San Diego, CA
Bryce Miller, Union-Tribune sports columnist and outdoorsman, dies at 56
Bryce Miller, who for a decade told stories of San Diegans’ successes and failures, trials and triumphs as the Union-Tribune’s sports columnist, died Saturday. He was 56.
Miller was diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer two years ago and wrote regularly for the Union-Tribune as he underwent treatment. His final column, about San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas, appeared in the Feb. 23 print edition.
An avid outdoorsman since his childhood in Iowa, Miller viewed San Diego first with an outsider’s awe before becoming a true local. He fished off the Coronado Islands, stalked the backstretch at Del Mar and was as comfortable in the Padres’ clubhouse as he was at an outdoors expo.
His coverage of the 2017 Lilac fire, which killed at least 46 horses at San Luis Rey Downs and burned their caretakers, earned Miller the 2019 Eclipse Award, given annually to the best horse racing writing by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
“Bryce was an insightful columnist, a keen observer of the human condition and a masterful storyteller who easily won the trust of others — whether they were sources, strangers or stars,” said Lora Cicalo, the Union-Tribune’s editor. “But more than any of those things, he was a truly exceptional human being — generous, kind and unfailingly approachable — as anyone who crossed paths with him would attest.”
A superb storyteller
As the U-T’s sports columnist, Miller told stories of San Diegans at their highest — and lowest.
Miller stood on the White House’s South Lawn last July, when Point Loma Nazarene’s women’s soccer team was hailed by Vice President Kamala Harris for winning the Division II national championship. Days later, he was in the Nationals Park press box as Dylan Cease threw the second no-hitter in Padres history.
Miller was in the champagne-soaked clubhouse after the Padres slayed the Dodgers in the 2022 National League Division Series, and again when they beat the Braves in October’s wild-card series.
(Experience elsewhere meant Miller had a plan to stay dry; Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon’s errant champagne spray had ruined one of Miller’s tape recorders in the aftermath of Boston’s curse-breaking World Series title in 2004.)
Miller followed SDSU’s men’s basketball team all the way through its 2023 NCAA Tournament run. When Lamont Butler’s jump shot beat Florida Atlantic and moved San Diego State to the national championship game, Miller put it in proper perspective.
“The nation wondered aloud if a team that valued defense first and always could climb past offensive obstacles to summit the ‘One Shining Moment’ mountaintop,” he wrote. “They debated whether San Diego, the sports bridesmaid still hunting for the white dress, was doomed to getting close without a cigar in sight.”
Miller’s gripping story about the Lilac fire and its aftermath was among his best work while at the Union-Tribune.
Miller prided himself on his versatility. He wrote about marathoners, endurance athletes, animals of all stripes — and one Tiger. (His column on golfer Tiger Woods from the relocated Genesis Invitational was published last month).
“Pretty much anything I asked him to do, he was willing to try,” said Jay Posner, who retired as the Union-Tribune’s sports editor in 2022. “I don’t think he knew much about horse racing when he came here, but he discovered there were good stories at Del Mar, and he enjoyed the chance to tell a good story. He quickly developed relationships there, covered the big races there and elsewhere, and I’ll always remember his incredible work after the Lilac fire.”
Miller flew to Eritrea to tell the story of long-distance runner Meb Keflezighi, a San Diego High School graduate who grew up in the country. He shadowed late Padres owner Peter Seidler as he walked the streets of Pacific Beach, ministering to the homeless.
Miller drew inspiration from those stories as he faced cancer treatment. Former Padres manager Bruce Bochy and Keflezighi were among those who reached out to Miller in recent weeks.
“Lessons like those, unpeeled by spending time with those who are exceptional, resonate in myriad ways,” Miller wrote in August 2023. “Stick to it. Focus on today. Don’t quit. On to the next. Words like those, just words in some ways at the time, have gained significant heft.”
Finding his tribe
Miller grew up in Redfield, Iowa, a no-stoplight town “that, depending on the hour, might top 700” people, he said. He was one of 33 people in his high school’s graduating class.
