Category: San Diego

A Tesla dealership in Encinitas was vandalized with swastikas and broken windows Monday, a few days after organized protests of the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk occurred there and across the country. Around 5 a.m., sheriff’s deputies noticed the vandalism at the dealership on Encinitas Boulevard. Multiple vehicles were found spray-painted with swastikas, several of the dealership’s windows had been smashed and messages with profanity were scrawled on walls, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release. No suspects had been located as of Monday afternoon. The discovery came two days after nationwide protests, organized by Tesla Takedown, were held at Tesla showrooms around the country, including at the Encinitas location, against Musk’s role in the Trump presidential administration with the Department of Governmental Efficiency which has slashed thousands of jobs at multiple federal agencies. Video footage by Fox 5/KUSI showed dozens of people lining the roadway in front of the dealership Saturday with people holding signs calling for a boycott of the automaker and Musk. CNN reported that hundreds of protesters gathered at dealerships in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The vandalism reported

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three businesses in the Scripps Ranch Village Shopping Center were broken into over the weekend, costing the restaurants thousands of dollars in lost revenue, repairs and stolen cash. Two days after the incident, it’s still the talk of the morning at Fay’s Diner on Scripps Ranch Boulevard. Surveillance video shows the suspect get inside and head straight for the cash register, escaping with $500 in cash. The suspect then broke into Isabela’s Mexican Food and then Pizza at the Ranch. Even with boarded up windows, customers are making it their mission on Monday to get a bite of their favorite foods and support the three Scripps Ranch staples. All three small and locally owned businesses say they could use the support now more than ever.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Earth Week in April is an annual movement that aims to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. In San Diego County, Creek to Bay Cleanup is one of the largest single-day environmental action events and will take place on Saturday, April 26. I Love A Clean San Diego, founded in 2002, hosts the family-friendly event. “By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish by weight in the world’s oceans if we don’t defend our waterways from litter,” the local environmental organization said on its website. “Because we LOVE where we live. Volunteering is a wonderful way to give back to your community while meeting like-minded people!” Locations of the cleanup sites and registration will be available on April 1. Participants can select a site through I Love Clean San Diego’s community hub portal once the locations are posted.

(FOX 5/KUSI) — As parents were picking up their children from Myrtle S. Finney Elementary School on Monday, a security officer could be seen patrolling the parking lot. The school hired the security officer after several recent security incidents left some parents feeling anxious. “We kept her home on Friday because he jumped the fence at a school. We don’t know his mental state of mind,” said parent Jason Caldwell. Last Wednesday, a man trespassed on school property prompting a lockdown. San Diego Police said to FOX5/KUSI that officers arrived at the school less than 8 minutes after the incident was reported, but the suspect was already gone. Later that day, neighbors reportedly saw the man just down the street from the school knocking over trash cans. “He basically had a knife cutter, some sort of knife, a box cutter, he said some pretty awful words toward me and he said ‘I’ll kill you,’” said neighbor Manny Larranaga. Larranaga has lived in the neighborhood for decades and said this man has recently gone from a nuisance to a threat. “That guy has been terrorizing our

Both UC San Diego men’s & women’s basketball teams are in the NCAA Tournament; this is the first time a school’s had both teams make it to the tournament on their first year eligible being Division I. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Both UC San Diego men’s & women’s basketball teams are in the NCAA Tournament. Now this is the first time a school’s had both teams make it to the tournament in their first year eligible as a Division I team. Many UC San Diego students have their heads down preparing for and taking winter quarterfinals. But this week, there’s a little something that might distract everyone from their schoolwork. “I’m not really a big basketball fan but I do keep up with it on Instagram,” Nyree Jarvis, a UCSD sophomore, said. “It’s kind of surprising. I’m just like, ‘OK, like I see UCSD!'” “So it’s been really exciting hearing them win,” said Irene Chang, a UCSD Freshman. Both the Tritons’ men’s and women’s basketball teams are going dancing in the NCAA Tournament. It’s not something the students or faculty are used to in the

