SanDiegoVille

Black Bear Diner Finally Announces Opening Date For Long-Awaited North County Restaurant

2026-05-21T08:02:28.939-07:00

After months of delays, construction pauses, boarded-up windows, mounting curiosity from North County residents and a health inspection shutdown at its original San Diego restaurant, Black Bear Diner has officially announced the opening date for its long-awaited Vista location.

The Northern California-based comfort food chain confirmed this week that its newest restaurant will officially open to the public on Tuesday, May 26, bringing the company’s signature oversized portions, cabin-themed décor and scratch-made diner fare to San Diego’s North County. The opening marks the culmination of a project that has lingered in development for nearly two years at the former Coco’s Bakery Restaurant site near Highway 78 and North Melrose Drive. Vista residents have spent months watching intermittent construction activity at the location, with speculation and questions frequently surfacing online about whether the restaurant would ultimately open at all after multiple delays tied to permitting, financing and construction issues.

“You may have seen activity at the diner as we train our teams and add finishing touches for the best welcome ever,” said Denise D’Amico Johnson, Guest Relations Executive Administrative Assistant for Black Bear Diner, in a statement shared on social media. “We know you’ve waited a long time and we’re so grateful for your patience. Next week, the wait will be over.”

The Vista restaurant becomes Black Bear Diner’s second San Diego County location, joining the company’s El Cajon outpost on Fletcher Parkway, which also occupies a former Coco’s location. The Vista site had originally been projected to open in early 2025, but delays repeatedly pushed the timeline back.

In a September 2025 interview with Vista Press, franchise owner Karan Gogri acknowledged the setbacks, explaining that funding complications and permitting issues had slowed progress. At the time, Gogri stated crews would resume work to complete landscaping, interiors, and final approvals, while also restarting hiring efforts for cooks, servers and restaurant staff.

Founded in 1995 in Mount Shasta, California by Bruce Dean and Bob and Laurie Manley, Black Bear Diner has grown into a nationwide chain with more than 150 locations across 14 states. The restaurants are known for their rustic lodge aesthetic, carved bear statues, newspaper-style menus called The Black Bear Gazette, and a comfort-food-heavy lineup featuring giant breakfast platters, chicken fried steak, burgers, meatloaf, pot roast, milkshakes, pies and other diner staples.

The Vista opening also represents another notable reuse of a former Coco’s Bakery property in San Diego County. Coco’s, once a longtime Southern California dining fixture dating back to 1948, dramatically contracted across California beginning in the mid-2010s, leaving numerous large-format diner spaces vacant throughout the region.

The Vista location has generated sustained local interest partly because of the scarcity of large sit-down family diners remaining in North County as many legacy casual dining chains continue shrinking or disappearing altogether amid rising labor costs, inflation, shifting consumer habits and broader restaurant industry instability.

Still, Black Bear Diner’s expansion into Vista arrives during a mixed period for the company locally. Earlier this year, SanDiegoVille reported that the chain’s El Cajon restaurant was temporarily ordered closed by county health inspectors following a major vermin violation and other sanitation-related issues, though the restaurant later resumed operations after corrective actions.

Despite that setback, anticipation surrounding the Vista opening appears strong. Social media posts announcing the restaurant’s debut have already generated enthusiastic reactions from North County residents eager for another family-style breakfast and comfort-food option.

Opening day on May 26 is expected to draw significant crowds as Vista’s newest diner finally opens its doors after one of the more prolonged and closely watched restaurant buildouts in North County over the past year.

Black Bear Diner Vista is located at 605 West Vista Way in San Diego's North County city of Vista. For more information, visit blackbeardiner.com.

Originally published on May 21, 2026.

The Disappearance Of Maya Millete: The Ultimate Guide To The Case That Has Haunted San Diego For Five Years And The Trial That's Finally Underway

2026-05-21T07:04:24.986-07:00

A mother of three vanished on the same day she contacted a divorce attorney. Her husband is now on trial for murder in one of San Diego County’s most haunting and closely watched criminal cases. Here is everything you need to know about the disappearance of Maya Millete and the murder trial of Larry Millete.

For more than five years, the disappearance of Chula Vista mother Maya “May” Millete has lingered over San Diego County like an open wound. There has been no body, no confession, no murder weapon publicly identified, and no definitive forensic evidence placing Maya’s death at a specific time or location. Yet prosecutors insist the circumstantial evidence tells a devastatingly clear story: a woman preparing to leave her marriage vanished forever, and her husband killed her rather than let her go.

Now, after years of delays, continuances, competency proceedings, custody disputes, public speculation, national media attention, and emotional courtroom battles, the murder trial of Larry Millete is finally underway in San Diego Superior Court.

Here is everything to know about the case that has consumed Chula Vista since January 2021.

Who Are Larry and Maya Millete?

Larry and Maya Millete met as teenagers in Hawaii and married young, eventually building a life together and raising three children. Larry enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1999 and served from 2000 through 2005, later working as an optician at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Maya worked as a civilian contract specialist for the Navy.

Maya was described by family and friends as outgoing, fiercely loyal, energetic, and deeply devoted to her children. Relatives often described her as “small but fierce,” someone with a bold personality who loved dancing, traveling, and documenting family life through photos and social media.

By 2021, the family lived in a suburban Chula Vista home on Paseo Los Gatos. To neighbors, they often appeared like a typical military-connected Southern California family. Behind closed doors, prosecutors now allege, the marriage had become deeply fractured and emotionally volatile.

As a teenager, Larry moved with his family from San Diego to Hawaii, allegedly following legal trouble. Sources claim Larry was involved in a gang-related stabbing incident on April 30, 1997. Larry, then believed to be around 15 years old, was reportedly taken into juvenile custody and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Official juvenile records remain sealed.

By late 2020, prosecutors say Maya was quietly preparing to leave the marriage permanently.

The Day Maya Vanished

On January 7, 2021, Maya Millete contacted a divorce attorney. According to testimony and investigative records, she scheduled a consultation for January 12, intending to wait until after her daughter’s birthday celebration before formally proceeding.

Her sister, Maricris Drouaillet, later testified Maya had asked for approximately $10,000 to help begin separating from Larry.

At 4:42 p.m. on January 7, surveillance footage captured Maya pulling into the driveway of the family’s Chula Vista home. Another camera showed her walking toward the house carrying bags.

No camera ever captured her leaving. Maya was never seen or heard from again. Prosecutors allege Maya was killed inside the home sometime that night.

Security footage from a nearby residence reportedly captured several loud bangs around 10 pm on January 7. The FBI later examined the recording but initially stated the poor audio quality prevented investigators from definitively determining whether the sounds were gunshots.

Additional surveillance and cellphone evidence introduced by prosecutors showed Maya’s cellphone activity abruptly stopped at approximately 1:25 am inside the home. Shortly afterward, surveillance video showed Larry backing his Lexus GX460 SUV into the driveway before leaving the home roughly 40 minutes later.

Prosecutors allege Larry drove between 400 and 600 miles the following day while his cellphone remained powered off for nearly 12 hours. Investigators believe this trip may have been used to dispose of Maya’s body somewhere in rural San Diego County or neighboring desert regions.

Larry later claimed he had gone to the beach with his son.

Maya’s body has never been found.

The Spell Casters: The Most Disturbing Chapter

Perhaps the most bizarre and unsettling aspect of the prosecution’s case involves Larry Millete’s extensive communications with online spell casters, psychics, and occult practitioners.

Investigators recovered more than 1,700 pages of messages between Larry and multiple online spell casters between September 2020 and January 2021. According to prosecutors, the communications reveal an escalating obsession with controlling Maya as their marriage deteriorated.

Initially, Larry allegedly sought “love spells” intended to make Maya stay with him and remain emotionally attached. But prosecutors say the requests soon became darker and more aggressive.

In one exchange, Larry allegedly asked a spell caster to make Maya suffer nightmares because “she needs to be punished.” In another, prosecutors say he requested spells to make Maya physically ill and emotionally dependent on him.

On December 31, 2020, Larry allegedly wrote to one spell caster: “Can you hex to have her hurt enough that she will have to depend on me or need my help?”

According to prosecutors, the messages became increasingly desperate as Maya pulled further away from the marriage.

Then, according to prosecutors, everything changed after January 7. The messages abruptly stopped focusing on Maya altogether.

Instead, prosecutors allege Larry became fixated on Maya’s suspected lover, allegedly asking about “death spells” and curses targeting the man and even the man’s unborn child.

Prosecutors argue the sudden shift is deeply significant. A man allegedly obsessed for months with keeping his wife from leaving suddenly no longer needed spells directed at her after she vanished forever.

The prosecution has framed the messages as evidence of obsession, coercive control, emotional deterioration, and ultimately premeditation.

The Surveillance, the Guns, and the Backyard Fire

Because Maya’s body has never been recovered, prosecutors are relying heavily on circumstantial evidence. Several elements of that evidence have become central to the state’s narrative.

Four months after Maya disappeared, surveillance footage captured a fire burning in the family’s backyard. Investigators later discovered Maya’s burned credit card among the ashes.

Search warrants executed at the Millete home uncovered numerous firearms, including several prosecutors described as illegal assault weapons.

Photographs recovered from Larry’s phone allegedly showed a kitchen table covered with firearms, passports, ammunition, tactical gear, and high-capacity magazines. Authorities also found photographs depicting the couple’s young son standing among the weapons cache.

Court filings reveal investigators became concerned Larry might flee with the children after Maya’s disappearance, prompting a gun violence restraining order.

Authorities additionally stated Larry continued purchasing firearms even after police searches intensified in early 2021.

During opening statements this week, prosecutors revealed investigators also recovered poison hemlock during the investigation, though the defense disputes the significance of that evidence and whether it has any direct connection to Maya’s disappearance. Prosecutors have also alleged Larry researched poisons and harmful substances during the period leading up to Maya’s disappearance.

The Controlling Behavior and the Affair

The prosecution’s case relies heavily on portraying Larry Millete as controlling, possessive, emotionally unstable, and terrified of losing Maya. Witnesses testified Larry closely monitored Maya’s whereabouts and became increasingly paranoid about infidelity.

Maya’s sister-in-law, Genesis Nicolas-Tabalanza, testified Larry once placed a cellphone inside Maya’s vehicle to secretly track her movements. Maya reportedly discovered the phone and threatened to leave the marriage afterward.

Friends and coworkers have described incidents where Maya allegedly had to prove where she was by showing Larry her surroundings over FaceTime. One coworker testified Larry once appeared outside Maya’s office window, pressing his face against the glass while watching her inside, an incident the witness described as “creepy.”

Investigators also uncovered allegations of prior violence within the marriage. According to police reports referenced during proceedings, Larry allegedly once choked Maya until she lost consciousness. The defense disputes allegations that Larry had a history of violence.

The alleged affair between Maya and coworker Jamey Laird has become a major component of the defense strategy. Defense attorneys argue investigators focused too narrowly on Larry while failing to fully investigate Laird or alternative explanations for Maya’s disappearance. They claim Maya may have been living a “double life” and emphasize that no direct physical evidence proves a murder occurred.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argue the affair provided motive. They contend Larry became increasingly desperate and unstable as Maya emotionally detached from the marriage and prepared to leave him permanently.

The Investigation: Hundreds of Leads and a Missing Gun

The investigation into Maya’s disappearance rapidly became one of the largest and most publicized missing-person investigations in recent San Diego County history. Chula Vista police executed more than 67 search warrants, conducted at least 87 interviews, and followed more than 130 tips. Volunteer groups, community members, family members, hikers, and search teams spent months combing through remote terrain across San Diego County searching for Maya.

Authorities continue seeking information regarding a missing .40-caliber handgun owned by Larry Millete, as well as details about the movements of his Lexus GX460 on January 8, 2021. Investigators have long theorized Maya’s remains may have been disposed of in remote desert terrain or wilderness areas.

In October 2021, after nine months of investigation, Larry Millete was arrested and charged with murder and illegal possession of an assault weapon. He has pleaded not guilty and continues to maintain his innocence.

The Years of Delays

What followed Larry’s arrest was an extraordinarily prolonged pretrial process marked by repeated delays, competency proceedings, legal disputes, and emotional frustration for Maya’s family. In 2022, Larry’s defense attorneys raised questions about his competency to stand trial. A judge later ruled him competent following psychiatric evaluations.

The trial date was repeatedly postponed from 2022 through 2026. Each delay devastated Maya’s relatives, who publicly pleaded for the case to finally move forward.

In January 2026, defense attorneys again requested additional delays citing family deaths and preparation needs. Despite emotional objections from Maya’s family, the court granted another continuance.

A final attempt by the defense to delay the trial further in April 2026 was denied by Judge Camarena, who also rejected allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

The Trial Begins - Finally

The murder trial officially began on May 18, 2026, more than five years after Maya disappeared. In opening statements, prosecutors told jurors the case centers on a husband unwilling to accept divorce.

“Rather than let her leave, he killed her,” prosecutors argued.

Defense attorneys countered that the case is built entirely on speculation, assumptions, and circumstantial evidence. They emphasized there is no body, no blood evidence, no murder scene, no eyewitnesses, and no direct forensic proof Maya was killed.

The defense has repeatedly suggested Maya may have voluntarily disappeared or that investigators failed to adequately pursue other suspects and theories. Judge Enrique Camarena nevertheless ruled there was sufficient circumstantial evidence for the case to proceed before a jury.

The trial is expected to last several months.

Day Two: A Family Breaks Down

One of the most emotional moments of the trial so far occurred during testimony from Maya’s father, Pablito Tabalanza.

While on the witness stand, Tabalanza broke down emotionally and screamed toward Larry Millete: “Why did you do this?” The defense immediately moved for a mistrial, arguing the emotional outburst unfairly prejudiced the jury. Judge Camarena denied the request.

Tabalanza also testified about a prior incident during which Larry allegedly referenced killing someone while carrying a firearm. Under cross-examination, however, he acknowledged he initially believed Larry was joking and never warned Maya.

Courtroom observers noted Larry reportedly remained expressionless throughout the testimony.

The Prosecution vs. The Defense

Prosecutors argue:

Maya contacted a divorce attorney the day she disappeared
Loud bangs were captured on surveillance the night prosecutors believe she was killed
Larry drove hundreds of miles the following morning with his phone powered off
Spell caster communications demonstrate escalating obsession and violent intent
Maya’s burned credit card was recovered from a backyard fire
Poison hemlock and poison-related searches were uncovered during the investigation
Larry stopped searching for Maya and stopped communicating about spells immediately after she vanished
Maya documented fears about the marriage and her desire to divorce

The defense argues:

No body has ever been found
No blood or signs of violence were discovered inside the home
No direct evidence proves a murder occurred
Maya had an affair and may have been living a “double life”
Investigators focused too narrowly on Larry while overlooking alternative explanations
Circumstantial evidence alone does not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

The Children and the Family

The case has devastated two extended families and forever altered the lives of Maya and Larry’s three children. Following Larry’s arrest, the children were initially placed with Larry’s parents. After years of legal disputes, custody was ultimately awarded in 2024 to Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet.

