Scott Skinner — the Godfather There’s an iron man caressing the ivories over on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, and if you miss his act this weekend, don’t worry; he may still be playing there 40 years …

A Memory of June When June comes dancing o’er the death of May, With scarlet roses tinting her green breast, And mating thrushes ushering in her day, And Earth on tiptoe for her golden guest, …

I recently rewatched the entire Buffy the Vampire Slayer (USA, 1997–2003, WB Television_ series with my 15-year-old son and I was completely enthralled, yet again. Two decades after it first aired — Buffy still slays. …

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce has agreed to fork over a $5000 penalty to settle charges by the city’s ethics commission that it failed to report big money spent on a befuddling political …

Imagine the world Chris Potter saw when he stepped into the role of Next New Jazz Tenor Saxophonist. He was 18 when he broke out in New York and by then there was virtually no …

Everyone knows that gringos going gaga for Cinco de Mayo is stupid, but new North Park neighbor Tamarindo takes it in stride, cheekily dubbing the day’s drink special “The Donkey Show.” It’s a nod to …

Co-founded by Redwoods Music impresario Al Howard and keyboardist Josh Rice in 2009, the Heavy Guilt hung things up after their third and arguably best album, Heavy Guilt, in 2014. So why come back now, …

With the approach of a city-council vote on whether to stage a $5 million special election this coming November for SoccerCity developers and mayor Kevin Faulconer’s hotel-tax hike, his honor’s top political brains are said …

Walt Disney’s Bambi turns 75 this year. To mark the June 6 release of its Signature Collection Blu-ray combo pack, the studio made available for interviews the original voices of young Bambi and Thumper, Donnie …

New Village Arts’ Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years is one of that company’s best shows in its 16 seasons. Sarah L. “Sadie” and Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany don’t like to be called …

Bob Baker’s Auto Group, Mossy Nissan, Drew Ford, Toyota of Escondido... The manic anthems of San Diego auto commerce are forever seared into the brains of anyone who spent time near a radio in the …

It always surprises me when people tell me they’ve never seen Sophie’s Choice (USA/UK, 1982, Associated Film Distribution). Meryl Streep is magnificent as the woman faced with life-changing and often impossible choices at every step. …

Octagrape drummer Ely Moyal distilled the band’s spirit, as singer/songwriter Glen Galloway recalls: “We were planning a tour up the coast, and he goes, ‘You know, I just don’t think the juice is worth the …

You can hear his laugh from all the way out in the corridor. It sounds like he’s having some rip-roaring conversation with Jimmy Kimmel and a live audience. This is Ernest. He’s the chef here …

Dads and grads, dads and grads, dads and grads. What to give them? Food, preferably pizza. Where to go? “Pieology,” said my friend Janice. Four locations in San Diego: Hillcrest (619-241-2881), Clairemont Mesa (858-565-0600), Sports …

The sculptures of Boulder Park have amused and surprised people for more than 80 years. W.T. Ratcliffe, an unemployed engineer during the Depression years, carved the stone sculptures in the 1930s where the natural shapes …

All four Seattle grunge frontmen (Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley) played Iguana’s, the three-story Tijuana rock mecca that hosted major headliners during its 1989–’94 run. …

This year, the Media Arts Center San Diego has taken over production of the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival, a program started in 2001 “to encourage and reward teachers who utilize video as a …

The Old Globe’s multileveled set for The Old Man and the Old Moon — pilings, planks, and wooden boxes — suggests an ancient wharf. Downstage footlights and roughhewn boards say a 19th-century theater. As the …

"I’m a big fat lesbian,” says singer/songwriter Veronica May, never one to dance around any topic. “I’m the youngest child of the oldest children, there are seven of us. I was the youngest for a …

Slinky, unfurling forms run around and through many of Kerry James Marshall’s paintings. They frame individual pictures’ contents and rope together serial canvasses into a narrative of styles and scenes. In his 1993 De Style, …

Dear Hipster: I’ve been enjoying the hipster town comparisons to San Diego. Now I’m curious: if you didn’t live here, what hipsterville would you call home? Please don’t answer Austin, Brooklyn, or Portland. — G. …

A tragicomedy is a stage production that contains both tragedy and comedy. The local stage scene is a bit like that: the San Diego Junior Theatre for youngsters may be foundering close to a tragedy, …

The Great Beauty (Italy, 2013, Janus Films) sweeps me away. It is a paean to Rome, a tip of the hat to Fellini, and a thoughtful look at a man who peaked in his 20s …

With Washington abuzz over charges that Russian agents mucked about in American politics during last year’s presidential election, the San Diego Diplomacy Council is going straight to the horse’s mouth for another take on the …

He was very near me and within me, which I never perceived Him to be before. I was moved to ask Him with great confidence and humility, what I came to know to whit, what …

14 Games Back I couldn’t help laughing when I read that FM-94/9 took a ratings hit when they started broadcasting the Padres games this season (Blurt: “Sportscasting Now the ‘Real’ Alternative Radio?”). They are 14 …

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has designated June 3rd Pink Boots Society Day in San Diego, marking the tenth anniversary of the nonprofit's mission to encourage the professional advancement of women within the brewing industry. …

“[I] drove right through the [bee] swarm with the windows rolled down,” said Mike Glosson, from Normal Heights.” Glosson, 54, who is a systems analyst, estimated that there was a “swarm of thousands of bees” …

With fingers pointing to inside wheeling and dealing between Republican San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and a group of La Jolla hedge fund mavens promoting the transfer of Qualcomm Stadium to themselves for a massive …

After six years of stocking non-breeding trout, next spring the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin raising and stocking little breeders in the Owens River and Mono Lake basins. Stopped in 2011, lawsuits …

I live close to South Park’s self-described “decadent vegan” bar and restaurant, Kindred, and most nights as I pass by it bustles with stylishly dressed couples and groups who sip craft cocktails, sample the amaro …

Tijuana’s new archbishop has rejected the design of a new cathedral that has been under construction since 2006. In an undated press release posted on the new cathedral’s website, Archbishop Francisco Moreno Barrón said, among …

