san diego: dialed in: Rosey's Diary and Newsy Things: KITOKO IS HERE!! | LN Downtown: Nuisance or Good Neighbor | El Niño Coming In Hot (literally) | Council Wants Waymo Control | Push To Protect Sea Lions Gains Steam

Kitoko at San Diego Zoo (Taken 9.13.26)

Okay, it's been a minute since a diary post. I'm still in the process of posting my travel posts to Instagram, and then there's a whole bunch of madness happening in San Diego, like certain music venues just being allowed to flout noise ordinances and rules about the number of outdoor events per year, and then a whole new slew of people getting on board with better protections for the sea lions at La Jolla Cove and Boomer Beach, and then the City with a too-little-too-late attempt to rein in autonomous vehicles, and then SDZWA went and brought a new silverback to the Safari Park and a 6-year-old to the the Zoo and HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO STAY FOCUSED?!? Not to mention I did Yoga with Belugas at Seaworld on Sunday but still haven't seen Oliver in a few weeks and have no idea if/when the three new belugas will be introduced to the pod. And it's my mom's birthday this weekend, Adams Avenue Street Fair is also this weekend, I'm working my ass off to make back all the money I spent on my California roadtrip, and I'm gonna turn 50 with no actual plan to celebrate except to hit the San Diego Yarn Crawl at Hazpaca. So yeah. I have a lot in my brain at the moment, trying to get it all under control.

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

SAN DIEGO LOCALS:

The fate of concerts at Gallagher Square nears trial in case brought by residents fed up with the noise - Times of San Diego/Downtown News (9.4.26)

Throwback: East Village Residents Balk at Padres $20M Redevelopment Plan for Gallagher Square. Group claims team ignored noise complaints for years; wants to take over the public green space near Petco Park without public review - San Diego Sun (6.5.23)

Concert giant Live Nation has set its sights on downtown. What that means for live music in San Diego - Times of San Diego/Downtown News (9.6.26)
Veteran Stakeholders Are Skeptical Of City Efforts To Update Balboa Park Master Plan. The City of San Diego is beginning pre-planning work; Friends of San Diego Architecture group will hold its own meeting September 19 - San Diego Sun (9.10.26)
There’s a good chance this year’s El Niño will break records. We’re about to find out what that means. - Times of San Diego (9.12.26)

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL POLITICS:

City Council Wants a Say on Waymo - Voice of San Diego (9.15.26)

San Diego City Councilmembers want to slow down rollout of autonomous vehicles - City News Service/kpbs (9.14.26)

SANDAG breaks ground on street safety projects for Orange, Central Avenues - kpbs (8.28.26)
San Diego County to explore treating Tijuana River sewage flows - kpbs (9.1.26)
County Crews Keep Things Moving - County News Center (9.14.26)
Airbnb’s Spending Against One Tax Made Up a Quarter of San Diego Expenditure Lobbying Since 2019. Airbnb’s fierce lobbying spending to oppose San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s vacation rental tax prompted a new disclosure law for this kind of spending. - Voice of San Diego (9.8.26)

CALIFORNIA NEWS:

California enacts laws restricting chatbots and banning teens from ‘addictive’ social media - CalMatters (9.10.26)
California Is 2026’s 9th Happiest State in America – WalletHub Study
California Is 2026’s Most Diverse State in America – WalletHub Study
California Legislature Votes to End Practice of Sending People to Jail for Non-Jailable Infractions, Bill Heads to Governor Newsom’s Desk - Western Center on Law & Poverty (8.26.26)
California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Punish Administrators Who Fail to Vet Teachers for Misconduct - ProPublica (8.31.26)
California lawmakers greenlight a new San Diego sports arena, bypassing environmental hurdles - CalMatters/kpbs (8.31.26)
California kills bill regulating Flock cameras even as public rage grows - CalMatters (9.5.26)
State Bar has begun mandatory review of select law firms’ handling of clients’ money - Times of San Diego (9.4.26)
Closing La Jolla Cove | Town Council and Coastal Commission weigh ‘What access looks like’ - La Jolla Village News/Times of San Diego (9.14.26)

