Race for the 48th District, sales tax, county initiatives are just a few of the stories to watch in 2026

A race for a seat in Congress representing San Diego’s East County that has national implications.

Not one, but potentially two sales tax measures for city and county governments.

The county Board of Supervisors stitches together a safety net, and takes on the federal government.

These are just a few of the storylines emerging in state and local politics and government in 2026. Here is where things stand as a tumultuous 2025 comes to a close.

48th congressional District race

How hard was the mid-cycle redistricting map that redrew boundaries for congressional seats across the state? 

So hard that it nearly drove Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the county’s veteran politicians, not just to a district better aligned with his politics — but nearly out of the state entirely.

Issa briefly weighed moving to Texas and running in a more Republican-friendly district, before settling on staying and fighting for his seat here. 

And a fight it will be. So far, a dozen candidates have lined up to run against him. They include San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and Ammar Campa-Najjar, who lost to Issa in the 2020 race for a different seat.

Previously the 48th District was a strongly red district with Republican registration about 15% higher than Democrats. The new lines turned the district blue, but not by a huge margin. Democrats comprise 39% of the new district, Republicans 29%.

With control of the House of Representatives between Democrats and Republicans on a knife edge, this race will be closely watched nationally. 

Issa is one of the wealthiest members of Congress with the capability to self-fund and carpet bomb any race with his own money, but expect lots of outside money to pour into this race.

Sales tax(es)

In the 2024 election voters in the county and city rejected separate sales tax increase measures. This fall, they might be asked to weigh in again.

Signature gathering has already begun for a county-wide, half-cent sales tax increase. It’s sponsored by labor unions representing county workers and Cal Fire firefighters, as well as a child care advocacy group.

In 2024, voters rejected Measure G which would have funded transportation projects across the region by increasing sales tax by a one-half percent.

At the same time county supervisors are mulling whether to float their own tax proposals. They want to hire a consulting firm to provide “sustainable fiscal planning” services and potentially prepare language for a revenue-generating ballot measure.

Meanwhile, a different set of labor unions are mulling a one-cent sales tax increase in the city of San Diego. 

The failure in 2024 of a similar one-cent increase by a slim margin has led the city to hike all kinds of fees, from parking meters to permits. Charging for parking in Balboa Park has incensed many city residents.

With the sky-high cost of living in San Diego and disaffection for how city and county governments operate, how the measures are pitched will be crucial.

San Diego County vs. the feds

Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and fellow Democratic county supervisors have also staked out several positions in opposition to policies of the Trump administration. At the same time the board is taking steps to backfill cuts to social services and other programs.

While the county administration center on Pacific Highway will never be mistaken for the headquarters of the Resistance, the county could be on a collision course with the administration in 2026.

In October the board directed county staff to devise a policy clarifying where federal immigration agents could go on county property. The board also voted to back a proposed law from U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, that would ban immigration agents using face coverings.

It’s not just immigration issues, either. In December the board voted to oppose a Trump bid to reopen the coast to offshore oil drilling. 

Meanwhile the county is preparing an unusual partnership with the San Diego Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization. The deal would create a $36 million fund over the next two years to shore up food, housing and health programs of the county hit with steep federal cuts.

How these policy positions and new initiatives play out — and how county residents will react to them — will be something to keep an eye on in the coming year.