San Diego, CA
San Diego hotels step up to help Los Angeles evacuees
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – As the Los Angeles wildfires displace thousands of residents, San Diego hotels open their doors to help, offering discounted rates.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with ABC 10News that 180-thousand residents have been displaced by the wildfires as of Thursday morning.
With that, San Diego’s hotel industry is responding to the call for help, welcoming any evacuees from LA who are seeking shelter.
One of those hotels is Omni San Diego.
Charles Cho, General Manager of Omni San Diego, said he put out a rate for Los Angeles evacuees that is substantially below their normal rates.
“We just want to make sure we share our rooms, since we have them, with those who need them the most,” Cho said. “There’s still a lot of hotels in between us and where the fire is, but hey, if they’re willing to come down here, we’re ready for them.”
Cho said as soon as he heard about the wildfires, he checked Omni’s occupancy to see what they could offer.
As of Thursday, Omni is already helping one evacuee.
“Hospitality really is all about making friends, and it’s about building relationships,” Cho said.
Cho is not alone in his intentions to help LA residents.
According to the San Diego Tourism Authority, more than two dozen hotels across San Diego came together on Thursday to offer assistance to Los Angeles evacuees, and both the Tourism Authority and San Diego Lodging Association put the list of hotels together and published it online.
Fred Tayco, Executive Director of the San Diego Lodging Association, said, “We very quickly got the impression that the news was paling in comparison to what they were seeing on the ground. If you are evacuating and you are negatively impacted, the doors are open. “
Kerri Kapich, Chief Operating Officer at the San Diego Tourism Authority, said all the hotels will be offering their own special rates. The rates will all expire at different times.
“There are discounts in terms of no parking fees, resort fees for pets, and other things like that,” Kasich said. “At the end of the day, we’re here to help. LA is our neighbor. They’re our friends, our family. We just want to do everything that we can during this heartbreaking time.”
To see the list of San Diego hotels offering assistance to LA wildfire victims, visit The San Diego Tourism Authority website or The San Diego Lodging Association’s website.
San Diego, CA
Washington Nationals vs San Diego Padres Game Thread
The Nats had chances to win last night, but they came up short. Some of the weaknesses at the back end of their roster showed up, and they lost 7-5 in a bullpen battle. Now they will look to bounce back at home against a tough Padres team.
Blake Butera has made some peculiar changes to the lineup. Clearly, he wants to go lefty heavy. The struggling Jorbit Vivas will start over Curtis Mead. Jose Tena will also be starting at DH. That means James Wood will go to right field and Dylan Crews will slide to center. Drew Millas will also be back behind the plate. Foster Griffin will be on the bump.
The Padres have a very similar lineup to last night. Rodolfo Duran will replace Freddy Fermin behind the plate. Otherwise, it is the same personnel. We saw Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis start to wake up, so hopefully that does not continue. Blake Butera’s college teammate, Michael King, will be on the mound.
The Nats will look to avoid going under .500 in this one. Michael King will be a good test, but this lineup has been resilient. Hopefully Foster Griffin can build on his strong outing against the Braves. If they don’t win today, those narratives about the poor home record will re-appear. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
San Diego, CA
Letters: Stop taxpayer funds for short-term rental trash
San Diego taxpayers are subsidizing the short-term rental industry’s trash collection under the People’s Ordinance. The 2017 letter from the city attorney to Councilmember Zapf is crystal clear: transient occupancy (rentals under 30 days) generates “nonresidential refuse.”
The city is prohibited from providing free weekly collection to these units. Yet, thousands of whole-home STRs continue to receive curbside service at taxpayer expense. Measure B (2022) modernized funding but left the core definition intact — transient rentals remain ineligible for city residential service.
Requiring owners to arrange and pay for private hauling would shift the full cost off the general fund. With roughly 7,954 active licenses, and residential collection costing about $520 per unit annually, the city could save approximately $4.1 million a year. That money could repair streets, fund public safety or lower taxes for actual residents. Enforce the ordinance as written.
— Gary Wonacott, San Diego
San Diego, CA
San Diego teen organizes Eid goodie bags for children after Mosque tragedy
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As the Muslim community prepares to celebrate Eid al-Adha next month, a San Diego teenager is working to bring comfort and joy to children impacted by the recent tragedy at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Seventeen-year-old Sarah Abdin spent the past week fundraising, shopping and assembling nearly 100 Eid goodie bags for students at the mosque’s elementary school.
While many teenagers are focused on final exams, Abdin said she spent some nights working until 2 a.m. to make sure every bag was ready in time for the school’s upcoming graduation celebration.
The project was inspired by the recent shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where children were present during the incident. Abdin, who attended the mosque as a child, said hearing about what students experienced motivated her to take action.
Each bag contains a variety of treats, activities and gifts intended to help children celebrate Eid, one of the most important holidays in Islam.
Abdin said community members quickly rallied behind the effort, helping raise funds and support the project. After days of shopping and preparation, she and her sister spent several hours assembling the bags ahead of delivery.
The goodie bags are expected to be distributed during the elementary school’s graduation festivities in early June.
Abdin said she hopes the gesture serves as a reminder that the children are surrounded by a community that cares about them and stands beside them during difficult times.
The fundraising effort received widespread support, helping cover the cost of the goodie bags and allowing organizers to expand their reach to more students.
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