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Stories for June 2017

Friday, June 30

B movies

I’m of the opinion that “B movie” stopped having much useful meaning some time ago, certainly by the time the Transformers series became the box-office juggernaut that it is today — or was, until its …

June 30, 2017
Judge says no to regulating SDSU mini-dorms

On June 30, San Diego Superior Court judge Ronald Styn temporarily struck down San Diego's mini-dorm ordinance in San Diego's College Area. A group called College Area Students, Tenants, and Landlords Association filed the lawsuit …

June 30, 2017
Craft beer's declaration of independence

The movement to promote independent beer got another boost this week as the Brewers Association national craft-beer trade group unveiled its plan to distribute a "certified independent craft" logo to breweries not owned by multinational …

June 30, 2017
Young studs and dowager duchesses

If you’re feeling charitable: Loves and Hours opens with a May-December marriage. If you’re feeling more cynical: rich, egotistical old man, Harold (Paul Maley) gets himself a smokin’ hot gold digger of a trophy wife, …

June 30, 2017
Summer Stephan's fake NYT news experience

Fresh from her controversial appointment by the board of supervisors, San Diego's soon-to-be District Attorney Summer Stephans took to the New York Times this month in the midst of a victory round politically orchestrated to …

June 30, 2017
De Anza splits the baby — 40 acres to Campland, 38 acres to marsh restoration

A committee formed to explore redevelopment options at De Anza Cove in the northeast corner of Mission Bay met for the sixth and final time on Thursday evening (June 29), adopting a tentative plan that …

Humane Society takes over from San Diego County

The San Diego Humane Society is poised to become top dog for animal services in San Diego County, as the county begins to negotiate service contract with the nonprofit. With a target date of June …

June 30, 2017
No one wants Lakeside's Linden Road

Carlos Contreras stands at the edge of a roadway that looks like a combination of sinkholes and earthquake damage. He points up the short, narrow street to a nice looking, well-kept house with a For …

June 30, 2017
Trends come and go, but Parkhouse Eatery remains

If there’s one thing in this ever-changing world I can rely on, it’s the menu at Parkhouse Eatery. The place that was serving up avocado toast long before it was a thing is also home …

Thursday, June 29

San Diego Symphony's musical July on the Embarcadero

The San Diego Symphony’s Bayside Summer Nights has its Fourth of July weekend coming up on June 30, July 1, and 2. However, on The Fourth of July the symphony welcomes country star Wynonna Judd. …

June 29, 2017
No refund on free passes?

The sun was shining, the climate genial, and a Terence Davies picture that deserved a fate better than a single-screen living room playing at the Digital Gym. Time to go to the movies. Talk about …

June 29, 2017
CVS Pharmacy planned for Bankers Hill

CVS Pharmacy, which already has stores in Hillcrest, North Park, and downtown (Fifth Avenue and C Street) will remodel an empty building at 1850 Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill. It then expects to open sometime …

Civic San Diego employee says agency is ripe for corruption

Civic San Diego's attempt to generate revenue by becoming a fiscal agent for those companies and organizations looking to make charitable donations is, according to Civic San Diego's asset and contract manager John Anderson, "ripe …

June 29, 2017
Investigations and arrests on the waterfront

June 24 — HP investigated a vessel collision that occurred when an operator was attempting to pull out of his slip in a Harbor Island marina. The operator lost control of his boat in the …

Popular beach eatery in Oceanside suffered beer theft

A fingerprint on a broken piece of glass near a damaged beer fridge led investigators to a three-strikes criminal, according to testimony in court on June 26. Workers at Johnny Manana’s restaurant near the beach …

Big blue whales surface in San Diego

As summer begins and springtime fades, the gray whales have completed their trip from the seas off Alaska to the lagoons of Baja Sur and back. But for those seeking whales to watch, this is …

June 29, 2017
Fast-ish food of the ramen variety

Fast-ish food is so hot right now. Five years ago, a girl had to drive all the way up to Convoy for a decent bowl of ramen, but now you can’t drive a mile through …

Wednesday, June 28

Downtown San Diego's C Street: the manifestation of our vitality and gloom

It’s decision day in the city-council chambers, Two Broke Girls vs. Billions. Call it a classic smackdown between local architectural preservationists who want to save any Spanish Colonial Revival building (and think someone should pay) …

Creation of man in the Rg Veda

And his phallus was stretched out in eagerness for the act of a man, the manly one pulled back. He drew back again from the maiden, his daughter, that tireless phallus which had been thrust …

Sweet release

Multicultural dub-rockers Marujah will play their new full-length on June 30 at Del Oro Mine Company. “The title Marujah Rising came to me when I realized I was going to make an album with one …

June 28, 2017
Time to eat crow

Every now and again it is important to eat some crow and I had an appetite for it after the Mainly Mozart concert on Thursday, June 22. Previously I had said I could go the …

Great cheesy gunk

"Messy Hair, Don’t Care.” That’s what the back of this girl’s T-shirt reads. I can just see her and her boyfriend through the leaves of the grape bower. They’re chowing, chatting, cooing, billing. But actually …

UCSD’s big bang-bang theory

Those scary noises heard around the University of California San Diego last week were just the first shots in another advance of the surveillance state, according to a June 15 memo meant to reassure campus …

June 28, 2017
Little, loud, and brilliant Rosie Flores

Los Angeles used to be the center of the music industry, back when there was one. Now, that distinction in the post-digital era belongs to three towns: Austin, Nashville, and Brooklyn. And you’ve got to …

June 28, 2017
Paradise Point/Tidal’s potentially therapeutic cocktail, the Black & White

As most bartenders will say, when it comes to mixing drinks, not everything is black and white. But restaurant manager of Paradise Point’s Tidal Restaurant, Mike Perez says at least one cocktail on Tidal’s menu …

June 28, 2017
Gilbert Castellanos establishes Young Lions Jazz Conservatory

“I’ve always had the idea to start my own school,” says trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, who recently resigned as the artistic director of the International Academy of Jazz in order to establish the Young Lions Jazz …

June 28, 2017
Kernel, Kumquats, Fig Grove

Kernel When I discovered people eat apricot kernels, use them in amaretto and biscotti and apricot jam, part of me was glad to learn the world is more edible than I had known, but another …

June 28, 2017
Front to back... awesome

The professional and personal collaboration that is Wrensilva audio began at a Supersuckers show at the Casbah. Debra Salyer didn’t know the band, and found herself stranded in a mosh pit during a cover of …

June 28, 2017
How Bird Park Summer Concerts made it to 15

The first concert at Bird Park was held in 2002. The Tami Thomas Big Band performed. At the time, Bird Park Summer Concerts founder Nellie Harris Ritter asked Jay Turner (head of North Park Main …

June 28, 2017
Desert bighorn sheep big fans of Big Spring

Big Spring is one of the dependable watering holes for desert bighorn sheep. It is found in a tributary of upper Tubb Canyon and is easily accessible. The trail within the spring area is jungle-like …

