Skyline resident C. Valdez saw the January 12 news of the reported 16,000 abandoned homes in Baja California — with 4,000 in Tijuana — that are “invaded” and inhabited by squatters. “It’s a big problem …

El Cajon residents Felipe Mojica and his 15-year-old son Gabriel agreed to speak with me before and throughout the six days (November 19-24) they worked on the annual Baja 1000 off-road race. “The race was …

On January 12 at about 10 am, a handful of San Diegans travelled across the border to meet with Tijuana locals behind the Plaza Monumental de Playas de Tijuana — The Bullring by the Sea. …

“I miss the old Yachty, the ‘bubblegum trap’ Yachty,” said fan Jhueller, “the never, switch up-Yachty.” “I’ve got songs that sample Mario Bros., Charlie Brown, the Rugrats theme, the music that plays when you turn …

Patricia M. and her daughter, Eli, frequent Westfield Mission Valley almost every month; the two have been coming here since 10-year-old Eli was a baby. “We like Nordstrom Rack,” Patricia said to me on the …

On Christmas weekend, I looked for Spin motorized scooters to test drive; I hopped onto the Spin app, and noticed two were closeby at City College. I strolled and jogged around the campus, between the …

On December 16, Mexican news outlets reported of a soon to be increase in minimum wage throughout Mexico. The National Commission of Minimum Wages (Conasami) created a new Economic Wage Zone for municipalities located within …

On December 11, I called BASSMNT to see if they’d permit our preschooler to access their club in two weeks; nobody answered and I left a message. Our preschooler and his playground homies love SAYMYNAME, …

“I was there at that time with my family and after we crossed the bridge,” said Martin G., “it was about 30 seconds after, when I heard it fall.” On the evening or Dec. 14, …

Feds plan to make pond of Tijuana sewage Just how smelly are thirteen acres of raw sewage? Soon, very soon, we shall find out. Next Monday a federal agency is planning to start building an …

Comethazine was part of a digital bait-and-switch occurrence last year, which some say helped boost the career of the 21-year-old rapper known as Frank Childress to his family and squad back home in Illinois. In …

Police at the border have been getting involved in line disputes as line-cutting tactics have grown more sophisticated, and extortion of Americans crossing north more prevalent. “On our way back from Ensenada we came back …

On December 13, a Wendi and Steve posted on Facebook that Skate San Diego “is closing” and “we are liquidating everything”; the two posted photos of a large stereo system, “thousands of” roller skate and …

At about 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 22, Vincenzo Cartiera hurried out of his Spring Valley home. He was running late to work. “Is that my car — where are the wheels?” he asked himself that …

“That’s what’s wrong right now, everybody trying to rap the same style with the, I don’t know who created it, if it was Future or Migos,” said Snoop Dogg in a 2014 SnoopDoggTV video segment, …

‘I didn’t think I was ever going to see my $6000 bike again,” said Scott S. “But I did, thanks to the law enforcement agencies collaborating, and to ‘Bob’ for initially messaging me.” At 2 …

Al Meza loves eating fresh California spiny lobsters. “It got very expensive for me,” he said, “I used to spend about $600 on 18 California spiny lobsters from a Point Loma market; I can't afford …

After news broke recently that Americans could be deported back to the U.S. if they didn’t have the proper documentation to be in Mexico — some expats residing in Baja and incoming snowbirds, reportedly went …

Over 200 people attended the "peace gathering" at the Church’s Chicken parking lot in Otay Mesa on November 16. The gathering was in honor of the restaurant’s three employees — Mario Rojas, Humberto Ruiz and …

Halloween is “Valentino Frankenstein’s” favorite holiday. The north Escondido resident plays guitar for local Duran Duran and The Cars tribute bands and his monster-moniker is his stage name, partially because he stands 6 feet 4 …

In early 2018, when 1788-L dropped its dubstep bangers on the Soundcloud music app, fans couldn’t click the water drop and subwoofer emoticons quick enough to keep up with the unknown-producers’ 140-bpm (beats per minute) …

Many San Diegans are taking to their devices in hopes of becoming the next big social media influencer. Although it’s unlikely that someone from our neighborhoods will outperform 21-year-old Kylie Jenner’s $1 billion marketing game, …

In 1979, Kurtis Blow was the first rapper to sign with a major record label: Mercury Records. They released “Christmas Rappin’” and then “The Breaks,” which in 1980 became the first rap record to receive …

On September 7, classical flute player Lizzo peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 with her “Truth Hurts” rap and hip-hop song. As a piano player, I was hyped to see a classical music/hip-hop …

