spanish that San Diego is in an “economic crisis” because of high rents. “We are not living. We are surviving,” she continued. She said workers should only require one job to get by. If hotel workers are stretched thin working multiple jobs, they can’t spend time with their children or properly tend to them. “We are very worried,” she said.

In two public notices, the union has said it wants raises that would bring “wages in line with our cost of living in San Diego.”

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The union has juxtaposed “record high” hotel profits against lagging worker wages. Data from CoStar, a real estate data and analytics company, shows that both profit and labor costs were up in 2023 compared to 2022 nationwide.

Beyond voicing support in council chambers, the resolution ratifies what city council members have been saying throughout the strike. Lee joined strikers last week. On Monday, the strike’s 16th day, Joe La Cava posted a selfie with workers, with the hashtag #onejobshouldbeenough. Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and council members Stephen Whitburn, Raul Campillo, Henry Foster III, Marni von Wilpert and Vivian Moreno have each marched with workers, sent staff or sent messages of support in the strike’s first days.

In public comment at the meeting, Bridget Browning, the union’s local president, said she and the striking workers were moved and inspired by the council’s support.

“When I started in 1997, literally the only city council person who cared about us was Juan Vargas from District 8,” she said. “The rest only cared about TOT,” or the Transient Occupancy Tax, a city tax collected by tourism lodging properties.

Tuesday’s vote, with seven of nine council members in favor and two absent, reflects the current council’s stance on labor.

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“I’m certainly proud to not only be joining this resolution, but to simply recognize that we are living in a pro-labor city and that we are here to stand with our workers,” said Councilmember Kent Lee, who represents District 6.

Von Wilpert she hopes the hotel will deliver a “win-win.”

“We support our hotels,” she said. “We think they’re wonderful, and we think the workers who work there are wonderful and there can be a win-win situation here if hotel management can come back to the negotiating table and do what’s right for our workers.”

No talks were scheduled as of late Tuesday.

San Diego City Council’s resolution is not unique. In July, Minneapolis’s City Council support striking workers with a resolution. Los Angeles City Council did the same last year, compelling Hollywood studios to negotiate with striking writers.

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Staff writer Lori Weisberg contributed to this report.

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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song

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11 hours ago

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January 6, 2026

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Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song





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.
  • fWAR in 2025: N/A
  • Key 2025 stats (KBO): .315 AVG, .387 OBP, .530 SLG, 26 HRs, 90 RBIs, 103 runs, 68 walks, 96 strikeouts, 25 steals (144 games, 646 plate appearances)

 

STAT TO NOTE

  • .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.

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San Diego, CA

Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer

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23 hours ago

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January 5, 2026

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Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer


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.



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San Diego, CA

Aztecs land twin transfers from Michigan State to bolster offensive line

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1 day ago

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January 5, 2026

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Aztecs land twin transfers from Michigan State to bolster offensive line


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.

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