When she starts dancing, I know it’s right

Today, in its long sliver of a factory facing a North Park alley, Wrensilva audio produces, in the words of co-founder Scott Salyer, “the best console ever built” for playing music. “Nobody’s ever done anything …

June 28, 2017
Breath of kings

"Not all the water in the rough rude sea/ Can wash the balm from an anointed king./ The breath of worldly men cannot depose/ The deputy elected by the Lord.” Richard of Bordeaux became King …

It's a rap shop, not a thug thing

Singer/songwriter Justin Watson, known to most local rappers as producer Jay Wat, says the fact he didn’t grow up around San Diego was a good thing. “I’m from Detroit, so I have a neutral presence,” …

Girl of your dreams — not in an intimidating supermodel way

Dear Hipster: How might one compare a San Diego hipster to a European hipster? — Janelle As depicted in my new favorite stock photo, “Young Hipster Best Friends Taking a Selfie in Urban City Context …

June 28, 2017
Brick & mortar vs. Amazon

Fifty years ago, shopping malls were the local gathering places. Days and nights, they were jam-packed with people of all demographic groups. But by 2014, almost 20 percent of American malls were considered in trouble …

June 28, 2017
Champagne wishes and SoccerCity dreams

The Point Loma bay-front mansion where Stephen Puetz was married in August 2015, thanks to the largesse of owner Morgan Dene Oliver, has just been sold, according to an announcement by brokers Brett Dickinson and …

June 28, 2017
Tera trouble

Brainscratcher You have something screwed up in your Brainstorms puzzle for June 22. You give the answers for the puzzle for previous week, June 15, and one of the book’s titles is Via col Vento. …

June 28, 2017

Tuesday, June 27

Neither grape nor grain — but craft, indeed

A different sort of craft-beverage company has landed in Hillcrest, just in time for the summer heat. Fruitcraft Fermentery and Distillery grand-opened the sweltering last weekend of June, serving alcoholic drinks produced not from grain, …

June 27, 2017
Suzie’s Farm closes

On Monday, June 26th owner Lucila De Alejandro announced that Suzie’s Farm will close. Having started in 2009 with a mere three acres, the farm offered a CSA (community supported agriculture program) and sold produce …

Vista sisters fighting ends in arrest

“Christine said, ‘I’m going to stab your pretty little face,’” according to a deputy who testified in San Diego Superior Court yesterday, June 26. Sheriff’s deputy Adrian Moses arrived at a home in the 1600 …

June 27, 2017
City engineers nix changes at Kansas and El Cajon Blvd.

From 2001 to 2010, according to a city commissioned traffic study, eight pedestrians were struck by vehicles while crossing El Cajon Boulevard at Kansas Street in North Park. In 2012 the intersection was named the …

June 27, 2017
Deep inside Doug Manchester’s money machine

Douglas Manchester is prepared to surrender day-to-day control of his real estate and investment empire if ultimately confirmed by the senate as Donald Trump's ambassador to the Bahamas, according to State Department disclosure records posted …

June 27, 2017
Happy Hour becomes happy dinner

I love an early happy hour, or as Leroy’s Kitchen and Lounge refers to their late afternoon-but-not-quite-early-evening discount time, “Social Hour.” Leroy’s starts at 3:00 p.m., allowing three whole hours for discounted drinks and half-off …

More competitive near the pier in Pacific Beach

Name: Andrew Meaux Age: 18 From: East County Location: Pacific Beach Andrew Meaux makes the commute two to three times every week. Meaux had finished surfing near Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach when I caught …

June 27, 2017

Monday, June 26

Don't shoot the cook

In the movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Johnny Depp plays a dangerous and dashing CIA agent with a penchant for puerco pibil. “It is a slow-roasted pork,” Depp’s character explains as he takes …

Progressive coffee sourcing in San Diego

Biodynamic beans Barrio Logan’s Café Virtuoso has sourced only organic coffee from its inception. This year it’s gone a step further: sourcing certified biodynamic beans. According to Virtuoso general manager Greg Luli, “The easiest way …

June 26, 2017
Morris Cerullo gets nod for Bible resort in Mission Valley

Local televangelist Morris Cerullo has asked that everyone "fervently pray" for the city's favor in support of his "end-time project." Cerullo's Legacy International Center project got off to a rocky start, but appears to have …

Oakland artist chosen to decorate San Diego airport

“An Oakland-based artist was commissioned to create a massive piece for the San Diego International Airport,” Joshua Alcala said, “shouldn’t you give it to San Diego artists?” On June 16 and 17, The Aja Project …

Wait — UCSD planning for 45,000

People who live around the UCSD campus — both in University City and in La Jolla — say the coming addition of more than 5,500 dorm beds came as an unpleasant surprise. "They tell you …

OB bubbles and biscuits

One of Ocean Beach's prime pier-view locations has a new summer restaurant destination. Open since earlier this year, OB Surf Lodge reads as a stylish update to the breezy charm of Shades Oceanfront Bistro, which …

Sunday, June 25

Von Metzke "groomed" underaged girls by texting

Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were best friends — and both were active in San Diego Junior Theatre, and had had sex with Eric von Metzke, a junior theatre teacher, when they were …

June 25, 2017
Sour beer, sweet victory for Council

The San Diego International Beer Competition announced its 2017 medal results back in April, but it kept one major award under wraps until its Del Mar beer festival the weekend of June 17th. This year's …

Inshore fishing produces good mix; Mako Bob Kayak Halibut Tournament results

Maybe the hot, hot weather and/or the big tide swing put a damper on the tuna fishing for the second week in a row. Yes, the yellowfin and bluefin are around, as is their cousin …

June 25, 2017
I brake for pizza e birra

I drive past it often — whenever I take the Washington Street exit from I-5 north to go to Mission Hills. But Il Centro Pizza e Birra always goes by in a blur. Problem is, …

Where are Mike Doyle, Mike Hynson, Skip Frye, Joe Roper,Chris O'Rourke, Chris Godfrey, Larry Gordon, Tom Bessell now?

