San Diego, CA

San Diego Unified left students 'vulnerable' to sex abuse, federal officials say, but that ends now

Published

1 year ago

August 10, 2024

San Diego Unified left students 'vulnerable' to sex abuse, federal officials say, but that ends now

San Diego Unified School District officials mishandled multiple student complaints about sexual harassment and sexual assault, in violation of their obligations under federal law, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced Friday.

The office found that over a year-three span, 253 reports and complaints of sexual harassment and assault were leveled by students in the district, with almost 40% of those allegations coming from the elementary school level.

The accusations included “student-to-student” and “employee-to-student” misconduct that potentially violated federal statutes including Title IX, according to the Office of Civil Rights, which said the district “more often than not did not fulfill its Title IX regulatory requirement to equitably respond to allegations of sexual harassment of its students.”

The office also announced a resolution, saying Friday morning that the school district had entered an agreement with federal officials to remedy the violations.

Such abuses had “led to serial perpetration of harassment with insufficient district response, leaving district students vulnerable to the sex discrimination in school,” the office said in a news release.

“Through today’s resolution, San Diego Unified commits to overhaul its response to allegations of sexual harassment to ensure all its students learn safely and without sex or disability discrimination,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in a statement.

San Diego Unified said in a separate statement Friday evening that the district “remains committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students, and continuously works to assess and improve Title IX compliance.”

The statement continued: “The district holds itself to the highest standards to ensure that students are never harmed, and has a responsibility to acknowledge when harm does occur to maintain transparency and accountability.”

San Diego Unified serves 121,000 students in traditional, special education, adult, alternative and charter schools, making it California’s second-largest school district, behind Los Angeles Unified.

The Office of Civil Rights reported that 98 of the 253 allegations of sexual harassment or assault of students took place at the elementary school level, and said that nine involved employees.

One such elementary school incident involved a student accused of forcing another student to place their hands on a third student’s clothes over their genitals multiple times. District police investigated the incident and the district filed a report with Child Protective Services.

But according to the Office of Civil Rights, the district did not do any further investigation into whether the accused student had sexually harassed fellow students, and didn’t interview anyone involved in the incident.

There were an additional 15 reports involving schools with kindergarteners through eighth-graders; as well as 79 from middle schools; 68 from high schools; and three involving special education. A total of five allegations of employee-to-student incidents came from middle schools and high schools combined, according to the report.

The number of incidents reported in each category add up to more than the total of 253 cited by the Office of Civil Rights; it offered no explanation for the discrepancy.

The district was in litigation over seven cases of alleged sexual assault at the time of the report’s release.

The agreement signed by San Diego Unified calls for the district to make several changes, including:

Reviewing previous incidents of student-to-student and employee-to-student sexual harassment to determine whether further action is needed for an equitable resolution.
Giving annual age-appropriate training to third- through 12-graders on how to recognize and report sexual harassment and where to seek support and remedies.
Surveying parents, students and district employees annually about sexual harassment in schools.
Reviewing district policies against sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, and its Title IX grievance procedures to ensure they comply with the law.
Giving annual training to district employees on their obligations to respond to such allegations, including those involving students with disabilities.
Implementing a system and policy for maintaining data and records on reports, complaints and investigations of sexual harassment, to be approved by the Office of Civil Rights.
Ensuring the district fulfills its obligations under Title IX even when law enforcement responds to reports of sexual harassment of students.

The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights “looks forward to working with the district to redress serial perpetration, protect students with disabilities from being preyed upon, and ensure that district students can expect to focus on learning without unlawful sexual harassment,” said Lhamon, the office’s assistant secretary.

Source link

San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

Published

7 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.

The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims

The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.

Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.

No injuries have been reported.

The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.

Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source link

San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano – San Diego Union-Tribune

LUIS CAMPUSANO

Position(s): Catcher
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 5-foot-10 / 232 pounds
How acquired: Second round of the draft in 2017 (Cross Creek HS, Ga.)
Contract status: Will make $900,000 after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration; Will not be a free agent until 2029.
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
Key 2025 stats: .000 AVG, .222 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 steals (10 games, 27 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.

Down — Called up a final time on the last day of the regular season, Campusano balked at the idea that the season did not go the way he wanted. “I had a great season,” he said as he and his teammates packed for the NL Wild Card Series in Chicago. And he did … for Triple-A El Paso. He hit more home runs than ever (25), drove in more runs (95) and finished with a career-high 1.036 OPS, tops among all qualifying Triple-A hitters. The disappointment inferred in the question posed to Campusano was that he was not able to impact the big-league team in any way in 2025, which began with the team choosing to bring in a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel a chance on the opening day roster over a homegrown product. Once billed as the catcher of the future, Campusno did not catch a single game in the majors, nor did he get any hits, although the opportunity to play was sporadic after getting three straight starts as a DH in early May (see stat to note). The Padres even lost back-up catcher Elias Díaz to an oblique injury over the final weekend of the regular season, but Campusano — who played out the string for a Triple-A El Paso team that did not make the playoffs rather than participate in the majors as a September call-up — was added to the postseason roster more as a right-handed bat than a third catcher (Martín Maldonado was also re-added to the team for the playoffs as the defensive back-up to Freddy Fermin). Campusano, of course, was not asked to help the team in either capacity before the Padres were eliminated in three games.

2026 OUTLOOK

Campusano is finally out of minor league options this year, so the Padres will either have to carry him on the roster, trade him or expose him to waivers. He has fans in the organization, but two big-league staffs headed by Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt seemingly lost faith in his ability to catch a game and all the responsibilities that come with that. It remains to be seen what impact the arrival of robo umps will have on how new manager Craig Stammen views Campusano’s ability behind the plate, but he’s been a potent minor league hitter who has yet to truly get on track in the majors beyond the second half of 2023 (.875 OPS, 6 HRs). Campusano has dabbled at first base in recent years in the minors (12 starts total), so perhaps he settles into a role as a second catcher/right-handed DH/first base option to start 2026.

Luis Campusano #15 of the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta #27 walk to the dugout during a practice before the Wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

ROSTER RANKINGS

22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy

Source link

San Diego, CA

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two San Diego County eateries were named among the most beautiful restaurants that opened last year in the country.

Carlsbad-based Lilo was ranked No. 4 and La Jolla-based Lucien was ranked No. 9 on Robb Report’s list of the most beautiful new restaurants in the U.S. for 2025.

Lilo, which opened in April, features a multi-course tasting menu served around a 24-seat chef’s counter.

The restaurant, co-owned by Chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, earned a Michelin star just months after opening its doors. The eatery was also the only one in San Diego to land on The New York Times list of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Lucien, which opened in July, also offers a chef’s tasting menu, with more than a dozen courses. The 30-seat restaurant, is owned and helmed by Northern California native Chef Elijah Arizmendi, along with partners Brian Hung and Melissa Lang.

“I’m very grateful for the recognition from Robb Report,” Arizmendi told Patch. “Lucien is deeply personal to me, and the space was designed as an extension of my philosophy — one centered on intention, hospitality and the joy of sharing something meaningful to others.”

The list spotlights 21 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and other cities across the country. View the full report here.

Source link