Throughout the past five years, Maya’s family has organized prayer hikes, vigils, fundraising efforts, search campaigns, and public awareness events to keep attention on the case.

Relatives have repeatedly stated they believe Maya would never voluntarily abandon her children.

What Happens Next

The trial is expected to continue through much of the summer of 2026. If convicted of first-degree murder, Larry Millete faces 25 years to life in prison.

No cameras or recording devices are permitted inside the courtroom. Judge Camarena barred them to protect jury integrity and minimize outside influence in one of San Diego County’s most heavily followed criminal trials in years.

More than five years after Maya Millete walked into her home and vanished forever, a jury is finally being asked to answer the question that has haunted San Diego since January 2021:

What happened to Maya Millete?

Originally published on May 21, 2026.

Martyrs Of Islamic Center Of San Diego Fundraiser Surpasses $3 Million As Community Rallies Around Families Of Victims

2026-05-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

In the days following one of the darkest tragedies in recent San Diego history, an extraordinary wave of compassion has emerged across the region and far beyond it. An online fundraiser supporting the families of the three men killed during the May 18 shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego has surpassed the $3 million mark, becoming one of the largest community-driven relief campaigns in San Diego history and a powerful reflection of the city’s collective grief, solidarity and refusal to let the victims be remembered solely through the violence that took their lives.

As of publication, the LaunchGood fundraiser organized by the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in partnership with the Islamic Center of San Diego has raised over $3 million from more than 35,000 supporters worldwide. Organizers expect the campaign to continue to increase over its term as donations continue pouring in around the clock.

Importantly, the campaign’s focus has intentionally remained centered on honoring the lives, families and service of the victims rather than discussing the tragedy. In many ways, supporters say, that is precisely the point.

The fundraiser benefits the families of Amin Abdullah, Nader Awad and Mansour Kaziha, the three men killed during the attack at the Clairemont mosque and school campus. The campaign states that all proceeds will go directly toward funeral expenses, immediate household support, children’s education, long-term financial stability for surviving spouses, and trauma counseling for affected families.

The three victims occupied deeply personal and essential roles within the Islamic Center community, helping form the daily backbone of one of San Diego County’s largest Muslim institutions.

Amin Abdullah, a father of eight and security guard at the Islamic Center, has been widely credited by authorities and community leaders with helping prevent an even greater catastrophe. According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, Abdullah engaged the gunmen outside the mosque and initiated lockdown procedures that likely prevented the attackers from reaching larger groups of worshippers and children inside the building. More than 100 children were reportedly on campus during the attack.

Nader Awad lived directly across the street from the mosque alongside his wife, who works as a teacher at the Islamic school. Community members say Awad rushed toward the center after hearing gunfire, attempting to protect those inside.

Mansour Kaziha, affectionately known within the community as “Abu Ezz,” had reportedly spent decades helping operate the mosque’s food store and assisting with countless daily responsibilities around the center. Imam Taha Hassane described him as someone who had effectively become the institution’s handyman, caretaker and trusted elder figure over nearly four decades.

The campaign’s messaging has resonated deeply with donors because of its emphasis on shared humanity rather than division. “You do not have to share their faith to stand with their families,” the fundraiser states. “You only have to believe that no one should be murdered in their place of worship - and that when a community is attacked, the rest of us answer.”

The extraordinary financial response has also become an indirect portrait of how profoundly the attack affected San Diego’s broader civic fabric. In addition to donations from Muslim communities nationwide, supporters include local residents, interfaith organizations, civic leaders, businesses and individuals from around the world who say they wanted to respond not with fear or outrage, but with direct support for the families left behind.

That tone has carried into vigils, memorials and public statements throughout the week. Rather than allowing the conversation to become dominated exclusively by the shooters and their extremist ideology, many community leaders have repeatedly stressed the importance of centering the lives of the victims, the heroism shown during the attack, and the resilience of San Diego’s Muslim community moving forward.

Authorities continue investigating the shooting as a hate crime. Federal investigators have stated that the two teenage suspects were allegedly radicalized online and left behind extremist writings before ultimately dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds following the attack. But within the Islamic Center itself, conversations this week have increasingly shifted away from the perpetrators and toward healing, remembrance and protecting the community’s future. The speed and scale of the fundraiser has become part of that healing process.

In a city often fractured by politics, outrage cycles and social division, the campaign has instead become a rare example of collective unity formed around empathy, mourning and tangible action. For many donors, the fundraiser is not simply about money. It is about refusing to let hatred become the defining legacy of what happened that day.

The LaunchGood fundraiser for the families of Amin Abdullah, Nader Awad and Mansour Kaziha remains active online. For more information or to contribute, visit launchgood.com/v4/campaign/support_family_of_amin_abdullah_islamic_society_of_san_diego_martyr.

Originally published on May 21, 2026.

REVIEW: Yungblud Turned San Diego’s The Rady Shell Into A Sweaty Gen-Z Goth-Rock Fever Dream And Somehow Won Me Over In The Process

2026-05-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

Popular British rocker Yungblud brought theatrical, vampire-meets-early-90s-rock chaos, surprising vocal talent and undeniable charisma to San Diego’s The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on his Idols World Tour stop.

Some concerts begin with anticipation. Others begin with skepticism. Wednesday night at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park began with me actively preparing to dislike the headliner.

Going into Yungblud’s May 20 stop in San Diego, I fully expected to spend the evening enduring another modern cosplay version of rock stardom, and to some extent, I did. Earlier this same week, I had already watched Machine Gun Kelly attempt his own tattooed, emotionally wounded revival of late-‘80s and early-‘90s arena rebellion over at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Now here I was again, voluntarily stepping into the second half of one of modern rock’s stranger pseudo-feuds, watching another heavily stylized 20-something artist trying to resurrect the ghosts of MTV-era swagger for a generation raised on TikTok and eyeliner nostalgia.

As an aging millennial raised on actual rock stars, I came in cynical. Deeply cynical.

And yet, somewhere between the Black Sabbath cover, the vampire theatrics, the crowd surfing charisma and a genuinely magnetic stage presence, Yungblud managed to partially disarm me.

Not completely. But enough.

The British singer, born Dominic Harrison, arrived at The Rady Shell looking less like a traditional frontman and more like Fairuza Balk wandered out of The Craft and somehow became a completely soaked, glam-punk vampire preacher. He emerged drenched and glistening under the lights, all smeared eyeliner, exaggerated poses, puckered lips and twitchy body language, operating with the kind of maximalist theatricality that older rock purists instinctively recoil from.

At various points, the entire thing felt like watching Russell Brand’s Aldous Snow character from Get Him to the Greek reincarnated for Gen Z, except somehow with even tighter pants and more emotional vulnerability. All night long, Yungblud strutted around the stage with this hypersexualized rock-goblin energy that made it feel entirely plausible he might at any moment demand the audience stroke a giant furry wall while discussing the healing power of feelings and eyeliner.

And yet the audience absolutely devoured it.

The crowd itself turned out to be far more diverse than expected. Yes, there were plenty of Gen Z fans in fishnets, platform boots and black eyeliner. But there were also older rock fans, millennials, alternative revivalists, couples, curious parents and longtime live music diehards trying to figure out exactly what Yungblud even is (me). The venue’s fully general admission setup created a different atmosphere than the seated elegance The Rady Shell typically projects, replacing the venue’s usual symphonic polish with a sweaty, packed-in festival energy that felt occasionally chaotic but undeniably alive.

For someone like me, an ‘80s baby raised by the actual artists Yungblud clearly pulls from, that tension became the entire night.

Because here’s the thing: I still fundamentally think both Yungblud and MGK operate in a lane heavily built on repackaged aesthetics from prior generations. You can hear the DNA everywhere. Bowie poses. Billy Idol sneers. punk-goth dramatics. Emo vulnerability. Arena-rock swagger. A little Ozzy Osbourne here, a little glam-metal eyeliner there, all filtered through social-media-era emotional branding and sprinkled with that modern mental health awareness us old timers weren't raised on.

But while MGK often feels like he’s trying to convince you he’s dangerous, Yungblud feels more like a naturally gifted theater kid who genuinely worships the mythology of rock and roll and decided to throw himself into it with complete abandon.

That distinction matters.

Because unlike many younger artists chasing “rockstar” aesthetics, Yungblud actually commits to performance as an art form.

And Wednesday night, he performed constantly.

The set opened by blasting Black Sabbath's “War Pigs” over the speakers, immediately signaling Yungblud's affection for old-school rock lineage. He then dove into his material like “Hello Heaven, Hello,” “The Funeral” and “Lovesick Lullaby.” Much of the newer catalog leaned heavily into emotional alt-pop melodrama and industrial pop-punk textures that won’t convert hardened classic rock purists anytime soon, but Yungblud himself remained impossible to ignore.

The man is undeniably talented.

Vocally, he’s substantially stronger than many of his peers in this lane, including MGK. He can actually sing. He understands dynamics. He understands pacing. And more importantly, he understands audience connection. Throughout the evening he bounced across the stage with manic energy, repeatedly engaging fans directly, screaming into the crowd, collapsing to his knees theatrically and turning nearly every song into some kind of communal catharsis ritual.

At one point, he invited a fan from the audience onstage to play guitar, a moment that could have easily felt manufactured, and maybe it was, but ultimately landed as genuinely sweet and strangely old-fashioned in the best way. It reinforced something increasingly rare in modern arena-scale performance: spontaneity.

There were also moments where the act transcended imitation and briefly became something emotionally real.

His rendition of “Changes,” the classic Black Sabbath ballad later popularized further through Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne, was legitimately excellent. Gone was some of the exaggerated posturing, replaced instead by a sincere reverence for the material and a vocal performance that allowed the song’s melancholy weight to breathe naturally across San Diego Bay.

And yes, against my better instincts, I found myself swaying during “Lowlife.” It’s catchy. I can admit that publicly now.

The production itself remained relatively restrained compared to many contemporary arena-pop tours. Sure, there was some pyro, but it wasn't a sensory overload operation. Instead, Yungblud largely relied on charisma, movement and audience interaction to drive the evening. Ironically, that old-school emphasis on raw stage presence may be what ultimately made the show work best.

Because beneath all the eyeliner and vampire energy, Yungblud clearly possesses the one thing you cannot manufacture: genuine hunger to entertain people.

That became especially noticeable given the timing of the show amid his increasingly public falling out with MGK. Earlier this week, the feud escalated online after MGK accused Yungblud of canceling previous tour dates under questionable pretenses and mocked his public comments about live music affordability. The tension between the two artists now feels less like a serious rivalry and more like two emotionally combustible modern rock avatars arguing over authenticity in a genre where authenticity itself has become almost impossible to define.

Watching both artists within the same week created an unintentionally fascinating comparison study, as you can see within this article.

MGK’s show leaned heavily into spectacle, branding and emotional bombast. Yungblud’s performance, while equally theatrical, felt slightly more rooted in actual live performance instincts. He may absolutely be borrowing from prior generations, but at least he seems deeply aware of the lineage he’s borrowing from.

And perhaps that’s the larger generational realization older rock fans eventually have to make peace with: every generation of rock stars is accused of imitation by the generation before them.

The artists I grew up loving were themselves borrowing from somebody else. Glam bands borrowed from Bowie. Punk borrowed from garage rock. Grunge borrowed from Sabbath. Emo borrowed from post-punk. Pop-punk borrowed from everyone.

Maybe Yungblud is simply Gen Z’s latest remix of the eternal rock-star archetype.

And honestly? There are far worse outcomes than a 28-year-old artist keeping theatrical live rock performance alive for younger audiences in an era increasingly dominated by backing tracks, influencer branding and algorithmic music.

By the encore, with “Ghosts” and “Zombie” closing out the evening against the backdrop of San Diego Bay, the crowd felt completely won over. And while I still wouldn’t personally place Yungblud among the great rock frontmen of any era, I left more impressed than expected.

Still skeptical. Still slightly exhausted by the performative angst. Still convinced he looks like a seductive vampire from a 1996 Hot Topic fever dream.

But impressed nonetheless.

And for someone who walked into the venue fully prepared to roll his eyes all night, and I did for awhile, that may be the biggest compliment I can give.

Yungblud performed at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego on May 20, 2026 as part of the Idols World Tour. The concert was promoted by Live Nation Entertainment.

Originally published on May 21, 2026.

San Diego-Born Plant Power Fast Food To Close UCSD Location As Vegan Restaurant Sector Faces Mounting Pressure

2026-05-20T16:03:18.532-07:00

Another piece of San Diego’s once-booming vegan fast food movement is disappearing. Plant Power Fast Food, the San Diego-born plant-based chain that once symbolized the explosive growth potential of vegan fast food, is preparing to close its UC San Diego location this week.

The restaurant’s final day of operation at UCSD will be Friday, May 22. The closure marks yet another contraction for the company and lands amid an increasingly difficult period for San Diego’s fully vegan restaurant sector, which has experienced a wave of closures, downsizing and identity shifts over the past two years.

Located at 9685 Scholars Drive North inside UC San Diego, the La Jolla outpost primarily served students, faculty and campus visitors with a menu built around plant-based burgers, crispy “chicken” sandwiches, shakes, breakfast burritos and vegan takes on classic fast food staples.

Founded in 2016 by Mitch Wallis alongside co-founders Zach Vouga and Jeffrey Harris, Plant Power Fast Food emerged during a period when plant-based dining appeared poised to fundamentally reshape the restaurant industry. The company’s original Ocean Beach location quickly developed a cult following for serving vegan versions of burgers, fries, milkshakes and breakfast items in a format intentionally modeled after mainstream fast food chains.

Unlike many vegan restaurants historically associated with niche health-food culture, Plant Power leaned heavily into indulgence, nostalgia and accessibility. The company’s branding, drive-thru expansion model and menu strategy positioned it as a potential national disruptor during the height of the plant-based investment boom.

Over the following years, Plant Power expanded aggressively throughout California and into Nevada, opening locations in Encinitas, Redlands, Sacramento, Long Beach, Hollywood, Las Vegas and on college campuses including San Diego State University and UCSD.

But the company’s recent history has reflected broader turbulence throughout the vegan fast casual sector. The UCSD closure follows the 2025 shutdown of Plant Power’s SDSU-area location near College Avenue, as well as earlier closures in Carmel Mountain Ranch and Anaheim. While the company continues operating locations in Ocean Beach, Encinitas, Escondido and elsewhere, its footprint is notably smaller than during its peak expansion period.

The struggles facing Plant Power are hardly isolated. Over the past year, San Diego’s vegan restaurant ecosystem has experienced a series of painful setbacks that have forced many operators to confront difficult economic realities. Earlier this month, longtime North Park vegan restaurant Loving Hut announced it would permanently close after 16 years in business. Before that, ambitious vegan concepts Dreamboat Diner and Vulture shuttered less than a year after opening in University Heights, citing unsustainable operating costs and financial pressures.

Even vegetarian institutions have begun pivoting away from fully meatless identities. Grains, a longtime University Heights staple known for vegetarian and vegan cuisine, sparked backlash after adding meat to its menu for the first time in years in an effort to broaden its customer base.