Oliva family Zalia Oliva’s determination to walk again after becoming paralyzed from the chest down has led her to Europe. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A North County teenager’s determination to walk again after becoming paralyzed from the chest down has led her to Europe. Zalia Oliva, her mom and aunt arrived in Portugal in early March. “It was rough. Thirty-one hours door to door. I didn’t sleep a wink,” said mom Rozlyn Sturtevant. “It was fine. I liked it. It wasn’t bad,” said Zalia Oliva. Zalia has maintained that positive attitude since ABC 10News first met the teenager in July. After spending three months in Arizona hospitals, she had just returned to her home in Carlsbad. She spent much of that time in a coma. “It still feels surreal to me,” said Zalia. The La Costa Canyon High School graduate was nearly killed in a car crash last April in Phoenix. She was in college at the time. Zalia’s boyfriend and a friend were killed when the driver slammed into a house. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. “Besides me obviously being

After a beautiful day, a fast-moving system will bring a chance of a few light showers tonight, along with gusty winds. The best chance of rain will be between 6pm and 8pm and totals, if any, will be light between .01″ to .10″, up to .20″ in the mountains. This system also brings gusty winds. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the mountains and deserts until 11am Tuesday for sustained westerly winds of 25 to 35mph and gusts of 45 to 60mph. Not as windy for the coast and valleys, but occasional gusts of 20 up to 30mph are possible. Tuesday will be a touch cooler, with temperatures trending 3 to 9 degrees cooler than average. Early morning clouds will give way to sunny skies. On Wednesday, temperatures will go from below average to above average for the coast and valleys, reaching the low-70s along the coast and mid-70s inland. Near to slightly below average still in the mountains and deserts, in the mid-50s in the mountains and mid-70s in the deserts with warmer weather on tap the rest of the week there. The

By JUAN A. LOZANO HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas midwife has been arrested and accused of providing illegal abortions, marking the first time authorities have filed criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday. Related Articles National News | ICE violated rights of a US citizen and 21 others during arrests, Chicago activists allege National News | Eat grass-fed beef, help the planet? Research says not so simple National News | Court puts a temporary hold on releasing records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife National News | Silicon Valley tech giants cozied up to Trump — his administration is still suing them National News | TikTok becomes a tool of choice in cat-and-mouse game between migrant smugglers and authorities Maria Margarita Rojas has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, as well as practicing medicine without a license, which is a third-degree felony. Paxton alleges that Rojas, 48, illegally operated at least three clinics in the Houston area where illegal abortion procedures were performed in direct violation

Investigators arrested a 38-year-old man who was allegedly driving drunk when he crashed head-on into another car in Pala Sunday morning, killing the other driver, California Highway Patrol officials said. Officers received a call of a Chevrolet Tahoe colliding with a Mitsubishi Outlander on state Route 76 east of Lilac Road around 1 a.m., CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said. Officers said the Chevrolet apparently veered into opposing lanes of traffic, struck the Mitsubishi and then overturned, Gerber said. Paramedics took the 58-year-old woman driving the Mitsubishi to a hospital, where she died, investigators said. Her name will be released by the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Gerber said evidence indicates alcohol was a factor in the crash. The Tahoe’s driver — Pala resident Jason Angelo Albright — was booked into Vista Jail on suspicion of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI. The crash is under investigation.

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Following years of planning, Scripps Health announced Monday it will move forward with the development of a new medical center campus in North County. The planned Scripps San Marcos Medical Center campus will sit on a 13-acre property located south of State Route 78 near Twin Oaks Valley Parkway, according to a news release from the health system. City settling lawsuit over affordable housing policies’ impact on low-income areas Scripps acquired the plot of land 35 years ago. However, in 1990, it “wasn’t the right time to build,” according to Chris Van Gorder, the president and CEO of Scripps Health. The health system had initially purchased about 80 acres for the project, with plans to include ambulatory care and an acute care hospital. The project was scaled back after discussions with the City of San Marcos and the H.G. Fenton real estate company, leading to Scripps eventually keeping 13 acres. Last week, the Scripps Health Board of Trustees approved the facility plans for North County and endorsed development in San Marcos, the news release stated. Progress has already begun

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The group behind Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial is seeking the public’s help in identifying who is responsible for vandalizing the area surrounding the respected landmark over the weekend. Sometime overnight Friday, a vehicle entered the park and caused damage to the northwest lawn of the Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve, which is located at 6905 La Jolla Scenic S. Dr. City settling lawsuit over affordable housing policies’ impact on low-income areas A volunteer docent discovered deep tire ruts and torn up sections of sod Saturday morning as a result of the incident, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association said Monday in a statement. View the damage in the photos below, courtesy of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association. The Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve was vandalized overnight Friday. (Mt. Soledad Memorial Association) The Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve was vandalized overnight Friday. (Mt. Soledad Memorial Association) The Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve was vandalized overnight Friday. (Mt. Soledad Memorial Association) The Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve was vandalized overnight Friday. (Mt. Soledad Memorial Association) The Mt. Soledad Open Space Preserve was

