San Diego, CA
Editor's Note, September 2024: California Love | San Diego Magazine
California is built on drama. There is nothing subtle about this place, and there never was. Our landscape is the result of a hundred million years of violent plate tectonics, lava flows, ancient glaciers, and the kind of patience only Mother Earth knows. What burst forth from the combining of these dramatic forces is unlike anyplace else on Earth, rich with the best the planet has to offer: mountains, coastlines, canyons, valleys, plains, deserts, burritos.
We’re home to the largest and oldest trees in the world and the highest and lowest points in the contiguous US (within 80 miles of each other, no less. Drama). Truly, California is the main character.
Today, California is America with the volume turned up. No other state matches our energy, cultural contributions, or natural beauty. We’re home to a global entertainment industry, a global tech industry, and an economy that nearly every country envies, as well as some of the most stunning landscapes not just in the US, but anywhere.
Sure, it’s loud and it’s crowded here, but California, both as a place and as an idea, is simply unrivaled. It’s why so many people want to come to visit and to live.
So, dip us in gold and call us superfans. We love it here, which is why we’re deliriously happy to bring you our first-ever California issue. With this issue, we wanted to delve into some of what’s happening outside our county lines and offer our readers a feeling of connection to a larger community of people who call California home. There’s so much to explore.
In these pages, we’re looking at our state at large (while staying anchored in SD, of course). First, we’re going surfing with women in Santa Barbara who picked up the sport later in life, then, we’re looking at a California crisis: Birth centers are closing due to regulatory red tape, leaving parents-to-be—especially low-income and minority mothers—with few options for where they can give birth.
We’re also climbing to the tops of California’s iconic palm trees and learning about a scientist’s mission to save them from being eaten alive, talking to the new lead singer of a truly quintessential SoCal band, traveling to a town determined to preserve its stargazing, taking a trip to Channel Islands National Park, and stepping inside an improbable opera house in the desert.
Plus, we’ve got a massive, stunning visual smorgasbord of some of California’s most underrated destinations. Get your bucket list out—you’re going to want to make some additions. And I hope you’re hungry, because we’re also hitting the hottest new restaurant in Hillcrest and shouting out some of our favorite food finds this month around SD. This magazine is packed like a California rush-hour freeway.
We had fun putting this together for you, and we hope you enjoy exploring our golden state with us. We’re lucky to call this place home.
Hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco is bringing his “Food & Liquor” 20th anniversary debut album tour to San Diego. Fiasco’s first studio album, “Food & Liquor,” was nominated for four Grammy Awards and the single “Daydreaming” featuring Jill Scott won a Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Other singles off his debut LP were “Kick, Push” and “I Gotcha.” 7 p.m. Sunday. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. $49.25-$206.50. 619-299-2583, sandiego.houseofblues.com/shows
Earl Thomas and The Anthony Cullins Band: Earl Thomas and Anthony Cullins will perform two free shows at Lou Lou’s. Thomas is a singer-songwriter who plays American soul, blues and roots rock. Cullins is a songwriter who plays guitar with rhythm and blues, soul, funk, jazz and rock influences. Cullins has also won San Diego Music Awards in the Best Blues Artist category in 2023 and 2024. Seating for both shows is on a first arrival basis and for those 21 years and older. 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday. Lou Lou’s, 2225 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. Free. loulousclub.com
Paul Anka: Singer, songwriter and actor Paul Anka is scheduled to perform his hits from the past seven decades at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. Some of his songs include “Diana,” “My Way,” “Puppy Love” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” He has also had songs on the Billboard charts during seven consecutive decades, according to event organizers. 9 p.m. Tuesday. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, $120-$243. 800-745-3000, humphreysconcerts.com
Yungblud: In February, Yungblud released his fourth studio album “IDOLS” and now he is sharing his new music on his IDOLS world tour with a stop in San Diego. Yungblud mixes punk and rock with his vocals. The English musician has received multiple awards for his music and live performances, including the O2 Silver Clef Award for Best Live Act in 2022. 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Rady Shell, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. $88.33. 619-235-0804, theshell.org
Barrington Levy: The Jamaican-born Barrington Levy is back in San Diego with his reggae and dancehall vibes for one night at the Music Box. Levy has been making music since the 1970s and released his first four solo album in 1979. Levy has over 30 albums, with his newest LP “Acousticalevy” in 2015, and collaborated over the years with Bounty Killer, Cutty Ranks and Shyne. Last year, Levy’s 40th anniversary edition of his album, “Prison Oval Rock,” was released. Doah’s Daydream will be opening up the show. 8 p.m. Thursday. Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego. $57. 619-795-1337, musicboxsd.com
Takuya Kuroda: Brooklyn-based and Japanese trumpet player Takuya Kuroda is taking the stage for a night of jazz at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Last year he released his eighth studio album, “Everyday,” and a collaboration LP, “Add a Zero,” with Chris McCarthy and Sam Minaie. He has worked with hip-hop producer DJ Premier 8 p.m. Thursday. Belly Up, 143 South Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $25. 858-481-8140, bellyup.com
Carlos Rico, Union-Tribune
San Diego, CA
Feeding San Diego explains the impact of high gas prices on fueling fleet & food rescue
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Gas prices in San Diego County have dipped slightly this week.