Nationally, the vegan fast food landscape has also cooled considerably from the euphoric growth forecasts that dominated the late 2010s and early 2020s. In 2024, comedian Kevin Hart’s plant-based chain Hart House abruptly closed all locations, including scrapped plans for a San Diego County expansion in Carlsbad. Beyond Meat and other major plant-based brands have likewise faced slowing growth, layoffs and declining investor confidence as consumer enthusiasm leveled off after years of explosive hype.

That does not necessarily mean demand for vegan food has disappeared. Plant-based options remain deeply embedded across mainstream restaurant menus, from fast food chains to fine dining. But industry observers increasingly believe the market has matured into something more complicated than earlier projections suggested. Many diners appear interested in occasionally eating plant-based meals without necessarily committing to fully vegan restaurants as their primary dining destinations.

At the same time, independent vegan operators continue facing the same brutal pressures confronting the broader restaurant industry: rising labor costs, escalating rents, food inflation, delivery app fees and increasingly cautious consumer spending habits.

For San Diego specifically, the closures carry additional symbolic weight because the region once stood near the forefront of the national vegan fast food movement. Brands like Plant Power helped establish San Diego as an incubator for plant-based dining concepts well before vegan burgers became normalized at major chains.

The company’s original Ocean Beach location, which remains open, still serves as a reminder of that era’s optimism and innovation. But the closure of another local outpost underscores how difficult sustaining growth has become, even for brands with strong name recognition and loyal followings.

For many UCSD students, however, the loss feels far more personal than economic trend lines or industry analysis. It simply means one fewer place for late-night vegan burgers, shakes and comfort food near campus.

Plant Power Fast Food’s final day at UCSD is scheduled for Friday, May 22. Remaining San Diego County locations currently include Ocean Beach, Encinitas and the Escondido digital kitchen. For more information, visit plantpowerfastfood.com.

Originally published on May 20, 2026.

City Of San Diego Reverses Course On Balboa Park Parking And Trash Fees After Lawsuit, Signature Drive And Public Backlash

2026-05-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

San Diego City Hall is preparing to unwind two of its most unpopular new fee programs, agreeing to eliminate paid parking in Balboa Park and reduce monthly trash collection charges following a legal and political backlash that turned two budget-balancing measures into major public trust failures.

Under the proposed settlement announced Wednesday, Balboa Park paid parking will end no later than January 1, 2027, while residential trash fees will be reduced beginning July 1, 2027. The agreement still requires final City Council approval, expected at a June 8 public meeting.

The deal would lower trash fees from $55 per month to $38.75 per month for a large bin starting July 1, 2027, before increasing slightly to $39.91 on July 1, 2028. The city had implemented the fees after voters approved Measure B, which ended San Diego’s century-old “People’s Ordinance” system of city-funded trash collection for single-family homes.

The rollback follows a lawsuit brought by homeowners who argued the city charged more than voters were led to believe and more than the actual cost of service allowed under Proposition 218. Opponents noted that voters were told during the 2022 campaign that fees could fall roughly in the $23 to $29 per month range, only for the city to later approve substantially higher charges.

The settlement also effectively kills Balboa Park’s short-lived paid parking program, which launched in January and immediately triggered public anger, vandalized kiosks, political pressure, and sharp attendance declines at museums and cultural institutions. Paid parking rates in and around Balboa Park included $2.50 hourly meter charges and daily lot fees ranging from $5 to $16, with resident and nonresident pass systems layered on top.

The reversal is especially striking because the city spent substantial time and money designing, studying, defending and implementing policies that are now being scaled back or repealed. Critics have repeatedly pointed to approximately $7 million spent on the trash fee cost-of-service study and outreach process, only for the city to now agree to lower the charges after litigation and public pressure.

Balboa Park paid parking also proved costly beyond implementation. The city installed kiosks, built an online resident verification system, reworked parking policy, defended the program publicly, and then watched attendance decline across park institutions. Reports showed museum attendance dropped an average of 34%, with some institutions falling as much as 60%, while cultural leaders warned of millions in lost revenue, possible layoffs, reduced programming and long-term harm to Balboa Park’s ecosystem.

The paid parking program was originally projected to generate as much as $15.5 million annually for Balboa Park-related needs, but revenue expectations were sharply downgraded after the public response and lower-than-expected usage. By spring, the program had reportedly generated far less than anticipated while coinciding with major declines in park visitation.

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A post shared by Richard Bailey (@richardbailey__)

Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, who is running for San Diego City Council District 2, quickly framed the settlement as a victory for residents and volunteers who organized against the fees. Bailey helped lead the “Repeal The Fees” effort, which sought to qualify measures targeting Balboa Park parking fees and trash fees for the November 2026 ballot. The campaign argued City Hall should address budget deficits through internal reforms rather than new charges on residents.

In a video posted Wednesday, Bailey said the settlement was “big news” and credited volunteers, donors and thousands of San Diegans who participated in the campaign. He noted that the city is currently saying Balboa Park paid parking will end no later than January 2027, but said opponents will push for the repeal to happen sooner.

“This is what happens when everyday San Diegans come together to push for common sense policies at City Hall,” Bailey said.

Councilmember Raul Campillo, who voted against both the trash fee and Balboa Park parking fees, also praised the settlement, saying it would reduce the cost of living and help rebuild trust in city government.

The settlement lands during an already brutal budget season for Mayor Todd Gloria and the City Council. San Diego is facing a continuing structural deficit, proposed cuts to arts and culture funding, potential impacts to libraries and recreation services, and broader criticism over the city’s reliance on fees, parking enforcement and service reductions. SanDiegoVille previously reported that the city’s budget problems have also placed beloved civic traditions such as December Nights under threat.

The city’s broader fee and enforcement strategy has also drawn scrutiny because several recent programs have either underperformed financially or created additional legal exposure. A jury recently awarded more than $16 million against San Diego in a parking citation penalty class action lawsuit, while the city has faced growing criticism over expanded meter rates, special event parking surcharges, Balboa Park paid parking and other revenue-generating enforcement measures.

The latest settlement does not erase the city’s underlying financial problem. It instead forces City Hall to find other savings, revenues or cuts to replace money officials expected from trash fees and Balboa Park parking. But politically, the agreement represents an acknowledgment that the fee programs became unsustainable in their current form.

For opponents, the lesson is clear: the city spent millions studying, implementing and defending fee structures that ordinary residents, park institutions, homeowners and civic groups warned were flawed from the beginning.

For City Hall, the harder question now is what comes next. San Diego still faces deep budget challenges, aging infrastructure, rising labor costs, pension obligations, and pressure to maintain core services. But after this settlement, elected officials may find it harder to rely on new resident fees without stronger public trust, clearer cost justification and better evidence that the programs will actually work.

Balboa Park paid parking is expected to end no later than January 1, 2027. Trash fee reductions are expected to begin July 1, 2027, pending final City Council approval.

Originally published on May 20, 2026.

San Diego Institution The Shout! House Officially Changing Ownership As Longtime Entertainer Takes Over Historic Gaslamp Venue

2026-05-20T13:31:40.210-07:00

One of downtown San Diego’s longest-running nightlife institutions is officially entering a new era. After more than 22 years operating in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, The Shout! House dueling piano bar is changing ownership, with longtime entertainer and entertainment manager Eric Blumenfeld taking over the iconic venue under a newly formed company called ENB Entertainment.

The transition was first revealed through public California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records filed earlier this week, but ownership has now formally confirmed the change, clarifying that The Shout! House name, concept and overall experience will remain fully intact.

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Clover, Roger Hunt and Bob Walin under CHW Entertainment, The Shout! House quickly became one of the defining entertainment venues of downtown San Diego’s post-Petco Park boom era. Opening just weeks before the Padres debuted their new stadium, the venue helped establish the Gaslamp Quarter as a destination nightlife district built around interactive entertainment, live music and large-scale celebrations.

Over the past two decades, The Shout! House has evolved into one of the city’s most recognizable live music venues, attracting everyone from tourists and convention visitors to locals celebrating birthdays, bachelor parties, corporate outings and milestone events. Unlike many nightlife concepts that cycled through trends or disappeared entirely, The Shout! House built its reputation around consistency — high-energy dueling piano performances, nonstop audience interaction, comedy, singalongs and musicians capable of performing thousands of songs spanning nearly every genre imaginable.

The venue’s roots actually stretch back even further through founder Bob Walin, who previously helped launch multiple Sing Sing dueling piano bars around the country for Rock Bottom Restaurants before partnering with Hunt and Clover to create an independent San Diego concept inside the historic Fourth Avenue space.

One of the venue’s defining characteristics has always been its unusually serious commitment to live performance. While many piano bars around the country transitioned toward digital keyboards and lyric-assisted performances, The Shout! House continued using real grand pianos and performers expected to memorize enormous song catalogs ranging from Billy Joel and Elton John to Eminem, Cardi B, Journey and classic rock staples.

Now, ownership of the business is officially passing internally to someone who helped shape much of that culture over the past decade.

Blumenfeld, who has been part of The Shout! House family for more than 12 years, will assume ownership through ENB Entertainment while maintaining the venue as a locally and family-owned operation. According to ownership, guests should expect no major changes to the venue’s core identity or programming.

“The Shout! House is more than a bar — it’s a tradition, a celebration destination, and a place where unforgettable memories are made,” Blumenfeld said in a statement. “I’m honored to carry the torch forward and continue the legacy that CHW Entertainment built over the last two decades.”

A native of Deerfield, Illinois and graduate of the University of Denver, Blumenfeld has long been one of the venue’s most recognizable performers, known for combining piano-driven performances with improvisational comedy, crowd work and a broad musical range that became central to the venue’s nightly experience.

Beyond performing, Blumenfeld also played a significant operational role behind the scenes, helping recruit and develop talent while overseeing entertainment programming during some of the company’s most difficult years, including the pandemic shutdown era. During that period, The Shout! House experimented with virtual dueling piano performances and temporary offsite activations while indoor entertainment remained prohibited throughout California.

The ownership transition additionally puts to rest speculation sparked earlier this week when ABC transfer records listed the business name as “The Stout House” instead of “The Shout! House.” Ownership has now confirmed there will be no rebrand, and the filing appears to have simply contained an administrative error or placeholder wording during the transfer process.

Importantly for longtime fans, ownership emphasized that the transition will not alter the venue’s concept, branding, atmosphere or entertainment model. The Shout! House will continue operating as San Diego’s premier dueling piano bar and interactive live entertainment venue under Blumenfeld’s leadership.

The change also arrives during a broader transitional period for downtown San Diego nightlife. The Gaslamp Quarter continues navigating evolving consumer habits, public safety debates, rising operating costs and post-pandemic economic shifts that have forced numerous longtime venues either to close or reinvent themselves. Against that backdrop, The Shout! House has remained one of the district’s most durable entertainment anchors.

Part of that resilience stems from the fact that the venue functions less like a traditional nightclub and more like a communal live entertainment experience built around participation, spontaneity and nostalgia. Every night’s performance is shaped directly by audience requests, creating a constantly evolving show where no two nights are ever exactly the same.

The ownership transfer also signals something increasingly rare in modern hospitality: continuity. Rather than being absorbed by a large hospitality group or completely reinvented, The Shout! House is effectively being handed from one generation of operators to another from within its own ranks.

For longtime patrons of the venue, that likely means the pianos, singalongs, crowd banter, late-night dance parties and occasional chaos that defined The Shout! House over the last 22 years are not disappearing anytime soon.

The Shout! House is located at 655 Fourth Avenue in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit theshouthouse.com.

Originally published on May 20, 2026.

Mistaken Identity After San Diego Mosque Shooting Leaves Local Young Man Fighting To Clear His Name

2026-05-20T12:10:17.047-07:00

In the chaotic aftermath of Monday’s deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont, a second tragedy of a very different kind has rapidly unfolded online - one that now has a young San Diego man publicly pleading for people to stop falsely identifying him as one of the gunmen responsible for the attack.

As authorities continue investigating the May 18 mass shooting that left three members of San Diego’s Muslim community dead before the two teenage suspects ultimately turned their guns on themselves, social media users across multiple platforms began widely circulating a photograph incorrectly claiming to show one of the assailants, 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez.

The problem: the person pictured is not Caleb Vazquez. The individual in the viral images is actually Jakub Vazquez, a young San Diego man who says he has absolutely no involvement in the attack and does not even know the suspect being discussed online and associated as him.

The real Caleb Vazquez

On Tuesday afternoon, visibly emotional and at times nearly breaking down, Jakub released a video publicly begging people to stop spreading the false identification before the misinformation permanently damages his life.

“People say we graduated the same year. I have no knowledge to who he is, what school he even attended,” Jakub said in the video. “As far as Cain, he was my teammate [on the wrestling team] two years ago. As far as that, he was nothing more than just a teammate. After my season ended, I had no contact with him. I have no association with him. I am not involved in this matter in any way, shape or form.”

Jakub stated he became aware that his own photograph was being repeatedly reposted online alongside the name Caleb Vazquez as internet speculation exploded following the shooting.

“I am personally scared because this misinformation is being spread rapidly,” he said. “I personally want to clear my name because I am nowhere near involved in any of this.”

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A post shared by Jakub Vazquez (@jakub_fam)

The emotional video comes as online sleuthing, misinformation and reckless reposting continue spiraling in the aftermath of the attack, which authorities now report killed Islamic Center security guard Amin Abdullah and community members Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad before the two suspects later died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle several blocks away.

San Diego Police have identified the suspects as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez. Investigators say the pair were radicalized online, left behind a manifesto espousing extremist racial and religious ideologies, and seemingly livestreamed portions of the attack and aftermath, including their own deaths. Federal authorities stated Tuesday that investigators are actively reviewing electronic evidence tied to the suspects, including digital communications and online activity.

As more verified evidence tied to the actual suspects has begun emerging, including surveillance footage, investigative details and images reportedly connected to the livestream, it has become increasingly clear that the viral photograph circulating online was misidentified from the start.

Yet despite growing clarification, the incorrect image continues spreading across TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit and other platforms, with many users reposting it without verification.

The consequences of false identification in high-profile criminal cases can be devastating, particularly in an era where viral misinformation can spread globally within minutes. People incorrectly accused online often face harassment, threats, reputational damage, employment consequences and long-term digital association with crimes they had nothing to do with.

In Jakub’s case, the situation appears especially cruel given the emotional intensity surrounding Monday’s attack and the public outrage directed toward the perpetrators.

“I’ve seen the comments,” Jakub said near the conclusion of his statement. “It’s scary.”

His video also repeatedly emphasized sympathy for the actual victims and their families.

“My heart goes out to all the victims’ loved ones and family members who are affected in yesterday’s shooting,” he said. “My condolences, my prayers, all of it goes out to everyone who was affected.”

The broader investigation into the Islamic Center shooting remains ongoing. Authorities say the suspects arrived at the mosque shortly before noon Monday, where security guard Amin Abdullah reportedly engaged them in a firefight after reporting their presence, a fact that investigators believe helped prevent even greater loss of life inside the mosque and adjacent school campus, where approximately 140 children were nearby at the time of the attack.

Investigators later recovered more than 30 firearms and a crossbow tied to the suspects’ residences. Federal authorities have stated the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.

