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San Diego, CA
MLB Bans San Diego Padres Utility Player For Gambling on Baseball
Major League Baseball declared San Diego Padres utility player Tucupita Marcano permanently ineligible on Monday, and disciplined four other minor league players, for gambling on baseball.
Marcano received the heaviest penalty permissible by MLB for violating Rule 21, which prohibits gambling on baseball. The other four players — Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez, Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank — were each suspended one year under the terms of the Minor League sports betting policy applicable to them at the time of their bets.
Michael Owens/Getty Images
In a statement, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said “Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, we have worked with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to put ourselves in a better position from an integrity perspective through the transparency that a regulated sports betting system can provide. MLB will continue to invest heavily in integrity monitoring, educational programming, and awareness initiatives with the goal of ensuring strict adherence to this fundamental rule of our game.”
The list of violations against Marcano was limited to games he wagered on through a legal operator while he was on the Pittsburgh Pirates major league roster:
- From Oct. 16-23 2022, and from July 12 to Nov. 1, 2023, Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related bets among other bets on international baseball games. Marcano’s MLB bets were generally parlays, which would sometimes include multiple MLB-related legs, and they would sometimes include MLB-related legs and non-MLB legs.
- In total, Marcano bet more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that on MLB-related bets (an average of approximately $378 per bet). Of more than 200 MLB bets Marcano placed over this period, 25 included Pirates games while he was on their roster. Marcano did not appear in any of the games on which he placed bets, however, because all of Marcano’s Pirates-related bets, and the vast majority of his bets overall, occurred during the period after he suffered a season-ending knee injury on July 24, 2023.
- Consistent with Marcano’s overall baseball betting activity, almost all of Marcano’s Pirates bets were on which Club (the Pirates or their opponent) would win the game or whether there would be more or less than a certain number of runs scored in the game. Ultimately, Marcano lost all of his parlays involving the Pirates and only won 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets overall.
- There is no evidence to suggest, and Marcano denied, that any outcomes in the baseball games on which he placed bets were compromised, influenced, or manipulated in any way.
The Pirates released a statement of their own Tuesday, saying “We are extremely disappointed of Tucupita’s actions and are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s ruling. The Pirates, along with MLB, (the MLB) Players Association, and every Club, work to ensure all involved within our game are aware of the rules and policies around gambling. While the thorough investigation revealed no evidence of any games being compromised, influenced, or manipulated in any way in this case, protecting the integrity of our game is paramount.”
Marcano, 24, joins a short list of players declared permanently ineligible by the commissioner for betting on baseball, most famously including MLB’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.
This season, Marcano had not appeared in a game while recovering from knee surgery. In parts of three major league seasons with the Padres and Pirates from 2021-23, Marcano has played 149 games and hit .217 with five home runs and 34 RBIs. He has seen time at five different positions and stolen seven bases in his career.
By banning Marcano permanently, MLB can only hope he serves as a warning shot to a generation of players for whom legalized sports betting has been more accessible than their forebears. MLB (and some teams individually) have official business relationships with DraftKings and MGM, among other gaming operators.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Here’s who is playing in the 2026 men’s World Cup on Tuesday, June 23.
MORE: 2026 men’s World Cup standings, scores, brackets
World Cup TV Schedule June 23
Group Stage
Group K: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT, Houston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group L: England vs. Ghana, 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT, Boston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group L: Panama vs. Croatia, 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT, Toronto Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group K: Colombia vs. Congo DR, 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT, Estadio Guadalajara (FS1, Telemundo, Peacock)
Note: Matches on Telemundo and Peacock are in Spanish.
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The superintendent of Los Angeles public schools has resigned four months after he was put on paid leave during a federal investigation, saying he wants students to learn “without distraction.”
Alberto Carvalho ‘s resignation letter dated Sunday made no direct mention of the FBI’s Feb. 25 search of his home and the LA Unified School District’s headquarters. Two days after the FBI served the search warrants, the district’s Board of Education voted unanimously to place Carvalho on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the district, which serves more than 500,000 students. The investigation appears to relate to a contract the school district had with an education technology company whose leader was later indicted for fraud. The company, AllHere, had a contract with the district to create an AI chatbot.
Before becoming the Los Angeles superintendent in 2022, Carvalho had spent his entire education career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he drew national praise for improving graduation rates and academic achievement among Black and Hispanic students. While advocating for Miami’s immigrant students, he spoke openly about his own struggles as a young recent arrival from Portugal working in restaurants and construction while homeless at times.
