San Diego, CA

The transit line San Diego leaders are hailing as ‘a model for how we can grow’

Published

2 months ago

January 17, 2026

The transit line San Diego leaders are hailing as ‘a model for how we can grow’

An overnight bus between the U.S.-Mexico border and downtown San Diego is so popular that local transit officials are making it permanent and planning new marketing efforts in Tijuana and on Spanish-language radio.

Local leaders are calling the border bus a great example of how transit can adjust to unconventional situations with innovative solutions.

Dubbed the “Overnight Express,” Route 910 covers essentially the same ground as the South Bay portion of the popular Blue Line trolley from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week.

The Blue Line can’t run during those hours, despite intense demand for overnight trolley service, because the tracks it uses are occupied by freight trains then.

That has left many early-morning workers and students who live near the border without a convenient and affordable way to get to downtown and other locations in the early morning.

Trying to solve that problem, Metropolitan Transit System officials began operating Route 910 as a pilot express bus last January.

While ridership took a few months to ramp up on the new route, Route 910 — which costs the normal MTS one-way fare of $2.50 — is now used by more than 7,000 passengers a month.

Perhaps more importantly, officials say it has reduced crowding on the first few Blue Line trains north from San Ysidro each morning.

“This is an example of creating something our customers need and actually want,” said San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno, who serves on the MTS board. “It’s a model for how we can grow and adapt.”

San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, another MTS board member, said the overnight express helps people avoid having to pay for a taxi or Uber or asking a family member to drive them in the wee hours.

“This is a tangible way to improve folks’ lives — and very hard-working folks,” Elo-Rivera said.

The MTS board voted unanimously Thursday to make Route 910 a permanent express route.

The decision will cost $800,000 per year, but it won’t create budget problems because the route is already built into budgets for fiscal 2026 and 2027. Its funding comes from SB 125 — state legislation that devotes many millions to mass transit across the state.

The decision to make Route 910 permanent was based on strong ridership numbers.

Ridership during the six-month period from July through December was 31% higher than it was in the route’s first six months. During those first six months, an average of 191 people per day used Route 910. During the second six months, that had risen to 251 people per day.

Brent Boyd, director of planning and scheduling for MTS, said he expects those numbers to keep going up as more people become aware of Route 910.

“I’d expect that the ridership keeps growing gradually,” he said. “We see no reason for it not to.”

Mark Olson, director of marketing and communications for MTS, said the route was promoted during two waves of outreach — one last January and one in the fall.

MTS is also planning to advertise Route 910 on billboards in Tijuana and on Spanish-language radio. “We think there’s a lot of growth opportunity for this route,” he said.

Route 910 has better numbers than other MTS express buses based on its number of riders relative to how much it costs to operate. Officials called that remarkable when you consider the unusual hours that Route 910 operates.

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, another MTS board member, said the success of Route 910 shows that we live in a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week society.

Boyd said it was surprising to see that the most popular bus on Route 910 is the second-to-last one before the trolley begins operating — not the last one.

“I think it’s because the last trip is close enough to when the trolley begins that people might just wait,” he said.

Route 910 doesn’t stop at all Blue Line trolley stations. It stops at San Ysidro, Iris Avenue, Palomar Street, 24th Street, 12th and Imperial, City College and Santa Fe Depot, taking less than an hour to finish its route.

Boyd estimated that about 60% of passengers board at San Ysidro and that roughly half are headed to downtown and the other half are headed to other stops.

To make the route permanent, MTS had to analyze whether it has had any adverse impact on low-income residents or ethnic minorities. The analysis determined that it hasn’t.

The agency says the population of the area served by Route 910 is 38% low-income, compared with 24% in the overall MTS service area.

The Blue Line, which was extended from Old Town to La Jolla and University City in 2021, carries 80,000 passengers a day. MTS officials believe it’s the second-busiest light-rail line in the nation.

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San Diego, CA

Sir Mohamed Mansour brought a global movement to San Diego, and nearly won MLS Cup in Year 1

Published

20 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Sir Mohamed Mansour brought a global movement to San Diego, and nearly won MLS Cup in Year 1

As Sir Mohamed Mansour was finalizing a deal with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation to invest in San Diego FC in 2022, he reflected on their combined history. The Sycuan said they’d lived in the San Diego region for 12,000 years. Mansour looked to his own Egyptian culture’s 7,000-year existence.

“If we have 19,000 years of history we can’t lose,” said the 78-year-old.

When San Diego FC finally lost in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, it was in the Western Conference finals, capping the best debut season in the league’s history. Mansour spoke about the experience Thursday morning during the Business of Soccer conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“The first game, to me, meant everything. That night was a sleepless night because I’m very passionate about soccer,” he said.

Mansour would have settled for a respectable loss; they were playing defending MLS Cup champs L.A. Galaxy. But San Diego FC scored twice unanswered, winning the opener. And another sleepless night ensued.

Mansour discussed early life health issues, including being hit by a car when he was 10 years old, which left him bed-ridden for three years. He read American comic books and studied. His family’s wealth was confiscated by the Egyptian government during a 1965 revolution, and he later beat cancer as a 20-year-old while studying in the U.S.

Now the billionaire chairman of Mansour Group, an Egyptian conglomerate owned by his family, Mansour is also chairman of the Right To Dream Academy, which has made San Diego its fifth outpost. San Diego FC’s $150M Sharp HealthCare Performance Center includes residences and a school for Right To Dream participants in the club’s academy system. Mansour mentioned his plans to construct 100 pitches for underprivileged kids in San Diego.

“We are more than a football academy. We’re a global movement, built upon the belief that everyone has the right to dream,” said Mansour. “We’ve been rewriting the rules of talent development for over 20 years, guided by our core belief that excellence can be found anywhere.”

