Don't shoot the cook
Chilaquiles and cochinita in downtown San Diego
Barbarella Fokos 3:47 p.m., June 26
National City Stories
National City — in reversal — moves closer to sanctuary city
Opens services to all immigrants and restricts police
On Jun. 19, the National City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Compassionate City resolution in support of its immigrants. While no one opposed the designation, the special meeting was a re-hearing on the issue ...
National City students least fit out of 42 school systems in San Diego County
39 fast food joints nearby
The schoolchildren of more affluent parents not only do the best on standardized academic tests, they also do better on measures of physical fitness, a recent report on obese children in San Diego County suggests. ...
National City mayor and two councilmembers sued for changes to sanctuary city resolution
Lawsuit accuses them of Brown Act violations
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 ...
On the cerveza to craft beer transition
Horchata and hibiscus flavors fine, but Hispanic segment not so simple
A Texas company has compiled market analysis suggesting craft-beer producers have been missing out on a potentially valuable market segment: Hispanic millennials. Gerry Loredo, director of business analytics for Houston advertising agency Lopez Negrete Communications, ...
National City and McDini's all lawyered up
"It's like two octopuses fighting over a clam."
The fight between the bar owners of McDini's and National City continues unabated, according to Benjamin Adler, whose father's family trust owns the bar once known as a place to find SEALs and Special Warfare ...
Craft beer and local produce
Maybe the smallest farmers' market in the country?
When Machete Beer House opened two years ago, there weren't many places to get craft beer in National City. There weren't many opportunities to buy organic produce either. On Monday nights, Machete offers both. The ...
Goat is my game
Bleat-worthy meats in National City
"Se habla English!!” That’s what it says on the menu I’m checking out, here in National City. It also says “Birrio de Chivo, Guadalajara-style, perfected in Tijuana and imported into the USA.” Perfect. Because tonight, ...
Let’s just stick with beef and onions
But we could try the lechon kawali or the sinigang na baboy or the...
When I sat down at Zarlitos Family Restaurant and looked over the menu, I found lots of wonderful-sounding dishes. By that I mean the words themselves sounded wonderful: sinigang na baboy, tortang alimango, daing na ...
Puppy-mill puppies still sold in National City?
Mayor: “If you have a healthy business you should allow people to have a choice."
Animal-welfare activists are staging an ongoing protest in National City's Bonita Plaza shopping mall against pet stores and to put pressure on government officials over the practice of importing dogs from “puppy mill” animal-breeding factories ...
National City Marine Terminal redevelopment action
"We really want to give it a 'wow' factor."
On October 13, the Port of San Diego board finally gave staff permission to proceed with the environmental review for the redevelopment of the National City Marine Terminal. Staffers said it will take nearly a ...
Bernie Sanders dunned by National City
The downside of getting picked by populist
National City has asked former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his campaign to pay a $28,340 bill for the rally the candidate held there in May. "We sent a demand letter today (Tuesday)," said Armando ...
Feet, not commercials or mail, decide the vote
"I hear a lot of people saying, 'Oh, my vote don't count.'"
Saturday, October 8, served as the one-month marker before next month's general election. Precinct walkers — wooing for candidates and favored propositions — will begin to pound the pavement in earnest. But for one group ...
Korean War dogfighter recognized
Retired Navy captain Royce Williams rolls in for presentation of painting
On Saturday morning (August 20), while walking around Sweetwater Harley Davidson with Marine veteran and salesman Bobby Bradshaw, we stopped by a poster depicting the cover of the January 2016 edition of Homeland Magazine, which ...
Corporate (park) jams
Pitbull Audio puts its gear where its parking lot is...and lets bands play it
Pitbull Audio opened their National City storefront in 2014. They’re an independent musical instrument and pro-audio retailer that has to compete with big-box chains, such as Guitar Center and Sam Ash. One of the methods ...
Burger war in National City
Fast-food employees protest unhealthy working conditions
Unsafe working conditions are causing ailments for workers at a Burger King restaurant in National City, protesters claim. "They don't have adequate staff to provide relief [for workers] to take their legally protected ten-minute breaks ...
Pupusa ceremony
“These foods we cook are ancient and more healthful than Mexican or American food.”
"You can sit over here if you like,” says this guy over in the booth. He’s noticed me craning my head to catch the Costa Rica game. Against mighty Colombia. Copa América. David and Goliath. ...
Teen's October 11 murder remains unsolved
Justice demanded for Junior — Juan Carlos Muñoz Jr.