And not that anyone asked but my vision:

Close the stairs to the Cove midway, unless directly accessing the water for swimming/snorkeling.
Install cubbies or lockers against the lower wall behind the lifeguard tower for people to leave towels/flip-flops/water bottles, etc. NO towels, blankets, chairs, umbrellas allowed on the beach. (Should be the same for Children's Pool, IMO.)
Allow instant ticketing/citations when people are surrounding animals, taking selfies, touching, or generally harassing them.
NO TOUR BUSES down one-way part of Coast Boulevard from Prospect to restrooms. No tour bus unloading anywhere on Coast Boulevard between Prospect (by the Cave Store) to Coast Blvd S.
Walkways should remain open, even if animals are abutting the wall along Coast Walk, from the Cove to Boomer Beach.

ZOO GOSS:

Kitoko is here! Little 6 year old Kitoko, who came from Woodland Park Zoo in the Seattle area, arrived at the San Diego Zoo on September 1. After working at the Music Box, I usually drive home via Laurel through Balboa Park and up Park to ECB, and during the several days of his quarantine, I would find myself crying, thinking about this poor little guy away from his family for the first time, in a new place, unable to go outside, and my heart was just weeping. But it is never as dire as I let my brain spin out...at least one of his keepers came with him to San Diego and was with him as he adjusted to the new environment, then he was given visual introductions to the boys in their rooms, with a pretty amazing video going around of Denny showing off to him with twirls and handstands, and then finally on Friday, September 11, he was on habitat with the boys. At first (or at least as it was recounted to me,) he met Denny first and then eventually Ekuba joined them. I arrived later in the afternoon, when their doors were left open, giving all of them access to their shared and private quarters. I cried the first time I saw him, he's so cute and so little but has so much personality. You can see some of my favorite friends' instagram accounts here and here and here, and check out mine here. I also posted a 20 minute long video of their afternoon on Monday here, but hope to cut it down or edit it for better viewing.
Matumaini is the new silverback at Safari Park. I've yet to visit, but he seems to have Leslie and Joanne all in a pitter-patter, following him around like little groupies. Lots of video and pics online of those engagements.

SEA WORLD GOSS:

SeaWorld San Diego’s rescued belugas have yet to meet the park’s resident whales The latest update from the San Diego park comes amid reports that two of the rescued whales that went to a Chicago aquarium have since died. - San Diego Union-Tribune | PAYWALL ARTICLE (9.3.26)

OTHER READING:

Heat kills 5 times more people than official stats show, NPR investigation finds: NPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden toll. - NPR (8.31.26)
Women’s Media Center Mourns Passing of Gloria Steinem: WMC Co-Founder, Journalist, Author, Activist, Feminist, Organizer, Friend - WMC (9.3.26)
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States With Abortion Bans. - Propublica (9.9.26)

US GOVERNMENT DESTRUCTION:

TFG:.

Donald (Drumph) Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin. The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large group of other Russian guests. - Propublica (9.14.26)

Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American September 14, 2026

CONGRESS:

Apparently Mitch ain't technically dead, though it was definitely a Weekend At Bernie's situation.

ICE/CBP/DHS:

TFG’s ICE Has Detained More People Than the Population of Atlanta. Unlike prior administrations, in TFG’s second term, ICE is aggressively arresting people far from the border and detaining them longer. - The Marshall Project (8.25.26)
ICE arrests jumped to nearly 50,000 in July, the highest monthly total of TFG’s second term - AP News (8.25.26)
About Liam Ramos - Civil Discourse (9.2.26)
Inside the ‘Shadow Surge’ Driving ICE Arrests to New Heights. Flush with money and leery of bad publicity, ICE has banked on local police agencies to help ramp up immigration arrests. - The Marshall Project (9.10.26)
ICE arrests near schools spur new outcry in San Diego - Times of San Diego (9.11.26)

SUPREME COURT:

A Day for Good Legal News: The Court decided that states would continue to use the existing rules for the 2026 election, and that Trump’s EO would not go into effect. - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance (9.14.26)