Just prior to the advent of the pro surfing tour in the mid 1970s there was a group of San Diego-based surfers who set the pace for the sport. They helped dictate everything from how …

Saturday, June 24

Gringos in Baja

A Quiet Place South of Here The sea urchin is a major object of the villager’s sea harvesting. The wind and sea are calm enough for harvesting sea urchins fewer than half the days of …

June 24, 2017
All about those buns

La Mesa’s downtown strip has been raising eyebrows as an aspiring food and drink district lately. The fast-casual BLVD Noodles is among the more recent arrivals, touting a menu of pan-Asian appetizers, ramen (the first …

Eritreans march in Normal Heights for Day of Martyrs

The procession started slowly Tuesday night as people walked a block along the fence on School Street that defines the John Adams Elementary School park boundaries — we didn't pay heed at first, thinking it …

National City — in reversal — moves closer to sanctuary city

On Jun. 19, the National City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Compassionate City resolution in support of its immigrants. While no one opposed the designation, the special meeting was a re-hearing on the issue …

Friday, June 23

A warm Kaiser role from Christopher Plummer

The last time San Diegans saw Christopher Plummer perform was as fictional Nazi hunter Zev Guttman in Atom Egoyan's Remember. This time around he plays an exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II in The Exception which opens …

June 23, 2017
Dems pass retroactive bill to block recall of state senator Newman

San Diego’s AM 600 KOGO’s radio talk show host, Carl DeMaio, appears to have Governor Brown and the Democratic-controlled state legislature nervous. DeMaio’s Reform California campaign, and his attempt to recall State Senator Josh Newman …

June 23, 2017
Oh, the stories these walls have heard

“If they don’t check in, they might have to go back in [jail],” Nick said. On June 15, while walking his dog Bentley, Nick saw a couple of guys panicking in front of the San …

Food and parking enough for San Diego police watchdogs

Members of San Diego's Citizens Review Board on Police Practices, an oversight board on law enforcement, will have to be satisfied with the occasional free meal, validated parking at city hall, and unrestricted attendance to …

June 23, 2017
Trump’s Bahamas ambassador-designate escapes judgement

Awaiting Senate confirmation as the nation's next ambassador to the Bahamas, known for its tax-sheltering proclivities, Doug Manchester, ex-publisher of the Union-Tribune and million-dollar donor to president Donald Trump's January inaugural festivities, can boast a …

June 23, 2017

Thursday, June 22

Tijuana-Ensenada toll road near Salsipuedes under repair

“It was a lot of traffic [and] I got stuck [for] like two hours there,” said Luis A. Corona, a 24-year-old college student from Ensenada. He was referring to the traffic that stopped on the …

June 22, 2017
Seawall mural scotched in Imperial Beach

"Wow, all that hard work for nothing," said San Diego artist Brian Hebets when he heard that his prominent public mural in Imperial Beach had been painted over into a blank wall. "I heard it …

Fish 23 hours on June 29, win Offshore Jackpot

San Diego is the home of the world’s largest live bait sportfishing fleet. Beginning in the 1930s, vessels have been fitted to take anglers out for deep sea fishing; tournament fishing grew in the post …

Rick Perry joins environmentalists on San Onofre

Onetime presidential contender Rick Perry, who famously called for the elimination of the federal Department of Energy before being tapped to lead it, warned on Tuesday (June 20) that conditions at the shuttered San Onofre …

June 22, 2017
SD Junior Theatre teacher going to prison

Eric von Metzke, a long-time teacher at the San Diego Junior Theatre, was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison. On May 12, he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a …

June 22, 2017

Wednesday, June 21

San Diego Reader 2017 Fun issue

Climb the California Tower in Balboa Park Balboa Park’s California Tower at the San Diego Museum of Man was closed to the public in 1935, but after extensive construction and safety renovations it reopened for …

June 21, 2017
I.B. ready to sue

The clues are splattered over the documents for the meeting Wednesday night: IB's city council is positioning itself to sue over sewage. The Wednesday meeting agenda shows that, on June 7, in a part of …

Has large hair, check. Takes on weight of world, check.

“Let’s get a house/ you and me/ and your 12 cats,” sings Ron Gallo. “You’ll gird my mattress with nails/ one for/ every time something psycho came out of your mouth.” Remember Neil Young and …

June 21, 2017
Alpha Project opens its first restaurant

Oh, man. Two steps forward, one step back. People have had their hopes raised a lot for this end of East Village. First, Quartyard opened, was a raging success, then it closed. Then that sidewalk …

June 21, 2017
Adam Gnade finds love in this meatgrinder called life

According to Adam Gnade’s latest album, Life Is the Meatgrinder That Sucks in All Things, recent American history is split into two distinct parts: before and after September 11, 2001. The spoken narrative serves as …

June 21, 2017
Feeding staffers’ faces

Employees of the San Diego Unified School District have been improperly dipping into student funds for personal food money, says a June 1 report to superintendent Cindy Marten from Gamy Rayburn, the district’s interim chief …

June 21, 2017
Party at the snakes' place

"We got any locals here?” one of the Widows asks to scattered whoops of recognition. “Thank you for coming out from under your rock.” Two hits on a snare drum and a brass crash. The …

June 21, 2017
Rock en español? Naw, Rock en ingles.

When XETV Channel 6 went off the air last month, guitarist Raul Gonzales was one of some 60 employees who lost their jobs; he was a programming engineer in the station’s master control studio in …

June 21, 2017
Free and not-free Fourth of July

God bless, John Adams. You can thank him for all the firework displays around the Fourth of July. In Philadelphia, July 4, 1777, 13 fireworks were set off to commemorate the 13 colonies. The colors …

Explore a relatively unknown canyon of Anza-Borrego

Hornblende Canyon twists and turns as it climbs the shoulder of Granite Mountain. It has a great variety of plants, some dry waterfalls, old mines, plus Native American sites with morteros. As part of the …

Facebook posted only the words “Go outside.”

Thoughts at the End of Empire It’s possible future generations will destroy our art, literature, music, film, and corporations, in bitterness for allowing ecosystem collapse, and mistrust for how many leaders were distracted, apathetic, selfish, …

June 21, 2017
Action Andy won't exclude the local-hit long-goners

“I aim on creating a series of compilations based on San Diego music from the ’50s into the ’70s,” says Action Andy & the Hi-Tones frontman Andy Rasmussen. “This first volume will focus on rock …

June 21, 2017
Tech bro comes close, but the devil’s in the details

Dear Hipster: About 18 months ago, work brought me down to San Diego from San Francisco. I’m living in Scripps Ranch now, but I rented a little house in South Park when I first moved …

June 21, 2017
Gaggenau appliances on La Jolla's Coast Walk

Listing materials for the blufftop La Jolla estate at 1585 Coast Walk promise to deliver “without a doubt, one of the best waterfront homes in La Jolla.” Built in 1986 and designed by celebrated local …

June 21, 2017
Pastor Clarke was teaching 4-year-olds about God by age 16

Membership: 700 Pastor: Eric Clarke Age: 58 Born: Long Beach Formation: Eastern Oregon State College, Portland, OR; Western Seminary, Portland, OR; Masters International University of Divinity, Evansville, IN Years Ordained: 10 San Diego Reader: What …

June 21, 2017
Gordon Kovtun is an engineer, not a gay porn star

Gordon Kovtun is not a “sissy.” And, he is not a “bottom boy.” Despite what it says on the Wordpress.com profile with his name on it, “gay porn” is not his sole interest. Also, those …

June 21, 2017
XXXTentacion and neighbors unload on Observatory North Park

Shortly after regaining consciousness after he was blindsided onstage at the Observatory on June 7, XXXTentacion went on Instagram Live. He seemed to claim that the venue’s security team played a part by hiding the …

Nonprofits go after Faulconer SoccerCity plan

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, whose hopes for statewide office took a big hit from this month’s city-council rejection of his plan for a hurry-up $5 million November special election on SoccerCity and a hotel …

June 21, 2017
Hipsters, thru-hikers, bonobos, thugs, and a former slave

You Cannot Do It This Year Hello, there! I just finished reading your article, “Trail Angels” (June 15 cover story_ on the PCT. By the end of March this year, I started thru-hiking the PCT …

June 21, 2017

Tuesday, June 20

SDSU’s very own bulldozer city?

