Today’s newsletter is presented by OBMA.
Good morning, San Diego ☀️
Here’s what we have for you today:
- A property just became the most expensive sale in Bird Rock.
- A man charged with murder in a 1999 Balboa Park strangling was located serving time in a Georgia prison.
Jennifer Vigil
News editor
Top story
Can birdwatching be political? Locals combine their passion with their values in new chapter of Feminist Bird Club
What’s your third place? Meaning not home, not work or school (and really, not a place where you’re scrolling the whole time solo either).
You pretty much can’t go wrong outdoors, especially in San Diego. Some people find community in simple walks, while others prefer activities that demand a bit of derring-do. But there’s also community to be found in observing nature – and taking the politics of doing so into consideration. That’s where Feminist Bird Club (yes, you read that right) comes in.
“I think that people are stressed and they’re looking for community and they’re looking for people who agree with them politically and socially,” one of the organizers of San Diego’s new FBC chapter told our contributor Mireya Miner.
Birdwatching is a pretty sedate activity, but it’s hugely popular, with almost 100 million people (!!!) taking part. Yet there are some barriers to people of color and members of other marginalized groups who are curious, but unsure if nature and wildlife are for them.
The local FBC organizers want to change that. Their first meetup was last month and they have another one set for this weekend, this time in Lakeside. Miner has more on the San Diego chapter’s recent launch.
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Stories you should know about
🧘 The fight over free yoga in San Diego parks and beaches intensifies: A yoga instructor who goes by NamaSteve has filed another lawsuit over three citations he received from park rangers after a federal judge ruled against San Diego in his first suit, on constitutional grounds.
🥊 MMA fighter Liz Carmouche, long a San Diegan, packed up and moved to Florida. She’s back for a PFL bout: She took on Ronda Rousey in the first-ever women’s MMA fight, and has since left San Diego because of the high cost of living.
🎻 San Diego Weekend Guide: OB’s Chili Cook-Off & Street Fair and the Taste of Adams Avenue are this weekend, in addition to opening night with the Symphony Orchestra, Libros y Sonido Community Book Festival and the Oceanside USA 250 festival.
⚾️ Young athletes take the field for baseball camp with extra special coach: Padres centerfielder Jackson Merill hosted more than 300 youth players at La Jolla’s Cliffridge Park.
💵 County supervisors approve $9.16 billion budget, following months of planning, public hearings: The new budget absorbs $68.4 million in first-year impacts from the “Big Beautiful Bill,” or H.R. 1, which included cuts to benefits programs.
💡 Opinion: Municipalization of our electric grid would be a dangerous gamble.
What else we’re reading
💻 San Diego Unified School District approved a resolution on classroom technology – this fall students will no longer be able to access YouTube or gaming platforms on their school laptops. (KPBS)
🦈 A 9-foot great white shark was spotted off the coast of La Jolla Shores, behind the surf line. With warm waters this summer we’ll likely see more. (NBC 7)
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.