Meanwhile, Jakub Vazquez now finds himself caught in an entirely separate nightmare, attempting to publicly separate his identity from one of the most horrifying crimes in recent San Diego history simply because strangers online incorrectly attached his face to the story.

SanDiegoVille is publishing this article solely to help clarify the misinformation currently circulating online regarding Jakub Vazquez’s identity. Given the extraordinary circumstances and the apparent harm caused by the false identification, this article is intended to be temporary and will likely be removed in the coming weeks so that this mistaken association does not become a permanent part of this young man’s online history.

Originally published on May 20, 2026.

Desserts By Clément Expanding Across San Diego With New Del Mar And Vista Locations

2026-05-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

One of San Diego’s fastest-rising pastry brands is preparing for major expansion as Desserts By Clément confirms plans to open two additional locations across San Diego County, beginning with a new Del Mar outpost expected to debut in early summer, followed by a future location in Vista.

While founder and pastry chef Clément Le Déoré is keeping the exact addresses under wraps for now, he confirmed to SanDiegoVille that both bakeries are currently in development and that official locations will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The expansion marks a significant milestone for the French-born pastry chef, whose Pacific Beach bakery has rapidly evolved from a local dessert shop into one of San Diego’s most recognizable modern pastry destinations. Since opening the flagship location along Garnet Avenue in late 2023, Desserts By Clément has built a devoted following around its visually striking French pastries, hyper-realistic molded desserts, colorful macarons, laminated croissants, artisan breads, sandwiches, and café offerings.

Customers at the upcoming Del Mar and Vista locations can expect concepts nearly identical to the original Pacific Beach store, featuring rotating dessert cases filled with signature entremets, seasonal pastries, viennoiserie, sandwiches, breads, espresso drinks, coffee beverages, and soft drinks.

Le Déoré’s growing visibility has accelerated dramatically over the past several years. Before launching his own company, he served as executive pastry chef for San Diego-based Le Parfait Paris and later gained national attention through multiple Food Network appearances. Earlier this year, the chef competed on the inaugural season of Food Network’s The Ultimate Baking Championship, where he advanced all the way to the finale and finished as runner-up behind winner Molly Coen of Carmel, California.

Originally from Brittany, France, Le Déoré began baking at age 15 before spending years working across Europe and Australia prior to settling in San Diego. His pastry style blends traditional French technique with the increasingly social media-driven aesthetics of modern haute pâtisserie, featuring mirror glazes, sculptural mousse cakes, realistic fruit-shaped desserts, and elaborate layered compositions that have helped his bakery go viral online.

The expansion into Del Mar and Vista also reflects broader momentum within San Diego’s evolving pastry scene, which has increasingly become more competitive and visually ambitious in recent years as local consumers embrace European-style bakeries, specialty coffee culture, and luxury dessert concepts. While many independent bakeries struggle to scale beyond a single flagship location, Desserts By Clément appears positioned to become one of the few homegrown San Diego pastry brands successfully expanding countywide.

Le Déoré has previously indicated ambitions that extend beyond pastry alone, including eventual plans for additional bakery locations and a future full-service French restaurant concept.

Desserts By Clément’s flagship bakery is located at 1380 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach. The Del Mar location is expected to open in early summer 2026, with the Vista branch anticipated to follow thereafter. For more information, visit dessertsbyclement.com.

Originally published on May 20, 2026.

REVIEW: At 84, American Music Legend Paul Anka Just Schooled Every Younger Performer During A Night At San Diego's Humphreys By The Bay

2026-05-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

Some concert reviews are about nostalgia. This is not one of them. Paul Anka did not walk onto the stage Tuesday night at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay as some fragile legacy act trotted out to politely revisit oldies before bedtime. He walked onstage like a man who still genuinely loves performing more than almost anyone alive, and for nearly two hours, the 84-year-old entertainer absolutely detonated the room with charisma, humor, swagger, musicianship and enough raw star power to embarrass artists less than half his age.

I told you so.

For weeks, I kept trying to explain to SanDiegoVille readers and followers that missing Paul Anka at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay would be a mistake. I had been practically begging followers not to miss this show. Not because he’s some nostalgia act. Not because of legacy alone. Not because your grandparents once slow danced to “Put Your Head On My Shoulder.”

No. I was trying to warn people that one of the greatest living entertainers in American music history was about to walk onto a stage in Shelter Island at 84 years old and absolutely dominate it. What actually unfolded at Humphreys felt more like watching one of the last true old-school entertainment assassins reminding everyone what a real performer looks like.

And that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night.

I see an absurd number of concerts every year. Stadium tours. Tiny club gigs. Legacy acts trying to squeeze one last lap out of the catalog. Viral artists propped up by backing tracks and LED walls. Massive productions built around spectacle because the performer themselves can no longer fully carry the room.

This was the opposite of that.

For nearly two uninterrupted hours, Paul Anka flat-out owned Humphreys. Not in the polite “good for his age” sense. Not in the “still sounds decent” sense. The man genuinely radiated more charisma, more control, more timing, more humor, and frankly more life force than any other performers.

And for those not familiar with his history, Anka is not just any performer. He's one whose fingerprints are permanently embedded into the DNA of American popular music itself.

This is a man who became a global star at 16 years old. A songwriter who worked with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Buddy Holly, Michael Bublé and countless others across virtually every era of modern music. A performer whose career has now spanned an almost incomprehensible seven decades on the Billboard charts, the only artist in history to accomplish that feat.

Wrap your head around that for a second.

Most artists are lucky to survive one era. Paul Anka survived rock and roll, Motown, disco, MTV, grunge, streaming and TikTok culture while somehow remaining unmistakably, unapologetically Paul Anka the entire time.

And Tuesday night in San Diego, he looked like he was having the time of his life.

The setting could not have been better. Humphreys remains one of Southern California’s great concert venues, intimate, relaxed, tucked directly along San Diego Bay with yachts and marina lights glowing just beyond the stage. At a time when major concert ticket prices have become almost offensively expensive, Anka also intentionally kept tickets comparatively reasonable, with most seats hovering around the $120 range. That decision matters because it reflects something increasingly rare in the modern live music industry: an artist who still seems to care about audiences being able to actually attend the show. He talked about this for a bit, you had to be there.

The second he emerged through the crowd to open the evening, it became obvious this would not be some stationary sit-down performance. Anka prowled the venue like a man 40 years younger, immediately engaging with fans, cracking jokes and operating with the confidence of someone who has spent 70 years commanding live audiences.

And good lord, was he funny.

At one point, before launching into one of his classics, he deadpanned: “This song is so old that when I recorded it, the Dead Sea was just sick.” The room erupted. I can't repeat some of the more risqué jokes, you had to be there.

The remarkable thing about Anka’s humor is that none of it felt rehearsed or stiff. He has that increasingly extinct old-school entertainer instinct, the ability to work a room organically, tease audience members, improvise and create the illusion that everyone present is somehow part of the act itself. He could have stole all our girlfriends, you had to be there.

At one point, he climbed onto a chair directly behind me in the audience during a crowd interaction. Thinking perhaps an 84-year-old icon might appreciate a stabilizing hand while balancing above a packed crowd, I instinctively reached up to help him.

After this bit, when he was back on stage, Anka pointed down at me and barked: “This guy was pinching my ass!”

The crowd looked at me and exploded.

That kind of moment encapsulated the entire evening. Loose. Alive. Fearless. Human.

On paper, Paul Anka is 84 years old.

In reality, he somehow felt younger than everyone.

Vocally, he remains shockingly strong. Sure, age has weathered parts of the instrument slightly, but the phrasing, control and emotional command remain elite. More importantly, he understands something younger performers often forget: audiences respond more to conviction and personality than technical perfection alone.

When Anka performed “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Lonely Boy,” “Puppy Love,” and “You Are My Destiny,” the songs didn’t feel embalmed in nostalgia. They felt alive again, partly because Anka himself still performs them with visible joy rather than obligation.

The setlist smartly moved beyond his own catalog into the broader story of his career and influence. “She’s a Lady” landed with enormous energy, reminding the audience that Anka didn’t merely survive multiple musical generations, he helped write them. The same was true of “My Way,” perhaps the emotional centerpiece of the night.

As Anka performed the song he famously adapted for Sinatra, archival footage of Frank played across the giant screen behind him. Watching Anka sing alongside his old friend created one of those genuinely transcendent concert moments where history suddenly feels present in the room. It wasn’t cheesy. It wasn’t sentimental manipulation. It was simply cool as hell.

Then the show somehow shifted gears again.

Anka picked up an acoustic guitar and launched into a tribute segment honoring his fallen friend and collaborator Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly material especially rocked harder than anyone probably expected from an 84-year-old crooner. Anka played with grit, looseness and genuine affection, occasionally slipping into impressions and storytelling that connected the audience directly to one of the last living figures from the foundational era of rock and roll itself.

That’s what made the entire night feel almost surreal.

Paul Anka is not simply a performer from another era. He is one of the remaining living bridges to the creation of modern pop stardom itself.

He knew Elvis.
He wrote for Sinatra.
He collaborated with Michael Jackson.
He helped shape Las Vegas showmanship.
He exists in the same historical breath as Buddy Holly and Bobby Darin.

And yet somehow he still performs like he’s trying to win over the crowd for the very first time.

There was also something deeply refreshing about how unapologetically entertaining the show was. No irony. No detached cool-guy energy. No trying to act too serious for the material. Anka danced constantly, played piano, roamed the stage, flirted with the audience, delivered Elvis impressions, cracked jokes and closed the night by absolutely ripping through “New York, New York,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and other rock-and-roll classics with enough electricity to make the entire venue feel like a vintage Vegas showroom exploding onto San Diego Bay.

And he even played “Purple Rain.” Honestly? It should not have worked as well as it did.

But somehow Anka transformed Prince’s masterpiece into this sweeping, emotional, theatrical moment that reminded everyone what truly great entertainers understand instinctively: songs are less about genre than emotional delivery. By the end, the audience was hanging onto every note.

The craziest part of all this may simply be the stamina. Two hours. Constant movement. Constant interaction. Constant performance. Nonstop dancing.

Most younger artists today would need backing tracks, costume changes, elaborate visuals and six backup dancers to generate half this level of engagement. Paul Anka generated it almost entirely through force of personality.

That’s the thing modern music culture sometimes forgets: before spectacle became the show, entertainers themselves were the spectacle.

Paul Anka still is.

There’s also a larger emotional undercurrent to watching someone like Anka perform today. His generation of entertainer approached show business differently. They came from an era where versatility mattered. You sang. You wrote. You improvised. You played instruments. You commanded audiences. You adapted. You survived.

And survive Anka has.

At 84, he remains not merely functional, but magnetic.

By the end of the night, the stage front standing ovations felt less like polite appreciation and more like collective disbelief. People weren’t simply applauding the songs. They were applauding the realization that they had just witnessed one of the last genuine titans of live entertainment still operating at a remarkably high level.

Paul Anka is HIM.

There’s really no other way to say it.

You can study the history. You can watch the excellent 2024 HBO documentary. You can stream the hits. You can read about the career.

But none of it fully prepares you for the experience of watching him command a room in person.

Tuesday night at Humphreys wasn’t a nostalgia concert.

It was a masterclass.

And for everyone who skipped it thinking they’d “catch the next one” someday?

I told you so. You should have been there.

Originally published on May 20, 2026

Queenstown New Zealand Tavern Sets Opening Date For Del Mar Restaurant In Former WestBrew Space

2026-05-19T14:05:29.270-07:00

After more than a year of anticipation, Queenstown Hospitality Group has officially announced the opening date for its newest restaurant in Del Mar Village, with Queenstown Del Mar set to debut Thursday, May 21, inside the former WestBrew space on Camino Del Mar.

The new restaurant marks the first North County location for the longtime San Diego hospitality group founded by Matt Baker and Phillip “PJ” Lamont, whose New Zealand-inspired dining concepts have quietly expanded across the county over the past two decades.

Located at 1435 Camino Del Mar, the new Queenstown takes over the prominent corner space formerly occupied by WestBrew Del Mar. The approximately 2,500-square-foot restaurant has undergone a full redesign by Michael Soriano of Onairos Design, transforming the venue into a lush, greenhouse-inspired dining room layered with hanging plants, natural textures, wood accents and expansive glass walls.

The opening represents the latest evolution for the locally based restaurant group, which first launched in 2005 with Bare Back Grill in Pacific Beach after Baker and Lamont returned from traveling through New Zealand inspired by the country’s pub culture and grass-fed beef burgers. Since then, the company has expanded with Raglan Public House in Ocean Beach, Dunedin in North Park, Queenstown Public House in Little Italy, Queenstown Bistro at UTC, and Queenstown Village in La Jolla.

The Del Mar restaurant will continue the group’s signature New Zealand-inspired comfort food approach while introducing a menu tailored toward the upscale coastal community. Executive chef Yohalmo Rosales oversees offerings including lamb and Wagyu smashburgers, New Zealand-style meat pies, fish and chips, sausage rolls, sea bass risotto, cioppino with New Zealand green mussels and rack of lamb.

The restaurant will also feature a full cocktail program, weekday happy hour specials, weekend brunch service, and even a dedicated dog menu aimed at Del Mar’s heavily pet-friendly clientele.

“Del Mar felt like a natural next step for us,” co-founder Matt Baker said in a statement. “There’s a strong, growing food culture here, along with an appetite for a solid, local neighborhood eatery.”

To celebrate the launch, Queenstown Del Mar will offer one free kids meal with the purchase of an entrée from opening day through May 28. In addition, diners who purchase a burger onsite during National Burger Day on May 28 will receive a second burger free.

The opening arrives amid continued transformation throughout Del Mar Village, where longtime restaurant operators and hospitality groups continue investing heavily in the coastal enclave’s increasingly competitive dining scene.

Queenstown Del Mar officially opens Thursday, May 21, at 1435 Camino Del Mar in Del Mar Village. Hours will run daily from 11am to 9pm, extending until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with weekend brunch beginning at 9am. For more information, visit queenstowndelmar.com.

Originally published on May 19, 2026.

La Perla Expands Again: Viral San Diego Burrito Shop Opens New Convoy Location In Kearny Mesa

2026-05-19T11:46:18.943-07:00

One of San Diego’s most beloved homegrown taco shop brands has expanded once again, as La Perla Cocina Mexicana has officially opened a new location on Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa, bringing its cult-favorite burritos and family-run legacy into the heart of one of the city’s busiest dining corridors.

The new restaurant has taken over the former Super Mario’s Mexican Food space in the retail plaza that also houses Wa Dining Okan, Woomiok, and Koon Thai, joining a rapidly evolving stretch of Convoy increasingly packed with both longtime Asian dining institutions and newer fast-casual concepts.

The expansion marks the latest chapter for the Rodriguez-Ocampo family, whose La Perla brand has become deeply woven into San Diego’s burrito culture over the past decade. The family currently operates La Perla #2 in Pacific Beach, La Perla #3 in Point Loma, and La Perlita Mexican Food in Mission Beach.