Under Carvalho, the Los Angeles district had been making strides. Students’ academic growth has outpaced the state average in recent years and students have bounced back from pandemic learning loss. Voters overwhelmingly passed a $9 billion construction and modernization bond, the school system’s largest ever.
Carvalho has denied wrongdoing
Authorities have not accused Carvalho of any crimes. He denied any wrongdoing earlier this year and had asked to be reinstated as head of the nation’s second-largest district. On Sunday he resigned via a letter addressed to “students, families, teachers, staff, and community.”
“Placing students first has always guided my work,” Carvalho wrote. “Because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as Superintendent of LAUSD effective today, June 21, 2026.”
In its statement released early Monday, the Board acknowledged it received the letter of resignation.
“The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership. Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve,” it said. in the statement.
It said that Andrés Chait, who has been acting superintendent, will remain in that position until a permanent decision is made.
The FBI investigation has been linked to the maker of a school chatbot
In February, the FBI also searched a third location near Miami. The Miami Herald reported the Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who previously worked with AllHere.
In 2024, Carvalho heavily touted a deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot named “Ed” designed to help students. But about three months after unveiling the technology and paying the company $3 million, the district dropped its dealings with AllHere, which collapsed into bankruptcy. Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with securities and wire fraud, along with identity theft.
At the time, Carvalho denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Mr. Carvalho respects the rule of law and the investigative process and has always acted in the best interests of students and within the bounds of the law,” Holland & Knight, the law firm representing him, previously said in a statement. “While the government’s investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law.”
Following the search of school headquarters, LA Unified said it was cooperating with investigators and had no further information.
Carvalho became superintendent of LA schools in 2022 on a four-year contract with an annual salary of $440,000. He began a new four-year contract in February, just weeks before the raid, for the same salary, according to school board meeting documents.
In Miami, Carvalho began his education career as a high school physics teacher in the 1980s and climbed the administrative ranks. He led the district for nearly 14 years.
In 2020, a nonprofit he founded to support Miami schools drew scrutiny after it solicited a $1.57 million donation from an online education company doing business with the district. The district’s inspector general later determined the donation didn’t violate state or district ethics policies but did create the “appearance of impropriety” and should be returned, according to The Miami Herald. Instead of returning the funds, the foundation distributed the money to Miami-Dade teachers in the form of $100 gift cards.
Toness reported from Boston.
On Wednesday evening, the culinary stars will collide in downtown San Diego. That’s when The Michelin Guide will bring its California restaurant awards ceremony to San Diego for the very first time.
At the invitation-only event, Guide officials will unveil the California restaurants that are receiving new Michelin stars for 2026 or retaining the stars they’ve earned in years past. San Diego County restaurants have only been eligible for Michelin recognition since 2019, so luring the awards ceremony here has been a top priority for local restaurant and tourism officials ever since.
Nobody is more proud to be hosting the event in San Diego than William Bradley, the chef-director of Addison by William Bradley. The Chula Vista native opened his restaurant in San Diego’s Carmel Valley 20 years ago, and it is now one of just 14 Michelin three-star restaurants in the United States.
“To get the ceremony in San Diego was something I really dreamed of and pushed for,” said Bradley. “What an opportunity to have so many great chefs here in our hometown and in our own backyard to celebrate as a group all of the great restaurants in the state. We’re so ready to shine in San Diego. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
The Michelin effect
Born in France in 1900, the Michelin Guide was created to boost sales of the company’s car tires. The guide booklet, which recommended restaurants and other spots to visit during cross-country road trips, was a hit (for tire sales and the restaurants). In the 1920s, Michelin stars were introduced and over time they became the international standard for excellence.
In 2005, the Michelin Guide arrived in the U.S., starting in New York City, followed by the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007 and Chicago in 2011.
In 2019, the Guide finally expanded its coverage throughout California, thanks to a $600,000 investment in the program by the Visit California tourism organization. Michelin spent the money recruiting and training inspectors with at least 10 years of hospitality industry experience to dine anonymously at restaurants around the state year-round.
In the first year of statewide eligibility in 2019, Addison by William Bradley earned Southern California’s first Michelin star. Seven years later, San Diego County is now home to 43 Michelin Guide-honored restaurants, including five with Michelin stars, nine with Bib Gourmand awards, which recognize great cooking at great value, and 29 with selection honors, recognizing high-quality food.
