ABC 10News was joined by community members in National City Monday night for our 6th Community Huddle.

The ABC 10News Community Huddle is a monthly conversation across San Diego County. We're bringing the people who cover your community directly to you.

Watch the video in the player above for a look at the event held at Market on 8th.

A controversial business license fee tax that National City voted to table for the November ballot last month returned to the agenda at Tuesday night's city council meeting.

The request to add the item for discussion on a future agenda in October drew pushback from residents.

Tuesday night's request was voted down.

Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, who is also running for mayor, brought the item forward and said he wants the topic of reforming the city's business license fee tax to stay relevant this election season, because it won't go before voters again until 2028.

Rodriguez said besides keeping the discussion about the business license fee tax alive this election season, he also wanted to avoid a scenario where it would go to a special election.

"A special election not only is more costly to the city, but it also disenfranchises voters because voter turnout is much, much lower during special elections," Rodriguez said.

Some National City residents disagreed with Rodriguez's move, citing that steps were already underway to reform the business license fee tax, starting with the creation of a new ad hoc advisory committee.

"This thing is being totally politicized," Paul Waponski, longtime National City resident, said.

Waponski said he agrees that it is time to change the business license fee tax.

"The reform needs to happen; everybody understands that it's outdated and needs to be reworked," Waponski said.

Waponski said the issue was that the ballot measure for 2026 felt rushed, and many small businesses were unaware of the impacts it would have on them. He also believes there was misinformation being spread from a survey that was done to gather how National City businesses felt about the potential increase and need for funding city services.

The tax was discussed throughout the summer between city council and many local business associations.

ABC 10News reported that many of the businesses were pushing back and agreed that more public outreach and a restructuring of how the fee increases would work needed to happen so voters could decide in 2028.

The fee increase controversy also came as City Manager Doug Schulze revealed that the City's spending was outpacing its revenue, and there would be a potential for National City to reach insolvency by 2030.

While Rodriguez's request was denied Tuesday night, he still maintains that the increase in the business license fee tax needs to happen sooner rather than later. He states that many out-of-town corporations are not paying their "fair share" while operating within the City because the current rate is so low, and National City is missing out on millions that other cities are making because their business license fee tax is higher.

Community members and elected officials gathered in City Heights, calling for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the neighborhood.

Demonstrators crowded the intersection of University Avenue and Fairmount Avenue before marching through the community toward Euclid Elementary School.

At the rally, local leaders and residents spoke about the impact recent ICE operations have had on families in the area.

San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who represents District 9, said he understands the emotions and sense of powerlessness some community members are feeling.

They have raw emotions about it and then don't know what to do, that sense of powerlessness that I felt as well, Elo-Rivera said. It doesn't need to be that way. There are ways to get involved and that's what we try to do today.For protesters, seeing elected officials join them at the demonstration was significant.

Angel Garibay, a protester, said the presence of local leaders sent a message that community concerns were being heard.

We finally got the officials who understand that the community comes first, that the people come first, that they need to show up for us, and they're doing that, Garibay said.Protesters carried signs and chanted as they marched through the streets, temporarily shutting down roads along the route. Law enforcement was also present as the demonstration moved toward Euclid Elementary.

The rally comes after recent ICE activity in the City Heights area, including the arrests of two parents near John Marshall Elementary School.

According to Department of Homeland Security officials, the couple entered the United States lawfully in 2022 but later overstayed their authorized period of admission. Officials did not specify further details about the alleged immigration violations.

The arrests have drawn concern from members of the surrounding community, with protesters saying the incidents have left families shaken.

One demonstrator described the situation as difficult to understand and said the arrests have had an emotional impact on the community.

Now, community members and elected officials are calling for change and continuing to organize around their concerns about ICE operations in City Heights.

Elo-Rivera said he was not surprised by the turnout but was proud to see residents come together.

I'm not surprised, but I'm proud of my community. I love our community, and I'm mad and sad that we need to be here, Elo-Rivera said.

California Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that shut down a portion of Interstate 5 South at Camino De La Plaza Thursday morning.

Before 5 a.m., a semi-truck reportedly hit the center divider, blocking all lanes of traffic.

The closure is expected to last into the morning rush hour. Check current traffic conditions here.

There is no word yet on what caused the crash or the extent of any injuries.

Something changed this summer that gave home buyers more negotiating power. 

As of August, sellers outnumbered buyers by 58% the biggest gap in more than a decade, according to Redfin. That doesn't mean home prices are about to crash, but after years of soaring prices, buyers may finally be getting some relief. 