For many longtime San Diegans, however, the original La Perla location on Emerald Street in Pacific Beach remains the most iconic. Founded in 2011 by Guillermo Rodriguez-Ocampo and his family, the original shop earned national recognition after being named among America’s best burrito destinations by The Daily Meal and later appearing in Netflix’s Taco Chronicles documentary series.

That original Pacific Beach restaurant closed following a difficult period for the family. In 2022, the Emerald Street property was sold to new operators who reworked the concept into a seafood-focused restaurant. Shortly afterward, family patriarch Guillermo Rodriguez-Ocampo passed away in December 2023 at age 63, leaving the future of the brand uncertain.

Instead of fading away, however, the remaining La Perla locations have continued expanding under the stewardship of Rodriguez-Ocampo’s wife and son, preserving the menu and style that helped the taqueria develop its loyal following.

The new Convoy location offers essentially the same menu San Diego burrito enthusiasts already know from the Pacific Beach and Point Loma shops, including carne asada fries, California burritos, surf-and-turf burritos, rolled tacos, tortas and breakfast plates.

But the undisputed star remains the Oaxacalifornia Burrito, the oversized creation that helped propel La Perla into local legend status. The burrito layers carne asada fries, pico de gallo, guacamole and cheese inside a flour tortilla wrapped with a second tortilla fused together by melted cheese between the layers, a decadent hybrid that became widely shared across social media and food blogs long before “viral burrito” culture became commonplace.

The opening also further solidifies Convoy Street’s transformation into one of San Diego’s most competitive food corridors, where independent operators increasingly coexist alongside major regional chains and destination dining concepts.

Unlike trend-driven restaurant openings built around aesthetics or social media gimmicks, La Perla’s appeal has historically centered on something simpler: massive portions, rich comfort food and a distinctly San Diego style of burrito excess that locals continue embracing year after year.

The new La Perla Cocina Mexicana is now open at 3860 Convoy Street, Suite 101, in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa neighborhood.

Originally published on May 19, 2026.

FIRST LOOK: Los Angeles-Based Sushi Phenomenon Sugarfish To Finally Open First San Diego Restaurant In Little Italy On May 21

2026-05-19T08:36:56.265-07:00

After years of anticipation from local sushi fans, Los Angeles-based sushi phenomenon Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa is officially set to open its first San Diego location on Thursday, May 21, bringing its cult-favorite “Nozawa-style” sushi experience to Little Italy.

The long-awaited debut marks a major expansion for the influential sushi brand, which has built an intensely loyal following across Los Angeles, Orange County and New York City through its minimalist philosophy, tightly controlled sourcing standards and highly curated “Trust Me” tasting menus.

Founded by legendary sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa and longtime collaborators including Jerry Greenberg, Tom Nozawa and Lele Massimini, Sugarfish traces its roots back to Sushi Nozawa, the iconic Studio City restaurant that helped redefine modern American sushi culture before closing in 2012. The original restaurant became famous not only for its fish quality, but for Nozawa’s famously uncompromising standards surrounding rice temperature, texture, simplicity and balance. That philosophy remains central to Sugarfish today.

“Quality starts with the best fish every morning,” the company states on its website. “Rice should be warm and loosely packed so it melts in the mouth.”

Unlike many contemporary sushi restaurants that lean heavily into oversized specialty rolls, truffle additions or fusion theatrics, Sugarfish has built its national reputation around restraint. Fish arrives lightly seasoned and intentionally uncomplicated, designed to emphasize texture and natural flavor over elaborate presentation.

The San Diego menu will center around Sugarfish’s signature “Trust Me” experiences, including lunch and dinner omakase-style sets ranging from approximately $24 to $60. Those meals typically include rotating combinations of sashimi, nigiri and hand rolls featuring items such as toro, salmon, albacore, Japanese yellowtail, sea bream, hirame and blue crab hand rolls.

A rotating “limited availability” section will also feature higher-end offerings depending on seasonal sourcing, including Baja bluefin toro, Santa Barbara uni, New Zealand pink lobster, giant clam, sardine and golden-eye snapper.

One operational detail that often surprises first-time guests is Sugarfish’s no-tipping model. Instead, the restaurant automatically applies a 16% service fee to all bills, which the company states supports overall restaurant operations rather than functioning as a direct gratuity.

The San Diego restaurant will open inside the new 2100 Kettner mixed-use development in Little Italy, joining a rapidly evolving corridor that continues transforming into one of downtown San Diego’s most competitive dining districts. Nearby businesses include Postino Little Italy, Slice House by Tony Gemignani and an upcoming location of Handel's Homemade Ice Cream.

The approximately 40-seat restaurant was designed by architect Robert Tsurimoto Kirsten of A-RTK and will feature Sugarfish’s signature subdued aesthetic emphasizing natural materials, soft tones and minimalist presentation intended to keep focus on the food itself.

Sugarfish enters a San Diego sushi landscape already crowded with acclaimed omakase counters, longtime neighborhood staples and Michelin-recognized restaurants. But rather than directly competing with ultra-exclusive sushi experiences, Sugarfish occupies a more unusual middle ground: premium-quality sushi delivered through a highly systemized, scalable and relatively accessible format.

For many San Diego diners, the opening represents something else entirely: the arrival of one of Southern California’s most culturally influential sushi brands after years of speculation, rumors and requests from local fans who have long made the drive north for their Sugarfish fix.

Sugarfish officially opens Thursday, May 21, at 2100 Kettner Boulevard, Suite 1100, in San Diego’s Little Italy. For more information, visit sugarfishsushi.com/locations/little-italy.

Originally published on May 19, 2026.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s Israel Record Comes Under Scrutiny After Mosque Shooting Press Conference Confrontation

2026-05-19T08:30:19.636-07:00

As San Diego reels from one of the deadliest acts of anti-Muslim violence in the city’s modern history, Mayor Todd Gloria is facing intensifying scrutiny over his public record on Israel, Islamophobia and Palestinian advocacy after he was heckled during a press conference by a woman who accused him of helping foster hostility toward Muslims through his political leadership.

The confrontation unfolded Monday afternoon just hours after gunfire erupted at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont, leaving five people dead, including three victims and two suspected gunmen. Authorities say the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.

According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers arrived at the mosque campus within approximately four minutes of the initial 911 call and immediately encountered three deceased victims outside the Islamic Center complex before rapidly deploying into both the mosque and adjacent school campus using active shooter response protocols.

Authorities later stated the two suspects, identified by multiple national reports as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez, were found deceased inside a vehicle near the 3800 block of Hatton Street from what investigators believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Investigators reportedly recovered anti-Islamic writings and Nazi-related markings connected to the suspects and weapons used in the attack, though authorities have not yet publicly released a final motive determination.

Among the three victims was mosque security guard Amin Abdullah, who community leaders and investigators say likely prevented an even larger massacre by warning teachers and staff to secure classrooms as the attack unfolded.

The identities of the other two deceased victims have not yet been formally released by authorities, though the Islamic Center described them as “pillars of the community.”

The shooting sent shockwaves throughout San Diego’s Muslim community not only because of the scale of the violence, but because it occurred at one of Southern California’s most significant Islamic institutions during the beginning of Dhul Hijjah, among the holiest periods in the Islamic calendar leading up to Eid al-Adha and the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Founded in the 1970s, the Islamic Center of San Diego serves thousands of worshippers and families across the county and operates a major religious, educational and community campus in Clairemont that includes Bright Horizon Academy, a private Islamic school serving hundreds of students.

It was against that backdrop that Gloria took the podium Monday afternoon to condemn the violence, declaring: “Hate has no home in San Diego. Islamophobia has no home in San Diego.”

But before the mayor could continue his remarks, a woman in the crowd erupted into a furious condemnation.

“Our Muslim brothers and sisters have been talking to you for how long? You have to f*cking listen to them Todd,” she shouted. “You emboldened Zionist propaganda. And you’ll keep doing it as long as it lines your f*cking pockets.”

The confrontation immediately spread online and placed renewed attention on Gloria’s public record surrounding Israel and Gaza, an issue that has deeply polarized San Diego politics since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

In the days following Hamas’ attack on Israel, Gloria publicly declared that “San Diego stands with the people of Israel and condemns Hamas’ attacks,” while city officials also issued statements condemning antisemitism and affirming solidarity with San Diego’s Jewish community. At the same time, Gloria’s office stated that both Israelis and Palestinians had suffered and called for peace while condemning hatred toward all communities.

Those statements quickly became controversial among pro-Palestinian activists and Muslim advocates who argued San Diego leadership was centering Israeli suffering while failing to sufficiently acknowledge civilian deaths in Gaza or rising Islamophobia in the United States.

That divide only widened in March 2026 when the San Diego City Council adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, commonly known as the IHRA definition. Supporters argued the measure was necessary to combat rising antisemitism, while opponents warned portions of the definition risked conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and chilling political speech surrounding Palestine.

Jewish advocacy organizations praised the city’s adoption of the measure. Palestinian activists and some progressive groups condemned it. Gloria, meanwhile, increasingly found himself politically squeezed between those competing constituencies.

In recent months, some pro-Palestinian demonstrators have accused San Diego leadership of helping normalize anti-Muslim hostility through pro-Israel rhetoric and policy alignment. Conversely, Gloria has also faced criticism from some Jewish organizations in unrelated disputes where they believed the city had not gone far enough combating antisemitism. Monday’s mosque shooting violently thrust those simmering tensions into public view.

Authorities later confirmed the FBI is assisting the investigation while local Muslim organizations including the San Diego chapter of CAIR condemned the attack as a horrifying act of violence against a religious community. During the briefing, Gloria attempted to directly reassure San Diego’s Muslim community.

“To our local Muslim community, our prayers are with you,” the mayor stated, pledging that city leaders would do “what it takes” to ensure Muslims continue feeling safe in San Diego.

No evidence has emerged suggesting Gloria’s statements or political positions had any influence on the attack, and authorities have not yet publicly disclosed a formal motive. Investigators have only stated they are exploring the possibility of a hate crime while the investigation remains ongoing.

Separately, emerging details about the timeline leading up to the attack have begun raising additional questions about the law enforcement response leading up to the shooting. According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, the mother of one of the suspects contacted authorities at approximately 9:42am reporting her 17-year-old son missing, suicidal, and potentially armed with weapons allegedly taken from the family gun safe. Police later stated the teen had reportedly left behind a note reading, “I’m too far gone and this is going to happen anyways.”

At approximately 11:04am, SDPD issued a countywide “be on the lookout” alert over the regional Blue 1 law enforcement channel describing a white 2018 BMW X1 occupied by the suspect and a possible accomplice, warning of a “possible terroristic threat.” Chief Wahl later stated the vehicle was detected in the Fashion Valley area prior to the first 911 calls from the Islamic Center at approximately 11:43am.

The revelation has already prompted scrutiny surrounding San Diego’s growing automated license plate reader infrastructure, which city officials and SDPD have heavily promoted in recent years as a critical public safety tool. Questions are now emerging about whether the vehicle was being actively monitored in real time, whether additional camera detections occurred, and whether authorities could have intercepted the suspects before the attack unfolded.

But regardless of motive, the confrontation underscored how deeply questions surrounding Islamophobia, political rhetoric, public trust and community protection have now entered San Diego’s civic discourse. In the aftermath of one of the city’s most traumatic acts of anti-Muslim violence in recent memory, scrutiny is now extending beyond the gunmen themselves, toward the broader political climate, the response leading up to the attack, and whether local leaders and institutions are adequately addressing fears within San Diego’s Muslim community.

Originally published on May 19, 2026.

Blink-182 Drummer Travis Barker Joins Viral Vegan Fast-Food Chain Mr. Charlie’s As Brand Expands Across San Diego

2026-05-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

One of punk rock’s most recognizable figures is officially linking up with one of Southern California’s buzziest plant-based fast-food brands. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has joined viral vegan restaurant chain Mr. Charlie’s TMS as an equity partner and brand ambassador just as the company rapidly expands its footprint in San Diego.

The announcement arrives only months after Mr. Charlie’s debuted its first San Diego location in Pacific Beach, with a flagship Hillcrest outpost also slated to open later this month. The company says Barker’s involvement comes as the chain accelerates nationwide growth, with more than 25 locations reportedly sold through franchise agreements across the country.

For San Diego, the partnership adds another local layer to Barker’s longstanding connection with the region. Although originally from Fontana, Barker became permanently intertwined with San Diego culture through Blink-182, the legendary pop-punk trio formed in Poway in 1992 by Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus. Since joining the band in 1998, Barker helped propel Blink-182 into one of the defining rock acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with songs like “All the Small Things” remaining deeply embedded in San Diego sports and nightlife culture decades later.

Barker has increasingly expanded his public identity beyond music in recent years, becoming known for wellness, fitness, fashion, entrepreneurship, and plant-based living. The drummer, who follows a largely vegan lifestyle, has previously collaborated with vegan-friendly brands and restaurants including Crossroads Kitchen and Monty’s Good Burger. His high-profile marriage to reality television star and entrepreneur Kourtney Kardashian Barker has also elevated his visibility far beyond the punk and alternative music worlds, placing the couple at the center of celebrity, wellness, and lifestyle culture.

“Mr. Charlie’s isn’t just another food concept - it’s a movement,” Barker said in a statement announcing the partnership. “What they’re building across food, culture and community resonates with me. I’m excited to help take it to the next level.”

Founded in Los Angeles in 2022, Mr. Charlie’s has become one of the more recognizable names in the emerging plant-based fast-food space thanks to its intentionally familiar aesthetic, openly riffing on McDonald’s-style branding while serving entirely vegan food. Menu items include the “Not a Hamburger,” “Not a Chicken Sandwich,” vegan nuggets, fries, soft serve, and “Frowny Meals,” all designed to mimic classic American fast-food staples without meat or dairy.

The company has also built much of its reputation around social media virality, celebrity co-signs, and community-focused initiatives, including hiring efforts involving formerly incarcerated individuals and people recovering from addiction.

Mr. Charlie’s president Adam Wilks described Barker’s involvement as a natural evolution for the brand.

“Travis has been a genuine supporter of the brand, and his values align with what we’re building,” Wilks said. “Officially bringing him to the Mr. Charlie’s family marks a significant moment for us.”

San Diego has become a particularly important market in the company’s expansion strategy. The Pacific Beach location opened earlier this year at 1560 Garnet Avenue, taking over the former Brazilian Bowls space near the beach, while the forthcoming Hillcrest restaurant will occupy the former Chocolat storefront on Fifth Avenue. The Hillcrest location is expected to serve as one of the company’s flagship Southern California stores.

The expansion also reflects the continued growth of vegan and plant-based dining concepts across San Diego County, where health-conscious consumers, fitness culture, and environmentally focused dining trends have increasingly intersected with mainstream fast-casual restaurant development.

With Barker now formally attached to the brand, alongside the inevitable Kardashian-world attention that follows him, Mr. Charlie’s appears poised to further blur the lines between celebrity culture, social media branding, wellness marketing, and fast food nostalgia.

Mr. Charlie’s currently operates in Pacific Beach at 1560 Garnet Avenue, with a second San Diego location expected to open soon at 3896 Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest. For more information, visit Mr. Charlie’s.