For these local restaurants, Michelin awards have put them on the international map, brought in more business and helped them recruit investors and motivated workers. For local tourism officials, the awards have raised the profile of San Diego as an international culinary destination.
San Diego Tourism Authority Chief Operating Officer Kerri Kapich said restaurant awards from Michelin, as well as from the James Beard Foundation and Eater.com, give travelers another reason to visit San Diego, stay longer and spend their dollars eating out.
About $1.6 billion of San Diego’s $14.8 billion visitor economy in 2025 was spent on dining, and most of that was driven by overnight guests, she said.
“I love how fresh our food is here and the quality and diversity of our restaurants,” said Kapich, who has worked in local tourism for more than 20 years. “When we talk to travelers about why San Diego is a great place to visit, they’ll talk about our unique local cuisine and the quality of our cuisine.”
In its 2025 “Beyond the Michelin Stars” study, the accounting firm Ernst & Young found that 60% of international travelers under the age of 34 use the Michelin Guide when choosing a restaurant, and 74% of travelers consider Michelin’s presence in a city as a reason for choosing a destination.
The study also found that 82% of chefs surveyed reported an increase is overall sales after receiving a Michelin award.
Chef and restaurateur Roberto Alcocer, whose 4 1/2-year-old contemporary Mexican restaurant Valle in Oceanside earned its Michelin star in 2023, said there’s a common adage in the industry about how stars impact a restaurant’s bottom line.
“They say when you get one star, your business grows by 40 percent. If you get two stars, it grows 60 percent, and if you get three stars it grows 100 percent. But when we got our star, our business grew 100 percent,” Alcocer said.
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The chefs and owners of California’s eight Michelin three-star restaurants at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. At far right is William Bradley, the chef-director at Addison by William Bradley in San Diego. (Marc Patrick / BFA.com)
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The chefs and owners of California’s eight Michelin three-star restaurants at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. At far right is William Bradley, the chef-director at Addison by William Bradley in San Diego. (Marc Patrick / BFA.com)
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The lure of Michelin
Two of San Diego County’s five Michelin-starred restaurants are in Carlsbad: Jeune et Jolie, which earned its star in 2021, and the 24-seat Lilo, which landed a star in 2025 just 10 weeks after it opened. Both are led by restaurateur John Resnick and executive chef Eric Bost, who is also a partner in Lilo.
When Resnick opened Jeune et Jolie in December 2018, there was no California Michelin Guide. But meeting Michelin’s high-quality standards was Resnick’s top priority for the contemporary French restaurant.
“Michelin was the mindset. They’re not here, but if they were, we want this to be a one-star restaurant,” he said. “We wanted to be creating a really great restaurant that’s incredibly delicious, equal parts special occasion and neighborhood restaurant.”
Bost said that when he was growing up, he was fascinated with the “mystique and romanticism” of Michelin-star restaurants, but it was an abstract concept, since the Guide didn’t exist in the U.S. at the time. So in 2001, he moved to Paris to work in French kitchens, and later worked under French master chefs Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy.
Bost said earning a Michelin star is a proud achievement, but it’s also a big responsibility. Customers expect excellence every night and stars must be re-earned each year.
“It’s about how to keep the team engaged, the restaurants growing and doing better and better each year,” Bost said. “We’re very conscious of that. It keeps this positive pressure. We have a responsibility to maintain those standards for our guests. It’s an internal compass as much as it is an external recognition.”
Alcocer said his desire to earn a Michelin star was one of the main reasons he moved to Carlsbad from his native Mexico in 2021 to open Valle in Oceanside. Mexico didn’t launch its Michelin Guide until 2024, but by then Alcocer already had a star under his belt in the U.S.
How Michelin works
The Michelin Guide tightly guards the secrecy of its inspectors and its judging process, but the anonymous Chief Inspector of Michelin Guide North America did respond to questions submitted via email by the Union-Tribune.
Inspectors choose the restaurants they visit based on their knowledge of the region’s gastronomic scene and they pay their own bills. They rate restaurants based on the five criteria Michelin has used in its now-global methodology since 1926: use of quality products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, the voice and personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine and consistency between each visit.
The decision to award a star is done collegially, meaning several inspectors will visit a potential star restaurant throughout the year to ensure they all agree that the five criteria have been met.
A Michelin Guide award is not permanent. Every recipient, whether they have a top-tier star or a third-tier selection, are revisited each year to ensure that all five criteria continue to be met.
