Updated 5:27 p.m. Wednesday to add Zimmerman comments on her hiring and the state of the department. Only 24 hours after the vacancy opened, Shelley Zimmerman was named Wednesday by Mayor-elect Kevin Faulconer to be the new police chief of San Diego. Zimmerman, currently an assistant chief, will succeed William Lansdowne, who announced his resignation […]
Posted inPolitics
Faulconer Names Taxpayers Association Exec, 2 Others, to Mayoral Staff
The head of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association was one of three people named Wednesday to be deputy chiefs of staff under incoming Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Felipe Monroig will serve as the chief of community engagement, according to Faulconer, who takes office on Monday. Monroig previously was on the staff of former Councilman Carl […]
Posted inOpinion
In Our Social Media World, Business Still Needs Face-to-Face Meetings
By Sheryl Bilbrey It used to be, not all that long ago, that business deals were done in person. Relationships were fostered through telephone calls and lunch meetings, and new contacts were cultivated at seminars and conferences out of the office. It seems that somewhere between our last tweet and email, the world changed. Many of […]
Posted inMilitary
USS Rentz Set to Return Friday; Crew Helped Seize Drug Shipments During Deployment
The guided-missile frigate USS Rentz is scheduled to return Friday to San Diego from a seven-month deployment, the Navy announced today. Since heading out last July 25, the officers and crew of the frigate, along with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49 and U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachments, disrupted four shipments of cocaine in international […]
Posted inCrime
Man Found Dead in Downtown Apartment After Armed Standoff with San Diego Police
A man who had been waving what appeared to be a military-style gun out a window from inside a third-floor East Village apartment was found dead today after officers unleashed a fusillade of gunfire at the residence. The events that led to the shooting began shortly after 10:30 a.m., when San Diego police got a […]
Posted inLife
Flu Claims 3 More San Diegans, Death Toll Hits 46 for Season
Three people died of influenza-related causes last week in San Diego County, but the number of reported cases of the virus dropped for the fourth week in a row, the county Health and Human Services Agency announced today. The “flu season” death toll hit 46, with most of the victims either elderly or already suffering […]
Posted inPolitics
County Prosecutors Support District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ Reelection Campaign
The union representing county prosecutors and its political action committee endorsed District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis for reelection, her campaign said today. Dumanis gained the support of the leadership of the Deputy District Attorneys Association and their political action committee, San Diegans Against Crime. The former judge running for a fourth term is opposed by former […]
Posted inPolitics
$2M Plan for San Diego Police Officers to Wear Uniform Cameras Gets Support
A plan to distribute cameras to San Diego police officers to record interactions with the public received strong support from a City Council committee today. City officials hope the cameras, which can be worn on an officer’s uniform, will prevent some of the problems that have plagued the department in recent years, including alleged sexual […]
Posted inCrime
San Diego Police Seek Public’s Help to Identify Attempted Murder Suspect
San Diego police today released video of a dark- colored sedan used in a shooting in the hope someone would recognize it. The sedan was used in a Feb. 11 drive-by shooting that occurred downtown at Ninth Avenue and Broadway about 8:45 p.m., according to SDPD. The driver, a mixed-race man, stopped briefly, exchange words […]
Posted inEducation
Alpine Teachers End 3-Day Strike After Sides OK 18-Month Contract
A three-day strike by teachers in the Alpine School District in San Diego’s East County region ended Tuesday when the two sides agreed to an 18-month contract. The instructors and district battled over proposed cuts in salary and health-care benefits that were needed by the district to balance its budget. The Alpine Teachers Association reported […]
Posted inCrime, Uncategorized
Male Nurse Pleads Not Guilty to Engaging in Sex Act Near Patient, 99
A male nurse accused of engaging in a sex act with another male nurse while caring for a 99-year-old stroke victim pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of elder neglect and lewd act by a caregiver. Russel Torralba, 41, was ordered held on $200,000 bail. He was arrested and extradited to San Diego last week. […]
Posted inCrime
Singer for Christian Band ‘As I Lay Dying’ Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Murder
The lead singer of the Christian heavy metal band As I Lay Dying pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony murder solicitation charge for paying an undercover agent to kill his estranged wife. The singer — Tim Lambesis, 33 — faces a sentence ranging from probation to nine years in prison when he returns to the […]
Posted inLife
Sandbags Available Ahead of Storms Due for San Diego Coastal, Valley Areas
The weaker of two winter storms threatening San Diego County may spur light rain in coastal and valley areas as early as Wednesday night, meteorologists said. In preparation for the storms, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department announced it has a limited number of sandbags available to residents at fire stations in Ocean Beach, the Sports […]
Posted inPolitics
San Diego Salutes TV Veteran Maurice Luque on Retirement as Fire Spokesman
The City Council on Tuesday honored Maurice Luque, the recently retired San Diego Fire-Rescue Department public information officer, for his responsiveness and willingness to go to fire scenes at all hours of the day and night. The council proclaimed it Maurice Luque Day in San Diego. Luque is known to television viewers for describing various […]