san diego: dialed in: Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Busy Life! | West Nile Detected in SD | Mission Trails Construction | San Diego Politics Are Getting Interesting | SCOTUS Disappoints, Again

My new niece (L) and nephew (R) were born on Sunday!!

The kid's procedure went great last week and on Wednesday we had the first post-op check-in and everything was looking good. He's back in school now to close out his senior year. Over the weekend we went to Universal Studios with his symphonic band, and though he couldn't play in their competition or ride any rides at the theme park, it was amazing to share the wins on First Place with a superior rating among the instrumental bands, as well as best overall across all high school categories, which also included chorale and vocal-type groups. Before Universal, I was gifted a ticket to the Ryan Adams show on Friday, which I attended with an open mind and open heart in trying to believe he's a better person. He's likely not and the show had me emotionally all over the place, but that music just penetrates my soul.

On Sunday, my God-sister gave birth to her twins, so I spent most of Monday visiting them in the hospital and I believe they'll be going home today, so I'm gonna give them some space so they can get all situated and recover from the whole process, the C-section, and the flurry of non-stop visitors they had all day, in addition to the nurses and doctors swirling in to check on the new mama as well as each baby, with vaccinations, check ups, feedings, changings, hearing tests, and all the things they had to do before clearing the girl out of NICU to be with her brother, mom and dad on Monday night.

I had fully intended to go to City Council and say my piece about paid parking in Balboa Park, but instead I was at Hoover High School, where seniors were being awarded numerous scholarships, including Toby, who along with his full-ride Chancellor's scholarship at UCSD, got a Lee Mongrue Memoria Scholarship, a Cardinals Interact scholarship, an Advanced Placement medal, a Hoover Alumni Scholarshio, and a Hoover Foundation scholarship, in addition to the PFLAG scholarship and the Tracie Jada O'Brien Student Scholarship he received. We're pretty stoked about all of it.

And I still have quite a rant about San Diego's proposed paid parking changes, but it's Memorial Day week and I'm about to head out on an adventure. I guess this is exactly why the shitfucks in Congress are trying to pass their Budget Reconciliation at 1am...because everyone is too busy trying to survive and focus on their actual lives to fight. I'll get around to it another time. For now, peace out.

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

SAN DIEGO LOCALS:

San Diego County’s state parks among best in California, poll says - Times of San Diego/City News Service (5.7.25)
Two Dead Crows Test Positive for West Nile Virus - County News Center (5.16.25)
Upcoming Work on Border Sewage System May Temporarily Increase Tijuana River Valley Flows - County News Center (5.9.25)
San Diego Is the City With the 2nd Highest Inflation Problem – WalletHub Study (5.13.25)
Mission Trails Regional Park News: Father Junipero Serra Trail Closed to Vehicles Beginning May 19:

"Starting this Monday, May 19, the East County Advanced Water Purification Project will begin construction along Father Junipero Serra Trail (FJST). During this time, FJST will be closed to vehicle traffic through late 2028. The closure spans between the two vehicle gates near the Visitor Center and Old Mission Dam.
The trail will remain open to pedestrians, cyclists, and hikers, except during occasional temporary closures. As a reminder, the Visitor Center parking lot is open until 7PM during Daylight Saving Time unless there's a special event at the Visitor Center.
There will be no vehicle access to Climber's Loop, Oak Grove, or Grinding Rocks trailheads during this time. Please expect construction-related noise, dust, and odors in the area."

Summer Movies in the Park Season Kicks Off Saturday at Waterfront Park - County News Center (5.20.25)

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL POLITICS:

Coalition backs ‘new vision’ for aging San Diego Civic Center, with housing, arts, more - Times of San Diego (5.6.25)

Yawn. Have heard it all before. After Prebys Foundation sold out the entire rental market of San Diego, they can really go fuck themselves and have a lot of work to do to get back in the good graces of San Diegans.

Mayor Todd Gloria restores some funding to police, fire, animal services in revised budget proposal - City News Service/kpbs (5.14.25)

City Heights residents say proposed cuts to libraries, rec centers are inequitable - kpbs (5.13.25)

Paid Parking

Paid parking in Balboa Park? San Diego residents may get a discount - kpbs (5.6.25)

I'm quoted in this article!! "Our public parks are the last escape for people on a budget to enjoy the assets that have been endowed to us by the generations before," said Rosemary Bystrak at a council committee meeting on March 20. "To create more barriers to the community under the guise that tourists will eat the costs doesn't take a real view of year round uses by everyone that calls this area home."

Balboa Park Paid Parking Skeptics Eye Tourist Traffic to Spare Local Park Goers - Voice of San Diego (5.9.25)

This article used the same quote from me.

Do city leaders realize how harmful Balboa Park plan would be? - San Diego Union Tribune/ Letter To The Editor (5.14.25)

While I agree with the premise of this opinion, it also confirms the City's position that there isn't enough turnover on central Balboa Park parking which ends up occupied by employees and volunteers and not the visitors the spaces are intended to serve. The problem is the shuttles don't accommodate people who arrive before attractions open or stay beyond them closing, making it sketch, especially since the majority of volunteers are retirees. I still don't think the handful of busy weekends during touristy times will be the windfall the City thinks it will, and it will just fall on all of us who live on postage stamp rentals and use the park as our sacred escapes. For me, daily parking fees or having to buy a monthly bus pass would completely knock my daily zoo trips off the table.

