Trash hauling lobbyistWith a tumultuous election year drawing to a close, the revolving doors at San Diego City Hall have gone into overtime as old staffers depart for greener lobbying fields, and new ones arrive …
December 30, 2020
Latest News & Stories
Raul Campillo hires veteran lobbyist Michael Simonsen
2020 in hindsight
Disclaimer: None of this ever really happened.But then, La Mesa did burn on national television…O’Brien: Ah, Mr. Mencken. San Diego Reader, SD on the QT: Almost Factual News, isn’t it? Come in, sit down.Walter Mencken: …
December 30, 2020
No El Cheapo places in San Diego any more
Big money burritos I have a recommendation that I’m sure will be both scoffed and chortled at. I think that it is time to change the name of Ed Bedford’s column Tin Fork. There is …
December 30, 2020
Free cash, donuts, and conversation at Moonlight Beach
Chris Ahrens and his Encinitas buddies had this crazy idea. “Let’s just give it away. Let’s go out to a crossroads one morning and give cash away to anyone who needs it. No strings! Like, …
December 30, 2020
Spend New Year’s Day with Tupac Shakur
Out with the new and in with the old with this trio of diverse films that all take place on or around New Year’s Day. La Bonne Annee (1973) The clip from director Claude Lelouch’s …
December 30, 2020
Snap-Dragon as a Christmastime celebration
Dear Hipster: I grew up in the ’60s, when being hip was an ineffable, deliciously rare characteristic. Both my parents were Beats in their day, listening to Billie Holiday and yes, smoking the occasional joint. …
December 30, 2020
San Diego fruit growers use falcons as pest control
"Regarding the pest control industry as a whole, we've seen a spike in calls and workload, particularly in residential areas," said Joshua Crowl of SteadfastFalconry.com. "It's because most of the people are at home, and …
December 29, 2020
Speakeasy flattens the three-tier system
If you go to the website for East Village booze maker Old Harbor Distilling Co. these days, the Shop link will take you to a product page featuring the brand’s assorted craft spirits, including Barrelflag …
December 29, 2020
El Cajon considers, then rejects free air purifiers
How to fight the virus in the year ahead? A post-holiday surge of cases is expected, and getting most people vaccinated will take more than a few months. Any tool that might help slow the …
December 29, 2020
TakeIn gets delivery mostly right
Delivery apps are great, but they also suck. Great because they deliver virtually every restaurant to your doorstep — an especially handy service during a shutdown. Terrible because they charge money coming and going: customers …
December 29, 2020
Mammoth slow-down stymies Carlsbad flights
Yet another airline hoping to fly out of Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport may not get off the ground. Unlike the past troubled efforts by the previous failed airlines, this time it’s not for lack of passengers …
December 28, 2020
Border crasher at San Ysidro de-capitated
“I was working as usual and then I heard screams. I looked around and saw the car running over people and those vendor's carts,” said Javier, a souvenir seller who witnessed the incident at the …
December 28, 2020
Mr. Trustee's hot chocolate season
When I covered Mission Hills’ Mr. Trustee ice cream counter on its sweltering opening day this summer, I did not anticipate revisiting the spot on a cool winter afternoon. Nor did I expect to be …
December 28, 2020
Most San Diego rain in January and February
Highest Monthly Rainfall totals in San Diego are most likely to occur in January and February (nearly two inches each on average) according to weather-service statistics. If low temperatures accompany the typical Pacific storms of …
December 28, 2020
San Diego transplants from Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda
We Have To Tell the Story Because We Survived The Ethiopian Army caught up with the boys at the Gilo River. "Most of us couldn't swim," says Isaac. "It was really very deep and swollen …
December 28, 2020