 |
| View of Golden Gate Bridge from Land's End/USS San Francisco Memorial |
I'm still on my roadtrip and have parked myself in Hercules, CA for a few days to take care of some things with Darren's nephew. While I've been here, we hit Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Land's End, and our last stop was Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf to see the sea lions to see if Chonkers was still around. I was also able to do laundry, get caught up on a lot of work, and catch up on sleep, too. I hear the weather in San Diego has been miserable, so I keep pushing back my return home, but I promise I'm not staying gone forever. I'd still like to see elephant seals at one of the lookout spots up here, and I was considering going to the Sacramento and Fresno Zoos on my way out, but I'll skip those if the weather is still gonna be gnarly all weekend. It's been pretty mellow here, especially close to the bay or beaches, but I also don't wanna drive the van in the middle of the day with extreme heat.
Anyhow, it's been fun and I wanted to get started on this week's listings while I have strong wi-fi, so I'm gonna post this diary a little earlier than I usually do just to get it off my plate.
Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
- SAN DIEGO LOCALS:
- San Diego Music Hall of Fame reveals 2026 inductees, including Mojo Nixon, Big Mountain - Times of San Diego (8.17.26)
- If you don't want to click -- inductees are Mojo Nixon, Big Mountain, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, Claudia Russell (KSDS DJ), The Penetrators, Larry Grano (Rockola, Soul Persuaders, Steely Damned), Oliver Luck, (veteran trombonist, musician and educator)
- I know this involves politics, but the tea is more for SD locals. There is some SERIOUS bickering happening at City Council. So like every time Todd does some nonsense, he generally gets called out on it by Raul Campillo or Sean Elo-Rivera, except for the times when Sean aligns with Todd. So recently, several bathrooms in Mission Bay were closed. An insider tip I learned was that if it's a full bathroom with a Mens side and a Womens side and a few stalls inside for each, it was likely closed. If it's the newer kind, with several single use unisex bathrooms, half of those on one building would be closed with the rest open. These open directly to the outside, so make it harder for long-term use, camping, etc. Anyhow, Raul Campillo (kinda the hero the City Council needs right now, since everyone else seems to be just hiding in their bunkers, hanging on until their next public-facing TV moment comes) was making a big fuss about it...that it's the bathrooms in the areas that people from his district frequent the most that were closed...Crown Point, North Mission Bay...so he's been VERY vocal about it on socials and whatnot. Well, DOCTOR Jennifer Campbell didn't like that and said it was poor etiquette for him to take strong position on something happening in HER district. So now suddenly she and Joe La Cava have used their office's discretionary funds to keep the bathrooms open. Reminder that she terms out this year and is being replaced in the next election, but she very well may try the post-Council pipeline/circuit: State Assembly -- State Senate -- Mayor/Congress. Or she can retire. I don't follow enough to know. But my gossip-eye tells me, she didn't want this literal shit-stain policy to be the thing that she's remembered for when she's gone (along with the chaos of Midway Rising). It's fascinating. Anyhow, all the closed bathrooms are reopening on Friday through the end of the calendar year. Funding will need to be identified for the remainder of the fiscal year, from January 1-June 30.
- Mayor reopens Mission Bay restrooms after complaints of unhealthy and unsanitary conditions - Times of San Diego (8.12.26)
- San Diego to reopen Mission Bay restrooms after public outcry over closures - City News Service/kpbs (8.12.26)
- San Diego Seals ditch Pechanga Arena for Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena - Times of San Diego (8.21.26)
- Like it or not, Waymo is ready to fully launch in San Diego - kpbs (8.21.26)
- Should La Jolla Cove close to protect sea lions? San Diego faces mounting pressure - Times of San Diego (8.23.26)
- Iconic Balboa Park has a billion-dollar problem. How long San Diego’s crown jewel can maintain a unique place in the city’s collective life where countless memories are made is an urgent — and unresolved — question. -inewsource (8.18.26)
- SAN DIEGO REGIONAL POLITICS:
- Draft Mid-City Community Plan update could create 30,000 new homes over 30 years - City News Service/kpbs (8.11.26)
- Volleyball players win point in dispute over South Mission Beach early start time - Times of San Diego (8.19.26)
- San Diego County Supervisors pass 'anti-corruption' restrictions tied to prediction markets, lobbying - City News Service/kpbs (8.19.26) - kpbs (10.20.26)
- With a strong El Niño on the way, only 17% of San Diego's storm channels can handle a 100-year storm - kpbs (10.20.26)
- MTS Fare Changes Begin Oct. 1
- Starting Oct. 1, major fare changes will happen for the first time in more than 17 years. The changes will be introduced in two phases to help support transit operations and keep bus and Trolley service levels as high as possible.
- One-Way (two-hour free transfers): $3
- Day Pass (unlimited rides): $7
- Monthly Pass (unlimited rides): $85
- BIKE STUFF:
- The State of The Ride: San Diego Bike Infrastructure Annual Report (full PDF) - SDSU/Bike SD (August 2026)
- Under orders from judge, San Diego repeals ballot measure lifting Midway height limit - kpbs (8.24.26)
- CALIFORNIA NEWS:
- California Is 2026’s Most Fun State in America – WalletHub Study (8.18.26)
- No court reporter? Record the hearing, California Supreme Court rules - CalMatters (8.11.26)
- ‘When we drill, we spill’: Coastal leaders call Trump administration’s coastal agency review unprecedented - kpbs (8.11.26)
- Jackie, the California bald eagle who became an internet sensation, dies after illness - AP/kpbs (8.12.26)
- California Coastal Commission approved the De Anza Natural Plan amendment to the Mission Bay Master Plan
- Anti-billionaire tax ad falsely claims every Californian will have to “report all their assets” - Popular Information (8.25.26)
- ZOO GOSS:
- The zoo recently added a sign for 6 year old male gorilla, Kitoko. He's coming from the Seattle area's Woodland Park Zoo, the same zoo that was home to Guadalupe, the river hippo who joined the San Diego bloat nearly two years ago. That zoo is impressively transparent and announced the departure of young Kitoko, inviting guests to come see him before he leaves after August. Typically an animal will have to do a 30 day quarantine before they are allowed to begin integration, and I suspect it will be a very slow and steady process, as it was when Denny moved in with his brothers. I cannot wait to meet little Kitoko and watch the boys integrate him into the bachelor group.
- SEA WORLD GOSS:
- It's finally happened!! After methodically moving several of the nearly 30 belugas from the shuttered Marineland in Canada, San Diego finally got three new males (Xavier, Cyprus, & Jasper.) They are quarantined and getting used to the new digs and will also get slow introduced to Allua, Klondike, and Oliver over time. .
- 3 Rescued Beluga Whales Arrive At SeaWorld San Diego. The arrival marks the fourth transport in a rescue effort involving SeaWorld and several accredited aquariums. - The Patch (8.24.26)
- TRANS RIGHTS & GUN FIGHTS:
- County Supervisors and the Sheriff are at odds over CBP training at Otay Mesa gun range - kpbs (8.20.26)
- US GOVERNMENT DESTRUCTION:
- STATE DEPT:
- Ending DEI Ideology in the Foreign Service - 8.13.26
- Dear Little Marco- STOP BEING SO FUCKING EMBARRASSING!!
- COVID-19/AVIAN FLU/HEALTH/WELLNESS:
- COVID-19:
- The traditional respiratory virus season hasn’t started, but Covid is already climbing - CNN Health (8.20.26)
- CRAZY SHIT FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION (HHS | FDA | CDC | NIH | ETC):
No comments:
Post a Comment