San Diego, CA
San Diego Police to honor officer killed in line of duty in Clairemont in August
Memorial services for San Diego Police officer Austin Machitar, who died on Aug. 26 after a fiery crash in Clairemont, will be held Saturday.
The memorial service is slated to take place Saturday morning at an El Cajon church following a law enforcement procession from Mission Valley.
The procession is set to start at 7:45 a.m. at Snapdragon Stadium which will go on southbound Interstate 15 to eastbound Interstate 8 and exit Greenfield Drive to end up at Shadow Mountain Church.
The community may view the procession.
Commuters should expect a delay on eastbound I-8 between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. Traffic will be stopped and no vehicles will be allowed to enter or pass the procession. All lanes will reopen as the procession moves east.
The procession will close the following ramps:
- Eastbound I-8 at Interstate 15 (I-15)
- Southbound I-15 to eastbound/westbound I-8
- Northbound I-15 to eastbound I-8
- Eastbound I-8 off-ramp to Mission Gorge Road/Fairmount Avenue
- Southbound State Route 125 (SR-125) to eastbound I-8
- Northbound SR-125 to eastbound I-8
- Southbound State Route 67 to eastbound I-8
Investigators say the 30-year-old officer who worked in the Northern Division precinct was responding to a high-speed chase when a BMW going around 90 miles per hour slammed into his police SUV.
“Austin had a very infectious smile and a character that made him one of a kind,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference at Sharp Memorial Hospital on Tuesday evening.
Machitar’s smile and personality are on display in recruitment videos and pictures for the city’s police and fire departments.
Police say Machitar was a five-and-a-half-year veteran of the force who had a passion for training others. In fact, he trained his partner, 27-year-old Officer Zachary Martinez, who has since been released from the hospital.
San Diego Police Department
The fatal crash
Killed in the crash on Aug. 26 were Austin Machitar and a teenage driver who was behind the wheel of the gray BMW that slammed into the SUV in which the officers were driving after allegedly fleeing an attempted traffic stop.
Zach Martinez’s father told NBC 7 that his son is a hero and dedicated his life to serving. Zach Martinez has helped to protect San Diego for the past year and a half.
“He was born and raised to serve,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference last week. “He’s an EMT. His heart is into helping people.”
Zach Martinez’s road to the police force began in 2014. In high school, he joined the Lubbock Police Department Explorer Program in Texas.
Officer Brinnen Kent, Zach Martinez’s former instructor, described the officer as a smart competitor who helped the explorers win leadership and other awards.
Because Zach Martinez couldn’t join the San Diego Police Department until he was 21, he joined the Navy’s military police at 18, according to Kent.
Kent said the week before the crash when they spoke, Zach Martinez talked about how excited he was to be serving in San Diego.
Police say Machitar was a five-and-a-half-year veteran of the force who had a passion for training others. In fact, he trained Zach Martinez.
The San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teen driver as Edgar Giovanny Oviedo. First responders attempted lifesaving measures while taking the teenager to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The San Diego Police Officers Association has started a donation campaign to benefit the families of the involved officers, with a goal of $250,000 to aid with funeral and medical costs.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring fallen law enforcement officers, at least 36 San Diego police officers have, since 1913, died in the line of duty, plus one K9 officer. While the majority of them were shot, 11 were killed in incidents involving a car or motorcycle.
The last officer killed in the line of duty was Officer Jonathan “JD” DeGuzman in 2016.
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.
Read more
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
Read More
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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