Category: San Diego

AAA: LA Gas Price Hikes Likely Coming Soon

LOS ANGELES—Gas price increases are expected in a few weeks with the start of the traditional “spring spike” season that typically brings increases averaging 50 cents a gallon, according to an Automobile Club of Southern California spokesperson. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County increased reached $4.67 on Jan….


Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in San Diego Business Owner’s Killing

SAN DIEGO—A woman who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for her role in the robbery and killing of an East Village businessman inside his flooring materials store was sentenced to 16 years to life in state prison on Jan. 21. Lorena Espinoza, 38, was charged along with Kevin Eugene Cartwright, 54, in the Oct. 10,…


Former San Diego County Employee Charged With Profiting Off Wife’s County Contracts

SAN DIEGO—A former employee of the San Diego County Clerk’s Office was charged on Jan. 20 with allegedly recommending that a contractor hire his wife’s company to work on county projects, which prosecutors say may have netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit for the couple. Rolf Bishop, 73, pleaded not guilty on Thursday…


San Diego Police Conclude Mother Killed Herself, 2-Year-Old Son in Petco Park Fall Last Year

By Alex Riggins From San Diego Union-Tribune SAN DIEGO—A police investigation has concluded that a San Diego mother intentionally killed herself and her 2-year-old son last September when they fell off a six-story concourse at Petco Park before a Padres game, a homicide lieutenant said Wednesday. An attorney for the woman’s family said police have…


Judge Denies Request to Block Law Sharing Info With Gun Violence Researchers

SAN DIEGO—A San Diego federal judge has denied a request from gun owners for a temporary restraining order to block a newly signed state law that allows their personal information to be shared with a research center studying gun violence. The suit filed earlier this month by the National Rifle Association on behalf of five…


San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore Announces Early Retirement

SAN DIEGO—Bill Gore, who has served as San Diego County sheriff for more than a dozen years, announced on Jan. 19 that he plans to retire next month, nearly a year before the end of his fourth term in the post. Gore, 74, who announced last summer that he would not seek re-election this year,…


Murder Conviction in Road Rage Stabbing of Father of 5 Upheld

SAN DIEGO—An appeals court panel on Jan. 18 upheld the murder conviction of a motorist who stabbed another driver seven times on a South Bay street following a road rage dispute. Rickey Vernon Smith was convicted by a Chula Vista jury and sentenced to 16 years to life in state prison for the Nov. 27,…


Trash Strike Ends as Teamsters Accept Republic’s ‘Last, Best and Final Offer’

SAN DIEGO—Unionized sanitation workers voted 137–70 Jan. 17 to end a month-long trash strike staged amid a labor dispute with private garbage hauler Republic Services. The sanitation workers represented by Teamsters Local 542 voted to end the strike just hours before an ultimatum from San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria would have compelled Republic to “meet…


Nearly All Southern California Counties Delay 2022 Homeless Count

A myriad of Southern California counties have delayed their counting of the homeless following the winter surge in COVID-19 cases. The event—known as a point-in-time count—provides an annual snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people and is required by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the last days of January of every…


Southern California Counties Delay 2022 Homeless Count

A myriad of Southern California counties have delayed their counting of the homeless following the winter surge in COVID-19 cases. The event—known as a point-in-time count—provides an annual snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people and is required by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the last days of January of every…