2026 midterm elections mark a historic night of firsts

El Niño Rains Increase Flood Risk at Lake Hodges, Home of California’s Most Dangerous Dam

San Diego’s Lake Hodges already has an “extremely high” flood risk. Regulators fear a dam breach would cause “considerable loss of human life” where more than 1,000 people live. But as El Niño threatens torrential rain this winter, the downstream danger could be even greater.

Alexia Palacios-Peters, Mal Sandie and Peggy Duncan lead first unofficial results in Coronado school race

In a race for three open seats, incumbents Alexia Palacios-Peters and Mal Sandie, and Peggy Duncan lead the Coronado school board race in early election results, followed by Kaye Schneider. The first posting of unofficial results show Palacios-Peters has 30.3% of votes, Sandie has 25.2% of votes, Peggy Duncan has...

Democratic Candidate Tom Umberg leads District 4 Board of Equalization race

Democrat Tom Umberg leads the District 4 Board of Equalization race with 342,675, 54.28% of the vote. Denis Bilodeau follows with 45.72%, 266,951 votes, reported by OC Vote as of 10:35 p.m. on Nov. 3. District 4 represents five Southern California counties, including San Diego, Riverside, Imperial and parts of...

Landlord to pay $19.25M to tenants over withheld deposits — one was charged for rug cleaning but had concrete floors

More than 200,000 former tenants could benefit from a settlement over alleged improper move-out fees.

California school board presidents face off in race for state superintendent

California voters will choose Tuesday between two school board presidents who are running to become the state's next Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Mapping K-12 school bond measures in San Diego County

Eight K-12 school districts in San Diego County are asking voters this November whether they should borrow money to build and repair school buildings. San Diego Unified is asking for a $3.5 billion bond. The Julian Union High School District is asking to borrow $9 million. “This year, the bonds...

National City Businesses Propose Sharply Lower Tax Increase

A committee of National City business leaders tasked with crafting an alternative to a failed city business tax hike voted on Tuesday to sharply reduce the size of the potential increase, lowering the amount of annual revenue the city would generate by raising its business tax rate. The committee of...

Ocean Beach Parents Find Psilocybin-Labeled Gummies in Kids' Halloween Haul

San Diego police are investigating after parents reported finding a package labeled as containing psilocybin in a trick-or-treat bowl in Ocean Beach. The department has not confirmed what the gummies contained or how they came to be on the porch. Frank Carey and Cameron Hunter were trick-or-treating with their children...

San Diego County Office of Education Hosts Newcomer Student Conference Nov. 12-13

San Diego County Office of Education — Conference Venue and Announcing Agency. Educators will gather at the San Diego County Office of Education next week for a two-day conference focused on one of the region's fastest-growing student populations: kids who recently arrived in the United States. The Southern California Newcomer Education Conference runs Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, and it's designed to help educators support students who are new to the U.S.

Kissing booth at the polling place: Lucky SoCal voters cuddled adoptable puppies

There were no texts about ballot propositions, nor mailers featuring the issues of the day, and a televised ad detailing an opponent's record?. That, too, was nowhere to be seen. But mailers and ads weren't needed Nov. 3 as furry cuddles, floppy ears, and button noses became a heartwarming focus...

Voices of the Voters: Voters Are Feeling Cynical About the District 2 Council Race and High Cost of Living

On a sunny morning in Clairemont, Election Day voters mused about the city’s high cost of living, but did not appear hopeful that their votes would improve it. Clairemont is at the northmost corner of District 2, which also includes Bay Ho, Ocean Beach and Point Loma. Voters in this district will decide the outcome of one of the most contentious City Council races in San Diego between former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, an independent, and Deputy City Attorney Nicole Crosby, a Democrat.

San Diego County voters to decide on charter reforms, health & safety sales tax

Voters will decide on two ballot measures, one proposing county charter reforms, including longer supervisor term limits, and the other a sales tax increase.

4 state Senate seats, 7 Assembly races to be decided by San Diego County voters

Four state Senate seats and 7 state Assembly spots will be decided by county voters Tuesday, with some incumbents looking to reclaim their seats, as well as several races featuring entirely new blood.

Adoptable pups greet voters at Hilltop Community Park on Election Tuesday

Helen Woodward Animal Center brought adoptable puppies to Hilltop Community Park on Election Day to provide a positive experience for voters.

Gap widens in San Diego County’s Measure A race

The latest batch of unofficial results as of this morning showed 51.7% voting yes on Measure A. Votes to approve are now leading by nearly 24,000 votes. The proposal will establish independent oversight offices, require disclosure of spending data and extend term limits for the county Board of Supervisors, increasing the number of terms from… Read more.

The 101 on North County elections

I’m back! This is my second edition of the 101. If you signed up in the last two weeks, I’m so sorry you didn’t get the first one! The long story short is that this is a new newsletter dedicated to giving you everything you need to know about coastal North County, sprinkled with some inland news, too. There was talk of ice cream last time.

Old Town celebrates Day of the Dead