Saturday, May 27 was the second of three final concerts at the San Diego Symphony. These concerts conclude the Jacobs Masterworks Series and Maestro Jahja Ling’s tenure as music director of the orchestra. The concert …

During the Vietnam War, Del Mar resident 1st Lt. Jimmy Mitchell, a member of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, landed at Chu Lai in South Vietnam. On an August 31, 1965 patrol, the Marine from …

Morale Seemed So High Mark said he’d had some bitter experiences with black sailors on the ship. When a group of recruits came on board, he lined them up to get some paperwork information. “Hey, …

The Catalina Eddy, a meteorological condition responsible for days-long episodes of dreary, overcast weather over San Diego, is most likely to occur in May and June. This weather pattern, which intensifies our late spring “June …

Yellowfin tuna, big ones in the 50-pound class, are showing up within ¾-day range along with bluefin tuna and bonito that are still around. The San Diego reported two bluefin tuna over 100 pounds (one …

Did Somebody Call a Cab? There was a strike. Yellow Cab drivers walked out in August, 1976, and by October they were crossing their own picket line. The strikers burned some Yellow Cabs, assaulted some …

Producing whiskey requires fermented grain, a still, a barrel, and patience. Henebery Spirits has shown plenty of the latter. Jesse Fanning launched Henebery in 2013 with his wife Natalie and her family, including parents Annette …

It was not long ago I wrote about a hot-sandwich shop working out of the back of a Golden Hill corner store and how I thought the succession of doomed, sloppy businesses back there had …

The County of San Diego has agreed to pay $3 million in damages to a man who suffered a severe brain injury and multiple amputations after a Sheriff's deputy repeatedly fired his taser at him …

On May 24, a city council subcommittee unanimously recommended to make $14 million available for golf course projects over the next three years. Kris Shackelford, city’s public works department, gave a one-minute presentation. The whole …

Gnarly: difficult, dangerous, or challenging. The challenge of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales? To make poor old Johnny Depp appealing again. Annnnd...nope. The difficulty of Baywatch: to make a successful R-rated …

“I didn’t see the plane,” said Jean, “but I heard it and noted how incredibly low it was.” Jean, 61, is a yoga instructor from the Montclair area of North Park (by Commonwealth Avenue and …

“My shift ends in about an hour. I stop work at 10 pm,” said Daniel my Uber driver in Tijuana. “It’s not drunks that concern me, it's the crime.” I’m a frequent Uber client and …

Locals love both Mexican food and Asian cuisine, so why not combine them? That is the idea behind Pokirrito, a restaurant that gained a reputation for its sushi burritos. If you’re not a foodie purist …

For the first time in almost 100 years, the public recently got a look at 16 acres of coastal bluff top, probably the largest piece of undeveloped beachfront property in private ownership in San Diego …

On May 22, the Securities and Exchange Commission banned James Y. Lee, formerly of La Jolla, from the securities industry. Lee didn't show up for the hearing. One reason: he is in Taft Correctional Institution …

“I would’ve went for his nuts instead,” said Raquel Calderon regarding her schoolmate “that got rushed by some dude.” On May 22, the San Diego Community College School District sent out a mass email regarding …

The Hillcrest hood, with its high commercial rents and constant turnover, is hoping to fill some of its properties along the main drag of University Avenue. Realtors there often attempt to lease similar businesses, such …

“Last Nite! #SquadGoals #TacoFest2017 #VanillaIce” were a part of HipHopTrooper‘s descriptors which garnered him 1,231 likes on Instagram. The photo was of him in red Star Wars-esque gear, and his cosplaying-squad dressed as two ninja …

A state appellate court found that San Diego city councilmembers were within their right to rescind approval of a Point Loma development due to environmental concerns. At issue is the development of Point Loma Summit, …

“Ranked in order, I honestly believe the most common causes of homelessness for this age group [18–24] are family, followed by mental health issues, and, third, drug or alcohol abuse,” explains Alexandra Cochran, 28, a …

Pass This Way, the new Holla Pointe song collection, reminds me a little of the John Spencer Blues Explosion: guitars frying on overdrive that melt away into the larger grip of some concussive, sexy, groove-blues-rock …

San Diego–based Sempra Energy, whose corps of lobbyists regularly hand out food-and-drink freebies to California legislators and their staffers, took a bit of a break during the first three months of this year, spending just …

Does Linkin Park mix with Petco Park? Not really, according to newly released Nielsen ratings showing the results of the first full month Padres play-by-play aired on alt-rocker FM-94/9 — the station took a ratings …

Dear Hipster: I consider myself a well-above-average cook. I enjoy entertaining and hosting dinners. One particular couple, whom I love, have come over for a few get-togethers in the past, but I stopped inviting them …

In the late ’60s, Rob Lind joined the Navy and became an aircraft-carrier pilot. He flew in the Vietnam War, and he followed his love of aviation into a long career as a commercial pilot …

"The southland has much more interesting Mexican food,” says Juan Carlos. “I’m thinking Chula Vista, I.B., San Ysidro. But in North Park the other day, we had been drinking, we needed something to put in …

Washington’s always-on political intrigue may have its peculiar charms, but last month ranking aides for San Diego House members Darrell Issa of the GOP and Democrat Juan Vargas took off for the 24-hour bright lights …

When horror maestro William Castle parked ambulances outside theaters showing Macabre in 1958, it was a publicity stunt. Today, it would be called experiential marketing, and the operation might well be handled by Hadley Media …

If Part Two is a sequel and Part Three a threequel, what term describes a film franchise’s fourth installment? Four-Shit would be a fitting brand, seeing as most of them are, but my editor will …

Beds: 7 Baths: 7 Current Owner: Harry Rady Asking Price: $11,800,000 The estate offered for sale at 6001 La Jolla Scenic Drive South boasts “almost two acres of lush tropical grounds and an expansive residence …

A chance encounter at the Doheny Blues Festival two years ago proved to be a pivotal moment for North Park blues woman Whitney Shay, who met a Brazilian guitarist/concert promoter named Igor Prado. “A couple …

The San Luis Rey River bike trail is a multi-use trail that follows the San Luis Rey River, whose headwaters are in the Palomar Mountain range some 60 miles inland. The path runs along the …

It happens. Rob Logic, owner of the Bancroft in Spring Valley, can rattle off a list, starting with the time in 1964 when James Nelson Spencer smashed his Pontiac Bonneville through the front door of …

Dear Hipster: Stop me if you’ve heard this one, or if you aren’t having fun anymore, but what’s the difference between a local SD hipster and a Midwestern hipster, say, from Madison or Milwaukee, Wisconsin. …

“We’re all releasing our albums at the Casbah in a 3D release party,” says Shawn P. Rohlf (7th Day Buskers) of the May 27 event he’s staging with Jeff Berkley and Veronica May. “My new …

“You know when somebody just wants you gone.”