Miller graduated from the University of Iowa and worked for the Des Moines Register and with USA Today in Arlington, Va., before heading west to San Diego. He was hired in October 2015, an outsider in a city that can sometimes feel insular.
It didn’t take long for Miller to find his tribe.
He made fast friends near his homes in Pacific Beach and, later, Kensington.
A dinner thrown by former Union-Tribune outdoors reporter Jim Brown connected Miller with former U-T columnist Tom Cushman, ex-Padres radio broadcaster Bob Chandler and J. Stacey Sullivan Jr., the attorney who negotiated the Chargers’ move from Los Angeles to San Diego in 1961.
“We joked,” Brown said Saturday, “that he was the son we never knew we had.”
Brown connected Miller with Bochy because of their shared love of the outdoors.
Miller’s deep roster of friends and family were by his bedside in recent weeks, providing updates in the mornings and evenings to his friends from around the world.
Longtime friend Keith Murphy broadcast his Iowa-based “Murph & Andy” radio show from Miller’s hospital earlier this month. An Iowa Hawkeyes pennant hung in his hospital room.
On air, Murphy’s co-host, Andy Fales, called Miller “the minibike of friends.”
“You see Bryce and you’re like, ‘Oh man, I’m about to have some fun,’” Fales said. “He’s not a commuter friend. He’s not the friend that you lean on to get help with your TurboTax. He’s your buddy that you plug into a situation where you know you’re going to have fun, and he just makes it better.”
Murphy posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday that Miller “squeezed so much joy into his 56 years.”
“He did it by saying yes,” Murphy wrote. “Yes to fun. Yes to living. Yes to today. Figure the rest out later.”
A world traveler
Miller loved San Diego, but understood that a big world lay beyond the county line.
Miller covered six Olympics during his journalism career. While at the Union-Tribune, he ventured to Mexico City (twice), the Dominican Republic, Asia and Africa.
He traveled to Seoul, South Korea, last March to cover the Padres’ series with the Dodgers. A month later, he flew to Japan for vacation.
Nothing brought him as much joy (and peace) as his annual fishing trip to Lac Seul in Ear Falls, Ontario, Canada. Every summer for nine years, Miller and friends drove the 10 ½ hours from Minneapolis in pursuit of walleye, pike and smallmouth bass. He wrote that the lake was “as much a cherished friend as a destination.”
It took on added importance in June, during what would be his final trip.
“When your world includes near-weekly lab visits, chemotherapy treatments, a bathroom cabinet bulging with pill bottles and side effects that ambush you at every turn,” he wrote, “the rippling water and the riches it holds delivers powerful medicine of its own.”
Writing, starring in stories
Miller wrote stories. But he could star in them, too.
Shortly after moving to San Diego, Miller connected with legendary sports broadcaster Dick Enberg, a longtime La Jolla resident who enjoyed a final act as the Padres’ play-by-play man on television. The two would meet periodically for breakfast near Enberg’s home.
One meeting in particular elicited chuckles nearly a decade later.
Miller, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, watched the team clinch the 2016 World Series championship from a Pacific Beach tavern alongside many of his friends. The celebration continued deep into the night; by the time Miller arrived to meet Enberg the next morning, he was … run down.
Enberg, a baseball junkie himself, understood what a World Series win meant to a Cubs fan. The two agreed to reschedule.
Miller relished spring training trips to Peoria, Ariz., where he and Union-Tribune reporters and photographers would pile into a rented house to cover the Padres.
In 2023, aware there was a Seattle Mariners pitcher named Bryce Miller sharing the Peoria Sports Complex with the Padres, the columnist finagled a sit-down interview.
“In one place this spring there are two Bryce Millers, one a guy who can hit 100 mph on the radar gun and, at age 24, is flirting with a big-league rotation spot. The other, 30 years his elder, typing fingers raw about the Padres on the other side of the Peoria Sports Complex shared by the teams,” he wrote. “One, spry and fit with the world in front of him. The other, wondering if it’s time for that AARP card after all.”
