Latest news with #SanDiegans'
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
San Diego mulls first-of-its-kind law on digital coupons at grocery stores
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego City Council on Monday is set to consider adopting a new law aimed at expanding accessibility to grocery store coupons that proponents say could become the first of its kind. The proposed ordinance, introduced by City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, is the first action item from the recently-established Select Committee on Addressing Cost of Living to be brought before the full council. Under the proposed ordinance, grocers in the city who offer digital deals would be required to have paper coupons with the same deal available upon request. A sign noting these coupons' availability or prices with any digital deals would also need to be clearly displayed for shoppers. Elo-Rivera's office says this change would help address disparities in access to money-saving opportunities due to the 'digital divide,' or the schism between those with easy access to the internet and those who do not. San Diego's 'hotel room tax' increases soon As nearly every aspect of life has shifted into digital spaces, studies have shown this gap has exacerbated socioeconomic inequality, shutting out people like seniors and low-income households from certain tools and opportunities that are only available online. 'Grocery prices are skyrocketing, yet big chains are making it harder—not easier—for San Diegans to save money,' Elo-Rivera's office said in a release on the ordinance. 'This ordinance is about fairness, transparency, and stopping corporate schemes that squeeze consumers for more money. If a discount is available digitally, it should be available to everyone—period.' The city council is set to take up the item during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday after it was unanimously passed through the select committee during its first meeting last month. The committee's stated aim is to find ways to bring immediate relief to San Diegans' pocketbooks. Among the proposals it is also considering is a bump to tourism industry workers' minimum wages up to $25 an hour. Should the grocery ordinance pass, San Diego could become the first city in the country to implement such a policy. Lawmakers in Washington, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Illinois have considered similar bills in recent years, but all failed to become law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
San Diego city council to hold first meeting of cost-of-living task force
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego City Council's new task force on addressing the local cost of living will have its first meeting on Thursday and it is already set to begin with discussion on a few policy heavy hitters. The temporary committee was created in a vote by the city council last December as part of a bigger push to find ways to make living in San Diego more affordable. The stated aim for the committee, which will remain active for a year, was to focus on areas where the city could bring immediate relief to San Diegans' pocketbooks with policy changes, the committee's chair, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, told Axios San Diego at the time. Councilmembers Henry Foster III and Marni von Wilpert round out the members of the select committee. San Diego city councilmember proposes $25 minimum wage for tourism workers Specifically, the committee has three stated goals: 'invest in working San Diegans,' 'lower the cost of basic necessities,' and 'fight to protect the public from greedy corporations.' For its first meeting on Thursday, the committee will be discussing two proposed ordinances to advance these objectives — one to raise the minimum wage for tourism sector workers to $25 and another to require grocers who offer digital coupons to make paper ones available. According to a staff report on the committee's work plan, it will also discuss policies that target 'junk fees' charged by corporations, such as service fees, rental deposits, and application and convenience surcharges. 'Many San Diegans are struggling to make ends meet in the face of the rising cost of living,' a memo from Elo-Rivera's office reads. 'The Select Committee on Addressing Cost of Living will focus on actions that put money back in the pockets of San Diegans by addressing the practices and conditions that are currently exacerbating the affordability crisis.' Following Thursday's meeting, there are three additional meetings of the select committee on the calendar, although additional special sessions may be called. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
