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Two yoga teachers sue over San Diego's stricter beach enforcement

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2 years ago

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Two yoga teachers sue over San Diego's stricter beach enforcement


Two San Diego yoga instructors are suing the city over its stricter new enforcement on classes at parks and beaches, saying it violates First Amendment free-speech rights.

The lawsuit by Steve Hubbard and Amy Baack, filed June 3 in federal court, also contends the city didn’t give the public adequate opportunity to weigh in before enforcement began last month.

The crackdown, which applies to classes of four people or more, came as part of amendments the City Council approved in February to a much wider city law governing street vendors.

That ordinance, approved in March 2022, requires permits and includes health and safety regulations and partially bans street vendors in parks, at beaches and in certain pedestrian-heavy areas, though they are allowed to keep operating on some cross streets and side streets.

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In La Jolla, the law aimed to block vending year-round at Scripps Park, the Children’s Pool, the Coast Boulevard boardwalk between Jenner and Cuvier streets, and on main thoroughfares in some business districts, such as the La Jolla Shores boardwalk.

Faced with claims by many operators that their activities were protected by the First Amendment, city officials over the past winter analyzed which vendors were eligible for free-speech protections.

Among the activities deemed protected are political efforts, selling self-made art, fortune telling, face painting, singing and street performing.

Yoga and other fitness-related classes didn’t make the cut, nor did dog training or selling food, clothing, jewelry, soaps, oils and creams.

But the lawsuit argues that city officials didn’t adequately explain the potential impact on yoga classes.

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“It is unclear how and when these provisions specifically targeting the free teaching of yoga in city parks were added to this ordinance amendment,” the 16-page lawsuit states. “Yoga was not mentioned in the staff report, agenda or minutes of this meeting.”

The lawsuit says the city did not seek to gather public input in its traditional ways.

“There appear to have been no town council or planning group recommendations on this surreptitiously inserted provision either, nor any community input or public comment whatsoever, because the general public and stakeholders were never given notice that this was even being considered,” the suit says.

The suit also contends that yoga classes are protected free speech.

“Plaintiffs are engaged in pure speech, teaching yoga to anyone who wishes to listen and participate,” the suit states. “They are not charging fees and they are not blocking or restricting access to any public space.”

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The issue of blocking or restricting access is important because city officials say the crackdown on yoga and other activities has been motivated by concerns about public access and safety.

Kohta Zaiser, Mayor Todd Gloria’s City Council affairs adviser, said last month that some classes are so popular that they take over parks or beach areas. “We’re talking about dominating parking lots and rows and rows of people,” he said.

City officials say that while analyzing the street vendor amendments, they became aware that many residents were quietly upset about the increasing commercial use of their favorite parks and beaches — including yoga classes — and subsequent impacts on beach access, crowding and parking.

That prompted city officials to target activities that in some cases they contend have had restrictions already on the books but that hadn’t been enforced in years.

Hubbard says he has been cited twice for his classes in Pacific Beach. Baack says she has been threatened with citations if she continues her free yoga classes in Ocean Beach.

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Hubbard and Baack say they’ve been holding classes for years without any problems.

Their lawsuit also disputes city claims that permits can be obtained for yoga classes in parks and beaches.

“In practice, the city refuses to issue any permits for this activity in any city park except Mission Bay Park, Balboa Park and Liberty Station,” the suit states.

Another lawsuit over the city’s vendor-related enforcement was filed in early May by artist William Dorsett and street performer Rogelio Flores, who say the amended law violates their free-speech rights.

They argue they should be able to operate without restriction instead of being limited to 4-by-8-foot “expressive activity” pads that are open to operators with free-speech protections in coastal parks, including La Jolla’s Scripps Park, Kellogg Park and Children’s Pool.

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— La Jolla Light staff contributed to this report. ◆





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San Diego, CA

Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout

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11 hours ago

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January 9, 2026

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Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout


San Diego will put off issuing citations for paid parking in Balboa Park for about one month while improvements are made, but Mayor Todd Gloria says the new system is functioning well and being “actively adopted.”

In a long and harshly worded memo released Thursday, Gloria said recent calls by City Council members to suspend the program were politically motivated and examples of bad governance and erratic decision-making.

Gloria also deflected blame for the chaotic way enforcement began Monday, when city officials raced to put stickers about resident discounts on parking kiosks and lobbied a vendor to deliver crucial missing signs.

The mayor said the council had “shaped, amended and approved” paid parking in Balboa Park and contended an accelerated timeline chosen by the council made it hard for his administration to implement it flawlessly.

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The mayor’s memo came in response to a Tuesday memo from Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera in which they called implementation of paid parking “haphazard” and “not ready for prime time.”

Lee and Elo-Rivera said the process for city residents to get approved for discounts was so complex, cumbersome and confusing that Gloria should waive fees for residents until they have had time to adapt and learn.

While Gloria rejected that suggestion in part of his memo, he later said “enforcement remains focused on education, not punishment, during this early phase, to ensure park users are aware of the new parking fees.”

Dave Rolland, a spokesperson for Gloria, said Thursday that no specific date had been set for when the city would shift from education to enforcement. But he added that “about a month” would be an accurate timeline.

City officials have already corrected one key mistake: Signs that were missing Monday — alerting drivers that the 951-space lower Inspiration Point lot is free for three hours — have since been installed.

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Lee and Elo-Rivera in their memo decried “an inadequate effort to educate the public on how to use this new system.”

They said San Diegans had not been clearly informed about when a portal for city resident discounts would go live or how to use it.

And they complained that residents weren’t told they couldn’t buy discounted parking passes in person, or when enforcement with citations would actually begin.

City residents must apply for discounts online, pay $5 to have their residency verified, then wait two days for that verification and choose the day they will visit in advance.

Lee and Elo-Rivera called the city’s efforts “a haphazard rollout that will surely lead to San Diegans missing out on their resident discount and paying higher parking rates than they have to.”

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Gloria said the city collected $23,000 in parking fees on Monday and Tuesday and another $106,000 in daily, monthly and quarterly passes — mostly from residents who get discounts on such passes.

“Early data shows that the program is functioning and being used,” he said. “These are not the metrics of a system that is failing to function. They are the metrics of a system that is new, actively being adopted, and continuing to improve as public familiarity increases.”

While Gloria conceded that some improvements are still necessary, he rejected calls from Lee and Elo-Rivera for a suspension, citing his concerns it would jeopardize city finances and confuse the public.

“Your proposal to suspend paid parking for residents two days into the new program would have immediate and serious fiscal consequences,” Gloria said. “This reversal could introduce confusion among park users and would disregard investments already made to establish the system, potentially compromising the program’s effectiveness.”

Paid parking in Balboa Park is expected to generate about $3.7 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, but revenue is expected to rise substantially when the fees are in place for a full fiscal year.

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Gloria said the money is a small part of the city’s overall solution to recurring deficits it faces of more than $100 million per year.

“What we will not do is reverse course days into implementation in a way that undermines fiscal stability, creates uncertainty, and sends the message that addressing a decades-old structural budget deficit that has plagued our city is optional because it is politically uncomfortable,” he said. “That kind of erratic decision-making is not good governance, and San Diegans deserve better.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo said Thursday that paid parking there has continued to go smoothly since it began on Monday.

The zoo, which is using Ace Parking for enforcement, opted for immediate citations instead of an educational grace period.

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San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

Published

24 hours ago

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January 8, 2026

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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.

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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.



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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

Published

1 day ago

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January 8, 2026

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Padres roster review: Luis Campusano





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


















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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.

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