Union-Tribune reporter Kevin Acee traded barbs and one-liners with Miller for years.
“The more I got to know Bryce, the more I liked him,” Acee said. “I teased him mercilessly, and he almost always just shook his head like he couldn’t believe I found myself so funny.”
When the 2024 baseball season ended, Miller and Acee left town and went fishing. It was Acee — not the veteran angler Miller — who caught a fish that day, albeit one barely the size of his palm. When he returned to San Diego, Miller and another angler sent Acee an enlarged photo of his (tiny) catch to mark the occasion.
“Oh, he drove me crazy,” Acee said. “… But he was also unselfish, hard-working and a really good human. He basically taught me how to fish, and I’ll be eternally grateful.”
Opting for understanding
In an age where media personalities often manufacture outrage to attract listeners and clicks, Miller opted for understanding.
His writing was poetic and nuanced and, reflecting the columnist’s personality, never reactionary.
“I’ll remember him for all those stories,” Posner said, “but mainly for just being a really good and kind person.”
Miller adored sports and sportswriting because it brought him closer to people — with all their triumphs and tragedies.
“That’s what you learn, covering all this sports stuff. It’s not really sports. It’s people,” Miller wrote in his final column for the Des Moines Register. “So it stays with you. It sticks to you — heart, mind and all.”
Miller is survived by his brothers, Brian and Bruce, and a sister-in-law, Melissa; his mother, Bea Winters; and friends in Iowa, Kensington and beyond. Services are pending.
Originally Published:
Utility man Samad Taylor was selected to the Major League roster from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
Tuesday night was a tale of two parties. Two election night parties.
At Liberty Station’s Stone Brewing, a small coterie of Democratic elected officials and functionaries and a larger coterie of news media shuffled around trying to make sense of the lackluster returns trickling in.
Meanwhile, at downtown’s US Grant Hotel, a much more spirited collection of Republican operatives and supporters laughed and drank in a blindingly-lit convention room, backed by a pianist’s rendition of “Billie Jean.”
The takeaway seemed clear: this was a not-so-great night for San Diego’s Democratic in-group. Chula Vista’s Republican mayor had a huge lead over his Democratic opponent. A tax on second homes lagged behind in the vote count. And several Republicans seemed to make it out of crowded primary fields in local races.
Hell, even if it was only a just-OK night for Republicans – that still seemed worth celebrating to them.
Normally we now get long stretches of days, even weeks of fingernail-biting anticipation as the county so slowly tallies the rest of the votes. But there doesn’t appear to be many close races to watch this time around. There are a couple. We start at the top:
It’s Becerra vs. Hilton
As of 11 p.m., with more than 50 percent of votes counted, it appeared that a Republican and Democrat — rather than two Democrats — would make it through to the general election. Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra led the race, with billionaire Tom Steyer on the outside looking in. The New York Times has a nice tracker here.
Empty Homes Tax Goes Down
Measure A presented a simple choice. What do voters in the city of San Diego have more disdain for – people with enough money to own a second home they leave empty, or new taxes? Turns out, it’s additional taxes. For now, at least.
Championed by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, Measure A would have placed a tax on homes left vacant for more than half of the year. It was pitched as a way to both raise badly needed revenue for the city and, potentially, make available badly-needed housing.
As of Tuesday evening, the measure’s prospects looked grim, with about 58 percent of voters casting a ‘No’ vote. It will become the second citywide tax increase rejected by voters in as many years. Despite the poor showing, intern Naomi Granata found the pitch resonated with some voters in North Park.
San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk Jordan Marks was one of a number of local electeds who came out in opposition of the tax. He said the city’s housing problems couldn’t be solved by what he called “bad taxes.”
“This result reflects that Sean Elo-Rivera and the City Council have lost the trust of the public and that voters are reading the fine print,” Marks said.
Elo-Rivera said it wasn’t looking good, but he was hopeful the picture would improve. Ultimately, he thought the money spent opposing the tax — and the distorted message he felt it sent — was too big to overcome.