Originally published on May 19, 2026.

Cucina Urbana Owners Take Control Of Former Il Dandy/Civico By The Park Space Across The Street In Strategic Bankers Hill Expansion

2026-05-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

After sitting mostly dormant for years after failed restaurant reinventions, one of Bankers Hill’s most prominent restaurant spaces is finally getting a new tenant, and it happens to be the operator best positioned to ensure the location no longer becomes a threat to their flagship business directly across the street.

Urban Kitchen Group, the San Diego hospitality company led by veteran restaurateur Tracy Borkum and chef-partner Tim Kolanko, has officially signed a lease for the long-vacant former Il Dandy/Civico By The Park space at 2550 Fifth Avenue, directly catty-corner from the group’s highly successful Cucina Urbana. The new all-day dining concept is currently in development and is expected to open in late 2027.

While Urban Kitchen Group is publicly framing the project as a neighborhood-serving expansion within a community they have helped cultivate for nearly two decades, the move also represents a savvy and highly strategic piece of restaurant real estate defense in one of San Diego’s most competitive dining corridors.

For years, the massive ground-floor restaurant space inside the Manchester Financial Centre building has repeatedly attempted to compete directly against Cucina Urbana with upscale Italian and Italian-adjacent concepts, and repeatedly failed.

Now, rather than risk another well-funded competitor opening immediately across the street from one of San Diego’s most recognizable neighborhood restaurants, Urban Kitchen Group has effectively neutralized the corner entirely by taking it over themselves.

The nearly 5,000-square-foot space carries a surprisingly turbulent modern history despite its prime location on the base floor of the iconic Mister A’s building. In 2019, ownership behind Little Italy’s Civico 1845 invested heavily into launching Il Dandy, an ambitious “Calabria meets San Diego” concept developed in partnership with Michelin-starred Italian chefs Antonio and Luca Abbruzzino.

The restaurant reportedly cost approximately $3 million to build and included Arama, an ultra-upscale tasting counter operating as a restaurant-within-a-restaurant. The concept generated enormous PR-fueled publicity and positioned itself as one of San Diego’s most elevated Italian dining experiences. But behind the glossy press coverage, industry chatter quickly suggested the concept was struggling to gain traction.

Less than a year later, Il Dandy abruptly abandoned its fine-dining identity and rebranded into Civico By The Park, essentially importing the more approachable southern Italian model from Civico 1845 into the space. Despite the pivot, the restaurant never fully established momentum and permanently closed in early 2022.

That same year, the property was taken over by Creative House, the hospitality and real estate firm led by Douglas Hamm, founder of Nolita Hall in Little Italy. Hamm publicly teased plans for a completely new restaurant concept in the space and suggested a launch could happen as early as summer 2022. But the project quietly stalled.

Over the following several years, the highly visible Bankers Hill location remained dark while Creative House shifted focus elsewhere. The company ultimately acquired historic diner Hob Nob Hill in 2025, while also continuing work on an evolving hospitality concept inside Coronado Plaza.

Industry observers increasingly speculated the former Civico space had simply become too expensive, too large, and too burdened by prior restaurant failures to make financial sense in San Diego’s post-pandemic hospitality climate. At the same time, Bankers Hill itself has evolved dramatically.

When Cucina Urbana first opened in 2009, the surrounding neighborhood was still transitioning into the high-density, restaurant-forward district it has since become. Over the past decade and a half, the area surrounding Balboa Park has steadily filled with luxury apartment projects, affluent renters, medical professionals, destination dining and increasingly aggressive restaurant competition.

Cucina Urbana not only survived that evolution, it became one of the defining restaurants of the neighborhood itself. The restaurant helped pioneer the now-common San Diego formula of upscale-but-casual dining: polished interiors without white-tablecloth stiffness, chef-driven food without fine-dining formality, and an atmosphere equally comfortable for date nights, business meetings and neighborhood regulars. Long before “California Italian” became ubiquitous across San Diego, Cucina Urbana had already built a loyal following around precisely that style of dining.

The fact that multiple Italian concepts subsequently attempted to open directly across the street was likely no coincidence. But proximity alone does not guarantee success. Restaurants compete not simply on cuisine, but on emotional loyalty, operational consistency, neighborhood integration and long-term brand trust. Cucina Urbana spent nearly two decades building those relationships while its would-be competitors across the intersection cycled through expensive reinventions.

Urban Kitchen Group’s decision to now absorb the corner themselves feels less like ordinary expansion and more like a calculated consolidation of influence within Bankers Hill. The move also arrives during a complicated moment for the company.

Earlier this year, Urban Kitchen Group shuttered its 12-year-old Cucina Enoteca location at Del Mar’s Flower Hill Promenade after citing unsustainable operating costs, soaring property taxes tied to triple-net lease structures and softening post-pandemic sales volumes. That closure underscored the increasingly difficult economics facing large-format restaurants throughout California.

But unlike the oversized Flower Hill footprint, the former Civico space offers something strategically valuable that few restaurant opportunities can replicate: direct adjacency to an already-proven flagship operation with an entrenched customer base.

Rather than building demand from scratch, Urban Kitchen Group now controls both sides of one of Bankers Hill’s most important restaurant intersections. While details surrounding the incoming concept remain tightly guarded, Borkum has stated the restaurant will operate as an all-day concept rather than another direct Cucina Urbana clone. That distinction likely reflects a deliberate effort to diversify daypart traffic while avoiding internal competition between the two restaurants.

Whatever ultimately opens there, the real significance may extend beyond the menu itself. In today’s restaurant economy, survival increasingly belongs to operators who understand not only hospitality, but real estate strategy, neighborhood dynamics and competitive positioning. By taking over the former Il Dandy/Civico space, Urban Kitchen Group is not simply opening another restaurant.

They are effectively ensuring that one of Bankers Hill’s most visible restaurant corners no longer becomes someone else’s attempt to challenge Cucina Urbana across the street.

The forthcoming concept is expected to open in late 2027 at 2550 Fifth Avenue in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood. For more information, visit urbankitchengroup.com.

Originally published on May 18, 2026.

Five Dead Following Anti-Muslim Mass Shooting At Islamic Center Of San Diego As Investigators Reveal Radicalized Teen Suspects, Heroic Victims And Troubling Timeline

2026-05-18T12:27:06.444-07:00

One of the deadliest acts of anti-Muslim violence in modern San Diego history unfolded Monday morning at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont, where two heavily armed teenage gunmen opened fire at the region’s largest mosque complex, killing three beloved community members before taking their own lives following a massive countywide manhunt and tactical law enforcement response.

Authorities now say the attack is being investigated as a hate crime and that the teenage suspects were allegedly radicalized online before carrying out the assault during one of the holiest periods of the Islamic calendar.

The victims have been identified as Amin Abdullah, a longtime security guard at the Islamic Center, along with community members Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Community leaders and investigators now say the actions of all three men likely prevented a far larger massacre that could have involved dozens of children attending school on the mosque campus.

The attack began at approximately 11:43am Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, located at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue in Clairemont. The sprawling religious and educational campus serves thousands of Muslim families throughout San Diego County and includes prayer facilities, community gathering areas and Bright Horizon Academy, a private Islamic school serving students from preschool through high school.

According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers arrived within approximately four minutes of the first 911 call and immediately encountered multiple victims outside the mosque while rapidly deploying into both the Islamic Center and adjacent school campus using active shooter protocols amid fears additional gunmen could still be inside.

Authorities later confirmed the three victims died at the scene.

Investigators say surveillance video captured Amin Abdullah confronting the suspects almost immediately after they arrived on campus around 11:40am Chief Wahl stated that Abdullah reached for his radio and initiated a lockdown procedure while simultaneously engaging the attackers in a gun battle outside the mosque.

“His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet,” Wahl stated during Tuesday’s briefing.

Authorities say Abdullah’s intervention likely saved numerous lives by buying critical seconds for teachers, staff and worshippers to secure classrooms and interior portions of the mosque campus.

Community members described Abdullah Tuesday as a deeply beloved figure whose warmth and kindness had become part of daily life around the Islamic Center. Imam Taha Hassane said Abdullah “never stops smiling,” while neighbors recalled him routinely greeting passersby with encouragement, blessings and conversation.

After fatally shooting Abdullah, authorities say the suspects entered the mosque lobby and began moving room-to-room searching for additional victims. Surveillance video later showed the pair looking through a window before exiting back into the parking lot, where they encountered Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.

SDPD is on scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Ave for a reported active shooter.

Please avoid the area. Updates to follow. #SDPDPIO
— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) May 18, 2026

According to mosque leadership, Kaziha - affectionately known within the community as “Abu Ezz” - had been part of the Islamic Center since the 1980s and helped physically build portions of the mosque campus itself. Imam Hassane described him as the community’s caretaker, handyman, cook and problem-solver for nearly four decades.

“When the community started breaking the ground to build the community center, he was there,” Hassane said Tuesday. “He was everything.”

Awad was described as another constant and familiar presence at the mosque. According to community leaders, he lived directly across the street from the Islamic Center, attended daily prayers there and was married to a teacher at the Islamic school.

The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations stated Tuesday that both men also acted heroically during the attack.

“These three protected children inside the center and school and there is no doubt that the casualties would have been much worse without their heroism,” CAIR San Diego stated.

Authorities say the suspects fled the mosque shortly after the killings as police sirens rapidly approached the area. During the escape, investigators say the pair also fired at a landscaper several blocks away in the 7100 block of Salerno Street, though the worker was not struck.

Minutes later, officers located the suspects’ white BMW X1 stopped near the 3800 block of Hatton Street, where both suspects were found dead from what investigators believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Authorities have confirmed the suspects were 17 and 18 years old. While San Diego Police initially declined to publicly identify them, the names Cain Clark and Caleb Vasquez have since circulated widely in national and international reporting surrounding the attack.

During Tuesday’s press conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily stated investigators believe the pair became radicalized online and met each other virtually before eventually realizing they both lived in the San Diego region.

Authorities say investigators recovered a manifesto outlining extremist ideological beliefs and racial hatred. According to the FBI, the writings targeted numerous groups and did not focus solely on Muslims.

“They didn’t discriminate on who they hated,” Remily stated. “It covered a wide aspect of races and religions.”

Investigators also confirmed they recovered more than 30 firearms and a crossbow while executing search warrants tied to the suspects. Authorities stated the weapons belonged to the parents of one of the teenagers.

Additional evidence emerging from the crime scene has intensified concerns surrounding possible neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideological influences. Images from the scene appeared to show Nazi SS symbolism displayed on a red gasoline container near the suspects’ vehicle. Authorities also confirmed they are investigating reports that portions of the attack may have been livestreamed online.

Separately, troubling new details have emerged regarding the timeline leading up to the shooting itself.

According to Chief Wahl, the mother of one of the suspects contacted police at approximately 9:42 a.m. Monday to report her 17-year-old son missing, suicidal and potentially armed with weapons allegedly taken from the family gun safe. Authorities later revealed the teen had reportedly left behind a note reading: “I’m too far gone and this is going to happen anyways.”

At approximately 11:04 a.m., San Diego Police issued a countywide “be on the lookout” alert over the regional Blue 1 law enforcement channel describing the suspects’ white BMW X1 and warning officers about a possible terroristic threat.

Chief Wahl later stated that investigators received a license plate reader detection placing the vehicle in the Fashion Valley area prior to the first 911 calls from the mosque at approximately 11:43 a.m.

The revelations have already sparked scrutiny surrounding San Diego’s expanding automated license plate reader infrastructure, which city leaders and SDPD have heavily promoted in recent years as a critical public safety tool. Questions are now emerging regarding whether the suspects’ vehicle was being actively monitored in real time, whether additional camera detections occurred, and whether authorities could have intercepted the pair before the attack unfolded.

Monday’s shooting also carried profound symbolic significance for the Muslim community because it occurred on the first day of Dhul Hijjah, among the holiest periods in Islam and the sacred month leading to Eid al-Adha and the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Imam Hassane stated Tuesday that despite years of increasing security measures, including armed guards, fencing, surveillance cameras and federal security grants, the Islamic Center still found itself vulnerable to deadly violence.

“We have never expected this,” Hassane said.

The Islamic Center of San Diego, founded in the 1970s, has long served as one of Southern California’s largest Muslim religious institutions and a major civic presence within San Diego County. In addition to daily prayers and religious services, the center hosts educational programming, charitable outreach, interfaith initiatives and community events throughout the year.

The attack prompted an enormous regional law enforcement response involving San Diego Police, SWAT teams, federal agencies, fire crews and emergency medical personnel. Authorities temporarily ordered nearby residents to shelter in place while officers secured the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Several nearby schools also initiated precautionary lockdowns.

Police later established a reunification center for families at 4125 Hathaway Street while officers cleared classrooms and escorted children from the school campus.

All students, teachers and staff associated with the Islamic school were ultimately evacuated safely and accounted for.

Mayor Todd Gloria, Governor Gavin Newsom, CAIR San Diego and numerous elected officials condemned the attack Monday and Tuesday. Gloria stated that “Islamophobia has no home in San Diego,” while Newsom described the shooting as an act of terror targeting a religious community.

Law enforcement officials have since announced increased patrols at mosques, synagogues, churches and other houses of worship throughout San Diego County following the attack.

An interfaith candlelight vigil for the victims is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Lindbergh Park adjacent to the Islamic Center campus.

For many within San Diego’s Muslim community, however, the trauma now extends far beyond a single day of violence. Community leaders stated Tuesday that the mosque had received hateful messages and threats for years prior to the attack, though none escalated to this level of deadly violence until now.

“This was not the first threat against the mosque and school,” CAIR officials stated Tuesday. “Yesterday those threats turned deadly.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Originally published on May 18, 2026.

The Mayor's Mini Me: Meet Nick Serrano, The Todd Gloria Deputy Who Has Become One Of San Diego City Hall’s Most Visible Power Players

2026-05-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

If you recently watched The Substance, the surreal Demi Moore film about aging, identity and a younger version emerging from the original, you may experience an odd sense of déjà vu after seeing San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria standing next to his deputy chief of staff, Nick Serrano. The resemblance is uncanny.

From the carefully slicked-back hair and near-identical suits to the polished cadence and meticulously calibrated public-sector demeanor, Serrano often comes across less like a traditional political aide and more like a younger political iteration of Gloria himself. Around San Diego civic circles, it has increasingly become one of those observations people quietly mention after events, fundraisers and City Hall appearances: “He’s basically Todd Gloria 2.0.”

But the similarities run far deeper than appearance. Serrano currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Mayor Todd Gloria, occupying one of the most influential unelected positions inside San Diego City Hall. According to the City of San Diego, Serrano works within the mayor’s senior leadership structure overseeing communications, outreach, appointments and special projects tied to the administration. He even frequently appears on the mayor's behalf, including speaking over the weekend at Mama's Kitchen's Mama's Day fundraiser.