"It used to be that if you wanted a house, you had to pretty much take what was available. What you could win the bidding war for," said Matt Frankel, a contributing real estate analyst at The Motley Fool.

RELATED STORY | US home sales weaken to slowest pace in more than a year as mortgage rates, home prices climb

Rather than prices taking a plunge, Frankel said sellers have adjusted their pricing strategies.  

"You're seeing a lot more incentives being offered. You're seeing more sellers willing to pay closing costs, for example, or to offer concessions at the end," Frankel said. 

Experts with Realtor.com say sellers are "getting real," pricing lower upfront so fewer homes need price cuts. The median listing price this summer was down 2.4% compared to last July. Less than 40% of homes currently on sale have seen a price cut, compared to 54% last year.  

Jake Krimmel, senior economist at Realtor.com, explains that the price movement reflects a change in seller behavior, not desperation. 

"When sellers listed their homes for slightly less this year than last, it wasn't because they were cutting. It was because they were listing more realistically from the beginning," he said. "That resulted in fewer homes seeing price cuts, fewer homes being so called 'on sale.'" 

Affordability still a major challenge

Buyers may have more homes to choose from due to higher inventory. They may even see slight price reductions in their market.  

"The big win is on selection," Frankel said. "There are a lot more homes on the market right now than there were a year ago."

What buyers can't escape are high mortgage rates which topped 7% this week for the first time in more than a year. 

"Which is really unfortunate as far as timing goes because the fall can be a really great time to buy because more homes are lingering around the market," Krimmel said. 

Chrissy Bernal, of Texas, is navigating both sides of today's housing market buying and selling. 

"We've looked at probably 20 homes and that is not an exaggeration," she said. Selling hasn't been simple either, "The offers we got in were ridiculous, like half of the house's value."

RELATED STORY | Interactive: Your home insurance deductible may have quietly increased

Her advice for buyers navigating the uncertainty: stay flexible and stay optimistic. 

"Our phrase is 'this or something better,'" Bernal said. 

A new shortage of synthetic motor oil has retailers imposing new limits on purchasing.

Costco this week raised the prices of its store brand synthetic oil and placed maximum limits on synthetic oil purchases.

A two-pack of Kirkland Signature full-synthetic motor oil 5-quart bottles is now $58, up from about $30 the same time last year. Customers will be limited to two boxes of oil per week at Costco stores.

RELATED STORY | Oil prices leap to their highest since May and drag Wall Street lower

The shortage began in May as refineries put their focus on producing more gasoline.

Most synthetic motor oil is derived from the crude oil refinement process. The U.S. imports more than 40% of its supply from the Middle East, where the flow of oil has been restricted due to the ongoing conflict in Iran.

The cost of a barrel of oil pushed above $109 this week, and the cost of diesel fuel set another new record following last week's all-time high.

MORE ON ENERGY COSTS | Diesel prices set a new record as Trump calls on Ukraine to stop targeting Russian oil

President Donald Trump acknowledged Wednesday that gas prices were a little higher due to the war his administration began in Iran, but he said those prices are "a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done."

"Even if it was a lot more," he said, the price would be worth preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) A driver was arrested in connection with a crash in Carlsbad that left a pedestrian dead Tuesday night.

Carlsbad police said officers and emergency crews were dispatched to the 3800 block of Carlsbad Boulevard at around 7:46 p.m. due to a report of a collision involving a vehicle and pedestrian.

Crews arrived to find a woman lying on the road with life-threatening injuries, but the vehicle involved in the incident had left the scene.

The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment, but she died after arrival. The San Diego County Medical Examiners Office identified the victim as 45-year-old Carlsbad resident Vanessa Wheyland.

A GoFundMe page has since been created to help with Wheyland's funeral expenses.

Police stated, Using evidence left at the scene, along with assistance from community members, Carlsbads automated license plate readers and air support from the San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriffs Department, officers located the involved vehicle just over one mile from the collision site.

The driver, identified as 26-year-old Fernando Saldana, of Escondido, was located and arrested on suspicion of murder, leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury or death, DUI causing injury or death, and gross vehicular manslaughter.

Police said Saldana was booked into Vista Detention Facility; the department also noted Saldana has a prior DUI conviction.

The cause of the collision is under investigation, but police suspect alcohol was a contributing factor.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Carlsbad police Traffic Accident Investigator Officer Nicholas Alvarado at 442-339-5136 or email Nicholas.Alvarado@carlsbadca.gov.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)- Juan Antonio Gonzaba, 39, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to five felony charges connected to a crash on the Pacific Beach boardwalk that left a 25-year-old woman critically injured.

