It was a 4 a.m. start Thursday for nearly 60 volunteers in Vista who took part in the one-day “snapshot” of the region’s homeless population – known as the Point-in-Time Count.
Before they headed out, they got a briefing from Daniel Sturman, a management analyst overseeing homeless contacts for the City of Vista.
Daniel Sturman speaks to a group of volunteers ahead of the annual Point-in-Time Count, Jan. 25, 2024.
“You’re looking for people that are covering their windows at night, so somebody that might have a sunshade up. Somebody that has a bunch of trash in the back of a vehicle,” Sturman explained to the group.
KPBS joined a team of three volunteers — Catherine Manis, Joan Faus and Alicia Tabares — as they set out in the dark to cover their assigned district along the Vista-San Marcos border.
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Alicia Tabares, Joan Faus and Catherine Manis walk along a canyon trail before daybreak, Jan. 25, 2024.
Tabares was driving the vehicle to cover the large area. She is a school social worker with Vista Unified.
“I work with a lot of families who unfortunately don’t have a house or are living in their vehicles,” she said.
Tabares led the group through business parks, canyons and almost everywhere in between as they searched for people without a proper home.
Catherine Manis and Joan Faus discuss areas to check from their map for homeless residents from inside a vehicle, Jan. 25, 2024.
It was very hard to see at times. The group used flashlights in dimly lit areas.
Admittedly, it’s far from a perfect system. Volunteers look for clues to give them insight on where people may be sleeping.
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“We did find several families living in their rvs and cars, individuals that are working also,” Tabares said of the early morning tally.
Catherine Manis, Joan Faus and Alicia Tabares speak to a homeless man sleeping in his car in Vista, Jan. 25, 2024.
During the four hours of searching, the team encountered numerous people without homes and interviewed those who were willing to talk.
“There’s some good people out here. Trying hard, working hard, doing their part,” said Jason, a homeless man who didn’t want to use his last name.
Volunteers Alicia Tabares and Joan Faus try to make contact with what they believe is a homeless resident inside of a van, Jan. 25, 2024.
He was a longtime Oceanside resident, and became homeless in the city six years ago. Now Jason sleeps in a van near his place of work in Vista.
“I’ve always paid taxes, I’ve always held a job, I’ve never taken a subsidy from the government, never taken food stamps. Always supported my children, always done that – all the time,” he said.
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Volunteers Catherine Manis, Joan Faus and Alicia Tabares speak to a homeless man inside his car, Jan. 25, 2024.
Jason said the cost of food, gas and housing are just too much.
“Prices were going up in rent, especially here in San Diego,” Jason said. “My wife at the time was permanently disabled with asthma, had two children, on a single income – just couldn’t afford it anymore.”
The data from people like Jason during the Point-in-Time Count really matters – it’s used to determine how to distribute federal homeless relief funding.
The City of Vista’s homeless services program manager Jonathan Lung talks to volunteers, Jan. 25, 2024.
The city of Vista’s Sturman said those funds should go towards a regional solution.
“North County homelessness isn’t necessarily a singular city problem,” he said. “We have the SPRINTER line up here, the 78 corridor right. And so a lot of our clients travel across that 78 corridor. One night they may be in Escondido, the next night they may be Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad.”
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Volunteers Joan Faus and Catherine Manis listen to instructions at the central gathering location for the Vista and San Marcos Point-in-Time Count, Jan. 25, 2024.
As for Tabares, who grew up in Vista and was forced out of the county due to cost of living, it’s personal.
“The concerns that I have for the community where I grew up in, it’s been a lot of just not having access to affordable housing,” she said.
Volunteers speak with homeless residents sleeping in a RV in Vista, Jan. 25, 2024.
Official numbers for the full count are expected in late spring or early summer, but Tabares said solutions to the affordability crisis are needed now, or the problem will get worse.
“The displacement of families is what we’re seeing here,” she said.
