There’s another tech company tooling around San Diego.
Nuro, an autonomous driving technology company based in Silicon Valley, has deployed a test car onto the streets of Hillcrest, Little Italy, Bankers Hill and portions of downtown and Golden Hill.
The vehicle is not driverless; the Toyota Prius hybrid that Nuro is using has a human behind the wheel who is trained to operate it.
Equipped with sensors that include radar, lidar and cameras on the roof, the car is collecting data as part of a larger testing program Nuro has in place in selected cities across the country to help accelerate a self-driving future.
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The vehicle gathers virtually countless data inputs such as traffic lights, stop signs, driving patterns and safety points, and then process the information “into a single view of the world around it,” said David Salguero, Nuro’s head of communications.
“The cars have onboard processing and storage, and then we use cloud computing to take that data and train our model,” he said.
Nuro chose San Diego as one of its test sites because the city combines urban, coastal and residential neighborhoods with a transportation network that serves drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and public transit.
But that does not mean the company has plans to launch autonomous service in the San Diego area.
Rather, Nuro makes money by developing self-driving tech and then licensing it to automakers and mobility platforms. Those partners then make the decision whether to bring autonomous driving — be it commercial fleets, robotaxis or even personal car services — into a given area.
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In cities such as San Diego, “we are starting to build the foundation so that if and when our partners want to deploy there, we’ve already laid a lot of the groundwork,” Salguero said. “It’s kind of like digging the well before you’re thirsty, as it were.”
Map showing Nuro’s testing zone in San Diego. (Nuro)
Nuro’s work thus far is highly targeted, so it only requires a single vehicle in San Diego that will operate for about 10 days, covering a focused five-square-mile area.
“We’ll be back for the next stage of testing down the line and will have more to share then,” Salguero said.
At least one other autonomous driving company has also taken to the streets of San Diego.
Waymo earlier this year started conducting test drives with humans behind the wheel in similar neighborhoods, as well as Route 163 and Interstate 5.
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“This testing will show us where we should further tune our perception models before expanding to new cities,” a spokesperson for the Bay Area company owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., told the Union-Tribune in February.
Waymo has already deployed driverless cars/taxis in parts of San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Phoenix and Los Angeles but the company has not announced any plans to roll out service in the San Diego area.
“This testing will show us where we should further tune our perception models before expanding to new cities,” the Waymo spokesperson said.
Waymo rides are also available in Atlanta and Austin, Texas, through the Uber app, and the company has announced plans to expand to Miami and Washington D.C.
Autonomous driving has moved from concept to reality in recent years, with many transportation experts predicting a revolutionary change in the auto industry.
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Tesla has implemented autopilot and self-driving features on its vehicles that include traffic-aware cruise control, semi-autonomous navigation, response to traffic lights and the ability to summon the car from a parking space. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he’s staking his company’s future on investments in robotics, autonomous vehicles technology and artificial intelligence.
A vehicle from Nuro heads south on Sixth Avenue in San Diego on June 12, 2025. The manually driven test car is collecting data to study roads, traffic behavior and infrastructure to help lay the groundwork for future autonomous operations for things like robotaxis and commercial fleets. (Rob Nikolewski/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Supporters of self-driving technology say it allows drivers who, for instance, are stuck in traffic jams to spend their time on more productive tasks. Plus, autonomy can provide access to consumers who otherwise may not have access to reliable transportation.
“For example, many folks are approaching their 80s or people who at some point are no longer able to drive but live in a suburb where you have to rely on an automobile to get around,” Salguero of Nuro said. “At a certain point when autonomy is more ubiquitous and reasonably priced, they can either rely on robotaxis or on autonomous solutions in their own vehicle to get them where they need to go. That’s the vision we see for the future.”
Backers also predict an autonomous future will improve road safety and help prevent car accidents. But some consumers are leery.
Tesla is facing dozens of lawsuits tied to its autopilot and self-driving features. Last month, Waymo issued a recall after a glitch in part of its self-driving software reportedly caused some vehicles to crash into low-visibility barriers like chains and gates. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the problem affected 1,212 vehicles.
A survey released by AAA in February said that six in 10 drivers in the U.S. are afraid to ride in self-driving vehicles — although the percentage who say they are fine riding in them increased from 9% last year to 13% this year.