Just as the San Diego city council was disposing of the controversial SoccerCity development in Mission Valley on Monday, June 20, the California State University system, proprietor of San Diego State, issued a call for …

June 20, 2017
Rob Stone — the guy with the glasses? — did it?

Rappers beefing in real life may be good for lyrics but it can cost you gigs. Consider local rapper Rob Stone, best known for his breakout 2015 hit “Chill Bill.” He tells how Florida rapper …

Prokoviev-ing

We now have a peak experience to add to the list for Mainly Mozart, but it came from Prokofiev and Beethoven. The Mainly Mozart Festival is taking a chronological journey through Mozart’s life over the …

June 20, 2017
Daughter of ex-Lemon Grove mayor in jail

Anna Sessom Baker, daughter of former Lemon Grove mayor and council member Mary Sessom, is in jail today. Yesterday (June 20),she, along with Jonathan Ibarra and Hector Fernando Garcia, were arraigned and charged with possession …

June 20, 2017
What lies in Clairemont's future?

The update of the Clairemont community plan is in full swing. How this plan shapes up will determine the future of Clairemont and Bay Park until at least 2040. Senior city planner Marlon Pangilinan gave …

Baja governor opens bidding on Ensenada airport

“[Ensenada] has potential to be well known on a global level, but it’s not easily accessed,” said Roberto De La Peña, “the airport would attract more people and put Ensenada on the map.” On June …

June 20, 2017
Infantile America

Early on in O.B. Playhouse’s production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Tara Sampson, playing one of many, interchangeable female characters in this musical revue of love and dating, leans heavy on the …

June 20, 2017
San Diego police sex suit includes nepotism charge

Today, June 20 San Diego city councilmembers are expected to approve a settlement to a woman sexually assaulted by former San Diego police officer Christopher Hays. Terms of the tentative settlement are not yet public, …

June 20, 2017
Somalian, Nigerian immigrants fleeced

Two local tax preparers and the recruiter who brought them victims were sentenced to 30 months in prison yesterday (June 19). Rahim Ali Cummings and Rashad Abdul-Rahim were sentenced for conspiring to commit mail fraud, …

June 20, 2017

Monday, June 19

San Diego brewers fare well, awards-wise

Several San Diego breweries added to their awards caches at the state fair over the weekend. Local homebrewers also made their prowess known, both on state and national levels. San Diego beer companies claimed 25 …

June 19, 2017
Wharf rats busy

June 15 — HP investigated a burglary that occurred on a commercial fishing vessel in north SD Bay where unknown subjects broke into the vessel, damaging it and taking a few items. HP is still …

If you can use The Force, then use it

Two concerts into the Mainly Mozart Festival and all is well. The second concert on Thursday, June 15, was a mixed bag for moi. This was the third time I’ve been to a Mainly Mozart …

June 19, 2017
San Diego attorney James Davis couldn't find Bit Torrent movie thieves

Catching thieves who steal and distribute movies using BitTorrent software is a difficult business. San Diego County attorney James Davis last year sued John and Jane Does that had stolen a movie called Cell. Early …

June 19, 2017
Liberty lunch for the office crowd

You have a choice of about 30 eateries at Liberty Public Market, but if you’re taking a quick workday lunch break you’d do well to check out neighboring Officine Buona Forchetta, a recent expansion of …

What are those easterly winds blowing to Clairemont?

On May 25, the Air Pollution Control District hearing board ordered the city to return on July 27 with a diagnosis and a concrete plan to deal with the smells that are vexing residents downwind …

Door-to-door scarier now than ever

"European people on bikes" going door-to-door have raised concerns among locals in Chula Vista. "Anyone have two European people on bikes come to their house?" said Kim Castle-Silva this week on social media about the …

Sunday, June 18

Calico Bass firing up in the kelp, tuna action slow

Lots of long boat rides with little results for those boats hunting tuna in local waters out to 40 miles or so. A few biters were coaxed out of the metered and sighted schools along …

June 18, 2017
40 ounces of Alesmith

For a brief time this summer, one of San Diego beer's most recognized brands will be selling brew in a 40-ounce bottle. AleSmith Brewing has teamed up with Long Beach reggae-punk band Sublime to release …

June 18, 2017
Skydive dive

It’s not what you expect to find next door to Father Joe’s, but right on the corner of 14th and Imperial you can now join the craze for indoor skydiving and then nosh on a …

Essays on fatherhood

I Have Purchased a Grey Cardigan Sweater My wife and I fell in love over wine, bourbon, and cognac. We attended a college with a dry campus, and many evenings were spent sitting in my …

Saturday, June 17

Autobiographical glimpses

So I’ve Heard When I was having my appendix taken out a few years ago, the anesthesiologist put the mask over my face, asked me to count backwards from a hundred, and then, assuming I …

June 17, 2017
Bitter La Jolla divorce burns hotter

One-time La Jolla socialites Dianne York-Goldman and Dr. Mitchel Goldman were divorced in 2009, but the dissonant music lingers on. In October of 2008, Pennsylvania-based Avidas Pharmaceuticals announced a new anti-aging product, Vitaphenol Complex. It …

June 17, 2017
Want offshore wind turbines off La Jolla?

The Sustainable Energy Advisory Board is discussing community choice aggregation today. It’s a hot topic revolving around greenhouse gas emissions and whether to stay with SDG&E or create a new local government agency tasked with …

June 17, 2017
Strauss raised wife jokes to the level of art

What is an intermezzo? There are several famous musical intermezzi such as those found in Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci but there is also an entire opera entitled Intermezzo by Richard Strauss. What gives? In the …

June 17, 2017

Friday, June 16

Onscreen echoes

47 Meters Down has girls and sharks, All Eyez on Me has rappers and racist cops, Beatriz at Dinner has a high-tension, high-end dinner party, The Book of Henry has boys and brutality and bullets, …

June 16, 2017
Miramar jet IDs withheld from tracking website

University City residents continue to express their concerns for the safety of residents at the west end of Miramar Marine Corps Air Station runways, saying that the flight webtracker they used to identify aircraft they …

San Diego County's extra $1.7 billion attracts social activists, disgruntled employees

As San Diego County works its way toward adopting a budget for the next fiscal year, county supervisors are getting an earful from community activists and their own employees on where funds need to be …

June 16, 2017
Pig meets ramen

Tajima’s new Adams Avenue locale, discreetly lodged between a French bistro and a coffee house, was thoroughly covered by Reader writer Patrick Henderson shortly after it opened. New since his visit, however, is a flash-in-the-pan …

