San Diego, CA
Opinion: Yes on Proposition 4 now or pay more later
Changing climate conditions are affecting our health, lives and economy. Just consider what San Diegans endured over the last year.
In recent weeks, a prolonged heat wave kept temperatures in the three-digit range, toxic smoke migrating from wildfires up north prompted air quality alerts, and area hillsides thick with dry brush caught fire. In January, nearly 1,200 people were displaced from flooding after 150 billion gallons of rain fell in six hours.
Natural disasters like these are expected to increase, putting this region at risk. Fortunately, many are working hard on proven solutions to these challenges along with rising sea levels and shrinking drinking water supplies.
Proposition 4 gives us a chance to invest in solutions now to prevent paying more when disaster strikes. This is why, as a scientist and a career firefighter, we urge you to support Proposition 4 on the November ballot.
To prevent wildfires and toxic smoke, Proposition 4 provides $1.5 billion to create fire breaks near communities, improve forest health, harden homes from wildfire, support specialized firefighting equipment, and deploy early detection and response systems. This is critical, considering four of the state’s top 20 deadliest wildfires occurred in San Diego County — destroying thousands of homes and filling the sky with smoke and ash.
To protect access to safe drinking water, Proposition 4 provides $3.8 billion to filter contaminants, recharge aquifers, rebuild crumbling water infrastructure and protect watersheds. California is the fifth largest economy in the world and it’s shameful nearly 3.3 million of us live without clean drinking water, where water systems might fail or could potentially fail. More than 36,000 are your neighbors here in San Diego.
Furthermore, Proposition 4 provides $1.2 billion to help communities confront rising seas and eroding beaches. San Diego’s coasts are projected to annually experience 20 days of high tide flooding by 2043 and at least 50 days by 2057. Investment in coastal habitat remains one of the most cost-effective ways to enhance storm protection and handle flood waters. San Diegans have pioneered natural protections, exemplified by the dune restoration at Cardiff State Beach and the wetland restoration at San Dieguito Lagoon. With many local beaches eroding 1 to 3 meters a year, more investments now can help shore up our communities and livelihoods that depend on the coastline.
Many local priorities are funded in Proposition 4, including $170 million for the Salton Sea Management Program, $73 million for the San Diego River Conservancy for watershed and wildfire resilience programs, and $50 million for watershed and water quality projects on the Tijuana and New rivers.
The longer we wait to take action on climate, the greater the consequences and costs.
A new era of megafires has begun. Nineteen of California’s top 20 largest wildfires occurred since 2000. Most burned since 2017, incinerating an area considerably larger than our major cities: equivalent to 17 Los Angeles, or 25 San Diegos, or 183 San Franciscos. From 2017 to 2021, wildfires caused over $100 billion in damages each year and $5 billion in costs to the state.
Wildfires don’t just threaten our communities. Our ability to breathe clean air is at stake. While a quarter of California has a very high or extreme fire threat and more than 25 percent of us live in these areas, wildfire risks impact us all because smoke travels great distances. A recent study found wildfire smoke exposure in California caused more than 50,000 deaths and $400 billion in economic damages between 2008-2018.
Our access to clean drinking water is also at stake. Water supplies are contaminated when watersheds are damaged by wildfire and migrating ash. In a jolt to 27 million Californians, state water officials announced advancing climate change could cause the State Water Project to reduce water deliveries by nearly a quarter over the next 20 years.
The good news is California knows how to tackle big challenges and we have the solutions to stop these conditions from spreading. Through Proposition 4, we can invest in them at scale to protect communities and local economies while keeping costs down for taxpayers and families.
For these reasons, we urge your support for Proposition 4. Let’s protect California and what makes it so special.
Engeman is an oceanography researcher and a member of the San Diego Sea-level Rise Working Group. She lives in San Diego. Anthony is a registered professional forester and former chief deputy director at CAL FIRE now working as a strategic wildfire consultant, and lives in South Lake Tahoe.
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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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – For many families, libraries are a safe space for kids after school and a place to study.
After community outcry, the city is scaling down some of its proposed budget cuts, bringing the original $6.3 million in cuts to libraries down to $4.8 million.
Patrick Stewart, CEO of Library Foundation SD, said the change is a step in the right direction.
“We are very pleased. I think this moves the needle in the right direction.”
Mayor Gloria’s revised budget proposal restores funding focused on youth-centered programs, which includes bringing back library hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9 — those in underserved communities.
“This is City Heights and San Isidro, Barrio Logan, and Oak Park, and traditionally, those are smaller branches. And the kids and the families in those communities frankly, they use their library very differently than in a lot of other communities, and it’s a lifeline to them,” said Stewart.
The City Heights library is among those included in the mayor’s revised budget to restore funding. While library officials say this is a good first step, there is still concern about long-term financial challenges.
In order to voice concerns about how deep the cuts go, the Library Foundation has created a way for supporters to express that through postcards. Thousands of cards have been mailed directly to Mayor Gloria and councilmembers.
Stewart said the effort is making an impact.
“They’re seeing that this is hundreds and hundreds of people that are taking this very seriously, so it helps them to know immediately what their community feels like when it comes to these proposed cuts,” he added.
The restored funding would also keep Monday hours at Carmel Valley Library and protect the North Clairemont Library branch from closure.
Library officials remain optimistic as the revised budget heads back to the City Council.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
A man suspected of a fatal shooting in Barrio Logan was arrested Tuesday.
Benito Garcia Jr., 31, was arrested in the 3600 block of Grand Avenue in San Marcos at about 1 p.m. Tuesday for allegedly gunning down 64-year-old Raul Torres near the east end of the Coronado Bridge, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Patrol officers responding to an anonymous report of a shooting found the mortally wounded victim on a sidewalk in the 2000 block of National Avenue, near Chicano Park, shortly after 10 p.m. last Tuesday. Torres died at the scene, SDPD Lt. Lou Maggi said.
Police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the slaying.
Garcia was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first- degree murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
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