Gonzaba faces charges of evading an officer and causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, vehicle theft, and evading officers with reckless driving.

During his arraignment, the San Diego District Attorney's Office argued Gonzaba poses a danger to the public, pointing to his extensive criminal history dating back to 2006. Prosecutors say he has 5 prior failures to appear in court, 10 prior probations, and has failed to comply with mental health treatment in 3 other cases.

His attorney entered a not guilty plea and requested a medical evaluation.

"We enter pleas of not guilty. Enter denials as to any and all allegations," his attorney said.

Gonzaba was disruptive during the court proceedings.

Deputy District Attorney Tyler Nigut addressed the circumstances of the incident.

"The defendant made an extraordinarily dangerous choice. He chose to drive onto a crowded Pacific Beach boardwalk in an attempt to escape. It was midday on a sunny San Diego afternoon, and the boardwalk was busy with pedestrians and cyclists moving in all directions. The defendant accelerated down the boardwalk, forcing people to literally jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the car," Nigut said.

Nigut also spoke to the significance of Gonzaba's criminal record.

"He has an extensive criminal history, and it's important that the judge sees the full picture of who this person is," Nigut said.

Prosecutors say there were signs and symptoms of Gonzaba being under the influence at the time of the incident, but toxicology test results are still pending.

The judge ordered Gonzaba to remain in jail without bail. The woman he is accused of hitting remains hospitalized. His next court date is set for Sept. 24.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A new partnership between two San Diego nonprofits is working to keep single mothers housed and financially stable across the county.

New LVL, an organization connecting single mothers with resources to prevent homelessness, is teaming up with City Heights Community Development Corporation to help mothers stay in their homes. The program provides financial assistance to mothers who are behind on rent and connects them with wraparound services for up to a year.

"So the money can be between $500 to a couple $1000 so that families can stay in their homes and then receive wraparound services for, for the year," Alexis Villanueva, CEO of City Heights CDC, said.

The program targets single mothers across San Diego County who have a lease in their name and frequently pay rent late stepping in before an eviction is filed.

"This program is identifying mothers who have a lease in their name, who frequently pay their rent late and are in need of resources and to support them prior to receiving that eviction," Breanna Benford, CEO and founder of New LVL, said.

Marissa Brown is one of the mothers who has already benefited from New LVL's support. A single mom to two girls, ages 10 and 11, Brown was laid off and found herself struggling to keep her family housed without a strong support system around her.

"It's been a struggle, not having a lot of family support and the other parent in the household," Brown said.

Through New LVL, Brown received subsidized housing assistance that freed up money for other expenses, along with financial literacy classes she has since shared with her daughters.

"The subsidized housing helping me with basically like my rent and me being able to use other money towards other things that I wouldn't be capable of doing because I had to focus on rent," Brown said.

"Went over it with my two girls to teach them financial stability so they're not going through the same mistakes that I'm going through," Brown said.

Even in her hardest moments, Brown said she keeps pushing forward for her kids.

"I cry about it, and I get up and I do what I have to do for those kids because they don't ask to be here," Brown said.

Now 33, Brown said being able to pass on what she is learning makes the journey worthwhile.

"To be able to teach my 10 and 11 year old what I'm learning at 33 is amazing," Brown said.

Thursday will be about as cool as Wednesday with temperatures trending near to 7 degrees below average. Slightly warmer this weekend, with a minor dip in temperatures early next week as storms pass through the Pacific Northwest then warming up again by midweek. Though big temperatures swings are not expected into most of next week.

You can expect 70s and 80s into next week for the coast, inland and mountains and low-100s in the deserts.

A thick marine layer develops into Thursday morning and may produce sprinkles to patchy drizzle along with patchy fog for some inland areas. Slower clearing to sunshine Thursday, with faster clearing Friday and Saturday. Potentially slower clearing again Sunday and Monday as another storm moves into the Pacific Northwest.

It will be breezy in the mountains and deserts again Thursday afternoon with westerly winds of 15 to 35mph.

We are in the final days of summer as the Autumnal Equinox happens at 5:05pm on September 22nd.

Thursday's Highs: 

Coast: 71-77

Inland: 75-84

Mountains: 75-85

Deserts: 98-102

Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry. 

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) As the NTSB and FAA investigate the deadly Los Angeles news helicopter crash, ABC 10News wanted to get insight into whats been released about what happened at this time.