Love Poem Your love is gentle only as the earth is gentle: You are a truth of the myriads her soils And brine can breed, protect with humid fumes, Then obliterate in possessive innocence. Men, …

Congressman Duncan Hunter continues to grapple with a series of Union-Tribune exposés regarding the propriety of his campaign spending in Las Vegas, including an $896 January 11 tab at the Cosmopolitan Hotel’s main bar, “where …

Resurrection Lutheran Church of Coronado Membership: 75–100 Pastor: Brian Oltman Age: 59 Born: Glencoe, MN Formation: St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN; Golden Valley Lutheran, Minneapolis, MN; Antioch University, L.A.; Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, IA; …

Correction Last week's installment of Golden Dreams identified volunteers working at The Vault medical marijuana dispensary as employees, which they are not. We regret the error. — Editor Typoglycemia This is an honest-to-god question from …

The City of San Diego's preliminary approval of a thirteen-unit condominium on the edge of Florida Canyon in North Park will now head to court. On May 22 attorneys for North Park residents Lark Holden …

Round about this time of year I begin to feel like a musical Paul Revere. Instead of riding from town to town shouting, “The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!” I begin posting from …

Not unlike an actual Grateful Dead concert, Amir Bar-Lev’s candid Dead doc Long Strange Trip plays one night only — Thursday, May 25 — and runs just slightly over four hours. My initial interest in …

In Superior Court May 17, Debra Turner, who lived with billionaire philanthropist Conrad Prebys for more than 16 years, sued the other board members of the Conrad Prebys Foundation. Turner is president of the foundation, …

In an effort to increase interest in fishing, 75th District assemblymember Marie Waldron (R – Escondido) has written AB478, which would eliminate fishing licenses for those teen anglers age 16 or 17. Last month her …

The arroyo El Tule cuts through the volcanic hills that rise just inland between Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas. The dry river bed runs south/southeast toward the confluence of the Sea of Cortez and …

May 20 — HP responded to a north bay anchorage for a subject that was feeling depressed and suicidal. HP transported the subject to shore and then to County Mental Health for an evaluation. — …

Well, I guess the May 20th concert by the San Diego Symphony was the best one I’ve heard them perform. Yes. I’m going to go with that. Charles Dutoit conducted the living fire out of …

As beer company origin stories go, it doesn't get more badass than Miramar's new Protector Brewery. In 2010, then-Navy SEAL Sean Haggerty brewed his first batch of beer in a five-gallon Gatorade cooler while serving …

A tsunami of political cash — driven by two measures that appear headed for a special election in November — has grown even bigger, thanks to $250,000 from Fifth Avenue Landing, LLC, the partnership battling …

“I witnessed a few guys make amends with each other,” said Spek One, 44, “as well as myself with one of the guys that I actually got into a fist-fight [with] back in the day.” …

I don’t know if it’s fair to judge a neighborhood on the quality of its neighborhood pizza joint, but I have to think it’s fair to judge a pizza joint on the quality of its …

It’s been a year since John Crosby found out his father’s remains had finally been found. On Friday, May 26, when his father’s flag-draped coffin arrives at Naval Air Station North Island, it will be …

Coronado wants to make bicycling safer by issuing more affordable tickets, and more of them. An ordinance introduced by the City Council on May 16 would reduce fines for 38 minor violations of state and …

Last year I visited Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), a country which only opened its doors to tourism in the past 5-10 years. Prior to this, the country was under strict military rule. Many travelers …

Starting at State At faculty meetings he would administer avuncular homilies on absence from our offices during the period we were expected to assign for conferring with our students (“Now, ladies and gentlemen, you know …

Fifty-six pediatric cancer patients being treated at Tijuana’s General Hospital are in danger of relapse and death because the state-funded facility is running out of chemotherapy drugs. “Up to now no child has lost treatment, …

Brian Malarkey’s latest Little Italy restaurant Herb & Wood is attracting a lot of crowds and got a good review from the esteemed Barbarella Fokos, who called it a great special occasion dining spot when …

It’s been an odd week in the blue with a humpback whale taking a tour of Ventura Harbor, and great whites posting up just out of the lineup as might the one surfer too far …

Sempra Energy, the parent company of both San Diego Gas & Electric and SoCalGas (serving Riverside County), is in the planning stages for a massive new $600 million natural gas pipeline running roughly from Miramar …

The no-man's-land of east of the jetty jutting off Zuniga Point, where people anchor for free, may be a boon to broke boaters, but for Naval Base Coronado North Island, it's a source of expensive …

K1 Speed, an indoor go kart racing operation with a zero tolerance policy when it comes to alcohol and racing go karts, has plans to get a liquor license. The city has already issued a …

It's new brewery season in San Diego. As many as six new operations are opening to customers in May alone. That includes the new brewpub 10 Barrel, which plans to close off a couple of …

The unemployment rate in San Diego County was 3.8 percent in April, down from a revised 4.2 percent in March. According to Emerson Figueroa of the Employment Development Department, the 3.8 percent is the lowest …

The family of a 96-year-old man who was hit and killed by a runaway car that crashed into his room as he slept in his bed at an assisted living facility in October 2016 has …

I’m probably more fascinated by H.R. Giger and his xenomorph than is entirely healthy, so it took me a little while to get over the fact that the aliens aren’t really the star, or even …

Last Thursday (May 18), Jonathan Santoyo power-slid his skateboard with much more finesse — “thanks to the city of San Diego.” “It was harder for sure before they paved this street,” he said. Santoyo is …

