LAKE ELSINORE — Like Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz," the Southern California city of Lake Elsinore is being overwhelmed by the power of the poppies. About 150,000 people over the weekend flocked to see this year's rain-fed flaming orange patches of poppies lighting up the hillsides near the city...
Amid Clouds of Dust, Border Wall Prototypes Are Demolished
SAN DIEGO — The government is demolishing eight prototypes of Donald Trump's prized border wall that instantly became powerful symbols of his presidency when they were built nine months after he took office. The Trump administration says elements of the prototypes have been melded into current border fence designs and...
Judge Upholds Protection for Gray Wolves in California
LOS ANGELES — A California judge on Monday upheld protection for gray wolves under the state's Endangered Species Act, rejecting a legal challenge from ranchers and farmers who fear the predators will threaten their livestock. The judge in San Diego ruled that California was right to list the wolves as...
Report Quashes Hopes for California-Backed Marijuana Bank
SACRAMENTO — California would likely lose money and face insurmountable federal hurdles if it tried to create a state-backed bank for the marijuana industry, according to a report released Thursday by the state treasurer. The report puts an end for now to hopes California could find a way to get...
US Homeless Count up Slightly, but Declines in Key Cities
A federal report released Monday provides a possible glimmer of hope for the homeless crisis that has gripped many cities up and down the West Coast. The number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and San Diego, two epicenters of the homelessness crisis, fell this year, suggesting...
Newsom Says State Must Address Mexico Border ‘Crisis’
SAN DIEGO — California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom said Thursday the state must do more to address what he called a "humanitarian crisis" at the border with Mexico. Newsom said he planned to discuss the large caravans of Central American migrants when he attends Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's inauguration...
US Government: Over 1,800 Migrant Kids Reunited by Deadline
SAN DIEGO — Shy children were given a meal and a plane or bus ticket to locations around the U.S. as non-profit groups tried to smooth the way for kids reunited with their parents as a deadline loomed following their separations at the U.S. Mexico border. The Trump administration said...
A Comic-Con Without Marvel, HBO Gives Others a Chance to Pop
Over 130,000 pop culture devotees are descending on San Diego's Gaslamp District on Wednesday for the annual four-day comic book convention Comic-Con, the big, bright and very heavily branded confab of costumed superfans and the corporate sponsors vying for their attention — and dollars. Interested in dining at a working...
San Diego & New Jersey Men Die in Icy Sequoia National Park
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK — Authorities say a hiker and a climber have fallen to their deaths on icy routes in California's Sequoia National Park. The park says 29-year-old Anton Dokov of San Diego was killed on Sunday when he slipped on the Watchtower section of the Lakes Trail and plunged...
High-Speed Rail Deniers Have It All Wrong
If California’s train deniers are right—that no one ever rides trains here, that Californians prefer to drive or fly, and that high-speed rail is a boondoggle that won’t attract riders — then how do you explain my wife’s public humiliation? Recently, our family was on Amtrak from San Diego to...