Today’s newsletter is presented by Jackalope Art Fair.
Good morning, San Diego ☀️
Here’s what we have for you today:
- Are you up to speed yet on the undefeated Chaldean professional boxers, who are cousins, from La Mesa? They both have fights at a famous Detroit boxing venue tonight.
- Head to Mr. Moto’s in La Jolla today and tomorrow for free pizza starting 11 a.m. until they run out.
Andrew Keatts
General manager and editor
Top story
Chula Vista immigration business led migrants astray, new state Bar claim alleges
The State Bar of California is taking legal action against a Chula Vista businessman who they say is taking thousands of dollars from undocumented immigrants by improperly offering legal services.
But experts say he isn’t alone.
As our Lillian Perlmutter lays out in a new story, the allegation against Gabriel Luna de la Fuente is one example in a world of scams and lackluster services designed to take advantage of people desperate to gain legal status in a complex immigration system.
In fact, the State Bar says in its filing that the case is just the tip of the iceberg, and that the opportunities to take advantage of people will only grow along with arrests of undocumented immigrants in California and nationwide.
For instance, a Santa Maria woman ended up wiring $3,000 to a WhatsApp number she received through a friend. The man on the other end of the number said for $6,000, he could get her husband released from ICE detention.
“We’ve seen a fake videoconference with a fake courtroom and a judge in a gown,” one expert said. “At that point, how do you protect yourself?”
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Stories you should know about
🐋That whole area by Friars Road and Sea World Drive has been a remarkable mess for what feels like forever: The city says the Morena Pump Station, one of the two main underground water projects that caused the chaos and closures, is just about done. Meanwhile the city is reevaluating the other project and the permits it may need.
⚓ Another San Diego-based aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East: The USS Theodore Roosevelt is now expected to leave town in the coming weeks.
🎢 The family of an SDSU grad who died from head trauma after a Magic Mountain ride has settled its lawsuit against the park: After exiting the X2 rollercoaster, the 22-year-old had trouble walking, then collapsed. The coroner determined he died of “head trauma” sustained in a “park ride accident.”
What else we’re reading
🚨 A San Diego Police lieutenant was placed on administrative leave after he was arrested Sunday following a domestic violence call to a Chula Vista home. (Union-Tribune)
📄 La Mesa Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins introduced a gut-and-amend bill to ban local and federal law enforcement from using electric shock gloves after ICE announced earlier this month plans to spend up to $20 million on them. (Voice of San Diego)
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.
What to do this weekend
Need weekend plans? We’ve got you. ⭐ = free
🖌️ G.L.A.M (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) Resource Fair (Today, 12 p.m.-4 p.m.) ⭐️
💃 Sazón Live 2026, Centro Cultural de la Raza: (Today, 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m.)
🎥 Asian American Dance Festival at MCASD (Sunday, 5 p.m.–8:30 p.m.)