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A new state-of-the-art studio rental facility has opened in San Diego County. Lightz Out Studios, a video and photography studio, has opened its doors in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa, and is now available for rent by industry professionals and creatives. Bill Walton’s iconic basketball collection up for auction in June 2025 Production companies, content creators, social media influencers, event organizers, media professionals, and more, can rent the nearly 2,500-square-foot multimedia production studio, which has a fully equipped kitchen, and can accommodate productions requiring food preparation and styling to green-screen productions to still photoshoots, according to the studio. The studio also features a green room, two wardrobe rooms, a hair and makeup room, two ADA compliant bathrooms, a production office and workspace with a 10-seat conference table, as well as free Wi-Fi, free gated parking, top-of-the-line lighting, double cyclorama walls and onsite audio and grip equipment. Gaylord Pacific Resort announces spring opening date “This studio was designed by creative professionals, for creative professionals,” Matt Lopman, general Manager of Lightz Out Studios, said in the announcement. “Having spent my career on set

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego City Council on Tuesday is set to finalize a settlement in a 2019 federal lawsuit that alleged the city’s policies to spur housing development were unfairly concentrating these projects in predominately low-income areas. The agreement’s terms would require the city to take a number of steps to reverse the quality-of-life effects of this increased density in communities, which the lawsuit described as tantamount to modern-day redlining. Among the actions the city would need to take includes putting more of an emphasis on advancing projects that would increase density in high-resource areas, or moderate- to high-income neighborhoods with access to quality amenities like good schools and safe streets. San Diego City Council votes to begin rolling back controversial ADU program The city would also need to direct its Economic Development Department to offer a sales tax rebate through its Business Cooperation Program to incentivize the construction of a new grocery store in southeastern San Diego, an area long considered a “food desert.” On top of that, the city will be asked to make two monetary payments — an

Scripps Health A rendering of the Scripps Health medical center campus coming to San Marcos. Scripps Health announced Monday it is moving forward with a plan to build a new medical center in the San Marcos area. According to a press release, the Scripps San Marcos Medical Center campus will be located on a 13-acre site south of State Route 78, near Twin Oaks Valley Parkway. The project’s first phase is a comprehensive ambulatory care facility, while phase two will be the acute care hospital. Scripps Health says it has owned the San Marcos property for 35 years, but now is the right time to build. “Our patient population in the area has since grown to the point that it made sense for us to move forward,” says Scripps Health CEO Chris Van Gorder. “Scripps provides care to many residents of the San Marcos region today and this campus will expand access and make care more convenient for these patients and their families.” In 1990, the healthcare company bought about 80 acres of land in San Marcos as it planned to build a campus “at

ABC 10News FILE: A sea lion in the waters of La Jolla Cove. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says a marine animal bit a man who was swimming in the area of La Jolla Children’s Pool Monday morning. The incident happened around 11:40 a.m., when lifeguards were helping the San Diego Police Department with a separate incident. A police officer heard someone yelling for help. According to SDFD, first responders initially thought the noise may have been a sea lion; however, lifeguards heard a second call for help and started to respond. “Lifeguards determined that a free diver had been bitten by a marine mammal (sea lion or harbor seal),” the department says. Lifeguards took the man to the La Jolla boat launch to examine him, and he declined to be taken to the hospital. SDFD says the diver had caught a fish, so that may have piqued the marine mammal’s curiosity, leading to the bite. The intermingling of sea lions and people has been a hot topic in La Jolla for years; in 2023, the San Diego City Council voted

ABC 10News The malicious property damage near Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla took place late Friday night or early Saturday morning, according to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association. SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Authorities reached out to the public Monday for help identifying whoever drove a vehicle back and forth across a lawn at Mount Soledad Open Space Preserve over the weekend, tearing up large sections of sod, spraying mud around and leaving behind deep tire ruts. The malicious property damage near Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla took place late Friday night or early Saturday morning, according to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association. “This vandalism not only desecrates a beautiful public space but also dishonors the memory of the veterans honored at the memorial,” MSMA Executive Director Neil O’Connell said. “This is a place of peace and reflection for our community, and we are determined to restore it.” The association is working with the San Diego Police Department, the Parks & Recreation Department and San Diego County Crime Stoppers to identify the perpetrator, according to the association. Anyone who might

