Today’s newsletter is presented by Kaiser Permanente.
Good morning, San Diego ☀️
Here’s what we have for you today:
- Remember how two people just got injured at The Arch? Well, that doesn’t seem to be stopping people from taking the plunge.
- Shoutout to reader Andrew Bobroff, who correctly guessed yesterday’s “Step back in time” question. Don’t forget to scroll to the end of the newsletter to see if you got it correct too.
Tessa Balc
Audience engagement producer
Top story
Cowles Mountain hikers are getting hundreds of parking tickets for failing to turn their wheels
When heading out to hike Cowles Mountain, there are a few things to think about: grabbing water, donning comfortable shoes and cramping your car wheels. Well, maybe the last of those is an afterthought, but it’s pretty likely you’ll end up with a ticket if you don’t.
If you didn’t know, San Diego requires drivers who park on streets with grades of 3% or higher to “cramp” their wheels. That means turning your wheels toward or away from the curb depending on whether you’re parked uphill or downhill. If you forget, a ticket for nearly $87 ensues.
If you park on Golfcrest Drive, near the Cowles Mountain trailhead, there’s a decent chance a rushed exit without a turn of the steering wheel could lead to fines.
Our Dorian Hargrove found that nowhere in the city are you more likely to receive a citation for wheel cramping than on Golfcrest Drive.
Since January, officers have issued 889 citations, which translates to about $79,565 in fines.
But it hasn’t always been this way. Just back in 2023, Golfcrest wasn’t among the top five streets for wheel-cramping citations. While it may be the case that parking officers are keeping a close eye on Cowles, it’s also true that wheel-cramping citations have reached a five-year high this year.
San Diego Police says they can’t attribute the rise to a specific cause but they can say that they have upped their number of parking enforcement officers in the last couple of years.
Moral of the story: Cramp your wheels near Cowles.
Side bar: You probably already knew about this if you’re subscribed to Dorian’s Mission Times Courier newsletter. He brings you the latest San Carlos/ College Area/ Navajo happenings, every Thursday. You can sign up by checking the “Mission Times” box and entering your email here.
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Stories you should know about
📚 Back to school for SDUSD, with students seeing some big changes: Video-streaming platforms like YouTube will be blocked on district-issued devices unless a teacher permits it, and computer carts will be removed from TK classrooms.
☄️ Perseid meteor shower drops into night sky, but extreme heat will persist during the day: The shower peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and will be especially visible because of the new moon. If you head to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, you’ll get a primetime seat as it’s a dark-sky park.
☀️ Two popular but strenuous hiking areas in county temporarily closed due to excessive heat: The San Diego River Gorge and Three Sisters trails will be closed for the next three weeks. Since the beginning of July, the areas have seen 11 medical rescues and 18 less urgent assists due to extreme heat.
⚾️ The Padres weren’t hitting a lick. Now, their bats have come alive and they’re making a run at a Wild Card spot: batting coach Steven Souza Jr. and manager Craig Stammen attribute the turnaround to the players getting to know their coaching more, and becoming more familiar in their own roles.
🙋 Opinion: San Diego has open meetings, but they sadly lack broad participation.
What else we’re reading
🐱 Even the biggest cat lovers might not be able to say they’ve watched 20,000 cat videos on a yearly basis. Though, Will Braden, the person behind CatVideoFest, can. This year’s feline-forward compilation, screening at Digital Gym Cinema, will be donate proceeds to Los Gatos De Barrio Logan (KPBS)
🏗️ The developers behind Midway Rising are pushing forward despite continued opposition from some residents. At the most recent public forum, which drew people both in support of and against the project, opponents had their eye on a certain dimension of the development: the project’s potential impact on groundwater.(NBC 7)
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.
Step back in time…
This is an aerial photo of Solana Beach, taken in 1923. Did you guess correct? Want to read more, check out this article.