World Beer Cup champion brewer Ryan Brooks has stepped down as brewmaster of Coronado Brewing Company — though for the moment he'll remain in the building. Brooks left his position to start a new brewery …

Late last week, San Diego’s AM 600 KOGO talk host, Carl DeMaio, along with John & Ken from L.A.’s KFI AM 640, joined forces for a live broadcast from a Fullerton ARCO AM/PM gas station. …

A draft ordinance that will speed up changing street parking from parallel to angle won the endorsement of the North Park Planning Committee Tuesday night, with a few suggestions. The proposed ordinance will reduce the …

Housing prices spiral ever upwards and city streets are overwhelmed by unsheltered vagrants, but big money sports venues craved by the politically-connected super-rich continue to dominate the covert agenda at San Diego's city hall. Of …

The beaches of Sunset Cliffs have supplanted Fiesta Island in Mission Bay for the dubious distinction of San Diego's dirtiest shoreline, according to new data from San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation's San Diego …

The first official public meeting for the High Tech High project was held on May 10. It was the first meeting for the new Clairemont subcommittee planning group since electing a new chair. The meeting …

Every concert is a conversation between the performers and the audience regarding a particular composer. This conversation isn’t quite fair, because the audience always has the last word. The audience’s response is the final verdict …

The La Mesa police station at 8085 University Avenue opened in 2012, and it’s been five years since the old station located at 8181 Allison Avenue was demolished. The sight of fencing and equipment on …

I stood in line twice for a single sandwich last week, and it was worth it. The first time, I didn’t know Chez Nous is a cash-only establishment. I put my order in, gave my …

Billionaire real estate tycoon Conrad Prebys, who died last July at 82, gave hundreds of millions of dollars to nonprofit groups, but he cut his only child, son Eric Prebys, out of the will two …

Taco means tiny taste of temptation. Satisfaction by a thousand different cuts of meat and veggies. Is it just me, this wacko taco love affair? I don’t think so. Every San Diegan has a secret …

Born a man.Serves another man.Suffers every day Goes into every wretched placeAnd begs for a morsel to eat.Craves the place he was born.That’s why he’s never free. Born a man. God is born in all …

Victims and family members of those who died as a result of being hit by a drunk driver who careened off the Coronado Bridge into a gathering at Chicano Park have filed claims against the …

Travel and entertainment spending by the department of surgery at UCSD billed to so-called Express Cards handed out to employees for official spending has caught the attention of California state auditors, resulting in the implementation …

Three years out of a stint with Procol Harum, Robin Trower in 1974 released an album that would accomplish many things all at once. Bridge of Sighs introduced pop culture to the actual prison bridge …

Surfhenge is the name of the art piece that sits in front of the Imperial Beach Pier. The project was commissioned by the Port of San Diego in 1997. The artist, Malcolm Jones, now from …

The locale on the corner of Grape and Fern was built in the late ‘40s as a laundromat and went on to operate as a thrift store, a lighting store, and a “Cuban restaurant with …

University Avenue is improving. Between 70th and Baltimore, La Mesa is “maximizing walkability and creating a unifying streetscape theme” by installing trees along the sidewalks, amending crosswalks, updating street lights, and most significantly, planting the …

San Diego jazz fans might be on the verge of losing another music venue now that Harbor Music Hall (1506 India Street) has been threatened with the potential loss of their beer-and-wine license due to …

When Miramar's Pacific Brewing abruptly closed last July, Andrew Heino was left holding the bag. "It was instant," he says of the end of his partnership with Pacific cofounder Chris Chalmers. The brewery was open …

La Jolla public affairs honcho Bill Bold, long the chief strategist of Qualcomm’s efforts to increase the number of so-called H-1B visas to allow more foreign nationals into the country to perform engineering work for …

The workshop of Paradox Effects looks a lot like what you might picture when you imagine “Tijuana do-it-yourself boutique guitar pedals.” The low-ceiling warehouse overlooks TJ’s affluent Hipódromo neighborhood from the lower-class residential hillside of …

First off: I challenge anyone to beat my speed-walking time, from Anchorage Lane at Shelter Island Drive to the Kona Kai Club at the southern end of Shelter Island. Ten minutes. A good country mile. …

In May Yes, I will spend the livelong day With Nature in this month of May; And sit beneath the trees, and share My bread with birds whose homes are there; While cows lie down …

Obit, Vanessa Gould’s documentary look at the obituary department of the New York Times in action, is as deceptive in tone as it is perceptive in vision. A strange air of calm rumination pervades the …

“It’s about the greed that exists within corporations, specifically venture capitalists, and it has deep personal meaning,” says Bossfight guitarist David Settimi of the band’s new single “Green.” Settimi spent nearly 20 years working for …

The Rancho La Costa Preserve, located in the cities of Carlsbad and San Marcos, is a popular destination for both hikers and mountain bikers. Situated between Batiquitos Lagoon and Lake Hodges, the preserve serves as …

Air travel has lost the glamour it embodied in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Gone are the days of smoked salmon, caviar, and champagne on Pan Am flights. These are the days of complimentary tiny …

Hipster: People all over town are giving away their hipsterness (or lack thereof) in front of local grocery stores! Since those little plastic bags were banned in California, I’ve noticed that shoppers differ widely in …

The Taco Stand One of the Taco Stand’s most eclectic tacos is the “Sonora Taco” which has its origins in the Northern Mexican state of Sonora, renowned for its beef. What makes it different from …

Having Lady Gaga, Jimmy Buffett, and the Rolling Stones drop by for a show may be the Belly Up Tavern’s most visible triumphs. But behind the scenes the booking staff of the Solana Beach venue …

Aqui es Texcoco The moniker translates to “Here is Texcoco,” an homage to the Texcoco region of Mexico, largely considered to be the birthplace of barbacoa in that country. The specialty of the house is …

While crossing the border at San Ysidro, Valentina Forte-Hernandez, an unassuming and petite artist, aroused the suspicion of border agents due to the tangle of wires and circuits in her trunk. She had to submit …

Tacos La Mezcla (at Fall Brewing) In Spanish, mezcla means mixture, and this mobile kitchen may be best known for mixing it up with a fusion twist, filling tortillas with carne asada recast as sweet …

There’s nowhere to eat that isn’t a fast food chain. Nowhere to get a coffee or, god forbid, a beer. Nowhere to see anything like live music.