County Advances Plans for 224 Affordable Housing Units on Surplus Land - County News Center (5.9.25)
San Diego Is 2025’s 7th Least Affordable Large City to Buy a Home – WalletHub Study (5.20.25)

San Diego Adds Over 6,000 New Downtown Apartments So Far This Decade - RentCafe (5.8.25)

ZOO GOSS:

Wild Bat Found Inside Safari Park Tests Positive for Rabies  - County News Center (5.9.25)
San Diego FC and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Announce Multi-Year Partnership - San Diego FC Press Release (5.12.25)

If I was in union contract negotiations for a piddly $2 raise, I would be LIVID to find out that SDZWA is signing multi-year marketing partnerships. It pisses me off just as a member, because it seems to favor promotion of Safari Park, where they've decided to CUT HOURS all summer long, making it more impossible for members to get there.

SEA WORLD GOSS:

I went to Seaworld on Wednesday at the behest of my friend who told me it was the final day before the penguins were leaving, and alas, I've heard people complaining online that the indoor penguins are all gone. I have not been there since to see for myself.
The belugas were off habitat last week, presumably for a deep clean of their aquarium. I was told they were back on Sunday.
Summer Spectacular kicks off this weekend at Seaworld, with a member preview on Friday. This means longer hours, the return of fireworks on select weekends, and more shows and parades.

TRANS (&LGBTQIA+) RIGHTS & GUN FIGHTS:

Gun violence crackdown in San Diego a success, county officials say - Times of San Diego (5.11.25)'
KOSA: Senate Democrats Are Doing TFG's Dirty Work - Fight For The Future (5.14.25)

“We know the truth: rightwing actors want to stifle young people’s voices online,” said Sarah Philips, campaigner at Fight for the Future. “They’ve laid this strategy out in Project 2025. They’ve told us over and over again that they intend to strip speech so that marginalized communities can’t speak truth to power. They can say this is about accountability for Big Tech all they want, but with the likes of Elon Musk standing next to them, none of it rings true. Our communities are trying to survive repression and the gutting of important resources, and online spaces are a safe haven for LGBTQ youth when their resources in their schools and communities shrink. It is unbelievable that Senator Blumenthal and Senator Schumer can ignore everything going on around them for more political theater on a bill that would help silence any opposition to (TFG). Senate Democrats need to wake up and look around. Any Democrat still sponsoring KOSA is co-signing fascism. Stop doing their dirty work.” - Sarah Philips (she/they), Campaigner at Fight for the Future

Hamburger Mary's Goes to the 11th Circuit. A case you need to know about! - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance (5.14.25)

CALIFORNIA NEWS:

Gov. Gavin Newsom urges California cities and counties to ban homeless encampments - kpbs/AP News (5.12.25)

OTHER READING:

Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again. Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its senses. - Wired (5.5.25)
Most Americans don't earn enough to afford basic costs of living, analysis finds - CBS News (5.14.25)

US GOVERNMENT DESTRUCTION:

TFG:

A VIP Seat at (TFG)’s Crypto Dinner Cost at Least $2 Million. The largest holders of TFG’s memecoin have secured spots at a private event with the US president himself. WIRED tracked how they did it. - Wired (5.12.25)
TFG’s "big, beautiful bill" buries a threat to free speech on page 380 - Popular.info (5.15.25)
From The Dictator's Playbook: El Salvador president announces ‘foreign agents’ proposal, fueling concerns of crackdown on dissent - AP News (5.16.25)

CONGRESS:

House GOP drops some Medicaid cuts from reconciliation plan. Bill won't touch portion of state Medicaid costs borne by federal government - Roll Call (5.6.25)

CBP/DHS:

Rwanda says it's in 'early stages' of talks with U.S. to take in deported migrants - NPR (5.6.25)
Second judge blocks (TFG) administration's use of Alien Enemies Act to remove certain migrants - CBS News (5.6.25)
US Customs and Border Protection Plans to Photograph Everyone Exiting the US by Car. A CBP spokesperson tells WIRED that the agency plans to expand its program for real-time face recognition at the border, potentially aiding (TFG) administration efforts to track people who self-deport. - Wired (5.9.25)

SUPREME COURT:

John Roberts Says the Rule of Law Is Endangered. Glad he's finally figured out what he's done to it - Civil Discourse (5.14.25)
Supreme Court allows Trump to end protected status for group of Venezuelan nationals - SCOTUSblog (5.19.25)

Supreme Court again bars Trump from removing Venezuelan nationals - SCOTUSblog (5.19.25)

This one confirms due process and is more important than the other one.

DEA:

The DEA Once Touted Body Cameras for Their “Enhanced Transparency.” Now the Agency Is Abandoning Them. An internal email obtained by ProPublica said the agency made the change to be “consistent” with a (TFG) executive order. But at least two other federal law enforcement agencies are still requiring body cameras.