The Tao of Mozart

Taoism, with its principles of effortless action, naturalness, humility, simplicity, spontaneity, compassion, and frugality, was a perfect fit for the evening. Which evening? The opening evening of The 2017 Mainly Mozart Festival on Saturday, June …

South Bay as dumping ground

Angry citizens showed their resistance to the city's plan to house misdemeanor drug offenders in the old Super 8 Motel on Palm Avenue in Nestor. "We're the dumping ground. We have the prisons and the …

Beatriz at Dinner makes the history books

I’m not alone in my observation that Beatriz at Dinner will make the history books as the first narrative feature released since Trump took office that takes direct aim at the billionaire-game-show-host-turned-POTUS. It also has …

June 16, 2017
Punting the mayoral Puetz

Confirming word first reported here May 30, Stephen Puetz, controversial chief of staff to San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, is departing his job at city hall for a gig with Missouri-based political consultant Axiom Strategies. …

June 16, 2017

Thursday, June 15

Beatriz at Dinner is served

Sometimes the first impression of an artist whose work one will later grow fond of drops anchor in the unlikeliest of places. Such was the case of Miguel Arteta, whose latest, Beatriz at Dinner, opens …

June 15, 2017
San Diego police officers got the wrong Fred Washington

On June 13 city councilmembers were asked to approve a six-figure settlement in a lawsuit filed by Fredrick Lee Washington who spent two weeks in jail in 2015 on two felony counts that he had …

June 15, 2017
National City students least fit out of 42 school systems in San Diego County

The schoolchildren of more affluent parents not only do the best on standardized academic tests, they also do better on measures of physical fitness, a recent report on obese children in San Diego County suggests. …

Bad lumber dumped on Fiesta Island

On Saturday, Carl was setting up to enjoy a bonfire with several friends on Fiesta Island when he noticed a roofing company from the Midway Drive area unloading “their scraps” next to his wood pile …

Former Civic San Diego financial officer says he was fired after finding accounting discrepancies

Former chief financial officer for Civic San Diego, Robert Avery, says he was wrongly terminated after raising concerns with questionable expenditures at the city-owned non-profit. Civic San Diego is a city-owned nonprofit which oversees the …

June 15, 2017

Wednesday, June 14

Trail angels: From Campo to Canada on foot

“Each day on the trail was the only possible preparation for the one that followed.” — Cheryl Strayed, from her introduction to Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

God exists: George Fox

One morning, as I was sitting by the fire, a great cloud came over me, and a temptation beset me; and I sat still. It was said, “All things come by nature”; and the elements …

Genetically speaking

La Jolla’s Craig Venter, the genomic giant who gets regular positive write-ups in his hometown Union-Tribune, was spared mention in the paper when it was announced two weeks ago that his Human Longevity, Inc. was …

June 14, 2017
A moonshine cocktail that pairs well with steak

Farmer’s Table bar manager Preston Cobb says the establishment’s Blackberry basil lemonade, served up in a Mason jar, fits in at the organic eatery as well as stanchions in a milking parlor or feed troughs …

June 14, 2017
Mariachi man

Southwestern College professor Jeff Nevin has been teaching Mariachi music for 20 years. Proceeds from concerts he organizes fund $20,000 in annual scholarships for music students. His teaching clinics help keep Mariachi alive. But Nevin …

June 14, 2017
A Golden Hill feast

"Hey, want buy this Bluetooth headset?” Guy’s talking to me. I’ve just come down to sit in the bus stop. “Cost me $90. I’ll give it to you for $30.” We’re at the #2 bus …

June 14, 2017
55 gigs in 24 hours is a big enough wow

The Guinness Book of World Records achievement for “Most Concerts in 24 Hours” (65 gigs set in Norway, 2012) is safe for now. Local vocalist Leonard Patton and his group with pianist Ed Kornhauser, bassist …

June 14, 2017
Watch out for horse pies on Dead Horse Trail

Merigan Fire Road was the main road for a ranch owned by Dr. Haig Merigan, a pharmacist and dentist. His family lived and rode horses in La Mesa until it became difficult to ride due …

June 14, 2017
The janitor did it

Disappearing ink on thermal vanishing paper and a clueless janitor have been blamed for missing records at the San Diego Unified School District that a recent audit says could represent only the tip of a …

June 14, 2017
Grimy Black Lips to smack the Belly Up

How these things sometimes get started: in the case of the Black Lips, from Dunwoody, Georgia, the lo-fi garage-rock band may have never come to exist if two of the founding members had not been …

June 14, 2017
Watching logs ignite flaring, listen for the charred rhymes

On the Balcony of The Signature “I like her; I could watch her the rest of my life.” — Philip K. Dick As my best man handed me a bubbly drink we toasted clinking clear …

June 14, 2017
Musicians kick out the books

“I work eight hours a week for a yoga studio, but the rest of my money is currently made playing music on the streets, in venues, and selling my first book,” says Martin Stamper, aka …

June 14, 2017
Inklings of communism, and primitive strains of marijuana

Dear DJ: You write of the east. I am from the east, born in 1957. My parents and their friends were beatniks. As an avid hipster watcher I enjoy reading your recent field guide series. …

June 14, 2017
"Hey, is my face on?"

Name: Korey Pohen Age: 30 From: New York Surfing today: Ocean Beach For Korey Pohen it was easy to surf after years of skateboarding. “I think board sports just come natural to some people.” One …

San Onofre — another Chernobyl?

A terrorist attack that could endanger 8.5 million people. Who cares? A tsunami or earthquake that could spread even wider damage. Yawn. A potentially disastrous meltdown. Fuhgeddaboudit. A utility stock that zooms upward, paying fat …

June 14, 2017
Hand-pumped, bellows-powered

“The Kirtan scene [in San Diego] is pretty small,” says Tom Warner, bassist in Pilgrimage of the Heart Kirtan Band, which has performed on over 400 occasions throughout Southern California. “Most people practicing yoga don’t …

June 14, 2017
Stem cell research program out of funds in three years

California’s taxpayer-funded $3 billion stem cell research program, officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is spending money at the rate of $22,000 an hour, and expected to run out of cash in …

June 14, 2017
Feedbackers

Lack of Interest? Really? I enjoyed the well-researched article “Bonkers for Bonobos” in the June 8 issue. The author provided a great deal of valuable information (and history) about these affectionate and intelligent great apes. …

June 14, 2017

Tuesday, June 13

There goes the Neighborhood — past 10-year milestone

East Village gastropub Neighborhood turns ten this week. As the first business opened by the partnership now called Consortium Holdings, it laid the foundation that has become one of San Diego's most recognized hospitality groups, …

Local, organic, and rich in that umami flavor

I was cruising through Encinitas, and the words “organic café” caught my eye. I pulled over and parked, and before long I was noshing on a grilled chicken pesto sandwich on a casual patio, trading …