Un Mundo An impressive lineup of hot sauces stands guard along the front window counter of Un Mundo, defending the cheerful interior from the curvy corporate brickwork and congested parking lot outside. The motto here …

Jay’s daughter has osteosarcoma — “cancer of the bone. She had to have her leg amputated. It also tries to travel to your heart and lungs, and it’s ongoing. They actually prescribed cannabis for her …

TJ Oyster Bar It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what makes the TJ Oyster Bar fish taco superlative, but I think it comes down to the batter. It always manages to remain light …

A class-action lawsuit filed by retail giant Walmart accuses canned tuna's three biggest players – including San Diego's Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea – of conspiring to fix prices on "shelf stable" seafood …

Since its founding in 1920, the National Football League has proclaimed it opposes gambling, but the league was actually launched by gamblers and has been tied to and supported by gambling ever since. The league …

Galaxy Taco If you believe it’s heresy to pay more than $7 for a combo plate, Galaxy Taco is not for you. If you want really high-quality tacos that linger in memory, Galaxy Taco is …

Tamarindo North Park Latin Kitchen and Bar Last month, Tamarindo debuted at the former site of North Park landmark Claire de Lune Coffee Lounge. The locale serves inventive agave and sotol cocktails (Mark Broadfoot of …

As San Diego’s layoff-shrunken corps of reporters continues missing in action on big political stories of late, a local nonprofit, donor-backed news-and-opinion website has gone up on LinkedIn, seeking a new six-figure executive in charge …

La Taquería Vegiee 2036 Avenida Ocampo, Downtown Tijuana The word “vegiee” is misspelled, but the vegan attitude at La Taqueria Vegiee is fully pronounced. Vegetables pretend to be meat and seafood at this 100 percent …

Tacos El Rorro The thing about Rolando, El Rorro’s owner, is he gets his shrimp from the ocean, not fish farms. These little guys have exercised, lived real lives of chase, chomp, and run. Not …

Five Pitchers of Beer When I started reading, “Set My Drinkers Free” and I read the part, “Line ’em up, says Mitch”, it made me think of the days when I lived in Ocean Beach …

Craft Kitchen It’s another of the sheet metal, recycled-wood, chalkboard-beer-menu kind of places that are popping up everywhere. The menu features shrimp, lobster, mahi mahi, and tuna tacos ($5 each), but I like the two …

Jason Hanna can walk from his home in I.B. to the beach where, on a clear day, he can see the bullring where Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass made one of the first music …

After a 13-hour meeting, the City of Encinitas’ attempt to increase bike and pedestrian safety and mobility along the Highway 101 corridor was dealt a big blow. Despite unanimous city council support for a proposed …

Dixon Lake is a smallish, 70-acre reservoir outside of Escondido on the skirts of the Daley Ranch. Even though the lake doesn’t cover much surface area, the dam, completed in 1971, holds up to 80-feet-deep …

Jennie Duffin was not able to open her Oceanside café on Sunday. But some of her friends staged their own Mother’s Day tribute to her on the Jennie’s Café patio that runs along Coast Highway. …

In the past year, the 7-Eleven corporation — which now holds more than 20 percent of the beer and wine sales licenses in the county — has launched a push into at least five San …

May 12 — HP impounded a vessel that was illegally anchored in Glorietta Bay without a valid permit. This vessel was recently impounded for the same violation. May 9 — HP were dispatched to the …

With the official opening of Chula Vista Brewery on May 5th, the City of Chula Vista finally has the central, Third Avenue brewery it's been hoping for, to help revitalize its downtown village. For brewery …

A local barista was named one of the nation’s best in April. Competing at the U.S. Coffee Championships in Seattle, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters quality control manager Jacob White placed third in the Specialty Coffee …

Rough seas and high winds kept the counts low early in the week as not many boats ventured out. By Wednesday, the wind started laying down, boats got out and the yellowtail went on the …

The bomb bay doors of San Diego politics have opened on FS Investors and Mike Stone, the former Wall Street hedge fund maven seeking to grab Qualcomm Stadium, with collateral damage for the higher-office ambitions …

As high tourist season approaches, Del Mar is on edge. What will happen with vacation rentals? Last month, the city council drew a line in the sidewalk, separating homes and commerce. Interpreting the zoning code, …

“[Regarding] the neighbor who threw dog poop on another neighbor’s windshield for not cleaning up after their dog,” said Melissa Popovich, “I can understand why a person would get frustrated enough about it.” Popovich, 43, …

The county’s grand jury put out two reports in May concerning school boards. One discusses elections and term limits while the other points to inconsistent training of both school board members and superintendents. California is …

A buddy of mine recently made a shift in his eating habits: fewer burritos, more Mediterranean. Even though I didn’t imagine finding the ingredients for a Mediterranean diet would prove challenging — it is what …

The Oceanside McDonald’s at 3794 Plaza Drive just went through a 76-day complete remodel. The old play structure was completely removed; a new interior, signage, and outside façade were added, along with redesigned drive-thru lanes. …

As the number of craft breweries in San Diego nears 150, the number of distilleries approaches a mere 17. However, in the relatively young world of craft spirits, 17 apparently counts for a lot. When …

I recalled that graphic art and commercial art or logo design attempts to create a visual representation of an idea or a concept. This is why commercial art or corporate sculptures most often feel as …

A plaque says the Oceanside Historical Society deems the building on Coast Highway near downtown historically significant. It was built as a house in 1908 and first used as a restaurant by George Pernicano, one …

In case my review of the (don’t call it quirky, don’t call it quirky) quirky psycho-thriller Buster’s Mal Heart didn’t fully convey it, I want to further express my delight at the film’s portrayal of …

There is a practice in classical music which I find to be somewhat disingenuous. That practice is overtly politicized concertizing. As I've written in the past, almost every great opera has a political edge but …