Oceanside Harbor Beach. (File photo courtesy of @CityofOceanside via X)
A man apparent drowned in the waters near the Oceanside Pier Saturday morning, despite efforts by lifeguards and paramedics to revive him.
The Oceanside Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division and the Oceanside Police Department responded to a report of a missing man at about 4:30 a.m.. Officials said the man was last seen swimming in the ocean about a half-hour earlier.
Lifeguards and police immediately initiated a coordinated search effort using pier vantage points, surveillance cameras and watercraft, but the search was suspended at approximately 5:30 a.m. after no one was found, fire officials said.
“At approximately 10:50 a.m., lifeguards discovered an unresponsive adult male, matching the earlier description, in the water near Lifeguard Tower 12, at Oceanside Harbor Beach,” Division Chief Blake Dorse said in a statement. “The individual was removed from the water, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately initiated.”
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Fire and rescue personnel continued efforts to resuscitate the man on the way to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to be the one who was reported missing near the pier.
Authorities did not release the man’s name.
“The Oceanside Lifeguard Division reminds the public to exercise caution when entering the ocean, especially during early morning hours or when lifeguards are not actively monitoring the water,” Dorse said. “Always swim near an open lifeguard tower and avoid entering the water alone.”
A decade of unforgettable meals calls for a proper celebration. This April, Herb & Wood marks its 10-year anniversary, honoring ten years of shaping San Diego’s culinary identity from its stylish home in Little Italy.
Since opening in 2016, the restaurant has played a defining role in modern San Diego dining, ushering in a more ingredient-driven, chef-forward era while setting the standard for design, hospitality, and overall experience.
A Month of Throwback Favorites and Celebratory Surprises
To commemorate the milestone, Herb & Wood is celebrating all month long by bringing back a selection of OG favorites alongside the signature dishes that have remained staples over the years.
Order from the anniversary lineup and receive a scratcher ticket for a chance to win prizes like a whole Jamón Ibérico ham leg, a custom Johnny Lane painting, and a coveted “lifetime” branzino card. It’s a fun and fitting way to toast one of San Diego’s most influential restaurants.
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A Collaborative Anniversary Dinner
The celebration concludes with a special four-course anniversary dinner featuring standout chefs from the Puffer Malarkey Collective. Brian Malarkey, Aidan Owens, Tara Monsod, and Kylie Cablayan will come together for an unforgettable evening that highlights their creativity and culinary artistry.
The celebratory menu includes:
Course One
Parker House Rolls with honey herb butter
Oyster & Beef Tartare with smoked oyster mayo, caramelized onion, and beef fat snow
Course Two
Lechon Kawali with grilled strawberries, pickled mustard seeds, pickled Tokyo negi, mustard frill, and strawberry sarsa
Course Three
Woodfired Tenderloin & Charred Prawns with garlic and chili, fennel oil, celery root, and whipped tallow butter
Course Four
Funfetti Cake with blueberry jam, lemon curd, and Swiss meringue buttercream
This one-night-only collaboration is a delicious tribute to Herb & Wood’s legacy and a memorable way to toast ten remarkable years in Little Italy.
A Defining Force in San Diego Dining
Over the past decade, Herb & Wood has become a cornerstone of Little Italy’s vibrant dining scene. Known for its warm ambiance and thoughtfully crafted menu, it continues to set the tone for modern dining in San Diego.
Whether revisiting longtime favorites or discovering something new, this anniversary celebration is the perfect excuse to gather around the table and raise a glass to ten remarkable years.
See you there!
We’ll be celebrating in Little Italy with throwback bites, celebratory pours, and plenty of toasts to ten iconic years at Herb & Wood.
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📆 April 3 – 29, 2026 | Culmination celebration April 30 📍 2210 Kettner Blvd, San Diego 🎟️ Book your table here ℹ️ Click here for updates
The San Diego Wave and their fans deserved every second of the festive Friday morning that played out at Snapdragon Stadium.