When you see something like that, its a terrible tragedy....the first thing that I think about as a flight instructor is I try to figure out, you know, potentially what happened," said Candise Tu, Chief Flight Instructor at Civic Helicopters.

ABC 10News spoke to Tu, whos logged over 10,000 hours in the air and is chief flight instructor at Civic Helicopters in Carlsbad, about the crash.

We looked at a couple of things. There was some footage; it looks like from probably the reporter's camera, Tu said. The camera is zoomed in on the bus accident, right, for a long time, and then basically it starts really vibrating at the end. That's typically indicative of like very low RPM, and you know they're losing control.

According to the Associated Press, there are no details on what caused the crash. However, in video before the aircraft went down, an alarm could be heard inside the cockpit of the chopper as it lost altitude.

What we wanted to figure out was, you know, what were the alarms going off, and it appears that there was the sort of like the faster chirp or warble that you hear at the beginning of that video. That's a high RPM warning, and then later on, you get a low RPM warning horn, Tu said.

Tu also looked at the aftermath for information as to what possibly could have happened.

Looking at sort of the aftermath, the main thing that stood out to me was that the blades were pretty much intact, Tu said. So, when the blades are pretty much intact at the end of the at the end of the accident, that suggests that the helicopter was at a very low RPM, and essentially when the helicopter is at a very low RPM, it doesn't generate enough lift, and it's essentially going to fall out of the sky.

The full preliminary report about this crash from the NTSB would be released in about 30 days.

Deciding whether to buy organic groceries can have a significant impact on your wallet. Data shows many people are still willing to spend more for the type of food they buy.

Maria Barrata shops organic and she does it for herself and her dog. She currently spends about $100 more per week on organic items.

"I want what's healthiest inside my body ... and even for my dog, I shop organic."

Data from LendingTree.com shows organic produce and vegetables cost 59% more than non-organic food. But Barrata says the price tag doesn't deter her.

"It's more expensive, but if it's actually organic, it's worth the price."

A study by WorldMetrics.org shows 63% of people share that sentiment and are willing to pay more for organic food. The biggest driver: 81% of people believe organic food is healthier.

Christopher Heslin, director of the Positive Choice Integrated Wellness Center for Kaiser Permanente, says shoppers should look for the USDA organic symbol to confirm a product is legitimate.

"If you're wanting to shop organic you want to make sure that it does have this USDA organic symbol on it that just basically certifies that it went through the rigorous process for it to actually be organic."

For those who don't want to spend the extra money, Heslin says there are other ways to eat healthy. He suggests looking for produce and vegetables that have an outer layer, which tend to be less expensive and can help minimize exposure to chemicals.

"Bananas, pineapples, avocados, things like that, cabbages where you're going to peel off that outer layer like in onions."

Heslin also recommends checking the frozen food section for items that are out of season, where shoppers can often find better deals including on organic options.

"These are both organic blueberries. This is the fresh blueberry pack right now out of season, very expensive. There are frozen blueberries, also organic; you get more for your money."

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board gave their first briefing Wednesday following the fatal Tuesday evening crash of a news helicopter in Southern California.

The NTSB and FAA had begun an investigation of the crash on Wednesday and were interviewing witnesses, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Fabian Salazar said. He added that the agency would not be seeking a probable cause in the accident during the first days of the investigation.

A full preliminary report from the NTSB would be released in about 30 days.

Video broadcast from the helicopter included the sound of an alarm from the cockpit and showed that the aircraft quickly lost altitude. Salazar said the video also appeared to include sound from the helicopter's engine, which he said would be analyzed.

That video is probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far, Salazar said.

RELATED STORY | 3 dead after news helicopter crashes near site of bus crash in Los Angeles

The crash killed three people: NBC4 Los Angeles reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground when the helicopter crashed.

The helicopter crashed near Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley. It had been deployed to cover news of a bus collision that occurred earlier on Tuesday. At least two people were killed and six others injured in that accident.

College students at MiraCosta College's Oceanside campus are working to keep ballet folklrico center stage, and their dedication has brought the traditional Mexican dance form into the classroom.

Two new courses, Introduction to Mexican Folkloric Dance and Dance Practices Across Cultures, launched this semester, giving students college credit for the cultural work they were already doing through the campus club.

"So since there was such an interest from the students and, you know, they were doing a lot of work to learn their dances and doing performances but not getting college credit for that work," Dean Jonathan Fohrman said.

