Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
Four candidates battling to represent South County on the Board of Supervisors debated housing, homelessness and the Tijuana River sewage crisis during a Thursday election forum.
Several South County organizations, including Albondigas South County and the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, hosted the two-hour event at a Chula Vista library. Carolina Chavez, Chula Vista council member; Paloma Aguirre, Imperial Beach mayor; Vivian Moreno, San Diego council member; and Louis Fuentes, a small-business owner, participated. John McCann, Chula Vista mayor; Lincoln Pickard, a former political candidate; and Elizabeth Efird, an affordable energy consultant, did not attend.
The District 1 seat became vacant after former county Supervisor Nora Vargas announced in December she would not serve her second term. The winner will represent the cities of Chula Vista, National City and Imperial Beach, the San Diego neighborhoods of Nestor, San Ysidro and Barrio Logan, and the unincorporated areas of Bonita and Spring Valley.
Candidates discussed housing, economic development, the cross-border sewage crisis, homelessness, crime and immigration. Here’s how the hopefuls said they would tackle some of those issues.
Aguirre said the county must beef up its follow-up case work to ensure that people are receiving the support they need to get out of homelessness. That could look like “multiple touch points with the same people” who need an identification card, behavioral health services or a permanent address. The county should seek more state funding to cover costs, she added.
Chavez said that while many, including her city, have built some bridge housing and other accommodations for the homeless, she wants to see more resources for mental health.
Similarly, Moreno said the county has not done enough to address its overall shortage of substance abuse services.
“The county only has 78 beds for three million people,” she said. “That, to me, is ridiculous.”
Fuentes said it’s time to try different approaches.
“We have to focus on one group, right now, to have the greatest impact because money is not unlimited,” he said. “Even if it’s 100 people, focus on the 100 people and not just have them on a list.”
To support the development of more housing, Fuentes said the county can start by reducing costs for permitting, rezoning and annexing. That “should reduce the costs for the construction side, which should reduce the cost (to) either sell it or rent it,” he added.
Moreno said the city of San Diego has “taken the red tape away” to be able to build over 200,000 housing units in her district. She wants that at the county level, too. Additionally, she said the county’s Fire Safe and Vehicle Miles Traveled Efficient smart growth alternative “needs to be looked at.” The alternative aims to push development away from areas at high risk for wildfires and closer to urban areas with public facilities.
Aguirre said housing production needs to be diversified so that people of all incomes can afford what’s being built. “We need to make sure we continue housing production where it makes sense in urbanized areas, in infill areas and not just in wildfire prone areas.” She and Chavez said they support facilitating the production of more accessible dwelling units (ADUs).
Cross-border pollution has worsened in recent years, making it one of the most pressing environmental issues for South County communities. For decades, sewage and toxic chemicals have plagued local shorelines and neighborhoods, impacting people’s health, the local economy and military training.
Aguirre said the county “needs to put skin in the game” and that the city of San Diego could also do more to address the crisis, despite it largely being a federal problem. She suggested the creation of a joint powers authority between the county and city to strategize how to better handle Tijuana River sewage flows.
Chavez said both nations’ federal governments are “very far from the border.” She wants better coordination between all levels of government and from both sides of the border. Chavez said she envisions a task force composed of representatives from the local, state and federal governments.
Moreno said funding is key to fixing Tijuana’s leaky system. She wants to see the federal government invest far more funding in the South Bay wastewater treatment plant, beyond the more than $600 million Congress has approved to fix and expand the facility.
Fuentes said that although much progress has been accomplished in recent years, he doesn’t see the current administration freeing up more money “for an area they don’t even know.” But, he added, “they can work diplomatically to force the root of where that sewage is coming from, which is from Mexico.”
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SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”
It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says.
The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.
Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.
Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.
Eric Wolfinger
“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments.
Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.
The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.
Kimberly Motos
About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”
Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.
Gage Forster
Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.
“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”
Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.
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