Chances are, if you walk along the shore in Ocean Beach, you’ll notice an influx of Velella, aka sea-raft, by-the-wind-sailors, purple sail or sometimes, blue jelly-fish. Usually deep-blue in color, they live on the surface …

According to La Mesa police chief Walt Vasquez’s quarterly operations report for the first three months of 2017, the city’s one homicide was related to a 1996 incident where a man attacked his mother with …

“Some of their sales reps and their corporate buyers had a lack of knowledge,” said Bob Mulz, regarding the soon to be closings of the RadioShack stores in his Cherokee Point/City Heights neighborhood. Mulz, 72, …

Mega-millionaire La Jollan Linden Blue, co-owner of General Atomics, has long been a loyal Republican donor, kicking in hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to support party politicos from would-be San Diego GOP …

Adding a controversial connector road in Mission Valley's Civita came to a North Park Public Facilities committee (part of the area planning group) Wednesday night for review for its potential effect on Texas Street traffic. …

On April 27th, Kathy reported an issue to the City’s General Improvement Department regarding a utility cover located in front of the fire station on the west side of Ebers Street in Ocean Beach. “It's …

At first, it seemed like a routine request when architect Scot Frontis, owner of Frontis Studio, appeared at this month’s regular meeting of the Ocean Beach Planning Board. He told the board May 3 he …

My opinion has long been that there aren’t any great Chinese restaurants in San Diego, but I’ve either softened my stance or things are changing for the better. For one, we’ve started to see an …

Neil Peterson and Linda Raja, former executives of Singapore's Glenn Defense Marine Asia, pleaded guilty in federal court today (May 9) to fraud charges, confessing that they submitted phony claims and invoices to the United …

The Chula Vista city council Tuesday night voted unanimously to increase fines for illegal marijuana dispensaries from $1,000 to $2,500 a day with no limit on how large the fines can be — and to …

Question: How come you can drink a glass of wine at some sidewalk cafés and not others? Scene One: You don’t even want to know when this is. But I was a student, in Wellington, …

Cory Wilkins was playing eight gigs a week in Sarasota, Florida, before he moved to San Diego 13 years ago. He can sing, play guitar, and write songs. But he can’t see. “I had some …

When the San Diego Music Awards approached musician and homelessness advocate Steph Johnson about having her Voices of Our City Choir open the show at House of Blues last month, she and the group were …

Canvas sign blurs by. “Matua’s… Islander Grill.” Wha? There’s no eateries in this part of the Barrio. What’s up? I pull the cord on the 901. Sixteenth and National. Whole city of homeless tents stretches …

A last-minute decision by National City's mayor Ron Morrison, and two councilmembers to water down a resolution to certify National City as a "welcoming community," is now the subject of a new lawsuit. South Bay …

There’s been an ugly trend of late where Oscar-winning actresses who have been out of the limelight for some time return to play flamboyantly kooky mother figures. Jane Fonda did it twice (Monster-In-Law, Georgia Rule) …

Dear DJ: On an episode of Seinfeld, Elaine called Kramer a hipster dufus. Sure, Kramer was a doofus, but was he a hipster doofus? Did they have hipsters in the early ’90s? — RJ Narlian …

For the past four years and for the price of a few burritos and a couple beers, Jim Ko-Pah’s and John Ko-Pah’s high-desert “High Jinks” has been one of San Diego’s best kept secrets among …

Denomination: Pentecostal Membership: 400 Pastor: Marc Stevenson Age: 45 Born: Anaheim Formation: Christian Life College, Stockton; Urshan Seminary, St. Louis, MO. Years Ordained: 15 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …

It was the view from Diablo Peak’s north saddle that Anza-Borrego Desert State Park rangers first discovered Fish Creek’s popular Sandstone Canyon in the 1950s. The view of Sandstone Canyon continues to impress those who …

Doug Liman’s The Wall pits two American soldiers (John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the latter looking like Jake Gyllenhaal and talking like Casey Affleck and acquitting himself admirably) against an Iraqi sniper in the pipelined, …

About 20 miles east and a week after In-Koh-Pah 4, on June 10 San Diego Gypsyfest returns, to be held again at the nudist De Anza Springs Resort. Like last year, there will be 35 …

The Measure of Man The word and the world and the weather Are measured by meters we make. What’s given is given; however We receive only what we can take. So we take what we …

Beds: 6 Baths: 8 Current Owner: PDMI LLC (Denver-based developer) Asking Price: $22,500,000 The luxury estate situated at 2160 Balboa Avenue, on a peninsula of land between the San Dieguito River and Pacific Ocean just …

Countless street masseurs ply their trade throughout the city of Tijuana. Most sit on sidewalks near popular areas such as parks, flea markets, plazas, and churches. Signs hanging around their necks read “Experto Sobador” — …

State senator Toni Atkins had plenty of food, drink, and travel in 2016, thanks to the multitudinous dollars of special interests. Her personal financial report filed for last year shows she received greater than $100,000 …

The pedigree is deep and jam-packed with true musical genius for this genre in which Marcia Ball specializes, meaning roadhouse New Orleans swamp boogie. It’s a music that comes out of another time and place …

Republican San Diego city councilwoman Lorie Zapf was first elected in 2010 to represent District 6. She was reelected in June 2014 from District 2 after her house ended up there as a result of …

You Make It That Much Harder I am writing because I was extremely disappointed to read the article about Francisco Sousa — the accused SDSU student who recently settled with the university for $10,000 — …

Two hours south of San Diego, around sixty miles from Tijuana, sits Valle de Guadalupe inside Ensenada, the largest municipality in all of Mexico. Dozens of wineries with tasting rooms and fancy eateries sit near …

Founded in its namesake mountain town, Julian Hard Cider has been a local company since its inception in 2009, with a tasting room just outside of Julian, in Wynola. However, the bulk of its cider …

Susan Luzzaro passed away peacefully in her home in Chula Vista on May 1 at the age of 68 following a year-long struggle with brain cancer. Luzzaro wrote for the Reader since 1999; her coverage …

Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 has always been a riddle to my ears. The maniacal quality of the woodwinds in the first movement has barred my way to this music in the past. Imagine our old …

