Tiffany is tall; her chunky red heels — dark red, bordering on purple — make her taller. Red seams run up the back of her black stockings to the hem of her black dress, patterned …

Chula Vista councilmember Steve Castaneda was late getting to the July 21 city council meeting. The second-term councilmember showed up just in time to join his three colleagues as they considered placing a 45-day hold …

There I sat, 2 and a half months ago, holding six thousand dollars in cash. I had just watched my 1969 Chevrolet C10 Pickup loaded up on a flatbed towtruck for the first leg of …

The history of wildfires in San Diego’s backcountry has yielded a vigorous volunteer firefighting subculture. Its foundations are self-reliance, strong community involvement, ingenuity, independence, and thrift. Today, those who embody the tradition feel threatened. They …

Deep Into Guns Very good article (“They Carry Guns,” Cover Story, July 16) . Rosa deserves credit for researching deep into this topic. It is a very rare thing this day and age to get …

Democratic state senator Denise Ducheny, who chairs the powerful Senate Budget Committee, currently enmeshed in California’s fiscal meltdown, raised $11,821 for her so-called state officeholder account during the six months ending this June. Donations to …

It turns out that former executive vice president of the San Diego Unified Port District Dan Wilkens, who announced his retirement last fall, hasn’t strayed too far from the agency. Wilkens, who left at the …

The Cato Institute, the libertarian-leaning Washington-based think tank, is conducting its annual Cato University next week at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. It’s billed as an opportunity to explore “how the state has expanded during times …

A friend recently sent me a link to a YouTube video of a Caribbean steel-drum band playing a cover version of Joy Division’s “Transmission.” It’s one of those wonderful cover versions that makes you better …

In high school, a lot of my son’s spare time was spent on his Xbox 360, playing video games of mass warfare with a synapse-frying soundtrack of metalcore. He once said that his favorite metalcore …

Pick of the week, pick of the season to date, is the French Séraphine, a speculative, segmentary biography — twenty years in scope — of an obscure figure from 20th-century art history, Séraphine Louis, dite …

High Tide singer-guitarist Ed Barrena thinks his reggae band may be the last band to play at Canes. High Tide was loading out its gear after playing for some 600 fans last Friday when a …

Scott Wilson’s video for his song “Too Tired” matches the tune with an animated film by Takeuchi Taijin, Stop Motion with Wolf and Pig. The video, uploaded to YouTube in April, uses 1300 sequentially shot …

Looking to save money to record their debut six-song EP, North County folk-punk trio the Howls transformed the online merchandising warehouse in San Marcos where singer-guitarist John Cooper used to work into a makeshift recording …

“I placed fourth at Pechanga’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute contest,” says Oceanside impersonator James Kruk, “but then I rallied and won first place at the [Del Mar] Fair, beating the second- and third-place contestants from Pechanga. …

Thirty Years AgoDorie’s bedroom was darkened, but there was enough illumination coming from the bathroom for Barbara to see. Dorie was on her side, though only slightly. She had on a high-neck, long-sleeve nightgown. Her …

The Point Loma peninsula has a split personality. In the north, block upon block of houses spread over the peninsula’s broad spine. Military land and park space (Cabrillo National Monument) encompass the peninsula’s narrower south …

“Begin County Maintained Road,” read the sign as I headed out Bernardo Center Drive away from the center of Rancho Bernardo. A right on Dove took me into the depths of 4S Ranch, a development …

The T.O. Show debuted on VH1 Monday night and was immediately panned by critics. Detractors thought the show was contrived and phony, not like Big Brother, Ghost Hunters, Pimp My Ride, Dog the Bounty Hunter, …

It’s over, you know that. But it’s not. It’s never over. Year after year it comes back; and every goober, his brother, and his family will be there jamming traffic for miles on three freeways, …

I know. My friend Naomi’s been here. Matter of fact, that’s part of why I stopped by. For me, barbecue’s like art. I don’t know much about it, but I know when I like it. …

La Valencia is a sheerly gorgeous hotel. Walking through that Spanish-Moorish tiled lobby en route to the Sky Room elevator, you want to sell your shack and move right in. A small, old-timey operator-run lift, …

WALTER BELLON. In 1936, Max Miller’s I Cover the Waterfront became a national bestseller. Miller wrote about San Diego’s tough harbor district, its “land sharks” and “bruisers.” Fifty-five-year-old Walter Bellon read the book and roared: …

Lipstick N Leather is a hard-working hair band that covers the oldies of the late ’70s/early ’80s, when glam rock was, you know, cool. Lipstick N Leather has gigs every weekend, from House of Blues …

My friend Mike is turning 40 this month, and he has been making rumblings about baklava instead of birthday cake. “We used to have it as kids,” he recalled. “My aunt made it, and she’d …

On days that are known as party days, I try to challenge myself. I’ve had a few New Year’s Eves when I went to over five parties in one night. This past Fourth of July, …

Hey, Matt: Last year that weatherman on Channel 9 (KUUUUUSI) said that, under the right, very unusual weather conditions, it was possible to see Hawaii from Del Mar. He said it was due to inversions …

While it relies on electronic looping for accentuation, Ghostbird’s debut album is a worthy listen. The first track, “Toy Soldier,” is not the most attention-grabbing, but the second song, “Night Kills Day,” is more what …

"Looking better dead than alive.” Morticians boast of it. So do Mafia hit men. Now, it appears, holders of some corporate bonds are secretly putting their faith in that declaration. Because of a dubious kind …

Downtown merchants and restaurant owners held a press conference at the Hotel Nelson in Tijuana on Monday, July 20, to voice their apprehensions about the installation of new traffic-monitoring equipment being installed at the San …

The unlikely duo of councilmembers Carl DeMaio and Donna Frye took on a mission to reform city council and bring transparency to local government. Now the two councilmembers share a new cause: pension reform. Last …