While creating hundreds of opportunities for children in underdeveloped countries, Right to Dream has generated tens of millions of euros in transfer fees for clubs within the network.

Mansour, who graduated from N.C. State in 1968 with an engineering degree and then earned a Masters’ from Auburn, differs from many MLS owners because he is a native soccer fan, he had extensive soccer business experience, and even an idea of how he’d like his team to play (possession-based).

Asked which he’d prefer — for Egypt to win the World Cup or San Diego FC to win MLS Cup — Mansour answered the United States (to win the World Cup) and San Diego FC to win MLS Cup.

“I tell you why. I’m a businessman too,” he said, grinning. “And if the US does well in this World Cup, soccer is going to grow.”

Rapid fire with Sir Mohamed Mansour

Comic book hero: Superman

Kryptonite: Worrying

Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan

Favorite soccer player: Mohamed Salah

Childhood hero: His father

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San Diego, CA

3 San Diego State players who won’t be on the roster in the 2026–27 season

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

3 San Diego State players who won’t be on the roster in the 2026–27 season

The San Diego State Aztecs are bracing for some possible serious turnover this offseason and it’s not all going to be via the transfer portal.

Leading scorer Reese Dixon-Waters is out of eligibility, as are Jeremiah Oden and Sean Newman Jr. Newman can petition for another season based on his junior college years, but it’s anyone’s guess if he’d get it.

Obviously, San Diego State’s roster movement is far from complete and the transfer portal doesn’t even open until April 7, the day after the national championship game.

The Aztecs’ once-promising season ended when they were left out of the NCAA Tournament following their loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.

There are some players we know will not be on the squad next season, which will be the Aztecs’ first in the new-look Pac-12:

Guard Reese Dixon-Waters

San Diego State Aztecs guard Reese Dixon-Waters (39). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After missing all of the 2024-25 season with a broken foot, Dixon-Waters returned for his final season of eligibility and led the Aztecs in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He was a second-team All-Mountain West pick. He scored his 1,000th career point at UNLV on Jan. 24 and finished his career with 1,220 points.

Dixon-Waters played his first three seasons at USC before transferring to SDSU, where he started 23 of 37 games in 2023-24. He was a preseason All-Mountain West pick the next season before breaking a foot. He was so highly regarded that, despite missing all of last season, he was named to the preseason All-MW team in October.

One of his notable accomplishments was attempting more free throws (43) without a miss to start the 2023-24 season than any player in the country.

Forward Jeremiah Oden

San Diego State Aztecs forward Jeremiah Oden (25). | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Oden started 15 games and played in 30 of 33 games in his final season of eligibility after transferring from Charlotte, where he redshirted in 2024-25. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes.

Oden scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 3 against Wyoming, where he played his first three college seasons. He finished his career with 1,024 points and 495 rebounds.

Oden didn’t play at all in a blowout home win against Utah State on Feb. 25, when Dutcher shortened his rotation from 11 to nine players. He had started the previous nine games.

Oden also played one season at DePaul.

Guard Sean Newman Jr.

San Diego State Aztecs guard Sean Newman Jr. (4). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The transfer from Louisiana Tech played in all 33 games and made four starts, including Senior Night in the regular-season finale against UNLV and all three games in the MW tournament, when freshman Elzie Harrington was out with an injury.

Newman averaged 3.3 points, 2.4 assists and 15.4 minutes.

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San Diego, CA

The Streamline: Concerns raised over future of Tecolote Canyon Golf Course

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

The Streamline: Concerns raised over future of Tecolote Canyon Golf Course

Here is what you need to know in the March 25, 2026, Streamline newsletter:

This morning, we’re tracking San Diego Unified School District’s decision to rename Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the wake of serious allegations against the civil rights icon.

We’re also following the City of San Diego’s search for a new operator to reopen Tecolote Canyon Golf Course — and the neighbors pushing to safeguard and restore the surrounding natural space.

Plus, consumer reporter Marie Coronel shows why brand loyalty might be costing you more on your cell phone bill.

THE STREAMLINE

WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Wednesday, March 25 — everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:

The Streamline: Wednesday, March 25

TOP STORY

The San Diego Unified School District board voted Tuesday night to begin renaming Cesar Chavez Elementary School following allegations of sexual abuse against the labor leader.

The process will start with school leaders meeting with parents, teachers, students, and community members to select a new name.

While renaming a school typically takes several months, district officials said the timeline could be expedited in this case.

San Diego Unified usually limits itself to one school name change per year — in February, Clairemont High School’s mascot was changed from the Chieftains to the Captains.

However, board members said they would make an exception for this situation.

San Diego Unified initiates renaming process for Cesar Chavez Elementary over abuse allegations

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MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS

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BREAKING OVERNIGHT

(AP) — Iran received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday.

The Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

The Trump administration reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East.

The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan’s contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washington’s shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve, and it is not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority or would be willing to negotiate.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.

Alluding to progress in talks, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related “present,” a day after telling reporters that the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.

Story by The Associated Press

CONSUMER

While loyalty is usually a good thing, it’s possible it could be costing you money when it comes to your cell phone bill.

WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel goes over the simple checks you can do right now to make sure you’re not overpaying:

Comparing cell phone plans to save money on your bill

WE FOLLOW THROUGH

The City of San Diego is seeking proposals from companies to lease and reopen the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course. While golfers welcome the move, some nearby residents argue it could harm the environment.

WATCH — Reporter Dani Miskell spoke to some neighbors about their expectations for whoever comes in to run the golf course:

Concerns grow over future of Tecolote Canyon Golf Course

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