On Sunday, May 29, at least 50 friends and family members of 18-year-old Juan Carlos Muñoz Jr. gathered at Highland Avenue and 30th Street in National City to press for justice for the teen, who ...
Hit Cabo Wabo #2, scarf a big burger
Yes! Dive bar
Fish tacos, 99 cents? With all the taco talk this week, how come I missed this place? I should have seen the taco deal on the signs outside. But I was busy trying to figure ...
School field trips for all
"It's assumed that kids have access to and go to the beach all the time."
A National City nonprofit that has spent the past decade providing locally based science curriculum to elementary students is seeking to expand its footprint in the classroom by opening to the general public its eco ...
Thirty reasons to head south to Machete
A killer taplist and a little spice mark National City bar's first year
Early February marked one year since Machete Beer House brought craft beer to National City. In that short time, Machete has already earned a reputation for having one of the more intriguing beer selections south ...
"I feel like I'm forced to use my car."
San Diego Association of Governments loves them some freeway
A group of environmentalists and labor organizations billing themselves as the San Diego Quality of Life Coalition rallied in National City yesterday (January 25), calling on the San Diego Association of Governments to focus on ...
No-grow vote in National City
"We've been working extremely hard to change our city's reputation."
On January 5, National City officials, residents, and activists had a meeting to consider cannabis cultivation rules within city limits. If cities haven't established their own rules by March 1, a new law will make ...
Larcenous audiophile crosses Pitbull
Thief allegedly recognized as son of friends
Saturday (December 19) at about 1:00 p.m. a thief walked out of Pitbull Audio with a tabletop controller used to record music. The theft occurred at 300 West 28th Street in National City. On December ...
Mission Beach reef add-on
Soon-to-be-scuttled sailboat takes names of cancer survivors
On October 18, dozens of breast-cancer survivors signed a pink sailboat that will become part of the artificial reef off Mission Beach later this year. The event, held at the 32nd Street Marina in National ...
Port maintains bump in Bayshore Bikeway
Part of National City segment still considered "interim"
The San Diego Unified Port District and National City declared a truce Wednesday, September 23rd, in the longstanding tug-of-war over how to rework the 303 acres of land on the bay between 24th Street and ...
These are trotters!
Reaching for the banana ketchup in National City
Stop me if I’ve blurted this before, but I’ve always had a good feeling about the Philippines since I came across the Mangyan people. They live on the island of Occidental Mindoro, south of Manila. ...
White-collar lash
Hundreds of thousands in bribes equal six months in pokey
Lynda Sanabria, a banker for J.P. Morgan Chase, was sentenced today (June 1) to six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement. She had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of ...
National City AMC denied liquor license after concerned parents speak out
"Think of the children!"
The National City City Council voted 3-2 last week to deny the AMC Plaza Bonita movie theater a liquor license. At a hearing before the vote, parents stressed the importance of maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere ...
Chefs’ secret
Flavor, taste, and pleasure materialize in a most unexpected location.
“Oh, no. This is free. You get this when you order a main dish.”
The youth love their guns
Police descend on gas station after report of young men with assault weapons
On March 1, National City police got a call at 11:30 a.m. from inside the Arco AM/PM at W. 8th and Roosevelt Avenue from someone who had seen people aiming what appeared to be assault ...
Prescription-drug crackdown
They kill more people in San Diego County than car crashes
Two county law-enforcement collectives led by the sheriff's department — the Methamphetamine Strike Force and Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force – swarmed the South Bay on February 19, contacting over 4700 individuals as part of ...
Fear for a good neighbor
National City market's live-music permit worrisome to some
National City councilmembers voted Wednesday, January 21, to allow the Grill House at Big Ben Specialty Market to run a live-music venue on its new outdoor patio on weekends. "This is the first place like ...
The Lord really spoke to us
Southport Christian center, a lighthouse in a dark corner
Membership: 200 Pastor: Carolyn Nichols Age: 81 Born: San Bernardino Formation: University of La Verne, La Verne; Claremont Graduate University, Claremont; the King’s Seminary, Van Nuys Years Ordained: 22 San Diego Reader: What is your ...
“They turned everything into a war.”
Will fight over boxing center ever be over?
Clement Casillas, who teaches kids to box, likes to point to a saying in the fight world: somebody's got your number. "You fight the best fight you can, but somebody out there has your number," ...
Transmogrified
That North Park feeling in National City.
At night, that long walk up from the 8th Street trolley stop to National City Boulevard can get a little spooky. Especially when you’re walking the echoey stretch under the I-5. But then you cross ...
