San Diego, CA
San Diego weekend arts events: Incarcerated artists, 'Stir' and ballet
Top picks
‘Voices on the Inside’
Poetry, Visual art, Photography | “Voices on the Inside” is a new exhibit of self-portrait photography and poetry by incarcerated women from California, Oklahoma and Tijuana at the Central Library. Led by the nonprofit Poetic Justice, the project explores the way writing, photography and creative self-expression can be restorative and healing. Participants worked with photographer Lisa Loftus to learn the art of portraiture. The resulting exhibit features these photographs along with the incarcerated artists’ poetry and audio recordings of interviews.
Lisa Loftus
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Poetic Justice
One of the curators and advisors on the exhibit is Dr. Reka Barton, who said that the design of the multimodal exhibit is intended to inspire audiences to action.
“The issue of mass incarceration is everybody’s problem. It’s a systemic issue. So this isn’t something that you’re passively taking in and just walking through. We want you to understand, educate yourself and feel the call to action to actually produce change,” Barton said.
Details: [Event information] Opening reception is 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May 5. On view through July 31. San Diego Central Library – Popular Library Fairway, 330 Park Blvd., downtown. Free.
The Big Exchange
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts Newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
Visual art, Family, Museums | The Big Exchange is a reciprocal admission program from the San Diego Museum Council, and it runs May 1-18. If you’re a member of any of these 50 museums, you can use that membership to visit any (or all!) of the other museums on the list. Some already offer free admission, but here are a few of the actual bargains: Birch Aquarium, California Wolf Center, Comic-Con Museum, Fleet Science Center, Japanese Friendship Garden, Living Coast Discovery Center, Maritime Museum, Mingei International Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Museum of Making Music, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Botanic Garden, The Nat, The New Children’s Museum and more. Check the list for restrictions, as some museums require advance reservations.
Details: [Event information] May 1-18. Various locations. Free.

Adam DeTour
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The Old Globe
‘Stir’
Theater | I was lucky enough to see a staged reading of this play, then called “The Black Beans Project,” during the Old Globe’s Powers New Voices Festival early last year. Playwrights Melinda Lopez and Joel Perez were commissioned by the Globe, and this is the official world premiere, directed by Marcela Lorca.
The play follows two siblings who reconnect — virtually — to try to make their mother’s favorite recipe. I could practically smell the meal being prepared, even though no actual onions sizzled in any pans on stage. It’s a beautiful story that holds food as the backdrop for the siblings to explore loss, trauma and their own relationship.
Details: [Event information] Low-cost previews begin May 4. On stage through May 26. The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. $33+.
‘Notes On Killing Seven Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board Members’
Theater | Playwright Mara Vélez Meléndez’s 2022 play, “Notes on Killing Seven Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board Members” follows a Puerto Rican trans woman, Lolita, who ends up storming the Wall Street office of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board. This is a co-production with Moxie Theatre and Diversionary Theatre, and performances are held at Moxie.
Check out our KPBS Spring Arts Guide interview with director Andréa Agosto about her family’s roots in Puerto Rico, which are part of what drew her to this story. “To even do any theater with, for, by, or about Puerto Ricans, I honestly wasn’t sure that that would happen for me,” Agosto said.
Details: [Event information] On stage May 5-26. Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando. $20-$46.
‘Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Fashion and Stories’
Visual art, Fashion | The Bonita Museum and Cultural Center will open an exhibit that showcases fashion and traditional attire from countries and communities of Asia and the Pacific Islands, connected with family stories. In the May 4 opening reception, modern fashion designer (and Project Runway contestant) Kenneth Barlis will tell his story, and Asian Pacific chefs will offer tastings.
Details: [Event information] Reception is 3-6 p.m. May 4. On view through May 26. Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, 4355 Bonita Road, Bonita. Free.

‘Carmina Burana’
Dance, Ballet, Music | City Ballet of San Diego’s production of a ballet of Carl Orff’s 1936 masterpiece “Carmina Burana” is set during the 1929 stock market crash. The work is choreographed by City Ballet’s Geoff Gonzalez. The company will also perform Mozart’s “Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra” in what they refer to as a “tutu ballet.” Read more about the program, and the husband-wife duo of choreographer Geoff Gonzalez and dancer Ariana Gonzalez in our KPBS Spring Arts Guide feature here.
Details: [Event information] 8 p.m. May 4 and 2 p.m. May 5. California Center for the Arts Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $39+.
Junction Trio
Music, Classical | La Jolla Music Society hosts violinist Stefan Jackiw, pianist Conrad Tao and cellist Jay Campbell to perform three unique and diverse works for piano trio by Ives, Beethoven and John Zorn. Each performer is highly regarded on their own, and together as an ensemble, the grouping is electrifying.
Details: [Event information] 3 p.m. Sunday, May 5. The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $46-$83.
Feminist Image Group: ‘Women Work Together’
Visual art | Working in “duets,” 22 women artists will present works that merge their individual styles and celebrate the collaborative process. Artists include Alessandra Moctezuma, Doris Bittar, Kathi McCord, Kathleen Mitchell, Minnie Valero, Linda Litteral and many more.