Though it is estimated that 95 percent of California’s historical wetlands have been lost to development, one slough in that has survived human encroachment, albeit nearly completely surrounded by it, is Famosa Slough. Other than …

Three years ago, Tyson Foods, the big Arkansas food company, purchased San Diego's Circle Foods, which makes foods such as tortillas and India flatbreads that can be cooked quickly in the home. When a company …

Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment narrowed its first quarter loss, but disappointed analysts' expectations, the company reported today (May 9). The company lost $61.1 million, or 72 cents a share, from $84 million, or $1.00 a share …

It's been a decade-long slog for mega-millionaire developer and onetime Union-Tribune publisher Doug Manchester's controversial Navy Broadway complex at the foot of Broadway. Project foes vowed that it would never get built, citing its forbidding …

As most major U.S. airlines are making money for the first time in decades, and the U.S. dollar's strength is adding value overseas to Americans, two foreign carriers are welcoming San Diegans aboard. Starting May …

Just over two months after the City of San Diego agreed to pay a cyclist $4.85 million for injuries suffered from hitting a damaged sidewalk, comes a similar lawsuit. On May 4, Van Nguyen filed …

About two dozen dog and park lovers braved the rain Sunday for a protest over the lack of city care for the very dusty Dusty Rhodes dog park in Ocean Beach. The dog park that …

“Come on in!” a large group of people yelled from the front patio at the Pillbox Tavern & Grill, toasting us with beers while balancing babies on their hips as my friend Valerie and I …

Yellowfin tuna have moved into the overnight range within 80 miles of Point Loma. Though they just caught a scratch, a few good sized schools were sighted and metered. The bluefin tuna bite picked up …

“Hey guys why do you need like 12 squad cars,” asked Konrad Czerwinski to the police officers that blocked off his auto shop. At approximately 8:00 a.m., on May 5, Czerwinski, the owner of Adams …

A couple of years ago, while researching San Diego urban wineries, I interviewed Lowell Jooste. He’d moved here a while back from South Africa, where his family has been in the wine business for four …

Misty Jones, San Diego Public Library director, talked to the Carmel Valley community on April 27 about the future of the Pacific Highlands Ranch library. At present, the library doesn't exist. According to Jones, the …

San Diego’s Coastal Wildflower Bloom continues practically unabated this year owing to late-season rains and cooler weather during April. On north-facing slopes and in shady canyon bottoms, where the sun’s drying effects have not yet …

More than 100 San Diegans will spend the weekend making preparations to participate in the CalFresh Challenge an annual event that asks participants to spend a day or a week living off the average budget …

City councilmember David Alvarez met with more than 100 cycling enthusiasts assembled by the San Diego Bike Coalition on Thursday afternoon (May 4) to lead a ride through his native Barrio Logan. "When you're on …

Ok, so everyone already knows the New York City of Times Square, the World Trade Center (both old and new), Central Park and so on. There's also the boutique shopping in SoHo, an "authentic" dinner …

The Eyesore Inventory Thoryk and his partner, a real-estate development company owned by San Diego Gas & Electric, found a co-conspirator in San Diego City Hall, which solicited and approved Thoryk’s remodeling of the historic …

“We have very high-profile buyers from San Diego and Orange County ready to step up and buy the Antique Center property, but not with that shared parking agreement on the table,” said Tony Franco, the …

“You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ’em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you …

The widely expected coronation of Rancho Santa Fe Republican Summer Stephan as the county's next district attorney, courtesy of the GOP board of supervisors, is rapidly approaching. Meanwhile, the most recently elected member of the …

Days after San Diego's police chief Shelley Zimmerman testified to city councilmembers about a shortage of uniformed police officers and slumping recruiting efforts comes a new lawsuit accusing the department of discriminating against female recruits. …

Representatives from 7-Eleven were a no-show at a Mission Valley Planning Group meeting Wednesday (May 3) — for a presentation they had asked to make on a proposed store at Via Las Cumbres and Friars …

Mark Hayward entered a Wells Fargo branch in Point Loma on August 5, 2016 and requested to withdraw $20,000 from his bank account he had opened ten days prior, reads an April 25 lawsuit Hayward …

The results are in for the 2017 San Diego International Beer Competition, and as usual the home team just wanted these medals more. Of 168 medals handed out, 70 of them went to local breweries …

A lot of the time, when I eat out, I spend longer than I should deliberating over a menu to find the right balance between meat and vegetables. This was not one of those times. …

Caltrans has quietly opened up the four finished lanes of the long awaited, and final leg, of the Highway 76 widening project. The last 4.3-mile stretch from Mission Road in Bonsall, to I-15, completes the …

“Well this sure seems like a backhanded way to stop the people across the street from competing with you. I’m at a loss for words, I really am,” said Councilmember Scott Sherman on April 25. …

As a sophomore at UC San Diego, I went home for the summer to get a cavity filled in at the dentist’s. I lay there, saliva ejector hanging out the side of my mouth like …

Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, …

Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno Live (USA, 2015, Ovation) is an ultimately educational but undeniably funny and fascinating glimpse into the mating habits of numerous species. Rossellini proves that she can tackle any acting role, even …

Ex-Republican assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who turned independent and then Democrat while placing third in two bids to become San Diego’s mayor, continues to ramp up an apparent try for the county supervisor’s seat being vacated …

“My business partner Nick Venti and I set out to make a music social app called BLKBOX that allows friends to share music and images with the moments of their lives,” says Brian Karscig (Louis …

In the early days of Daniel Isle Sky’s music career, which essentially started by playing piano for church functions, he still managed to make time to earn a degree in aerospace engineering. Soon, however, he …

“Stub me,” I asked while stopping to split my ticket with the usher on duty at Reading Cinemas Grossmont Center. My left hand was preoccupied with notebook and silo of Coke, so I extended my …

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (USA, 1988, Touchstone Pictures) and Shutter Island(USA, 2010, Paramount Pictures) — noir with a twist! After taking the ride at Disneyland, what better to do than finally watch Who Framed Roger …

With what some are referring to as the pending anointment of Summer Stephan as successor to Republican district attorney Bonnie Dumanis comes conflict-of-interest questions involving at least one member of the county board of supervisors. …

