Hey, San Diego! Get ready to clear those lungs and make our skies a little bluer. California Clean Air Day is rolling into town, and SANDAG is leading the charge to freshen up our air quality.

Ditch the Car, Save the Planet

Here’s the scoop: We’re all invited to take the pledge and swap our usual gas-guzzling commute for something a little greener. Whether you’re lacing up your walking shoes, dusting off that bike, carpooling with your work besties, or hopping on public transit, every little bit helps.

Free Rides for All!

And get this—MTS and NCTD are making it even easier to go green by offering free transit all day long. That’s right, you can ride the bus or trolley without spending a dime. It’s like the universe is practically begging you to leave your car at home.

How to Join the Clean Air Squad

• Make the Pledge: Visit here and promise to give your car a day off.
• Pick Your Eco-Ride: Will it be a breezy bike ride? A brisk walk? A chatty carpool? Or a relaxing transit trip? The choice is yours!
• Spread the Clean Air Love: Rally your crew to join in. The more, the merrier (and the cleaner our air)!

This isn’t just for the tree-huggers among us—California Clean Air Day is for everyone who breathes air (so, you know, all of us). It’s the perfect excuse to try out a new way of getting around town without any pressure.

See you there!

So, San Diego, are you ready to clear the air? Let’s show California how it’s done and make this the freshest day of the year. Don’t forget to visit the SANDAG website here for all the deets and to make your pledge. Let’s do this, San Diego—your future self will high-five you for it!

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 2. Together, we can make a difference for our air quality and our community.

For updates, follow along on Instagram, X, and Facebook.

See you there, San Diego!

Virginia “Ginger” Black

OBITUARY

Born in Chula Vista to Bessie (Jones) and Lawrence Otis, Ginger grew up in National City, graduating in 1947 from Sweetwater Union High School. She attended San Diego State for two years before marrying and starting her family.Ginger loved gardens, hummingbirds, sewing, Community Rec exercise classes, and going to the beach (where she taught her children how to body surf). As a US Marine Corps wife, she made homes and enduring friendships in Virginia, 29 Palms, Oceanside, and Key West, but Chula Vista was always home base.Her Catholic faith and St. Rose of Lima Church community were important to her. She was a member of the Altar and Rosary Guild and served as Admin. Asst. of the CCD program. At San Diego State, she was a song leader, a charter member of Alpha Phi sorority, Gamma Alpha Chapter, and continued to participate in alumna activities. She also belonged to the Women’s University Club. For many years she helped plan Sweetwater High School alumni reunions. She was proud of her ad hoc service to the SDSU Alumni Association War Memorial Committee and its creation and placement of the War Memorial monolith on the Aztec Green in 1996.Ginger was preceded in death by husbands Byron H. Chase in 1952 and James O. Black in 2011, and son Chris Black in 2005. She is survived by daughters Carol (nee Chase) Black DeLauro, Marilyn (nee Chase) Black Marker, and Candace Black, son Jim (“Jimmy”) Black, and eight grandchildren.Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Chula Vista at 12 noon on Tuesday, Oct. 8. A celebration of Ginger’s life will be held at the Chula Vista Golf Course immediately following. Inurnment will take place at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery at a later date.

Just weeks before the November election, a $1 million donation to a conservative political action committee (PAC) could shake up the San Diego mayoral race.

Attorney Steven Richter donated the hefty sum to the Lincoln Club of San Diego’s PAC. The chair of the PAC, however, said he’s not sure how the money will be spent.

The conservative Lincoln Club of San Diego endorsed Larry Turner, who identifies as an independent, in his bid to be the next mayor of San Diego. The Lincoln Club’s executive director, Victor Lopez, could have a committee supporting Turner set up as soon as Friday.

While the donation is hardly too little to shake up a relatively quiet local campaign season, does it come too late?

“This is probably the last possible moment that a donation, even a million-dollar one, could affect a campaign,” UC San Diego political-science professor Thad Kousser told NBC 7.

Richter did not respond to NBC 7’s requests for comment, regarding this article. A donation of that size cannot go directly to a candidate but can go to a PAC, which can spend it however members decide, as long as they are not in communication with the candidate.

The chair of Lincoln Club’s PAC responded to NBC 7’s questions via email, saying, “We have many priority races, and I have not decided where the money is going to be spent.” He said a letter was attached to the donation, telling them to spend the money as they see fit, “no strings attached.”

The Lincoln Club has also endorsed the Republicans in the competitive Congressional District 49 and Board of Supervisors District 3 races (Matt Gunderson and Kevin Faulconer, respectively).

“There’s a lot of things that have dominoes that would have to fall before we know whether this will be a groundbreaking, ground-shaking contribution in the mayor’s race,” said UCSD’s Kousser. “A million dollars is a big start toward running a very serious mayoral campaign. This campaign seems to have tightened in recent polling.”

This is hardly the start of campaign season, though. In the home stretch, Kousser said, candidates should be encouraging voters to go to the polls, not just getting their names out to the masses via TV ads or mailers, which is how the money could be spent in support of Turner.

“Californians’ dissatisfaction with crime rates and homelessness across the state are playing out in these campaigns, and dissatisfaction could lead them to possibly reconsider electing someone who so far has been a fairly popular incumbent mayor,” Kousser said.

Todd Gloria’s campaign manager, Jen Tierney, said in a statement, “Voters should understand what is happening: This is the latest attempt by far-right, Trump Republican forces looking to undermine the progress Mayor Gloria has made and take San Diego backward. San Diego deserves leaders like Mayor Gloria who reflect its values – not those of far-right extremists. We are going to fight to protect the progress we’ve made and keep San Diego moving forward.”