His relationship with Gloria stretches back more than a decade. Serrano began as an intern in Gloria’s City Council office in 2014 while Gloria represented District 3. He later followed Gloria to Sacramento, serving as communications director during Gloria’s tenure in the California State Assembly before ultimately managing Gloria’s successful 2020 mayoral campaign. After Gloria won the mayor’s office, Serrano transitioned into the administration as deputy chief of staff, becoming one of the mayor’s closest political operators and most visible emissaries.

In many ways, Serrano appears to have been shaped inside the Gloria political ecosystem from the beginning. He learned City Hall under Gloria. He learned statewide messaging under Gloria. He helped engineer Gloria’s mayoral victory. Now he helps manage the day-to-day operations and public presentation of the administration itself.

That dynamic is what makes the “mini me” comparison feel unusually literal. Unlike many political deputies who remain largely invisible to the public, Serrano has steadily built his own regional profile. Mayor Gloria appointed him to the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors in 2021, where he later became chair of the board in 2024, making him both the youngest and first openly LGBTQ+ chair in the agency’s history.

The position carries considerable influence in Southern California. The Water Authority oversees critical regional water policy, imported supply strategy and infrastructure planning impacting millions of residents across San Diego County. Serrano has served on several high-level committees related to imported water, legislation and Colorado River strategy.

Official biographies describe Serrano as a San Diego native, San Diego State University graduate and son of a San Diego police officer and longtime county employee.

Meanwhile, Gloria himself has spent years constructing one of the most disciplined political brands in San Diego history. After serving on the City Council and later as interim mayor following Bob Filner’s resignation, Gloria went on to the State Assembly before returning to City Hall as San Diego’s 37th mayor. The result is a fascinating political mirror effect now increasingly visible around San Diego government circles.

Serrano does not merely work for Gloria. He reflects him politically, stylistically and institutionally. He represents a younger generation of San Diego Democratic leadership molded directly inside Gloria’s orbit: media-trained, policy-fluent, carefully disciplined and deeply networked across regional civic institutions.

And like The Substance, the similarities are striking enough that once you notice them, it becomes difficult to unsee. Of course, unlike the film, this version is less horror and more political succession planning.

Whether Serrano eventually pursues elected office himself remains unclear. But his résumé increasingly resembles that of a future candidate: City Hall experience, campaign management, Assembly communications, regional board leadership and proximity to one of California’s most prominent municipal political machines.

For now, Nick Serrano remains officially the deputy chief of staff. Unofficially, however, he may already be something else entirely: the polished political understudy who has quietly become one of the most recognizable and influential figures in the Todd Gloria era of San Diego politics.

Originally published on May 18, 2026.

Former San Diego Padres All-Star James Shields Lists Massive Rancho Santa Fe Estate For $23 Million

2026-05-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Former San Diego Padres All-Star pitcher James Shields is officially parting ways with one of North County San Diego’s most extravagant custom-built estates, as the former MLB ace and his wife have listed their sprawling Rancho Santa Fe compound for $23 million.

Located within the gated Roxbury Estates enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, the approximately 13,500-square-foot “California Modern Organic” residence sits on nearly 2.5 acres and features amenities more commonly associated with ultra-luxury resorts than private homes, including a bowling alley, golf simulator, photography studio, gym, sauna, steam room, putting green, safe room and resort-style pool complex.

The home was custom designed and built by Shields and his wife, photographer Ryane Shields, after purchasing the vacant lot for $1.8 million in 2018. According to multiple reports, the couple spent roughly three years constructing the estate, which was completed in 2022 and intentionally designed around Ryane’s photography studio to maximize natural light throughout the property.

The result is one of the more architecturally distinctive sports-celebrity homes to hit the San Diego luxury market in recent years.

Perhaps the most unusual feature is what the house lacks: a traditional front door. Instead, guests enter through a private courtyard before passing through towering 16-foot steel-and-glass pocket walls that dissolve the separation between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Listing agents described the design as intentionally informal and wellness-focused, emphasizing privacy, openness and connection to nature.

Inside, the estate includes five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a Viking-equipped chef’s kitchen, expansive entertainment areas and advanced automation systems controlling lighting, security, sound and climate. Outdoors, the grounds feature oak and olive trees, lavender landscaping, citrus groves, multiple fire features and parking capacity reportedly large enough for up to 30 vehicles.

Shields, nicknamed “Big Game James” during his MLB career for his postseason performances and durability, pitched 13 seasons in Major League Baseball for teams including the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Padres. He joined San Diego ahead of the 2015 season as part of then-General Manager A.J. Preller’s aggressive “win-now” roster overhaul, signing a four-year, $75 million contract that at the time represented one of the largest free-agent deals in franchise history.

While Shields delivered solid stretches during his Padres tenure, his biggest impact on San Diego baseball history arguably came after he left.

In June 2016, the Padres traded Shields to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for a package headlined by then-17-year-old prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., a move that would eventually become one of the most consequential trades in franchise history. Tatis developed into the face of the Padres organization, helping transform the team from perennial underachiever into one of baseball’s most nationally visible franchises during the early 2020s.

Ironically, Shields’ Rancho Santa Fe listing arrives during one of the strangest offensive stretches of Tatis’ career. Through roughly 40 games this season, the Padres superstar had yet to hit a home run, an almost unthinkable drought for a player once considered among the sport’s most explosive power hitters. For a player whose charisma and bat speed helped define modern Padres baseball, the extended homerless stretch has become one of the more closely watched storylines of San Diego’s 2026 season.

Despite his mixed on-field tenure in San Diego, Shields remains permanently connected to Padres lore because of that franchise-altering trade. What initially looked like a routine veteran salary dump eventually helped deliver one of the most talented, and polarizing, players the organization has ever had.

According to interviews published in the Wall Street Journal and other outlets, Shields and his wife are selling the Rancho Santa Fe property because they increasingly want to spend time in Idaho’s Teton County region, where they own horses and additional development properties.

“It came sooner than we wanted,” Shields told the Journal, “but we feel like we’re ready to evolve into the next project.”

The listing also reflects the continued explosion of ultra-luxury development throughout Rancho Santa Fe, where older estates are increasingly being replaced with sprawling modern compounds targeting wealthy buyers seeking privacy, wellness amenities and resort-style living within close proximity to San Diego.

Listing agents Eric Iantorno and Pilar Meza of Compass are representing the property. For more information and the full listing, visit compass.com/homedetails/14783-Roxbury-Ter-Rancho-Santa-Fe-CA-92067/1BYF7G_pid.

Originally published on May 18, 2026.

REVIEW: MGK And Wiz Khalifa Turn Chula Vista Amphitheater Into A Smoke-Filled Pop-Punk Circus On Lost Americana Tour

2026-05-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

For one night, San Diego County’s southern-most concert venue transformed into a neon-soaked collision of rap nostalgia, pop-punk melodrama, arena-rock theatrics and enough weed smoke to fog the South Bay skyline. Machine Gun Kelly and Wiz Khalifa brought their sprawling Lost Americana Tour to North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on May 17, delivering a several-hour spectacle that leaned heavily into fan interaction, maximalist visuals and the strange cultural lane MGK has carved out somewhere between tattooed emo frontman, rap provocateur and Hot Topic cosplay version of a rock star.

Love him or hate him, MGK understands modern concert theater, even if much of it often feels assembled from the leftover aesthetics of pop-punk Tumblr pages, warped-tour nostalgia and a teenager’s idea of rebellion. The evening opened with the Cleveland-born artist emerging in front of a giant crumbling Statue of Liberty head that appeared ripped straight from a post-apocalyptic fever dream, setting the tone for a production drenched in “faded Americana” imagery. Throughout the night, MGK cycled through multiple wardrobe changes, stalked into the amphitheater crowd and repeatedly moved between the main stage and a secondary B-stage planted farther into the venue.

At one point, he navigated directly through the audience while performing acoustic-leaning material, stopping to interact with fans and inviting several attendees onstage during portions of the show. The performance often felt less like a traditional rock concert and more like a carefully engineered hybrid of mall-punk energy, TikTok-era fan service and glossy arena-pop choreography desperately trying to convince audiences they were witnessing something dangerous or authentic.

Later in the set, MGK strapped on a fire-shooting guitar that blasted flames skyward, pushing the show even deeper into its intentionally excessive collision of pop-punk theatrics, rap bravado and arena-rock spectacle. It was loud, flashy and entertaining in the same way a Michael Bay movie is entertaining: sensory overload disguising the fact that the actual substance underneath is often thinner than it wants you to believe.

His setlist reflected the full identity crisis that has somehow become his greatest strength. Older rap material like “Wild Boy,” “El Diablo” and “Bad Mother F*cker” sat beside pop-punk crossover hits including “bloody valentine,” “my ex’s best friend” and “I Think I’m OKAY.” He even worked in a cover of Mr. Brightside, because apparently every millennial-adjacent amphitheater concert in America now legally requires one.

To MGK’s credit, he remains fully committed to the bit. Unlike some artists who stumble awkwardly between genres, MGK attacks his performances with complete conviction, even if the entire persona occasionally feels like someone fed Blink-182, Eminem, Jackass, Sunset Strip glam metal and Instagram algorithms into an AI generator trained on “what a rock star looks like.”

And yet, somehow, it still works for his audience.

A standout moment came during “girl next door,” MGK’s newly released collaboration with Wiz Khalifa that taps directly into the carefree “blog era” hip hop nostalgia both artists helped define during the early 2010s. Wiz later joined him again for fan-favorite “Mind of a Stoner,” turning the amphitheater into what several attendees online described as a giant hotbox. .

Wiz Khalifa’s own set largely delivered exactly what longtime fans would expect: clouds of marijuana smoke, laid-back charisma and crowd-wide singalongs to staples like “Black and Yellow,” “The Thrill” and “We Dem Boyz.” Inflatable Khalifa Kush joints floated through portions of the audience while the rapper repeatedly encouraged the crowd to light up. Compared to MGK’s emotionally overwrought pop-punk melodrama, Wiz often felt like the cooler and more naturally authentic presence onstage, operating with the effortless confidence of someone who doesn’t need to constantly convince you he’s a rock star because he’s too busy simply being himself.

The audience itself may have been one of the night’s more fascinating elements. MGK fandom remains an unusual cultural mix: elder millennial pop-punk survivors, heavily tattooed emo revivalists, rap fans who followed his earlier mixtape years and younger Gen Z fans who discovered him during his genre-shifting reinvention. There’s something oddly fascinating about watching thousands of people collectively embrace an artist whose entire career now exists in a permanent state of aesthetic identity crisis.

Even critics of MGK’s music must concede the same point: the man commits fully to the performance. That commitment translated clearly in Chula Vista, where MGK attacked the stage with the stamina of someone determined to blur the line between rock frontman, influencer-era celebrity and walking energy drink advertisement.

Whether the entire thing felt profound or deeply corny likely depended entirely on your tolerance for emotional pop-punk lyrics delivered by a heavily tattooed musician singing into a microphone shaped like a cigarette while pyrotechnics exploded behind him.

But the crowd at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre largely didn’t seem interested in irony, genre purity or debates about authenticity. They came to scream lyrics, wave phones in the air, smoke weed and participate in the oversized emotional catharsis MGK has built his modern career around.

And for one hazy Sunday night in Chula Vista, that formula worked.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.

Young Men Filmed Fishing Protected Koi From Balboa Park Pond As Viral Backlash Forces Social Media Accounts Offline

2026-05-17T20:48:09.519-07:00

A viral social media video allegedly showing a group of young men fishing large koi from one of Balboa Park’s protected ponds has ignited outrage across San Diego, prompting calls for criminal charges, park enforcement action and renewed debate over social media-fueled behavior targeting animals and public spaces.

The controversy erupted after a Reddit thread posted Sunday to the r/sandiego community began rapidly circulating online, eventually generating thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments condemning the behavior.

According to commenters and screen grabs shared throughout the thread, the now-deleted video showed several young men catching koi fish from a Balboa Park pond while filming themselves for TikTok and Instagram content. Users throughout the discussion identified social media accounts allegedly connected to the video, including TikTok and Instagram profiles operating under the handle @3g.landon. By Sunday evening, commenters noted that both accounts appeared to have either been deleted, deactivated or made private following the viral backlash.

“This should piss everyone off. Those kids need accountability. Fine them!” one commenter wrote, reflecting the overwhelming tone of the discussion.

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Others expressed concern not only about potential cruelty toward the fish, but about the symbolic disrespect toward one of San Diego’s most historic public spaces. Balboa Park’s koi ponds and reflecting pools are widely viewed as part of the cultural identity of the park itself, attracting visitors, photographers and families year-round.

Some commenters noted that many koi living in the park are decades old, with others alleging certain fish were originally donated or gifted over the years. While SanDiegoVille has not independently verified those specific claims, koi are known to be highly sensitive to stress and injury, particularly when improperly handled outside water for extended periods.

The Reddit thread quickly transformed into a crowdsourced effort to identify the individuals involved. Users shared screenshots, alleged account information and calls for authorities to investigate possible violations involving protected park property, animal cruelty statutes or unlawful fishing activity inside Balboa Park. One commenter claimed park rangers had been contacted directly, while others stated they forwarded the footage to local television news stations.

“This is why we can’t have nice things,” another user wrote, echoing a broader frustration increasingly visible in San Diego discussions surrounding vandalism, reckless social media behavior and treatment of public spaces.

The incident also revived memories of prior controversies involving Balboa Park’s water features. Several Reddit users referenced the infamous 2018 midnight water fight near the Botanical Building and Lily Pond that caused significant damage and required extensive cleanup efforts.

Although some commenters speculated the footage could have been AI-generated or staged, many others insisted the video appeared authentic and pointed to frame-by-frame analysis, screenshots and the subsequent disappearance of the alleged social media accounts as evidence the incident was real.

SanDiegoVille has not independently verified the identities of the individuals allegedly involved, whether citations or arrests have been made, or whether any koi were injured or killed during the incident.

Fishing is generally prohibited within Balboa Park ponds and water features, which are managed as protected civic and historic resources. Koi themselves can also carry significant monetary value depending on age, lineage and size, with some ornamental specimens worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

As of publication, no official statement had yet been issued by the City of San Diego or Balboa Park officials regarding the alleged incident.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.

Kura Sushi Soft Opens New San Diego Location This Weekend As Conveyor-Belt Chain Expands Beyond Convoy

2026-05-17T13:58:41.194-07:00

San Diego’s sushi scene is about to get a little more fast-paced and a lot more interactive as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar has officially soft opened its long-awaited Mission Valley location.

The popular Japanese conveyor-belt sushi chain will begin welcoming customers starting Sunday, May 17 at noon inside Mission Valley Mall. According to promotional materials circulating online, the restaurant will operate in soft opening mode from May 17 through May 19 between noon and 9p,, before transitioning to regular business hours beginning May 20.

The opening marks Kura Sushi’s second location in San Diego County, joining the company’s longtime Convoy District restaurant, which first opened in 2015 and quickly became a staple for locals seeking a more affordable, tech-forward and entertainment-driven sushi experience.

Founded in Japan in 1977, Kura has grown into one of the world’s largest revolving sushi chains, operating hundreds of locations across Japan, Taiwan and the United States. The company has built a cult-like following around its blend of traditional Japanese dishes, automation and gamified dining mechanics that make the experience feel part sushi restaurant, part arcade attraction.