Terence Davies’s slow and sumptuous A Quiet Passion turns the famously reclusive poet Emily Dickinson (played mostly and hauntedly by Cynthia Nixon) into an unenthusiastic but unshakable martyr for her sex. It’s not that she …

Mom is coming for Mother’s Day, so I need to find things we’ll both enjoy. The Rose Wine Bar and Bottle Shop in South Park (619-281-0718) will be offering a mother-daughter flower-crown workshop on May …

Sean Fanning has done it again. The Designer of the Year for 2016 converted Lamb’s Players’ stage into the Harvard Observatory. Laura Gunderson’s Silent Sky begins early in the 20th Century. Harvard has the state-of-the-art …

"Shiny beans,” says Dave. “Sure sign.” He’s talking coffee beans. And he should know. He’s managing this new coffee place-café here kitty-corner to the Firehouse museum at Cedar and Columbia in Little Italy. “Uh, sure …

Artist and musician Perry Vásquez recently released a concept album designed to prod at the listener’s sense of morality, justice, and personal responsibility. The Gates of Heck began as a visual arts project in 2008, …

Dear Hipster: I think you can probably guess where this is going, but, how about the difference, if any, between San Diego hipsters and Portland hipsters. — Janelle Portland hipsters have acquired some legendary statues …

Drummer Matt Nelson says his band the Oxen (which has been likened to the Breeders, Love and Rockets, or “a less drugged-out Spiritualized”) has quite the random DNA. “I was a pop-punk drummer from Cleveland, …

The Rancho del Rey community in Chula Vista is home to several urban canyons. Sometimes referred to as “pocket canyons” due to their relatively small size and the fact that they are tucked between more …

On Receiving a Death’s Head Rosary Some twenty years ago, I was eighteen And being young, I knew I’d never die And came to Rome, the oldest place I’d seen And in St. Mary’s church, …

What makes the Silicon Valley economy tick and other California metro areas — San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — lag behind? One factor is that Silicon Valley recruited engineering talent as a result …

The salary of Dean Dwyer, chief executive of the David C. Copley Foundation, has been holding steady, from $228,960, plus benefits of $29,629 in 2014, to $230,000 in pay and $29,677 in benefits as of …

The House at the End of Time (Venezuela, 2013) is not your typical supernatural horror movie. It focuses on Dulce, who is unjustly imprisoned for killing her son. Excellent writing, directing, and acting make you …

No Pier to Surf While George Freeth may have coached Duke Kahanamoku while in San Diego in 1916, it is very doubtful “Kahanamouku surfed the O.B. Pier,” according to John Elwell. There was no pier …

Experimental pop group Mayor Taco Ghost and drone/doom vocal duo Vas Hermeticum both released new albums at the Black Cat on April 29. Acoustic songstress Elise Trouw will celebrate both her 18th birthday and the …

Who the hell names their brand new little baby boy Dweezil? That’s a rhetorical question. I know the answer, and so do most of you. Frank Zappa and his wife Gail is who. The two …

“Being that it’s springtime in San Diego, it didn’t take long to figure out that it’s [cat] mating season,” said Anne Joseph, “thus the howling and the roaming behaviors.” Joseph, a yoga personal trainer, recently …

San Diego city councilmember Scott Sherman's proposal to reduce the time residents are allowed to speak at council meetings and cut the television feed during non-agenda public comment has hit a road block. In an …

Stumblefoot Brewing Company isn't new — it's been making beer in southwest San Marcos since 2012. However, it's not exactly the same company anymore. In January, the business changed hands, when founding owner Bill Randolph …

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 is going down at the San Diego Symphony starting Friday, May 5th, 8:00 p.m, plus performances Saturday night (8:00) and Sunday afternoon (2:00). This is a biggie. How does one …

David Enrique Meza of Imperial Beach was convicted by jury this morning (May 2) of killing his boyfriend to get his inheritance. The lover, Texas retiree Jake Clyde Merendino, was stabbed 24 times exactly two …

Pleas from various groups urging the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to take precautions when installing a temporary district attorney to replace the outgoing Bonnie Dumanis fell on deaf ears at a board meeting …

For the first time in four years, anglers attending Merry Fishmas – opening day of trout season in the Eastern Sierra were not greeted with an early spring snowstorm. But while by the afternoon of …

Many San Diego anglers are rejoicing that California appears to finally be moving towards a 12-month from-date-purchase fishing license. Senate Bill 187, written by Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Twain Harte) unanimously passed the senate’s Natural Resources …

Samantha Lee of SUP Pups of San Diego came to town from Arizona, and like most folks that find the beach from the desert, she hit the water and stand up paddle-boarding became her favorite …

San Diego is the most child-friendly U.S. city for a family to visit, concludes Reward/Expert, a statistical aggregator that helps travelers negotiate the world of frequent flyer programs and credit card awards. The City of …

Bay Park residents raised that big red balloon high in the sky between Morena Boulevard and the I-5 Saturday to demonstrate how tall the new developments along the Morena corridor could be. "I could see …

Tijuana authorities abruptly ordered the cancellation of a concert by Miguel Comando, a singer of narcocorridos, that had been scheduled for the night of April 28 at the Las Pulgas nightclub on Avenida Revolución. Narcocorridos …

They are the crème de crème of San Diego business and political society, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to both Democrats and Republicans, and in turn receiving development permits for hundreds of upscale apartment …

There I sat, in a Mira Mesa ice cream shop. It was around 3 p.m., and suddenly the shop went from virtually empty to packed with elementary school children — laughing, wiggling, and too excited …

Pop the Hood and Open Your Wallet Drive in at midday. See the gas attendants, red rags dangling limply from their grease-stained back pockets, leaning against pumps, waiting. But after a Padres or Chargers game …

“This year we expect a slow quinceañera season, it’s going to be tough,” said Marco Salcedo from Chula Vista. Salcedo said that there were about 300 visitors at his Quinceañeras Magazine Expo event on Sunday …

Mayor Kevin Faulconer gave a proclamation on April 24 declaring May 7 to May 13 as National Travel and Tourism Week in San Diego. Surrounded by tourism professionals, Faulconer praised them for helping to generate …