“There was an enormous amount of money spent, and not just money spent, but money spent to trick voters into thinking that something was going to impact them that wasn’t,” Elo-Rivera said.
No Ammar
Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond led the way in the 48th Congressional District on Tuesday night.
What we were waiting for is the candidate who would go with him to the runoff. It will attract a ton of national attention and money. It was one of the seats made more competitive by Democrats in the special redistricting vote last year.
San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and Ammar Campa-Najjar, squared off for a chance to wrest the seat out of longtime Republican control. With 53 percent reporting, von Wilpert held a commanding lead over Campa-Najjar. The councilmember will advance to face Desmond in November.
On the ground in the district, reporter Tigist Layne found that the national politics that led to the redistricting fight were also front and center on voters’ minds as they headed into vote.
Bailey vs. Crosby in Coastal Council District
Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey and Deputy City Attorney Nicole Crosby will advance to the November election in District 2 of the San Diego City Council.
Bailey, a Republican-turned-Independent, seemed destined to finish in the top two after he attracted significant attention on social media. The race for the second spot was more uncertain. Josh Coyne, like Crosby, attracted significant Democratic support. And Mandy Havlik — a more development-resistant candidate — also had strong grassroots support in Point Loma.
Our new intern Fiona Bork talked to voters in District 2, which covers the city’s southern coastline, who said that affordability was the most important issue. Exactly how that explained their electoral choices differed by a lot. One voter said Coyne’s market-driven approach to building more housing appealed to him. Another liked Havlik’s approach to limiting vacation rentals. A third voted for Bailey because she wanted less development and more public transit. It seems unlikely that Bailey, who is fiscally conservative, would support massively expanding public transit options. Read the full story here.
City Council District 4: The race for southeastern San Diego’s council district featured three candidates: incumbent Henry Foster, Martha Abraham and Johnny Lee Dang.
Abraham was highly critical of Foster in her campaign and that seemed to resonate well with voters. At the latest count, she led Foster by several hundred votes.
Foster has many supporters in the district, but the city’s handling of catastrophic flooding in January 2024 — among other issues — has led to massive distrust of City Hall.
Council District 6: Incumbent Kent Lee had one prominent opponent, Mark Powell, who is a former member of the County Board of Education. They will both make the runoff but Lee got 55 percent of the vote in early counting.
City Council District 8: San Ysidro School Board Member Antonio Martinez and current District 8 chief of staff, Gerardo Ramirez, lead in this race — which was crowded with Democrats. Venus Molina, who serves as the chief of staff to Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, trailed closely behind in third place. This is one of the races close enough to change as the registrar continues counting votes. Molina’s count improved slightly as the night went on.
Our South County reporter, Jim Hinch, spoke with voters outside the Otay Mesa/Nestor Branch Library. One voter told Hinch she voted for Molina because she liked that she is local and a single mother. Read the full story here.
Election Watch Party Bonus: Ramirez’ supporters and family gathered at the Landing Strip, a bar and restaurant at Brown Field Municipal Airport, to watch results roll in. They broke out into applause when results showed him coming in second.
“For some of the folks it might seem like ‘hey man’ you’re second place, but we’re in there. This is a huge, wonderful sign,” said Ramirez.
DeMaio’s Gonna Gloat
Two local elections were something of a proxy battle between two warring factions of the Republican Party. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio’s team won, again. Every time local Republican leaders unite to oppose him or the people he supports, DeMaio wins. This time it was about two races: the one to replace County Supervisor Jim Desmond and the one to replace State Sen. Brian Jones.
In the county supervisor race: San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones left no doubt she would make it to the runoff. The only remaining question is who will face her — Vista Mayor John Franklin or Kyle Krahel, the former chair of the Democratic Party. After the first votes were counted, Krahel held a slight advantage with 20 percent of the vote compared to Franklin’s 19 percent. DeMaio went all in for Jones and she led the field with more than 41 percent of the vote.
