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Christmas Day services, community events scheduled across San Diego County

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Christmas Day services, community events scheduled across San Diego County


Despite stormy weather, San Diego County residents will still have plenty of opportunities to celebrate Christmas in festive and spiritual ways.

From worship services to community meals and holiday celebrations, organizations across the region are opening their doors.

Scheduled Christmas Day religious services include:

— Church of the Resurrection, 1445 Conway Drive, Escondido: Mass at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. in English, and at noon in Spanish;

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— St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 1450 S. Melrose Drive, Oceanside: Mass at 9:30 a.m.;

— St. Michael’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 2775 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad: Mass beginning at 9:30 a.m.;

— St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 890 Balour Drive, Encinitas: Christmas worship service at 9:30 a.m.; and

— St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 334 14th St., Del Mar: Christmas service at 10 a.m.

Elsewhere in San Diego County:

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— Beginning at 8 a.m., the eighth annual Shane Harris Community Christmas Day breakfast and gift giveaway will be held at Columbus Hall, 4425 Home Ave. Held to benefit for foster families, unsheltered youth and struggling families, the event will include two wrapped gifts, free breakfast for families and 15 tons of snow; and

— At 11 a.m., Serving Seniors will host a holiday dinner featuring entertainment, for older adults at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center. John Conroy, a Serving Seniors client who was formerly homeless, will play piano, and others will also receive holiday gift bags with practical items.

In a statement, Harris said the holiday breakfast event exists because “Christmas morning can be incredibly lonely for families facing hardship.”

“This is about creating a home, a table, and a moment of joy for families who need it most,” he said. “Seeing this grow into a citywide tradition has been incredibly humbling.”

Meanwhile, administrative offices and some city of San Diego facilities will see limited closures on Christmas Eve, with most facilities closed on Christmas Day. All city administrative offices will be closed Thursday.

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Police and Fire-Rescue services will operate on normal schedules. County animal shelters, family resource centers, health clinics, libraries and public offices will be closed Thursday, but law enforcement and emergency animal control services will continue operating.

County campgrounds and parks will remain open on the holiday. However, the following community facilities will be closed: Adams Park Pool; community centers in Fallbrook, Lakeside, Spring Valley and teen community centers; the 4S Ranch Recreation Office; Spring Valley Gymnasium; and Valley Center Community Hall.

On Christmas Day, the Metropolitan Transit System will offer free rides, as part of a promotion.

“Every fare-paying adult passenger can bring one guest along at no additional cost,” MTS officials said in a statement.

According to MTS, on Thursday:

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— All trolley lines will operate every 30 minutes, while most bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule;

— No service will be available on Rapid Express Routes 280 or 290, and Rural Routes 888, 891, 892 and 894;

— MTS Access subscription passengers needing service must call ahead of time to arrange their transportation; and

— Holiday travelers may use direct connections to San Diego International Airport, via Route 992 adjacent to Santa Fe Depot or the San Diego Airport Flyer from the Old Town Transit Center.

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San Diego, CA

Letters: Stop taxpayer funds for short-term rental trash 

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Letters: Stop taxpayer funds for short-term rental trash 


San Diego taxpayers are subsidizing the short-term rental industry’s trash collection under the People’s Ordinance. The 2017 letter from the city attorney to Councilmember Zapf is crystal clear: transient occupancy (rentals under 30 days) generates “nonresidential refuse.”

The city is prohibited from providing free weekly collection to these units. Yet, thousands of whole-home STRs continue to receive curbside service at taxpayer expense. Measure B (2022) modernized funding but left the core definition intact — transient rentals remain ineligible for city residential service. 

Requiring owners to arrange and pay for private hauling would shift the full cost off the general fund. With roughly 7,954 active licenses, and residential collection costing about $520 per unit annually, the city could save approximately $4.1 million a year. That money could repair streets, fund public safety or lower taxes for actual residents. Enforce the ordinance as written.

— Gary Wonacott, San Diego

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San Diego, CA

San Diego teen organizes Eid goodie bags for children after Mosque tragedy

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San Diego teen organizes Eid goodie bags for children after Mosque tragedy


SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As the Muslim community prepares to celebrate Eid al-Adha next month, a San Diego teenager is working to bring comfort and joy to children impacted by the recent tragedy at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Seventeen-year-old Sarah Abdin spent the past week fundraising, shopping and assembling nearly 100 Eid goodie bags for students at the mosque’s elementary school.

While many teenagers are focused on final exams, Abdin said she spent some nights working until 2 a.m. to make sure every bag was ready in time for the school’s upcoming graduation celebration.

The project was inspired by the recent shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where children were present during the incident. Abdin, who attended the mosque as a child, said hearing about what students experienced motivated her to take action.

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Each bag contains a variety of treats, activities and gifts intended to help children celebrate Eid, one of the most important holidays in Islam.

Abdin said community members quickly rallied behind the effort, helping raise funds and support the project. After days of shopping and preparation, she and her sister spent several hours assembling the bags ahead of delivery.

The goodie bags are expected to be distributed during the elementary school’s graduation festivities in early June.

Abdin said she hopes the gesture serves as a reminder that the children are surrounded by a community that cares about them and stands beside them during difficult times.

The fundraising effort received widespread support, helping cover the cost of the goodie bags and allowing organizers to expand their reach to more students.

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Letters: A selective immigration policy ultimately fails us all

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Letters: A selective immigration policy ultimately fails us all


How interesting that Donald Trump is deporting Brown people who pay taxes and contribute to our economy (though they will never reap any benefits from those taxes) and instead is using our tax money to import and set up South Africans (none of whom are anything but White) who have never contributed to our economy. Could skin color perhaps have something to do with this policy?

— Nita Herpolsheimer, San Diego



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