Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
After nearly six hours of public comment and council discussion, the San Diego City Council voted Tuesday evening to approve the continued use of 54 surveillance use policies by the San Diego Police Department.
The council voted unanimously for 52 of the policies, which included items such as SWAT robots and vehicle trackers. The remaining two items proved far more contentious.
“Smart Streetlights” and automated license plate reader technologies were the final two approved — by 6-2 and 5-3 votes, with Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell absent.
Hundreds of San Diegans spoke at the meeting, with the majority in opposition to ALPR technology, but the council took the advice of the SDPD to continue its use, physically tied to the Smart Streetlights contract approved with Ubicquia in 2024.
“These technologies have delivered consistent results, even thought we’ve had them for just a year and a half,” said Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell, who tried to downplay a recurrent fear by speakers the technology could be used by the Trump administration.
“The federal government already has all of us on their list. Thank you Elon Musk.”
ALPR technology is used as part of crime-fighting strategy that involves the identification of vehicles associated with suspects, witnesses or victims. The technology utilizes police ability to focus its investigative resources to deter crime and enhance public safety, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Speakers during the meeting — and Councilmember Henry Foster III — brought up a “breach” of the Flock Safety ALPR technology when it was first installed in the city and outside agencies were able to access information.
The future of law enforcement using those controversial license plate readers in San Diego will be decided this week. For the past two years, San Diego Police have been using the technology. NBC 7’s Adonis Albright shows us the controversy surrounding the readers and why some are worried about how the information it collects is being used.
San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl, in a testy exchange with Foster, admitted the unauthorized access to the data but said it was a brief mistake that was quickly rectified by the SDPD and Flock alike.
“It was an honest miss,” Wahl said. “There was nothing nefarious there.”
The department states that since ALPR was installed in the city in 2024, the technology has assisted the SDPD in more than 600 investigations, including the recovery of at least 20 firearms, $5.8 million in stolen property involving 440 stolen vehicles and resulted in more than 420 arrests.
In the first year of ALPR use, vehicle theft dropped 20% between 2023 and 2024, police officials stated.
The Smart Streetlights System, which includes the situational cameras and the ALPR cameras, have been attached to streetlight poles throughout San Diego since last year.
Total Installation, activation and relocation costs for the Smart Streetlight Program was $3,519,300, according to the SDPD.
Every councilmember acknowledged the efficacy of ALPR technology, but some were less enthusiastic than others.
“I’m not going to deny the effectiveness if you are watching everyone, all the time,” Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera said. “Flock is a proven bad actor who is unwilling or unable to stop their technology from being abused.”
There are new concerns over immigration enforcement and the use of surveillance technology, such as the San Diego Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader technology. NBC 7’s Shelby Bremer has the details.
A major concern of public speakers and multiple councilmembers was the possibility of the ALPR technology being used by the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement specifically to terrorize the community.
“Last year, a configuration error allowed law enforcement agencies within the state of California to run license plate searches against our database for a brief amount of time,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement. “That breach should never have happened. We have since shut off that feature and strengthened user access, and now conduct weekly auditing of the system to ensure compliance.
“Importantly, license plate reader data is not shared with federal immigration agencies, and it cannot be used to track people seeking reproductive care. Data is only kept for 30 days, access is limited to trained users, and every search is logged and reviewed.”
The 30 days the San Diego Police Department is allowed by local law to keep the date matches La Mesa and National City as the least amount of time in the county. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and Coronado, Oceanside, Carlsbad and Chula Vista allow the data to be kept for a year. In Escondido, that increases to two years.
“Though I sympathize with those who worry about potential misuse of these cameras, the thought of doing away with ALPRs is short-sighted and goes against the city’s mission to protect both residents and visitors alike,” said Councilman Raul Campillo. “Also missing from the conversation: San Diego has one of the strongest use policies for this technology so data is not misused or sold, and must not allow fear to harm already-worried communities by making them less safe.”
Chief Scott Wahl sits down with NBC 7 to talk about the multi-agency investigation at a Southcrest home, as well as the information obtained by license plate reader technology.
In 2025, 20 places throughout the country have voted to disable, reject or terminate the use of Flock technology due to security complaints.
The San Diego Police Department was clear on how they envisioned the technology’s usage.
“The operation and access to ALPR data shall be for official law enforcement purposes only,” an SDPD statement read. “The San Diego Police Department will also use ALPR systems to enhance and coordinate responses to active critical incidents and public threats, safeguard the lives of community members by using this technology to locate at-risk missing persons and to protect assets and resources of the city of San Diego.”
On Nov. 5, the city’s Privacy Advisory Board issued formal recommendations that San Diego cease the use of the Flock ALPR system. On Nov. 12, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to ignore the Privacy Advisory Board recommendation.
Concerns outside the city’s borders include El Cajon’s willingness to share ALPR technology with federal law enforcement, which drew a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The Attorney General’s Office sued El Cajon in October for allegedly violating state law by sharing the data with federal authorities and law enforcement officials in more than two dozen other states.
The suit filed in San Diego Superior Court alleges that El Cajon has flouted Senate Bill 34, a 2015 law prohibiting ALPR-data sharing with out-of- state law enforcement agencies despite the California Department of Justice contacting El Cajon’s police chief over the issue.
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.
Little Debbie is officially expanding its doughnut range.
On April 14, the brand announced a new sweet snack: Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. The company says there was “massive consumer demand” for the original Big Pack Old Fashioned Donuts, which quickly became a top seller. Now, they’re just giving the people what they want.
The new snack is a chocolate old-fashioned cake doughnut finished with a sweet glaze and is launching in two formats:
The original, which includes six individually wrapped cake-style doughnuts with a vanilla glaze, first hit stores in June 2025 and, according to the brand, has been “consistently selling out.”
“We saw an incredible response to the Old Fashioned Donut we introduced last year,” said Scott Brownlow, Little Debbie’s brand manager, in a press release. We’re doubling down on what works and giving both loyalists and new fans an irresistible reason to head back to the store.”
Little Debbie’s Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts are rolling out now to major retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. As with the original Old Fashioned Donut, they become a permanent addition to the brand’s snack lineup.
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