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“For Nuro specifically, we do a lot of testing, we do a lot of validation and we do so much work before our cars are ever out on public streets,” Salguero said. “Safety’s really at the core of everything we do … So the one thing I would say to that person who was worried about self-driving cars is that it is up to Nuro and the industry to earn that trust from them.”
Salguero said Nuro’s vehicles have logged 1.2 million miles in auto-mode without any at-fault incidents.
Created in 2016 and counting about 700 employees, Nuro raised $106 million in its latest funding round, boosting its valuation to about $6 billion.
Waymo, after banking $5.6 billion in fresh capital last November, is currently valued at more than $45 billion.
Oceanside Harbor Beach. (File photo courtesy of @CityofOceanside via X)
A man apparent drowned in the waters near the Oceanside Pier Saturday morning, despite efforts by lifeguards and paramedics to revive him.
The Oceanside Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division and the Oceanside Police Department responded to a report of a missing man at about 4:30 a.m.. Officials said the man was last seen swimming in the ocean about a half-hour earlier.
Lifeguards and police immediately initiated a coordinated search effort using pier vantage points, surveillance cameras and watercraft, but the search was suspended at approximately 5:30 a.m. after no one was found, fire officials said.
“At approximately 10:50 a.m., lifeguards discovered an unresponsive adult male, matching the earlier description, in the water near Lifeguard Tower 12, at Oceanside Harbor Beach,” Division Chief Blake Dorse said in a statement. “The individual was removed from the water, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately initiated.”
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Fire and rescue personnel continued efforts to resuscitate the man on the way to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to be the one who was reported missing near the pier.
Authorities did not release the man’s name.
“The Oceanside Lifeguard Division reminds the public to exercise caution when entering the ocean, especially during early morning hours or when lifeguards are not actively monitoring the water,” Dorse said. “Always swim near an open lifeguard tower and avoid entering the water alone.”
A decade of unforgettable meals calls for a proper celebration. This April, Herb & Wood marks its 10-year anniversary, honoring ten years of shaping San Diego’s culinary identity from its stylish home in Little Italy.
Since opening in 2016, the restaurant has played a defining role in modern San Diego dining, ushering in a more ingredient-driven, chef-forward era while setting the standard for design, hospitality, and overall experience.
A Month of Throwback Favorites and Celebratory Surprises
To commemorate the milestone, Herb & Wood is celebrating all month long by bringing back a selection of OG favorites alongside the signature dishes that have remained staples over the years.
Order from the anniversary lineup and receive a scratcher ticket for a chance to win prizes like a whole Jamón Ibérico ham leg, a custom Johnny Lane painting, and a coveted “lifetime” branzino card. It’s a fun and fitting way to toast one of San Diego’s most influential restaurants.
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A Collaborative Anniversary Dinner
The celebration concludes with a special four-course anniversary dinner featuring standout chefs from the Puffer Malarkey Collective. Brian Malarkey, Aidan Owens, Tara Monsod, and Kylie Cablayan will come together for an unforgettable evening that highlights their creativity and culinary artistry.
The celebratory menu includes:
Course One
Parker House Rolls with honey herb butter
Oyster & Beef Tartare with smoked oyster mayo, caramelized onion, and beef fat snow
Course Two
Lechon Kawali with grilled strawberries, pickled mustard seeds, pickled Tokyo negi, mustard frill, and strawberry sarsa
Course Three
Woodfired Tenderloin & Charred Prawns with garlic and chili, fennel oil, celery root, and whipped tallow butter
Course Four
Funfetti Cake with blueberry jam, lemon curd, and Swiss meringue buttercream
This one-night-only collaboration is a delicious tribute to Herb & Wood’s legacy and a memorable way to toast ten remarkable years in Little Italy.
A Defining Force in San Diego Dining
Over the past decade, Herb & Wood has become a cornerstone of Little Italy’s vibrant dining scene. Known for its warm ambiance and thoughtfully crafted menu, it continues to set the tone for modern dining in San Diego.
Whether revisiting longtime favorites or discovering something new, this anniversary celebration is the perfect excuse to gather around the table and raise a glass to ten remarkable years.
See you there!
We’ll be celebrating in Little Italy with throwback bites, celebratory pours, and plenty of toasts to ten iconic years at Herb & Wood.