But the costs it takes to fill up a fuel tank are getting quite pricey for some food banks.
“We kind of have a triple whammy going on with the fuel situation,” Patty O’Connor, Chief Operating Officer for Feeding San Diego, said.
O’Connor said the first big hit with the current gas prices is bringing the food into Feeding San Diego’s food distribution center.
“We bring about 2 million pounds a month here, and a lot of that is, most of that is rescued food, but we still have to pay for the freight that cost us over $100,000 last month just in freight to bring that in,” O’Connor said.
The organization also sends that food out to the community by truck and by van.
“Every day you’ll see our bright orange trucks going out into the community. We do about 25 deliveries a day, but about 480 over the course of a month, and if you can imagine that costs a lot of money,” O’Connor said.
“In fact, last month, that cost us about $32,000 in just fuel costs. We rely on diesel fuel, and that was twice as much as it was a year ago.”
It’s not only more expensive to fuel the trucks delivering the food, but it’s also more expensive to keep what’s inside them cool.
“And then when we’re loading and unloading, we need to make sure that the trucks are running so that we can keep the food food-safe. So that’s a whole other part of this process that we are managing,” O’Connor said.
Feeding San Diego told ABC 10News they’ve heard from some partners that are on the food rescue side of things that it’s more expensive to drive to pick up those products. So they’ve been able to give some of those partners gas cards to pay for their gas to get food to the community that needs it.
“We look to the community to support us, and so far, um, San Diegans are generous, and they have been generous, and we really do need to continue that generosity so that we can support the struggling families throughout the county,” O’Connor said. “And whatever we can do to support those families, we are going to do so.”
Gloria relents on December Nights, some community cuts in budget revise, but arts funds still on chopping block
by City News Service | Times of San Diego
Some library and recreation center hours and December Nights support were restored in Mayor Todd Gloria’s revised Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Wednesday, but city funding for the arts could still be gutted.
Gloria was joined by civic leaders Wednesday morning to announce changes to his initial proposed budget, released last month. He added “targeted protections” of certain neighborhood priorities and maintained police and fire service levels while arriving at a balanced budget.
Proposed additions include protecting rec center and library hours in Council Districts 4, 8 and 9, represented by Henry L. Foster III, Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera, respectively.
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The Learning Curve: He’s San Diego Unified’s Next Trustee – No Race Needed
By Jakob McWhinney | Voice of San Diego
The primary is still nearly a month away. The general election is even further out. Still, it’s already clear that Hayden Gore will be San Diego Unified’s next trustee. That’s because he’s running unopposed to fill the seat left open by current Trustee Cody Petterson, who opted not to run for re-election.
Though he’s a political newcomer, Gore was the early choice of San Diego Unified’s union. In fact, he was recruited by the former president of the San Diego Education Association to run for the seat.
It’s not hard to see why. He’s an avowed progressive and a longtime educator who led the then-newly formed union at High Tech High to its first contract. Exactly the kind of resume that would have SDEA champing at the bit.
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Join Us Friday, July 17, 2026 for the 11th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute
By RJS Law
The Institute is the premier annual tax event in San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, enrolled agents (EAs), certified public accountants (CPAs), law and business school professors will discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solutions in trust, estate planning, and tax matters.
DATE AND TIME
Friday, July 17, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Theatre
5555 Marian Way, San Diego, CA 92110
EVENT STATUS
Open to the Public
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