In the state Senate race: As expected, former San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott made the runoff for the state Senate District 40 seat. She got nearly 45 percent of the votes counted so far. The real question was who would go with her. That Republican battle between Kristie Bruce-Lane and San Marcos City Councilmember Ed Musgrove seems to have also gone DeMaio’s way with Bruce-Lane holding a 4.7-percentage-point advantage over Musgrove.
That’s not enough of a gap to call the race but it’s significant.
Teachers Union Pushed Barrera to Runoff in Statewide Race
The race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction became something of a flex test for the state’s largest teachers union. Could the California Teachers Association almost singlehandedly lift a relatively unknown San Diego board member over a bevvy of better financed, higher profile candidates? Yup. Easily.
Fueled by nearly $5 million in spending from the state’s largest teachers union, longtime San Diego Unified Trustee and labor-darling Richard Barrera sailed to a convincing second place finish in the race for state supe. In his nearly two decades as the power behind the throne of the second largest district in the state, Barrera has engineered a progressive labor friendly transformation that the union hopes can be taken statewide.
He will now face off against Republican Chino Valley Trustee Sonja Shaw in November.
Brews and News + Your Chance to Win Padres Tickets
Meet our team and get an election debrief at our Brews & News Live Podcast at Soda Bar on Thursday, June 11. We will be joined by San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera. Get your tickets here and you’ll be automatically entered to win two tickets to a Padres game. Winners will be announced at the event.
Obligatory note: No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the Brews and News Live Podcast Giveaway. A ticket purchase or donation will not increase chances of winning. All applicable federal, state, local and municipal laws, rules, and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.
In Other News
- Opinion: A retired lifeguard finds irony in SDG&E’s stance on residents putting solar panels on their balconies. The company once argued against rooftop solar because it was unfair to renters, but now, he writes, “a low-cost system allows most of those same people access to solar, but SDG&E seeks to deny them as well.” (ICYMI: Our MacKenzie Elmer wrote that plugging in such a device could put her at risk of getting her power cut.)
- San Diego County officials warned South Bay residents to limit their exposure to the outdoors after a broken pipe spilled millions of gallons of sewage into the Tijuana River. (Union-Tribune)
- NBC 7 reports that a judge ruled that the city of San Diego illegally collected parking ticket late fees for three years.
- About that cross-border tunnel: The U.S. Attorney’s office says a recently discovered, massive tunnel stretching from Tijuana to Otay Mesa leads to a fake store in the southern San Diego neighborhood. Four people have been charged in connection with drug trafficking linked to the tunnel.
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Mariana Martínez Barba and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Will Huntsberry, Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.
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There’s a creative inertia that resides in San Diego, producing a near-constant stream of cool events. Fortunately, this weekend is no different. Those with an artistic inkling can search for inspiration at MCASD’s EXPO Design Market or admire the mixture of live performance and neighborhood charm during the North Park Music Fest. Foodies can dine (with wine) at Stake Chophouse & Bar during its ZD Wines Dinner or explore Barrio Logan’s standout eats at the Sabor Del Barrio. Plus, Pride Month is already in full swing in SD with the return of DISCO RIOT’s Queer Mvmnt Fest and the two-day Out & Abt Music Festival.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
ZD Wines Dinner at Stake Chophouse & Bar
June 4
Stake Chophouse & Bar is collaborating with Napa Valley’s ZD Wines—a family-run winemaking institution that’s been around since 1969—on an intimate four-course dinner this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Throughout the meal, each dish will be paired with a curated pour from ZD Wines, with patrons set to receive a chardonnay, pinot noir, and pair of cabernet sauvignons. Dinner guests will also be treated to insight on the night’s wine pairings from ZD Wines’ senior winemaker Chris Pisani. Reservations are $210 pre-paid through OpenTable.