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📆 April 3 – 29, 2026 | Culmination celebration April 30 📍 2210 Kettner Blvd, San Diego 🎟️ Book your table here ℹ️ Click here for updates
The San Diego Wave and their fans deserved every second of the festive Friday morning that played out at Snapdragon Stadium.
Wave personnel and fans erupted in cheers as Catarina Macario, a star striker with San Diego roots who agreed to a record-setting contract, displayed a Wave No. 20 jersey at an introductory news conference.
Macario, 26, has taken injury detours, but stands indisputably as one of the world’s better goal-scorers among women.
The Torrey Pines High School and San Diego Surf alum’s local pedigree may also boost the fifth-year Wave, who through no fault of the club’s current leaders, lost considerable star power in recent years, contributing to an attendance decline.
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At a reported $8 million, the five-year deal is reportedly the most for a women’s soccer player.
Macario, smiling often, labeled her new reality “unreal,” while seated next to Wave sporting director Camille Ashton.
She was 12 when family members, seeking better opportunities, brought her from Brazil to live in San Diego after first visiting Dallas.
“I never would have imagined, I guess, that 12-year-old Cat, not knowing how to speak English, being super scared, would one day come back and get to represent her hometown team,” Macario said. “It’s very special. It’s something I’m very proud of. It will just mean that much more, once I step on the field.”
Catarina Macario, right, holds up her jersey with Camille Ashton, Sporting Director and General Manager, at a news conference held to announce
her signing with the San Diego Wave FC March 27, 2026 in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
Ashton called it “a monumental signing.”
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Ashton, formerly Camille Levin, won a national championship with Stanford as a player. She said Macario, who came to Stanford after Ashton turned pro, fits well into the possession-driven, uptempo style the Wave have developed in a season-plus under coach Jonas Eidevall.
“Cat is a world-class player of exceptional quality, intelligence and character,” Ashton said. “Her technical ability, vision and goal-scoring instinct make her one of the most exciting talents in the game today. Just as importantly, she brings a professionalism and competitive drive that will both complement and elevate the high standards already established within our squad.”
Turmoil marked the 2024 season, the franchise’s final one under team president Jill Ellis and coach Casey Stoney.
Ellis fired Stoney, the franchise’s coach since its inception, before midseason. The team’s offense was tedious, leading to a ninth-place finish and the franchise missing the playoff cut for the first time. Ellis, amid reports of a harsh work environment, moved on.
In the first full year under Ashton and Eidevall, the Wave’s offense improved and the team made the playoffs, but was bounced in one game.
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Macario will give the Wave a better chance to rebound at the gate and on the pitch from the exodus of popular stars Alex Morgan (retirement in 2024), midfielder Jaedyn Shaw (traded at her request in January 2025) and defender Naomi Girma (who was transferred to Chelsea later that month for $1.1 million).
The Macario signing comes 16 months after Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, founders of a private equity firm in Los Angeles, completed a $120-million purchase of the Wave.
The record contract “just shows how serious they are about me, and getting the club to succeed even more,” Macario said.
NWSL leaders facilitated the deal as well. Ashton said the league’s adoption four months ago of the High Impact Player Rule, allowing an exception to the salary cap, “came at an incredibly good time.”
Macario said she knows several Wave players and played with versatile fullback Perle Morroni on France’s top club team, Lyon.
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Given that Macario has scored goals at an extraordinary pace throughout her career — with the Surf, Torrey Pines, Stanford, Lyon and Chelsea — there’s only one major concern about how her Wave career will play out:
Health.
A left ACL injury suffered in the final game of her season with Lyon four years ago cost her a full season.
An irritation in her right knee cost her a spot on the U.S. team that won gold at the 2024 Olympics in France.
She was sidelined in recent months at Chelsea, creating uncertainty about her Wave debut.
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“We’re confident her best years are ahead,” Ashton said.
Macario offered no details Friday about when she’ll be ready to play for the Wave, who’ll face Chicago in a home game today.
Smiling, she suggested being in San Diego will improve her health.
“Maybe the skies were a little too gray for me,” she quipped about health setbacks in England and France. “The sunshine will help me heal a little bit quicker.”
For a franchise that was enveloped by clouds in 2024, the forecast grew much brighter Friday.