Del Mar's parking fail

Over the winter, the city of Del Mar widened and repaved its northern boundary, the busy Via de La Valle, between Coast Highway and Jimmy Durante Boulevard. They also added a bike lane and a …

June 13, 2017
Emphasis on the writer — a Reader group issue

The Idealization of Jessica Trump She paused for a moment. I could hear her thinking, and then she said, “My spring break is next week, and I haven’t made any plans. I could catch a …

June 13, 2017

Monday, June 12

The Old Man and the Old Moon, distracted by its own cleverness

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” So spoke William Butler Yeats. I’m going to repurpose this poem to discuss PigPen Theatre …

June 12, 2017
A European burrito mission

It’s the time of year when kids are graduating, and some of the lucky ones get to travel abroad on their own. The first time I traveled in Europe — with an oversized backpack and …

Succulent thief in North Park and University Heights

"Yesterday, a woman parked her white Prius right there [in front of my house],” said Steve from University Heights, “then started to cut my succulents (with a pruner), and left. That’s stealing!” Steve, 67, is …

"No Haters," No B(order) S(ewage) campaign leader says

A Saturday forum on environmental justice became another platform for Imperial Beach anger over the prolonged, extraordinary sewage dumps into the Tijuana River. By the end of the forum, state water quality officials had committed …

San Diegans shell out 39.6 percent of income to mortgage

Buying a home in California coastal metropolitan areas takes twice the percentage of median income as in the United States overall, according to a new study by Zillow, the real estate statistical compiler. In the …

June 12, 2017

Sunday, June 11

Does mayor's big money game verge on a crime?

Kevin Faulconer has ripped the cover of gentility from the obscure practice of tax-fueled mayoral favor-giving in exchange for city council votes, employed over the years to boost the political careers of council members, including …

June 11, 2017
History of San Diego 1930+

Silver Screens: A Short History of San Diego Cinemas The years preceding America’s entry into World War II introduced more neighborhood theaters like the Roxy (1939) in Pacific Beach, the Strand in Ocean Beach, and …

June 11, 2017
Offshore tuna cools a bit while the bays heat up for corvina and halibut

The word is that the shortfin corvina and halibut are on the chew in the bays. San Diego Bay and Mission Bay can be excellent fisheries for spotted bay bass and sand bass through the …

June 11, 2017
Del Sur: two steps forward, two steps back

I’m ambivalent about table-service Mexican restaurants. In a city where great-tasting Mexican food often comes out of taco stand or off the back of a truck, it’s when I sit down and order food off …

Judge Curiel gets another tough one

On Friday, June 9, another possibly controversial lawsuit landed in the lap of federal Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, who made headlines for his handling of the Trump University case, which ended with President Trump agreeing …

June 11, 2017
Lawsuit targets Del Mar's short-term rental ban

Everything is special in the coastal zone: surf, views, and land-use rules. Among the rules are ones that protect everyone's access to the beach. Those rules are being violated by the city of Del Mar's …

June 11, 2017

Saturday, June 10

Beer wars come to San Diego

San Diego's independent beer wars started in earnest Memorial Day weekend, as local breweries and their supporters lit up social media and literally took to the skies to voice displeasure about the opening of a …

June 10, 2017
Hotel taxes for homeless, not a new convention center

A new survey suggests there's strong support among San Diegans for an as-yet hypothetical measure to address the city's homelessness issue by increasing hotel taxes. The study, conducted between May 31 and June 4 by …

June 10, 2017
Tijuana priest hospitalized after attack by thief

A Catholic priest was reported to be in stable condition at a Tijuana hospital on Friday, June 9, following surgery after he was stabbed with a screwdriver by a thief trying to rob his church. …

June 10, 2017
Board finds deputies used proper force in death of mentally unstable 32-year-old

San Diego County's Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board has found that the actions taken by 11 sheriff's deputies, which resulted in the death of 32-year-old Lucky Phounsey, were justified. According to a newly posted agenda, …

June 10, 2017
An excuse to talk about Wonder Woman

Perhaps I’m overstating my case but I feel as though the recent success of the Wonder Woman movie has been prophesied here in this humble column. For not a few years I’ve been adding my …

June 10, 2017

Friday, June 9

SoccerCity backers go off the charts, both ways

As intrigue grows at San Diego city hall regarding backdoor wheeling and dealing of Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer and members of the San Diego city council over the timing of the so-called SoccerCity ballot measure …

June 9, 2017
Middle East movie time (and place)

Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan all get turns in the cinematic spotlight this week in a monster movie, the story of a dog and his girl, an expat drama, and a war doc, respectively. Some …

June 9, 2017
Developers of Little Flower apartments tussle with La Mesa neighbors

The La Mesa Planning Commission on June 7 was scheduled to consider approving a special permit for Silvergate Development’s conversion of Little Flower Haven, a Catholic retirement home that closed in 2015, into a 130-unit …

June 9, 2017
Two more downtown high-rises — 800 Broadway and 6th & A

The boom in downtown apartment construction continues at a furious pace. Two more projects recently submitted their applications to Civic San Diego for the extensive approval process. One new project will be just east of …

Black Mountain School discovers more about Nate Harrison

In the wake of a local middle school accidentally publishing a racial slur on the cover of its 2017 yearbook, civil rights leaders are looking to treat the mistake as a teachable moment. The yearbooks …

June 9, 2017
Did she want to become a U.S. mud wrestler?

Yesterday (June 8), Jose Camargo-Alejo, who also goes by the name Jessica, an undocumented Mexican, was convicted of assaulting a United States patrol agent. It happened on or about November 30. She was detained at …

June 9, 2017
What is someone's junk is now everyone's junk

In the last day (June 6), Mike G. has seen a desk and three mattresses dumped in plain sight around his Normal Heights’ streets. “….and all sorts of cabinets, bookcases, etc. will appear on the …

Thursday, June 8

Scategories with Wolfgang

Scatology is currently a most distasteful subject but that was not always the case. There are examples of scatalogical humor dating back to Aristophanes’s The Birds in the ancient Greek theatre. This type of humor …

June 8, 2017
Skaters kickflip for beer

The grand opening for Oceanside's newest brewery is slated for Saturday, June 10, but it has already sold out its first batch of beer, thanks to racking up 122 different bar and restaurant accounts. That's …

June 8, 2017
Baja's Highway 1 tested in 160 mph race

“I always thought that it would be a wonderful road to race on,” said Richard Bailey from Washington, “I mean [look at] the backdrop right now — we are sitting on the highways at [Bahia] …

June 8, 2017
Former Navy commander pleads guilty in Singapore scandal

Former United States Navy Commander David Kapaun pleaded guilty in Hawaii yesterday (June 6) to lying about his relationship with Leonard G. Francis, the Singapore-based defense contractor at the center of a long-running bribery and …

June 8, 2017
The lure of fresh bread in the morning

BMH Italian wasn’t open yet, but I could smell the bread baking, so I parked it on a bench outside and waited. 10:30 a.m. may have been a little on the early side for lunch, …