1309 Orange Avenue, Coronado
Sabor Del Barrio
June 7
Take advantage of all the dynamic attractions that the Barrio Logan Cultural District has to offer—and eat very well while you’re at it—during the third annual Sabor Del Barrio. This Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. attendees can devour their way through 35 neighborhood staples and traverse the tasting stops on foot, by bike, via a free trolley shuttle, or a combination of the three. Tickets are $40 online ($55 day of) and come with complimentary admission to Quint Gallery, the Athenaeum Art Center, and the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center, plus a free tour of Tao of Clay.
Barrio Logan
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Sam Hinton Folk Heritage Festival at Old Poway Park
June 6
Survey the depth of oral storytelling during the free annual Sam Hinton Folk Heritage Festival this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old Poway Park. Named for harmonica virtuoso, marine biologist, and longtime San Diegan Sam Hinton, this event highlights folk artists who specialize in time-honored traditions. Throughout the day, attendees can see performances by musicians with roots in Americana, Cajun, and Appalachian rhythms on the main stage, dance in the Templars Hall, and hear historical tales from the Storytellers of San Diego in the Porter House.
14134 Midland Road, Poway
North Park Music Fest
June 6
Psychedelic rockers Frankie and the Witch Fingers will headline an eclectic lineup at the North Park Music Fest. This Saturday, enjoy sets from noon to 1:45 a.m. from over thirty performers—including DJs, bands, and local acts—across a dozen North Park venues. Ticket options include general admission ($25 online, $35 day of) and VIP passes ($65) which come with lounge access at Granada House, line-skipping privileges and more; festival proceeds will go towards the North Park Business & Neighborhood Foundation. Plus, performances at Pure Pawsh, Visual Art + Supply, Overland, and Playground Art + Coffee will be open to the public.
North Park
Out & Abt Music Festival
June 6 & 7
The calendar has just flipped to Pride Month, and Out & Abt is celebrating in style. The two-day Out & Abt Music Festival begins Saturday from 3-10 p.m. at The Soap Factory with drag shows, circus acts, a manic pixie dream market, two stages of live music, and last but not least, a mechanical bull. The festivities will continue with an after party from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Gossip Grill and conclude with an afternoon pool party at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on Sunday from 1-7 p.m. Ticket options include weekend general admission passes ($70), and entry to the music festival ($30), after party ($17) and pool party ($27).
Citywide
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
The Monsters at La Jolla Playhouse
June 2-28
Fresh off its Drama Desk Award-winning run in the Big Apple this past winter, The Monsters will have its first West Coast production beginning Tuesday in the Mandall Weiss Forum at La Jolla Playhouse. Written by and co-starring Ngozi Anyanwu, The Monsters finds its reconciliatory narrative in a young woman yearning to repair her relationship with her estranged older brother in the brutal and unforgiving world of mixed martial arts. The Monsters will have preview performances this Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 & 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 & 7 p.m., with tickets ranging from $30-$74.
2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla
Queer Mvmnt Fest
June 3-7
DISCO RIOT has orchestrated five days of queer-focused events centered on the essence and vitality of movement for its annual Queer Mvmnt Fest. The festival begins Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. with short film screenings at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and will include six free movement workshops, with instruction ranging from breathwork to ballet and beyond. Plus, on back-to-back nights at the Malashok Black Box Theater, the participating 2SLGBTQIA+ artists will perform in a variety show (Friday at 7 p.m.) and a featured artist showcase (Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). Admission ranges from free to $40 for individual events at Queer Mvmnt Fest.
Citywide
Golden State Ballet: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Balboa Theatre
June 5-7
The final production in Golden State Ballet’s 2025/26 season will be a world premiere version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, crafted by the company’s artistic director Raúl Salamanca. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s celebratory fantasy play and George Balanchine’s subsequent ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will guide viewers into a fanciful world. This production will also feature the return of Houston Thomas’ neoclassical ballet The Four Seasons to the Golden State Ballet program. Tickets range from $45-$126, with performances this Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Balboa Theatre.