At Kura, plates of sushi, sashimi and small dishes continuously travel throughout the restaurant on a two-level conveyor system beneath protective ventilated lids designed to help preserve freshness. Diners can grab plates directly from the rotating belt or place custom orders through touchscreen tablets installed at every table, with made-to-order items delivered separately through an express lane system.

The restaurant’s most recognizable feature may be its “Bikkura-Pon” prize game, which rewards customers after they insert a certain number of finished plates into a disposal slot built into each booth. Once enough plates are deposited, the system activates a short animated sequence and dispenses a small collectible prize, a concept that has become especially popular among families and younger diners.

Kura’s pricing model has also helped fuel its popularity during a time when restaurant costs continue rising across California. Promotional materials for the Mission Valley soft opening advertise sushi plates starting at $3.95 each.

Kura’s menu extends well beyond standard sushi rolls and nigiri, also featuring ramen, udon, tempura, hand rolls, desserts and rotating seasonal specials inspired by Japanese cuisine and limited-time collaborations.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is located at 1640 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 218, inside Mission Valley Mall. For more information, visit kurasushi.com/locations/san-diego-ca-mission-valley.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.

City Of San Diego Hit With $16.45 Million Jury Verdict Over Parking Citation Penalties As Critics Blast City’s Expanding Enforcement Machine

2026-05-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

A San Diego jury has reportedly awarded more than $16.45 million against the City of San Diego in a class action lawsuit accusing the city of improperly assessing and collecting parking citation late fees and penalties without legally sufficient notice to motorists, delivering yet another major financial blow to a city government already facing mounting criticism over its budget priorities, enforcement practices, and expanding reliance on revenue extraction from residents.

The verdict, announced Saturday by attorneys Deborah Dixon of The Dixon Firm and Charlotte Barone of The Barone Firm, stems from litigation alleging the city failed to provide notice required under California law before imposing escalating parking penalties and delinquency fees on drivers. The firms described the outcome as a “historic verdict against the City of San Diego” involving the city “improperly assessing and collecting excessive parking ticket fines, fees, and penalties without providing notice required by law.”

The underlying lawsuit, Hasia-Welch v. City of San Diego, centered on allegations that San Diego’s delinquent parking violation notices failed to comply with provisions of California Vehicle Code governing the notification process before late penalties can legally attach. Court-approved class notices previously distributed in the litigation stated that class members may have paid unlawful penalties after receiving allegedly deficient delinquency notices from the city.

The City of San Diego denied wrongdoing throughout the case and argued it complied with applicable law. But after years of litigation, the matter ultimately proceeded to trial, culminating in one of the larger recent judgments against the city tied to municipal enforcement practices.

The verdict lands at an extraordinarily difficult political moment for Mayor Todd Gloria, whose administration has spent the past two years dramatically expanding parking enforcement infrastructure, raising meter rates, extending enforcement hours, increasing citation penalties, implementing controversial paid parking programs, and defending increasingly aggressive revenue-generation measures amid a deepening structural budget crisis.

The timing could hardly be worse. Under Gloria’s current budget framework, San Diego continues pursuing cuts to arts funding, libraries, recreation programming, Balboa Park institutions, and even the possible elimination of the city’s beloved December Nights festival, all while policing, parking enforcement, citation systems, and enforcement technology continue receiving funding increases.

Critics argue the $16.45 million verdict reinforces a broader concern that San Diego’s leadership has become increasingly dependent on enforcement revenue while repeatedly exposing taxpayers to massive legal liabilities. That criticism has only intensified following a series of costly recent settlements and judgments involving the city.

Just this week, SanDiegoVille reported on San Diego’s $450,000 settlement with artist and street performer William Dorsett after a federal court found the city violated his First Amendment rights by enforcing a 130-year-old ordinance criminalizing “offensive” or “vulgar” speech in public spaces. The litigation ultimately resulted in the repeal of San Diego Municipal Code § 56.27 after a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. The Dorsett matter became yet another example of San Diego taxpayers funding legal payouts after courts found city enforcement practices violated constitutional protections.

At the same time, the city continues absorbing staggering public liability costs connected to policing and enforcement operations. In late 2025, San Diego agreed to pay $30 million to the family of 16-year-old Konoa Wilson following a fatal police shooting at Santa Fe Depot widely described as one of the largest police killing settlements in American history. Earlier this year, the city also paid a settlement involving claims of unconstitutional policing after a Black driver’s vehicle window was smashed during a disputed traffic stop.

Together, the cases have fueled criticism that San Diego’s enforcement-first governance model increasingly generates expensive downstream legal exposure while residents simultaneously face higher fees, citations, taxes, and reduced public services. The parking verdict may now become one of the clearest examples yet.

Over the past two years, Gloria’s administration has aggressively expanded parking monetization throughout San Diego. The city doubled parking meter rates across major areas, imposed special event surge pricing near Petco Park that can raise meter costs to $10 per hour during large events, extended meter enforcement into Sundays, increased citation penalties, expanded “daylighting” ticket enforcement, and launched controversial paid parking systems at Balboa Park.

The administration framed the measures as necessary responses to the city’s structural deficit. But many residents and business owners accused City Hall of turning public spaces into revenue machines while simultaneously damaging attendance, tourism, and civic life.

The backlash was particularly intense in Balboa Park, where attendance at museums and cultural institutions reportedly plunged after the implementation of paid parking. SanDiegoVille previously reported that some Balboa Park institutions experienced attendance declines approaching 60 percent following the rollout, while projected parking revenue significantly underperformed expectations.

Now, critics say the parking citation verdict further undermines public trust in the city’s broader enforcement apparatus.

“This is no longer about parking. This is about trust,” Gaslamp Quarter Association Executive Director Michael Trimble previously wrote to Gloria during controversy surrounding the city’s parking expansion plans.

That sentiment may now resonate even more strongly after taxpayers were handed a multimillion-dollar judgment connected directly to parking enforcement procedures.

The lawsuit itself focused specifically on whether San Diego lawfully notified motorists before imposing escalating late penalties and delinquency fees tied to unpaid parking citations. While additional post-trial details remain limited, the class action potentially affects a substantial number of drivers who received delinquency notices and subsequently paid enhanced penalties.

Court documents previously defined the certified class as California residents who received San Diego parking citations between February 2022 and the start of trial, later received delinquent notices, and paid associated late fees or penalties.

It remains unclear whether the $16.45 million figure reflects compensatory damages alone or also includes attorneys’ fees, penalties, or additional relief. The city may still pursue post-trial motions or appeals.

The City of San Diego has not yet issued a detailed public statement regarding the verdict or whether it intends to challenge the judgment. But politically, the optics are brutal.

At a time when San Diegans are being told the city cannot afford cherished public programs, arts funding, or longstanding civic traditions, taxpayers are now simultaneously funding massive liability payouts tied directly to the very enforcement systems City Hall continues expanding.

For critics of Gloria’s administration, the contradiction has become impossible to ignore: libraries and festivals face cuts while parking enforcement staffing, e-citation systems, police overtime, and enforcement infrastructure continue growing.

And now taxpayers may be paying the price for it yet again.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.

San Diego FC’s “El Paletero” Anders Dreyer Bobblehead Sparks Debate Over Cultural Tribute Or Misstep

2026-05-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

San Diego FC’s first-ever player bobblehead giveaway was intended as a celebration of breakout star Anders Dreyer’s instant connection with the city. Instead, the “El Paletero” collectible has sparked debate among some fans over whether the club’s use of a Mexican street-vendor image for a white Danish player is a playful local nickname, a culturally tone-deaf marketing choice, or something more troubling.

The bobblehead, distributed to the first 20,000 fans at San Diego FC’s May 16 match against FC Cincinnati at Snapdragon Stadium, depicts Dreyer pushing a paletero-style cart labeled “El Paletero,” a Spanish term commonly used for a street vendor who sells paletas, or Mexican frozen treats, from a pushcart. The giveaway was presented by Sharp HealthCare and promoted by the club as the first bobblehead in San Diego FC history.

Dreyer, a Danish international winger, became one of San Diego FC’s defining players almost immediately after joining the expansion club. He scored the first regular-season goal in franchise history during San Diego FC’s 2-0 debut win over the LA Galaxy in February 2025, then added a second goal later in the same match.

According to San Diego FC, the “El Paletero” nickname grew from a wordplay around Dreyer’s name sounding like Dreyer’s ice cream, combined with his reputation for “serving up dimes” on the field. Club play-by-play voice Adrian García-Márquez told the team that “on a hot summer day, who delivers? The ice cream man. But this is San Diego, so it’s, the paletero.”

The club leaned into the nickname during the 2025 season, sending Dreyer around San Diego County on a paletero bike to hand out free ice cream and prizes to fans. Dreyer himself said he heard the nickname throughout the season and appreciated that supporters embraced him “as a person and as a player.” That backstory may explain the intent. It does not fully resolve the discomfort.

For critics, the question is not whether Dreyer personally embraced the nickname or whether the club meant harm. The issue is whether a Major League Soccer team in a heavily Mexican and Mexican American border city should be turning the culturally specific image of a paletero, a working-class Latino street vendor figure deeply familiar across Southern California neighborhoods, into a novelty collectible for a European star.

San Diego FC has deliberately marketed itself as a binational, multicultural club rooted in the San Diego-Tijuana region. That identity carries both opportunity and responsibility. The club’s fan base includes large Latino communities for whom paleteros are not an abstract aesthetic, but a real part of family life, childhood memory, neighborhood culture, and immigrant labor. In that context, even an affectionate nickname can become complicated when translated into merchandise.

Supporters of the bobblehead may see it differently. To them, “El Paletero” is an organic fan nickname that emerged from Spanish-language commentary, local humor, soccer culture, and Dreyer’s own willingness to participate. They may argue the giveaway is not mocking Mexican culture, but celebrating how quickly Dreyer became part of San Diego’s multilingual soccer identity.

That tension is exactly why the conversation has gained traction. The bobblehead exists in a gray area between homage, marketing, fandom, and cultural appropriation. It is not obviously hateful. It is also not unreasonable for people to question why this was the chosen visual representation for a Danish player.

The debate also arrives during a moment when sports franchises increasingly attempt to build emotional connection through hyperlocal branding. Teams want chants, nicknames, limited-edition giveaways, Spanish-language engagement, community videos, food references, and viral merchandise. But when those efforts borrow from cultures tied to race, class, language, and immigration, the execution matters.

In this case, San Diego FC did provide an explanation. The club explicitly defined “paletero” in its own promotional feature and tied the bobblehead to Dreyer’s prior ice cream giveaway appearances around San Diego. It also framed the nickname as community-born rather than imposed from a boardroom. Still, the criticism underscores a broader challenge for the young club: authenticity cannot simply be asserted. It has to be earned continuously, especially in a border region where cultural symbols carry real meaning.

Dreyer’s status with San Diego FC is not in question. He has been one of the club’s most important players, earning attention as a major figure in the team’s historic inaugural MLS season and becoming one of the faces of the franchise alongside stars like Hirving “Chucky” Lozano.

The question is whether the club’s tribute to that popularity landed the way it intended. San Diego FC has not publicly addressed criticism of the bobblehead beyond its original explanation of the nickname and giveaway. SanDiegoVille has reached out to the club for comment regarding the response from some fans and whether Latino community members or supporters groups were consulted in the design and approval process.

For now, the “El Paletero” bobblehead may become both a collector’s item and a case study in the difficulty of building local sports culture in one of America’s most culturally layered cities. In San Diego, symbols matter. So does who gets to use them, who benefits from them, and whether the people represented by those symbols feel celebrated or reduced.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.

The 38th Annual Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival Returns To San Diego June 17-27 With Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms & North America’s Largest Gathering Of Principal Orchestra Players

2026-05-17T02:30:00.000-07:00

San Diego's signature summer classical music celebration returns in 2026 as the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival takes over La Jolla and UC San Diego from June 17-27, bringing together principal musicians and concertmasters from many of North America's most prestigious orchestras for ten days of world-class performances.

Now entering its 38th year, the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival remains the largest gathering of concertmasters and principal players on the continent, assembling elite musicians from ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, and dozens more under the direction of Music Conductor Maestro Michael Francis. Since taking the helm in 2014, Francis has helped elevate the festival into one of the nation's premier classical music events, blending virtuosic performances with accessible programming and educational outreach.

The 2026 festival will feature six major performances split between The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla and the UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater. This year's lineup leans heavily into Beethoven while still embracing the festival's “mainly” Mozart philosophy, pairing the legendary composer's works alongside pieces from Prokofiev, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Copland, Rodrigo, Strauss, Schumann, Pärt and more.

Opening night on Wednesday, June 17 at The Conrad sets the tone with a program featuring Mozart's Idomeneo Ballet Music, Prokofiev's playful Symphony No. 1 “Classical,” and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by acclaimed pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. The evening is dedicated to the memory of Reinette Levine.

The festival continues June 20 with Beethoven's monumental Symphony No. 3 “Eroica,” alongside Copland's complete Appalachian Spring ballet for 13 instruments and Mozart's Bardengesang auf Gibraltar. On June 21, internationally celebrated guitarist Mak Grgic takes center stage for Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, paired with Mendelssohn's vibrant “Italian” Symphony and several lively Mozart dances and marches.

Pianist Anton Nel headlines the June 23 performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jenamy,” framed by Lully and Strauss interpretations of Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. The June 25 concert features Grammy-winning violinist James Ehnes performing Schumann's Violin Concerto alongside Mozart's final symphony, the towering “Jupiter,” and Arvo Pärt's haunting Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten.

The festival concludes June 27 at the UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheater with a grand finale centered around Beethoven's iconic Fifth Symphony. James Ehnes returns alongside renowned cellist Robert DeMaine for Brahms' Double Concerto, while the evening also includes Mozart's Fantasia Fugato arranged for orchestra by Ignaz von Seyfried.

As in previous years, each concert at The Conrad will include pre-concert performances and discussions led by pianist Anton Nel and members of the All-Star Orchestra inside The JAI one hour prior to showtime, offering audiences deeper insight into the music and composers. The festival's closing night at Epstein Amphitheater once again embraces a more relaxed outdoor atmosphere where audiences can enjoy music under the stars.

Beyond the performances themselves, the festival continues to reinforce Mainly Mozart's role as one of San Diego's most important cultural institutions. Founded in 1988, the organization has expanded far beyond its namesake festival to include youth orchestras, educational initiatives, community engagement programs, and the annual Mainly Mozart Genius Awards recognizing innovation across multiple disciplines.

The festival also arrives during a particularly strong era for Mainly Mozart and Michael Francis, whose international profile continues to grow through collaborations with major orchestras around the world. Francis, a former double bassist with the London Symphony Orchestra, has conducted ensembles across Europe, Asia, and North America while helping transform Mainly Mozart into one of the country's most respected classical music gatherings.

Tickets and subscription packages for the 2026 Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival are available now, with performances running June 17-27 at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla and UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheater in La Jolla. For more information and tickets, visit mainlymozart.org.

Originally published on May 17, 2026.