Three men pose as Homeland Security officials

Yesterday, June 7, three individuals — two of them pretending to be Homeland Security officials — were arrested for falsely promising to provide immigration status to individuals. The three allegedly fleeced $6 million from at …

June 8, 2017
"We heard you" claim developers of Hillcrest 111

The developer whose proposed project at 7th and Robinson was rejected by Uptown planners and Hillcrest residents in April won the group's support Tuesday night by returning with compromises. "We heard you," said Jim Ivory …

Wednesday, June 7

San Diego Zoo's rare bonobos

In late April of 1960, the San Diego Zoo’s curator of mammals, George Pournelle, traveled to one of the most inaccessible parts of the African rainforest on a collecting expedition. His goal was to acquire …

E-cigs sail in from China

So-called e-cigarettes have been increasingly making their way into San Diego from foreign ports, according to a May 24 audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, raising possible dangers for unwary users. “E-cigarette liquid — …

June 7, 2017
From the X-rated Jolar Arcade to the Belly Up

He may not be a native, but Gary Wilson — singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, collector of alien sunglasses, secret-agent lounge musician fetishist of flour and paint — must rank at the top of San Diego music …

June 7, 2017
So like Thessaloniki

"No-o! Not Quartyard! Say it’s not so-o!” The guy with the wailing voice was, uh, me. This was last week. I was staring down the line of lights of the bar near the doggy park …

Banzai! Dollar Bud drafts when the Pads win

Cousins Chad Cline and Jason “Rocky” Nichols come from a long lineage of dives. Their great-grandfather purchased the Waterfront Bar (whose liquor license dates back to the end of Prohibition) around the late ‘60s. While …

Let’s get younger females to see a movie about war

Read the review and enjoy a few words about Megan Leavey (and Blackfish) from director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and producer Pete Shilaimon. Scott Marks: You got a lot of nerve, sister, showing your face in this …

June 7, 2017
Hipsters love public transit

Dear Hipster: I just started a new internship downtown, and I ride the bus every day to get there. It’s actually a pretty good deal at $2.25 each way. I can’t help but notice that …

June 7, 2017
Queen of the double-dippers

As a retiree, San Diego State University’s former vice president of business and financial affairs Sally Roush has done well by the taxpayer-funded state university system. After stepping down from her $301,957 a year position …

June 7, 2017
At UCSD William Morris discovers the smallest band they've dealt with

As major record labels decline in relevance, getting well-connected managers and agents on your side has become more important for so-called “baby bands” that are struggling to get a national foothold. Consider the plight of …

June 7, 2017
North Mississippi Allstars at Belly Up — a prayer for peace

In 1996, when Luther and Cody Dickinson started the North Mississippi Allstars, blues-festival promoters and record-label hacks alike saw the band as the potential salvation of a very stale blues scene (i.e., better ticket and …

June 7, 2017
For missionaries, ministers...also candlestick makers

New Life Presbyterian Church of La Mesa Membership: 437 Pastor: Brian Tallman Age: 39 Born: San Diego Formation: Southern California Bible College, El Cajon; the Masters Seminary, Sun Valley; Bethel Seminary, San Diego Years Ordained: …

June 7, 2017
Megan Leavey, a damn fine little combat picture

According to the TV spot, Elle and People magazines are going slug-nutty over Megan Leavey, proclaiming the fact-based girl-and-her-dog war drama both “inspiring” and “heartfelt.” Do I heed the advice of these venerated strongholds of …

June 7, 2017
Civita Park’s a work-in-progress

Built on a 70-year old sand-and-gravel quarry, Civita Park is a work-in-progress that will total 14.3 park acres centrally located in a 230-acre residential development. The top and bottom sections opened during Arbor Day weekend …

Songs appear like far-off islands in Escape to Margaritaville

Times change. When Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” came out in 1977, the singer couldn’t find his salt shaker for said beverage. One might have thought, Poor dude, it won’t be the same. Today, the health-conscious would …

June 7, 2017
Superunloader back with album after 20 years

“We’ve been a band since the early ’90s and are probably up on the list as one of the longest running San Diego bands,” says drummer Chad Farran of Superunloader. “We started playing shows as …

Investing for Dummies goes into a lot of depth

Name: Taylor Whitworth Age: 25 Occupation: Entrepreneur Neighborhood: Mission Valley Interviewed at: Barnes & Noble, Hazard Center What are you reading? “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest In, That the Poor and …

June 7, 2017
Doubled initials are a mixed bag as to whether or not they’re cool

Dear Hipster: I have two questions for you. They may or may not be questions that only a hipster could answer, but I figured your guess would be as good as mine. First, why do …

June 7, 2017
When Your Head Went Through the Windshield...

When Your Head Went Through the Windshield It Reminded Me That Grief Sounds Like Whip-Poor-Wills We bury you a little more each Tuesday. The sky today is carnival-glass. The way the wind blows. Your destruction …

June 7, 2017
Got to get to the fashion first

Twenty-five-year-old Maurice DJ Ayodam is wearing a white tank top, a midnight-blue velour Adidas track suit, and a custom Breitling watch — custom because he took it to a jeweler and had the face ringed …

The Routine flits between genres with bass

About seven years ago, Jamie Minotti of the Madero Group management outfit teamed up with several promoters throughout town to produce the Ocean Beats series, a forum for electronic bass music that had hitherto been …

June 7, 2017
On the sand in Del Mar for only $6864* (*per square foot)

The Del Mar beach house at 2606 Ocean Front promises “one of the most unique homes on the market” that “just finished a complete rebuild using the finest materials.” According to the listing, there are …

June 7, 2017
Scripps Ranch median and/or pot smoker led to tragedy

Hyun Jeong Choi’s glass marijuana pipe rested inside the center console of her 2015 gray Toyota Corolla. The pipe was still hot to the touch on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, when traffic accident investigator …

June 7, 2017
Mike and Nick’s Aussie adventure

The jury is still out on the ultimate fate of La Jolla hedge-fund maven Mike Stone’s attempt to wrest Qualcomm Stadium and its acreage away from public ownership, but the stock price of another of …

June 7, 2017
Who Plays Who outrage

Murder Is Not a Joke Our friend was tragically murdered. Do you think this is funny to us? A joke? Do you think that Jess Robles or his friends and family find your “Who Plays …

June 7, 2017

Tuesday, June 6

San Luis Rey Downs turns hotel over to renters

In 2014, the San Luis Rey Downs golf resort in Bonsall closed. Some 118 acres was purchased by the County to augment a public riverpark, and another 71 acres is in the process of being …

June 6, 2017
Revolt Summer Surf Series — #NoSharksinOB

This year’s Revolt Summer Surf Series kicks off Saturday, June 17 at Ocean Beach Pier with the tag #NoSharksinOB for a reason: great white sharks have been spotted along the Southern California coast this spring, …

Mixed feelings on campers at Shadow Hill Park

“Just an FYI … there was a homeless camp in the drainage ditch (by the bridge) at Shadow Hill Park, they were evicted about a week ago,” posted a Santee resident on the Nextdoor app …

June 6, 2017
"Let's have them do it in La Jolla next year...."