Puppies guaranteed for 10 years
Pet-store protesters suggest owner sells animals bred inhumanely
An animal-rights group is suing a retail property owner for First Amendment violations, claiming the owner's management company is prohibiting the group from conducting peaceful demonstrations against a tenant, National City Puppy. The Animal Protection ...
Bribes for the bankers
National City Bank implicated in loan-bidding scam
On Friday (September 26), Israel Hechter, owner of a San Diego mortgage investment firm Ocean 18, admitted that he paid $1 million in bribes to bank insiders at JP Morgan Chase, GMAC Mortgage, and National ...
God among prostitutes, drug addicts, and gang lords
Membership: 160 Pastor: Tim Captain Age: 27 Born: Logansport, IN Formation: Cincinnati Christian University, Cincinnati, OH Years Ordained: 5 years San Diego Reader: What is your favorite topic on which to preach? Pastor Tim Captain: ...
Sisig and sarsparilla at the other Tita's
Plenty of space and way too much food for 8 bucks
Actually, I was trying to go to Tita's Kitchenette, a cramped, cafeteria-style Filipino food counter on Plaza Boulevard in National City. But I passed right by without noticing. I might have driven another five minutes ...
Do the math: proper overtime pay demanded
Lawsuit accuses Paradise Valley Hospital of deliberate salary miscalculation
Stephene Ortega, an employee of National City's Paradise Valley Hospital since 2007, filed suit this week against its parent company, the Ontario-based Prime Healthcare Paradise Valley, charging the hospital with "systematic miscalculation of the overtime ...
Cheese plus steak doesn't always equal cheesesteak
Putting unmelted provolone on meat that can be beat
I heard some Philly boys were serving up cheesesteaks in National City, so I set my hopes to high and hustled that way, past a half dozen dilapidated mini malls and food chains. Across from ...
Ed talks out of school
Sweetwater High teachers complain of class size, move one step closer to strike
The imminent strike action of teachers, librarians, and nurses in the Sweetwater Union High School district has gone one step forward and two steps back. On March 27 Superintendent Ed Brand called a press conference ...
Steve from National City can smell loyalty
Confidence man seeks students.
Post Title: First Words Post Date: April 11, 2013 From all over the world, I get requests for more information about the novels I write about your life. Now, I am taking it a step ...
All Things BBQ: the Barbecue Pit
San Diego's original barbecue restaurant still going after almost seventy years and half a dozen locations.
Little Manila: Eating dinaguan, watching disaster
At Point-Point, all eyes are on the TV screens
Typhoon. It's the one thing you think about, down here in Little Manila. In the restaurants, the TVs are tuned to TFC, The Filipino Channel. Telethons are going on between soap operas, reports are coming ...
Filipino street food at Kalye Hits
National City restaurant somehow fits karaoke and skewered pig's blood under one roof.
The Philippines is known for wild street foods. Balut (usually much younger and soupier than the Vietnamese fashion) is probably the most famous, but the list includes all manner of intense little skewered and barbecued ...
National City a long way from Scripps Ranch
Ed Brand and Alliant University want faster action from planning commission
Many people were surprised to see Sweetwater superintendent Ed Brand appear at the August 19 National City Planning Commission. Brand left a regularly scheduled Sweetwater board meeting shortly after it convened to attend the meeting ...
Amorous Abyss: Brian Meanswell's flowers and women
National City artist examines the emotions behind body language in an exhibit at EQ Culture Studios.
National City Planning Commission prodded to decide on making space for Alliant Int'l University
“Why are they pushing this down our throats?”
Political pressure is building in National City to allow Alliant International University to take over some classrooms previously dedicated to National City Adult School. On August 5, the National City Planning Commission voted to table ...
Alliant University leaves Sweetwater school district property in National City…sets up at Southwestern College?
Trustee is not happy
Many are still perplexed by the vaunted opening of "Alliant International University at Sweetwater" in National City. A couple weeks ago (July 20), an Alliant sign was hung over an office door, and Alliant counselor ...
Sweetwater superintendent Ed Brand’s Alliant project hits snag
National City planners don’t approve location
One of Sweetwater Union High School District superintendent Ed Brand’s pet projects suffered a setback at the hands of National City planning commissioners on the night of August 5. Brand’s idea to establish Alliant International ...
Osprey nests facilitated by San Diego Unified Port District
They scare away the seagulls
The two manmade platforms in the port area of National City are home to young osprey this year — for at least the third time in the past five years. There are two chicks on ...