Details: [Event information] Opens with a reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 3. On view through Sept. 6. Mandell Weiss Gallery, 2650 Truxtun Road, Liberty Station. Free.
Camarada: ‘Soundtrax’ at the Mingei and Bread & Salt
Music, Classical, Visual Art | The magnitude of cinematic sound will be combined with the unmistakable intimacy of chamber music in local ensemble Camarada’s “Soundtrax” performances. Camarada is a notably talented ensemble led by flutist Beth Ross Buckley. In addition to works by iconic film composer John Williams, they’ll also perform Phillip Glass, Nino Rota and Koji Kondo. Composer Gilad Cohen, who has composed scores and soundtracks for theater, will join the ensemble for a discussion. Two performances will take place at two unique San Diego art spaces: Mingei International Museum (museum admission included in ticket price) and Bread & Salt’s Brick Room (gallery admission is always free).
Details: 7:30 p.m. May 2 at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, $35+. 7:30 p.m. May 4 at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights, $25+.
More arts and culture events
‘Giselle’
Dance, Ballet | San Diego Ballet presents “Giselle.” Artistic director Javier Velasco has adapted the story into Spanish Colonial California, with ghostly Lloronas as the ballet’s “Wilies” — spirits of women scorned by lovers and seeking revenge on all men. Event information. 8 p.m. May 4 and 2:30 p.m. May 5 at Balboa Theatre, 868 4th Ave., downtown. $35+.
Mainly Mozart and Promotora de las Bellas Artes: ‘The Sea Unites Us’
Music, Classical, Youth | Mainly Mozart’s youth ensemble will join with Tijuana’s Promotora de las Bellas Artes children’s choir, plus other ensembles. One of the pieces performed is by composer Jorge Cózatl, who was inspired by ocean research and collaborated with Tijuana-based rapper Danger on the piece. Event information. 5 p.m. Sunday, May 5. Epstein Family Amphitheatre, 9500 Gilman Drive, UC San Diego. Free.
Sound of Music Singalong: Oceanside
Music, Film | The Greater San Diego Music Coterie is hosting its third annual “Sound of Music” singalong. Singers of all abilities are welcome to join in on the classic movie’s hits. Event information. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5 at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 2993 MacDonald St., Oceanside. Free.

Evgeniya Golik, ‘Esoterica’
Visual art | Sparks Gallery will open an exhibit by Russian-born artist Evgeniya Golik, showcasing her fantastical, surreal work that’s as beautiful as it is unsettling. Event information. Opens with a reception from 5-8 p.m. May 4. On view through June 30. Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., downtown. Free.
Le Salon De Musiques: ‘Masterpieces By Tchaikovsky, Korsakov, Rachmaninoff & Gretchaninoff’
Music, Classical | This month’s chamber salon concert features works for soprano and piano by Tchaikovsky, Korsakov and Rachmaninoff, as well as a U.S. premiere of a piano trio by Gretchaninoff. Event information. 4 p.m. Sunday, May 5. La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $45+.
‘The Art of Experience’: Ted Berryman and Martha Moramay Cuevas
Visual art | A new Golden Hill community arts space, Union Hall, will open up their first exhibit on May 4, featuring the work of sculptor Ted Berryman and painter Martha Moramay Cuevas, Berryman’s late wife — in partnership with Santa Ysabel Art Gallery. Event information. Opens with a reception 4-8 p.m. Saturday, May 4. On view through June 16. Union Hall Gallery, 2323 Broadway Ste. 201, Golden Hill. Free.
San Diego, CA
Military bases in San Diego County increase security following Iran attacks
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Military bases in San Diego County and nationwide have increased security measures due to last weekend’s U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting traffic delays near base entrances, enhanced ID checks and access restrictions.
The Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado ports three aircraft carriers, including the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, which led some of the first-wave attacks on Saturday.
Naval Base Coronado warned motorists of possible traffic delays at all base entry points due to the increased security measures.
Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
The U.S. operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” and Israeli operation, “Raging Lion,” began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday.
As of Tuesday, at least six U.S. service members had been killed in action.
The strikes also killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
Iran’s offensive forces claimed to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles, but according to an X post from U.S central Command, “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”
Those with concerns regarding the heightened security can contact San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services at 858-565-3490 or oes@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.
San Diego, CA
SD Unified moves forward with layoffs of classified employees
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Less than 3 weeks after the San Diego Unified School District finalized a new contract with teachers, the school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with layoff notices for other district employees.
The layoffs affect classified employees — workers who are employed by the district but are not teachers and are not certified. That includes bus drivers, custodians, special education and teacher aides, and cafeteria workers.
The district says it is eliminating 221 positions — 133 that are currently filled and 88 that are vacant — to save $19 million and help address a projected $47 million deficit for the next fiscal year.
Preliminary layoff notices will go out on March 15, with final notices by May 15.
The district estimates about 200 classified employees will receive preliminary notices, but of them, about 70 are expected to lose their jobs based on union-negotiated bumping rules.