868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp
Let’s Chat at Lamplighters Community Theatre
June 5-14
The ever-expanding presence of artificial intelligence looms large over America’s educational institutions, most notably at the college level. In Let’s Chat, a world-premiere play written and directed by Lisa Balderston, a complex student-teacher quarrel is sprung from the natural tug-of-war between AI usage and ethical standards. Theatergoers can catch Let’s Chat at Lamplighters Community Theatre on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 p.m. this week and next. Tickets are $30 for adults and $28 for students, seniors, and active military.
5915 Severin Drive, La Mesa
Hairspray at New Village Arts
June 5 – July 19
It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and the dancefloor of The Corny Collins Show, the city’s preeminent teen variety show, is the unlikely setting for a battle over racial integration. Based on John Waters’ most accessible film, Hairspray has since become a beloved stage musical featuring teen idols, endearing characters, and a beat that can’t be stopped. New Village Arts’ production of Hairspray will begin with previews ($40) this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., and two additional previews next week, before the production opens on June 13 ($80).
2787 State Street, Carlsbad
New Exhibitions at California Center for the Arts Museum
June 6 – August 16
Ancestry, history, and the immersively original connection to them both is at the forefront of two new exhibitions opening Saturday at the California Center for the Arts Museum. In Field Notes on Memory, a product of the museum’s In Studio Artist Residency program, artists Farshid Bazmandegan, Tony M. Bingham, and Helena Westra blend sentimental and tangible materials with culturally-grounded stories. In José Hugo Sánchez’s Amoxtlis, which will have a free opening reception this Saturday from 4-6 p.m., Sánchez tackles border relations through printmaking informed by Mesoamerican innovation and medium-spanning influences.
340 North Escondido Boulevard, Escondido
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair at Digital Gym Cinema
June 5-11
Digital Gym Cinema and American Cinematheque invite filmgoers to resonate with all matters of havoc and helplessness during Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair. While this week-long gauntlet of afflicting cinema will examine the atrocities of the world in which we live, it is also intended to demonstrate the resounding hope that remains. The Bleak Week programming at Digital Gym Cinema will navigate stories of grief, pain, gore, and beyond, with selections by international directors like Lars von Trier, Béla Tarr and Andrzej Wajda. Tickets are $14 for all series screenings, with multiple showings of each film happening throughout the week.
1100 Market Street, East Village
Giro di San Diego GranFondo
June 6
Cyclists will test their strength as well as their appetites (for both a challenge and the large meal that follows it) during this Saturday’s Giro di San Diego GranFondo. All riders depart from Frances Ryan Park in Escondido at 7:15 a.m. and end in the same location, with mountainous course distances of 20, 32, 56 and 95 miles, as well as the brand-new King & Queen of the Mountain climbing challenge. But no GranFondo is complete without a proper reward, and all cyclists who cross the finish line can enjoy a post-ride massage, receive a finisher’s medal, and dive fork-first into an Italian feast. Registration ranges from $97-$278 for the GranFondo races.
390 Hidden Trails Road, Escondido
EXPO Design Market
June 6 & 7
Tap into cutting-edge worlds of local creativity during the third annual EXPO Design Market at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. This Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., network with fellow arts lovers and check out vinyl DJ sets, maker-led talks, local vendors, a zine workshop, and more. Additionally, festivities will continue each day from 8 p.m. to close during the free 21+ Expo After Dark activation at Kiku Room. Market entry is free for all ages and RSVPs are encouraged, but not mandatory, for both Saturday and Sunday; gallery admission is 50% throughout the weekend when purchased at the front desk.
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
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Countdown to ’26: International Soccer Weekend at Snapdragon Stadium
June 6 & 7
In less than two weeks, 48 nations will vie for soccer’s most desired prize during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But before the tournament kicks off across North America, Snapdragon Stadium will host a pair of friendly matches showcasing four of the tournament’s featured teams. During International Soccer Weekend, local fans can catch matchups between Switzerland and Australia (Saturday at noon) and Colombia vs. Jordan (Sunday at 4 p.m.) as they prepare to play on the sport’s biggest stage. Tickets start at $55 for Saturday’s match and $74 for Sunday’s match.
2101 Stadium Way, Mission Valley
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