On October 13, B. Cardenas was alerted on her phone: she had a little over two weeks to turn in her cans — to receive her free Netflix. “I saw the post on ‘Face,'” she …

If the death of Horton Plaza and the slow failure of Seaport Village have proved anything it’s that nothing lasts forever in downtown San Diego. Now some say Comic-Con, another downtown institution, may be starting …

"I've seen thousands of catfish,” George Scalo said, “but I have never seen a catfish look like that before.” Scalo, was talking about the piebald catfish, also referred to as a “cowfish” because of its …

My dad never understood how I broke his turntable attempting to mimic parts of “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5. The 1981 song was …

On September 20-21, a small group of off-road racers skipped the inaugural Baja 400 in Ensenada to race against one another towards the highest point on the Baja peninsula. “The San Pedro Martir Hill Climb …

"The guy in that screen shot looks like one of the 'wet bandits' in the other video,” Mary said to me on a September 20 interview. “Multiple people believe it’s the same guy and they …

Mr. Oro sells his El Sacrificio De Oro CDs and Oro Wear brand clothing to Americans at the Tijuana/San Ysidro Port of Entry as they return to the U.S. “Here in Tijuana it’s a lot …

Dan M. and his fellow guests at the Club Marena rentals in Rosarito, had a rude awakening Saturday, September 7. “Our bedroom window is positioned about 50 meters that way, and at 2 am, she …

Nancy Nunke says she was the first person in Ramona that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) called after the Virulent Newcastle Disease infected bird was confirmed on Griffith Rd. on August 30. “Shortly …

Around midnight, September 4, Joe Avila was alerted via his phone of a mountain lion lurking within their Valley Center property. “We added the Arlo Pro cameras in the orchard to see what was eating …

Some San Diego hip-hop fans I spoke to said they didn’t like “Old Town Road” when it first dropped on local airwaves and the club scene — but what was it like for our country …

On August 25 at 11 a.m., Cher M. went to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Mira Mesa Blvd. — only to find out that it was closed. “A sign said they were basically sold out of …

North Park and North Escondido dwellers have recently reported of “more” spiders crawling around their homes. Natelle Bracken lives in North Park closer to the 805 freeway. In 2019, she has seen seven black and …

Martial arts instructor Matt Armstrong and his “Trash-Vengers” crew picked up thousands of pounds of trash from their Azalea Park streets and canyons in the last couple of years — free of charge. On June …

On August 6, RE/MAX realtor Carmen Cifuentes posted Facebook photos of trash and debris she just discovered. “It was a huge dump on a property that we are selling,” she told me on August 16. …

On August 7, the Mexican Navy along with workers from the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries, secured 280 lobster traps and rescued and released 740 lobsters in Ejido Eréndira, a small community about 62 …

San Diego-based post millenials are hyped that Blueface will perform at SOMA on August 22. Some elders, however, are not. His joint “Thotiana” peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 list in April. …

On August 2, Steve Taylor direct messaged me a link to a YouTube video titled Scoot Safe – Emergency Physicians’ Tips for Electronic Scooter Riders. “Dang, they gotta commercial for kids,” he said. “Notice the …

On the weekend of July 20-21, Earth Ocean Farms released 40,000 juvenile 3-4 month-old-totoabas at Bahía de Concepción in Baja California South. “I can guarantee that the totoaba will never go extinct, because we can …

On July 12 at about dusk, two kids scurried away from an upset man and woman, after the kids demolished parts of a sandcastle sculpture by the Imperial Beach Pier. IB-local Joey Bradley was coming …

In the last week, videos and photos surfaced of truck drivers that lost control by El Mirador, between the Rosarito and Ensenada toll booths — backing up north- and south-bound traffic on the four-lane Mexican …

Some North and South Park dwellers have recently come forward regarding their vehicles being struck by golf balls from the Balboa Park Municipal Golf Course; and not hearing the “fore” warnings. “The golf ball bounced …

The real stars of Comic-Con By Jay Allen Sanford Not long ago, few had ever heard the word “cosplay.” Nowadays, pretty much any pop culture convention will be overflowing with costumed role-players posing for snapshots …

On July 4, E.L. and his Lakeside neighbors and their horses were not amused by fireworks set off close by. “Idiots on Vista Camino shooting skyrockets towards horses …. anybody else sick of this shit?” …

“I see about one of these cars with stolen catalytic converters a week, go through my repair shop in Rancho Bernardo,” said Justin Goen. “It pisses me off and I think recyclers need to figure …

On June 30, Rick noticed five individuals soliciting for donations on Palm Avenue and Saturn Boulevard at south San Diego — a block west of the I-5. “I saw a young man with a cut …