Bumping allows employees with more seniority to move into another position in the same classification, thereby “bumping” a less senior employee out of that role.
Lupe Murray, an early childhood special education parafacilitator with the district, said the news came as a shock after the teacher strike was called off.
“When the strike was called off, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ So then when I got the email from the Superintendent, I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ So, I think everyone was shocked,” Murray said.
The district says it sends out annual layoff notices, as all districts in the state do.
Before Tuesday’s board meeting, classified employees rallied outside, made up of CSEA (California School Employees Association) Chapters OTBS 788, Paraeducators 759, and OSS 724. They were joined by parents, students, and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Miguel Arellano, a paraeducator independence facilitator with San Diego Unified and a representative of San Diego Paraeducators Cahpter 759.
“What do we want? No layoffs! When do we want it? Now!” the crowd chanted.
Arellano said he felt compelled to act when he learned about the potential layoffs.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I need to speak up. I need to protect these people,” Arellano said.
Inside the meeting, the board heard emotional, at times tearful testimony from classified employees before voting unanimously to move forward with the layoff schedule.
Superintendent Fabi Bagula said the district has tried to protect classrooms from the cuts.
“We have tried our best to only, I mean, to not touch the school. Or the classroom. But now it’s at the point where it’s getting a little bit harder,” Bagula said. “What I’m still hoping, or what I’m still working toward, because we’re still in negotiations, is that we’re able to actually come to a win-win, where there’s positions and availability and maybe even promotions for folks that are impacted.”
Arellano warned the layoffs could have a direct impact on students.
“We are already spread thin, so, with more of a case load, it’s going to be impossible to be able to service all the students that we need to have,” Arellano said.
Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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.
San Diego, CA
Scripps Oceanography granted $15M for deep sea, glacier science
The Fund for Science and Technology, a new private foundation, granted Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego $15 million for ocean science Tuesday.
FFST, funded by the estate of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, was started in 2025 with a commitment to invest at least $500 million over four years to “propel transformative science and technology for people and the planet.”
“Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is pushing boundaries for exploration and discovery across the global ocean,” Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said. “This visionary support from the Fund for Science and Technology will enable Scripps researchers to advance our understanding of our planet, which has meaningful implications for communities around the world.”
The grant, the largest of its kind since Scripps joined UCSD in 1960, will go toward research in three areas: monitoring of environmental DNA and other biomolecules in marine ecosystems, adding to the Argo network of ocean observing robots, and enhancing the study of ocean conditions beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, often referred to as the “Doomsday Glacier.”
Scripps Institution of Oceanography has used Argo floats for more than two decades to track climate impacts in our oceans. NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe reports.
“The Fund for Science and Technology was created to support transformational science in the search of answers to some of the planet’s most complex questions,” said Dr. Lynda Stuart, president and CEO at the fund. “Scripps has a long tradition of leadership at the frontiers of ocean and climate science, and this work builds on that legacy — strengthening the tools and insights needed to understand our environment at a truly global and unprecedented scale.”
Scripps Director Emeritus Margaret Leinen will use a portion of the grant in her analysis of eDNA — free-floating fragments of DNA shed by organisms into the environment — in understudied parts of the ocean to collect crucial baseline data on marine organisms, according to a statement from Scripps.
“In many regions, we know very little about the microbial communities that form the base of the ocean food web or that make deep sea ecosystems so unique,” Leinen said. “Without data, we can’t predict how these communities are going to respond to climate change or what the consequences might be. That’s a vulnerability — and this funding will help us begin to address it.”
Using autonomous samplers that can collect ocean water for eDNA analysis, as well as conventional sampling, scientists will use tools to “reveal the biology of the open ocean and polar regions.”
According to Scripps, the international Argo program has more than 4,000 floats that drift with currents and periodically dive to measure temperature, salinity and pressure. Standard floats can record data up to depths of 2,000 meters (6,560 feet), while newer Deep Argo floats can dive to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet).
The grant funding announced Tuesday will allow for Scripps to deploy around 50 Deep Argo floats along with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
Sarah Purkey, physical oceanographer at Scripps and Argo lead, said this leap forward in deep ocean monitoring comes at a crucial time because the deep sea has warmed faster than expected over the last two decades.
Thwaites Glacier is Antarctica’s largest collapsing glacier and contains enough ice to raise global sea level by roughly two feet if it were to collapse entirely. According to Scripps, prior expeditions led by scientist Jamin Greenbaum discovered anomalously warm water beneath the glacier’s ice shelf — contributing to melting from below. Greenbaum now seeks to collect water samples and other measurements from beneath Thwaites’ ice tongue to disentangle the drivers of its rapid melting.
This season’s Antarctic fieldwork will “test hypotheses about the drivers of Thwaites’ rapid melt with implications for sea-level rise projections,” the statement from Scripps said.
“The ocean holds answers to some of the most pressing questions about our planet’s future, but only if we can observe it,” said Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and vice chancellor for marine sciences at UCSD. “This historic grant will help ocean scientists bring new tools and approaches to parts of the ocean we’ve barely begun to explore.”
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