During this Women’s History Month, the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park is highlighting significant contributions by women, both past and present. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — During this Women’s History Month, the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park is highlighting significant contributions by women, both past and present. The museum’s research library director shared insights about pioneering women at the NAT. Rosa Smith Eigenman joined the San Diego Society of Natural History at age 19 in 1879, shortly after its founding in 1874. She discovered and described a new species of fish and documented the early history of the museum through her meticulous note-taking, which was published in newspapers. Kate Stevens, the museum’s first employee, was a curator of collections who specialized in paleoecology, the study of fossilized shells. Despite her husband’s role as the curator of birds and mammals, it was her driving skills and support that facilitated many of his expeditions. Ethel Bailey Higgins became the curator of botany in her late 60s during the Great Depression after being widowed. With minimal financial resources, she leveraged her plant photography and identification skills to

Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam via Facebook The two remaining eaglets. One of three eaglets belonging to Jackie and Shadow, the stars of Big Bear Lake’s eagle nest cam in California, has sadly passed away. The Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a social media post that the eaglet passed away sometime after an evening feeding on March 13 because that was the last time all three eaglets were seen together. There was also a winter storm that coated the nest in snow, making it hard to see the eaglets for some time. The group said it has no way of knowing how or why the eaglet died and it’s also hard to tell which eaglet it was since they are all close in size. “We understand that this news is very hard to hear. Even when nature is difficult to watch, and sometimes even harder to understand, we must trust that it has its reasons,” the group wrote on Facebook. “Please allow yourself to feel the sadness; please allow yourself to feel whatever you feel.” Jackie and

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert Monday announced her campaign for the California State Senate in District 40, currently represented by Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Santee. von Wilpert, a Democrat, said her campaign will focus on fighting crime, wildfire prevention and reducing the cost of living. “Many local families are really struggling, and California state government needs to do more,” she said. “I’m running because San Diego County needs Sacramento to deliver big results here at home. “While Washington is stuck in partisan battles, our communities simply can’t afford to wait for the safer, more affordable California we deserve. We need to put people over politics and start getting results — now.” A former civil prosecutor, von Wilpert grew up in the 40th Senate District, graduated from Scripps Ranch High and now represents the San Diego portion of the district on the city council. She was elected to her position on the council — District 5, representing Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar Ranch North, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, San Pasqual, Scripps Ranch and Torrey Highlands —

NEW YORK (AP) — St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish, was marked across the United States on Monday with boisterous parades and festivities. Across the pond, the Irish capital of Dublin culminated its three-day festival with a parade. Cities such as Liverpool, England, another city transformed by Irish immigration, also hosted celebrations on St. Patrick’s feast day. School marching bands and traditional Irish pipe and drum ensembles ambled down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with uniformed delegations from the police and fire departments in New York City, which hosts one of the nation’s largest and oldest parades. As a light morning rain fell, the rolling celebration made its way north past designer shops and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a stunning Neo Gothic landmark that’s the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Mayor Eric Adams donned a green cap and scarf and waved an Irish flag while Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan greeted marchers wearing a green, white and orange sash — the national colors of the Emerald Isle. “It’s fantastic to be here,” said Ryan Hanlon, vice chairman of the parade’s board of

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Your input is wanted on a project to extend a North County bike trail all the way to the Oceanside coast. The Inland Rail Trail project is a high priority project for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) that will help reduce vehicle miles traveled in the region. The proposed 21-mile inland trail runs alongside the North County Transit District’s Sprinter system, linking Escondido, San Marcos and Vista to the beach in Oceanside. The project has been ongoing for years. There are four phases included in the project, each representing a different segment of the trail. It is now in its final phase, focusing a 7.4-mile stretch through Oceanside. New high-speed thrill ride coming soon to Belmont Park One Escondido resident, who was using one of the existing segments to catch a bus, told FOX 5/KUSI he’s excited about the prospect of eventually biking all the way to the coast. “It would be pretty neat … I’d explore more of Vista, San Marcos,” Ryan Lemus, an Escondido resident, said. “Especially in Oceanside over there, there’s a lot of coast