Wave personnel and fans erupted in cheers as Catarina Macario, a star striker with San Diego roots who agreed to a record-setting contract, displayed a Wave No. 20 jersey at an introductory news conference.
Macario, 26, has taken injury detours, but stands indisputably as one of the world’s better goal-scorers among women.
The Torrey Pines High School and San Diego Surf alum’s local pedigree may also boost the fifth-year Wave, who through no fault of the club’s current leaders, lost considerable star power in recent years, contributing to an attendance decline.
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At a reported $8 million, the five-year deal is reportedly the most for a women’s soccer player.
Macario, smiling often, labeled her new reality “unreal,” while seated next to Wave sporting director Camille Ashton.
She was 12 when family members, seeking better opportunities, brought her from Brazil to live in San Diego after first visiting Dallas.
“I never would have imagined, I guess, that 12-year-old Cat, not knowing how to speak English, being super scared, would one day come back and get to represent her hometown team,” Macario said. “It’s very special. It’s something I’m very proud of. It will just mean that much more, once I step on the field.”
Catarina Macario, right, holds up her jersey with Camille Ashton, Sporting Director and General Manager, at a news conference held to announce
her signing with the San Diego Wave FC March 27, 2026 in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
Ashton called it “a monumental signing.”
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Ashton, formerly Camille Levin, won a national championship with Stanford as a player. She said Macario, who came to Stanford after Ashton turned pro, fits well into the possession-driven, uptempo style the Wave have developed in a season-plus under coach Jonas Eidevall.
“Cat is a world-class player of exceptional quality, intelligence and character,” Ashton said. “Her technical ability, vision and goal-scoring instinct make her one of the most exciting talents in the game today. Just as importantly, she brings a professionalism and competitive drive that will both complement and elevate the high standards already established within our squad.”
Turmoil marked the 2024 season, the franchise’s final one under team president Jill Ellis and coach Casey Stoney.
Ellis fired Stoney, the franchise’s coach since its inception, before midseason. The team’s offense was tedious, leading to a ninth-place finish and the franchise missing the playoff cut for the first time. Ellis, amid reports of a harsh work environment, moved on.
In the first full year under Ashton and Eidevall, the Wave’s offense improved and the team made the playoffs, but was bounced in one game.
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Macario will give the Wave a better chance to rebound at the gate and on the pitch from the exodus of popular stars Alex Morgan (retirement in 2024), midfielder Jaedyn Shaw (traded at her request in January 2025) and defender Naomi Girma (who was transferred to Chelsea later that month for $1.1 million).
The Macario signing comes 16 months after Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, founders of a private equity firm in Los Angeles, completed a $120-million purchase of the Wave.
The record contract “just shows how serious they are about me, and getting the club to succeed even more,” Macario said.
NWSL leaders facilitated the deal as well. Ashton said the league’s adoption four months ago of the High Impact Player Rule, allowing an exception to the salary cap, “came at an incredibly good time.”
Macario said she knows several Wave players and played with versatile fullback Perle Morroni on France’s top club team, Lyon.
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Given that Macario has scored goals at an extraordinary pace throughout her career — with the Surf, Torrey Pines, Stanford, Lyon and Chelsea — there’s only one major concern about how her Wave career will play out:
Health.
A left ACL injury suffered in the final game of her season with Lyon four years ago cost her a full season.
An irritation in her right knee cost her a spot on the U.S. team that won gold at the 2024 Olympics in France.
She was sidelined in recent months at Chelsea, creating uncertainty about her Wave debut.
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“We’re confident her best years are ahead,” Ashton said.
Macario offered no details Friday about when she’ll be ready to play for the Wave, who’ll face Chicago in a home game today.
Smiling, she suggested being in San Diego will improve her health.
“Maybe the skies were a little too gray for me,” she quipped about health setbacks in England and France. “The sunshine will help me heal a little bit quicker.”
For a franchise that was enveloped by clouds in 2024, the forecast grew much brighter Friday.