In San Diego in 2024, Sushi Tadokoro’s star and Solare’s Bib Gourmand awards were both downgraded to selection status. And since 2019, more than a dozen local restaurants that were named selections have been dropped from the guide completely.
Even though Addison’s Bradley is in the Michelin major leagues with fellow three-star California chefs like Thomas Keller, Dominique Crenn, Cory Lee and Michael Cimarusti, he said he still finds it nerve-wracking each year to find out whether his stars have been renewed.
Bradley, Bost and Alcocer said their job as chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants is to never rest on their laurels.
“You have to keep evolving and keep growing. Every time we learn something or see something that could use a small change, we go for it,” Alcocer said.
In the past year at Valle, Alcocer has introduced a lighter tasting menu for off-hours dining, added patio seating, changed the candles on each table, and he’s now sending diners home with a gift bag stocked with house-made Habañera hot sauce and lavender soap made with recycled cooking oil.
Awards night
Because so many of California’s top chefs will be in San Diego this week for the ceremony, Addison, Valle, Jeune et Jolie and Lilo will all be expanding their operating hours to accommodate visiting chefs and restaurateurs.
Resnick and Bost said they’re excited to welcome colleagues from afar who have yet to explore San Diego’s fine-dining community.
“It’s a rad opportunity for people to come and see how incredible this place is with the great community of restaurants that we’ve forged,” Resnick said. “We’re all excited and it’s a big point of pride for all of us.”
At the California awards ceremony each year, invited chefs mingle at a reception before the ceremony begins. Then, Michelin officials announce the year’s new and returning star recipients, starting with the one-star tier and concluding with three stars.
The biggest cheers of the evening always go to restaurants receiving their first-ever star, as well as the rare restaurants fortunate enough to earn a second or third star. California has eight restaurants with three stars, 14 with two stars and 61 with one star.
Bradley said he’s “pretty confident” there will be some good news for San Diego restaurants on Wednesday.
“I think there will be some chefs that are going to get their star this time around. I want them to. We want more stars here in San Diego. It just makes San Diego more of a destination,” he said. “That was our goal many years ago to help secure this region on a world map and here we are. It’s going to be great.”
Here are all 43 of the current Michelin Guide honorees in San Diego County:
Michelin starred: fiveStars honor outstanding cooking, based on the five criteria of ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, the mastery of culinary techniques, how the chef’s personality shines through their cuisine and consistency across the entire menu and over time. Restaurants can earn up to three stars. There are just 14 Michelin three-star restaurants in the U.S.
- Addison by William Bradley, Carmel Valley – three stars
- Jeune et Jolie, Carlsbad – one star
- Lilo, Carlsbad – one star
- Soichi, North Park – one star
- Valle, Oceanside – one star
Bib Gourmand: nineA Bib Gourmand honors great cooking at great value — simple, skillful dishes that don’t compromise on quality.
- Atelier Manna, Leucadia
- Callie, East Village
- Cesarina, Point Loma
- Ciccia Osteria, Barrio Logan
- Cucina Urbana, Bankers Hill
- Dija Mara, Oceanside
- Lola 55, East Village
- Mabel’s Gone Fishing, North Park
- Morning Glory, Little Italy
Selections: 29This represents high-quality food.
- Artifact at Mingei, Balboa Park
- A.R. Valentien, La Jolla
- Born & Raised, Little Italy
- Catania, La Jolla
- Campfire, Carlsbad
- Coasterra, Harbor Island
- Cloak & Petal, Little Italy
- Craft & Commerce, Little Italy
- The Fishery, Pacific Beach
- Fort Oak, Mission Hills
- Great Maple, Hillcrest
- Herb & Wood, Little Italy
- Hidden Fish, Convoy District
- Himitsu, La Jolla
- Juniper & Ivy, Little Italy
- Kingfisher, Golden Hill
- Lucien, La Jolla
- Market Restaurant + Bar, Del Mar
- Menya Ultra, Convoy District
- Nine-Ten, La Jolla
- Paradisaea, Bird Rock, La Jolla
- Siamo Napoli, North Park
- Seréa Coastal Cuisine, Coronado
- Solare, Liberty Station
- Sushi Tadokoro, Old Town
- Tanner’s Prime Burgers, Oceanside
- Trust, Hillcrest
- 24 Suns, Oceanside
- Sovereign, East Village
For the complete list of all California Michelin Guide honorees, visit guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/restaurants.
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