“I didn’t miss church [because] I’m the choir director – so it’s essential that I get there,” said Nina Gilbert. Gilbert was one of the prepared ones for the detours and roadblocks brought about by …

Wildcoast Baja Bash at Coronado Cays

Last fall along Baja California’s Pacific coast, several San Diego-based sportfishing vessels were aggressively confronted by local pangeros. The problem is, for the pangeros, the high spots that hold the endemic rockfish and draw the …

Another side of Havana

Late afternoon in Havana: Local schoolboys are playing soccer in the central square of the recently renovated Plaza Vieja. Colorful, historic buildings ring the plaza. A warm tropical breeze wafts through the air and the …

Good Sam to the rescue

6/2 HP issued two citations to boaters that were illegally moored at the HPD Guest slips. 6/1 HP contacted a subject on the HPD guest slips and subject was subsequently arrested for an outstanding warrant. …

Border Patrol on Tijuana River gains respect from enviros

When newly assigned U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive at the Imperial Beach Station, one of the first things they are told: Don’t go in the Tijuana River. You don’t have to ever enter the water …

Monday, June 5

Messages sent on blankets

When blankets are inscribed with messages and flung over bridges in Tijuana, they usually boast a narco-warning directed at rival cartels or authorities. Such narcomantas, as they’re called in spanish, are appearing increasingly throughout Tijuana. …

June 5, 2017
Fish and Wildlife squeeze bikers from Carlsbad's Lake Calavera

Retired firefighter Rick Minnick has been riding and hiking the trails in the open space near Carlsbad’s Lake Calavera for about 25 years now. In the early days, Minnick and his buddies were able to …

Beauty pageant run by El Cajon councilmember under attack

The $2,000 oversized check Zhala Tawfiq received upon being crowned Miss Middle East was not a real check. The accompanying cosmetic procedures, sponsorships, wardrobe, and television auditions, that accompanied the check, were just as fake, …

June 5, 2017
Escondido says no cell towers in your front yard — unless you live on a street like Citracado

Like other cities, Escondido is planning for the mass deployment of fifth generation technology. As both officials and carriers see it, it's time to make the permit process for the "small cells" that can accommodate …

Del Mar Fair opening — here for the piggies

The iconic bronze statue of Don Diego, dressed up in cowboy garb, overlooked the main gate of the San Diego County Fair, as hundreds lined up for opening night on June 2. And like the …

June 5, 2017

Sunday, June 4

New SD brewery already big in Japan

New San Diego beer company Circle 9 Brewing has yet to open. However, it has already served its first beer — in Japan. Cofounders Darren Baker and Andrew Campbell took a Circle 9 beer to …

June 4, 2017
Yellowtail numbers drop dramatically

A lot of boats went out and worked hard for the tuna with mixed results from a long boat ride for nada to maybe a fish per rod on the best runs. It doesn’t seem …

June 4, 2017
Everyone gets what they want — on the menu, anyway

“Something for everyone!” says the website for Craft & Sea, the North Park restaurant now occupying the space that was — as far back as I can remember — Zensei Sushi. I find it interesting …

Dana Middle School students given small New Testaments

Some parents of children in Point Loma's Dana Middle School were alarmed this week when strangers handing out Bibles approached their children as they were leaving the school. "This was quite disruptive at the school--the …

Saturday, June 3

June brings gloom, crape myrtles, and western azaleas

“June Gloom,” the cool and intermittently overcast conditions likely to dominate the beach and coastal areas through the remainder of this month, mocks the already sizzling temperatures inland. If it weren’t for the ocean’s enormous …

June 3, 2017
Speeding Jetski rider hits shoal, gets ejected

May 27 — HP responded to South Bay for a Jet Ski collision. It was found that the operator of the Jetski was unfamiliar with the area and struck a shoal / sand bar which …

Safe healthcare investment turned out to be shaky student debt

William M. Malloy III, who says his fortune goes back to the early 1800s, has been sued in federal court for his alleged role in a Ponzi scheme that is rocking the state of Oregon. …

June 3, 2017
Zapf's husband files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

On May 12 in bankruptcy court, Eric David Zapf, husband of second district city councilwoman Lorie Zapf, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or liquidation. Lorie Zapf was named as a codebtor. They live at 4622 …

June 3, 2017

Friday, June 2

Wonder women

It’s not that Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves, not entirely, anyway. (That would be, like, crazy. The kind of Brave New World you’d see laid out in a blistering manifesto.) Dudes still have a …

June 2, 2017
SoccerCity's open special influence money frenzy

As a city council vote draws nigh for getting taxpayers to fund a $5 million special November election sought by the city's hotel moguls and backers of SoccerCity — a plan to privatize a big …

June 2, 2017
School districts sue county for cash

A May 31 lawsuit filed on behalf of the County Office of Education and the county's school districts, accuse San Diego County and its auditor of taking property tax revenues that should have gone to …

June 2, 2017
A new place for selectively health-conscious OB

Although the food scenes of Little Italy, North Park, and Convoy get more attention, Ocean Beach has also been experiencing a bit of a restaurant renaissance in recent years. A lot of decent eateries have …

Concert banned in the U.S.

A German music project known for its quirky politically-themed concerts wanted to hold a free Tear Down This Wall performance simultaneously on both sides of the border fence between Imperial Beach and Tijuana this Saturday, …

Thursday, June 1

Do not open until 4 p.m.

Why was there no review of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in this week’s print edition? Studio’s orders. Admittance to last week’s screening hinged on one minor condition. According to the email: “The global …

June 1, 2017
May 24 Tijuana sewage, on top of Feb. dump, spurs coalition

Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and Councilman Mark West are out to change how the federal government deals with sewage that comes into the the city from Mexico. They’ve gained an unexpected partner: the union …

No money allowed at food swaps

“The only rule of the [food] swap is that there is no exchange of money,” said Marianne West. On Saturday (May 27), she met with about forty other San Diegans at the Spring Valley East …

Water wars likely to add to rising customer costs

The Otay Water District, which provides water, sewage, and recycled water to communities in southeastern San Diego County including portions of Chula Vista, Spring Valley, Otay Mesa, Jamul, and others, is suing the city of …

June 1, 2017
Prebys's close associates won't surrender to his furious "life partner"

Laurie Anne Victoria, the late Conrad Prebys's long-time second-in-command and chief financial officer who is now chief executive of the firm that made him a billionaire, has hired two top Los Angeles attorneys to battle …

June 1, 2017
Balboa Park dreaming — ah, but there's the retro-fitting

A crowd of about 100 gathered in an auditorium adjacent to the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park on Tuesday evening (May 30) to discuss the state of the park's improvements and discuss …

June 1, 2017
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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