For students like Ximena Luna, the dance is personal. She first discovered ballet folklrico in high school.

"It was my sophomore year. Up until that point, I have always hated dancing," Luna said.

Now, the music is her cue to showcase her culture.

"I became more confident in my culture, my identity as someone who is Latina," Luna said.

Fellow student Aldo Garza said the tradition connects him to his roots.

"Well, it connects to my family a lot because I'm Mexican American with from an immigrant family," Garza said.

For Luna, preserving the tradition goes beyond the steps.

"Tradition is very important. It is who we are. Maybe not today, but it shows a part of who we are and who we are growing from," Luna said.

Student Alyssa Gorgal said having ballet folklrico recognized in both a club and a course sends a broader message about the campus community.

"Now it's being able to be shown in both club and course, which just overall can show how like diverse and just dynamic this whole community of this whole school," Gorgal said.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) A couple and their teenage daughter were found dead in a San Carlos home Wednesday morning, prompting a San Diego police investigation.

SDPD officials said a neighbor contacted police after she said she heard something unusual coming from the home on Boulder Lake Avenue, near Navajo Road, in the overnight hours.

The neighbor reached out to her neighbors, but she said she did not hear back from them.

The neighbor said she became concerned after she noticed a teen who lives at the house did not leave for school on Wednesday morning. The neighbor, who said she has access to the home because she often pet sits for the family, entered the house and found three people deceased inside.

SDPD Eastern Division officers were called to the home just before 8:20 a.m., and after entering they found David Voight, 56, and his wife Amy Voight, 54, unresponsive and not breathing. The married couple were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers searched the home and found the couples teenage daughter also deceased.

Based on preliminary evidence, police said the three people died from gunshot wounds.

Pershing Middle Schools principal said the teen who passed away Wednesday was an eighth grader at the school.

In a letter to families, Principal Kristy Aragon said:

Police said there is no threat to the public and they are not looking for any suspects.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the SDPD Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

(AP) Brigid Lynch was working along a wooded creek in a mountainous part of the San Francisco Bay Area when something that didn't look like the rocks she'd been studying caught her eye. It turned out to be the fossilized tooth of a Pacific mastodon.

I keep joking it wasnt hard to find, Lynch, a geomorphologist at Balance Hydrologics, said Friday. It was just sitting there in the middle of the creek, halfway in, half out of the water.

Lynch made the discovery earlier this year while working on a habitat restoration project for the threatened California red-legged frog in a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserve in San Mateo County. The public land management agency that preserves over 70,000 acres of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains region announced the find this week. The fossil has been donated to Stanford Universitys Doerr School of Sustainability.

Its in great condition, said Chrissy Garcia, curator and manager of Doerr School of Sustainabilitys specimen collections. So weve got both the crown and the root of the fossil. You can even see root canal.

Its exciting to have a specimen of this quality, and having it be a local find, she said.

Garcia said the tooth from the Pacific mastodon, an extinct elephantlike species, is about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long.

Ron Tykoski, vice president of science and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, said mastodon fossils pop up with some degree of frequency, depending on where you live.

He said there are multiple species of mastodon that roamed for a few million years in North America, up till 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

The way this was found is actually the way a lot of specimens are found, just somebody who happened to be in the right place, Tykoski said.

Garcia said that theyll likely try to determine the exact age of the fossil, and will make a 3D copy to give to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The district says it will use the copy for public outreach and education.

Ryan McCauley, a spokesperson for the district, said the discovery on land they are preserving helps show the value of protecting open spaces and habitats.

That this tooth, that this molar, was found in the context of trying to protect the habitat and save another species from potentially going extinct I think really just drives home the point of why it's so important to care for these open spaces and these natural lands, he said.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) Three officers and a police K-9 were injured, and a suspect is dead following an officer-involved shooting in North Park Wednesday morning, according to San Diego police.

SDPD officials confirmed three officers involved in the incident were treated for burns.

San Diego Police Department said they were called to the area near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street just after 9 a.m., when they received calls for a disturbance of peace.

The San Diego Sheriff's Office has since taken over the investigation and said the man had a metal rod and was smashing car windows near El Cajon Blvd and Oregon Street. A total of four cars were reported to be vandalized.

When police spotted the suspect, they started chasing him. The suspect ran down to the intersection of 30th Street and Polk Ave, and into the Adult Emporium Business next to the Lazy Dog Cafe.

ABC 10News was there and began taking a cell-phone recording of what happened after the suspect ran inside the Adult Emporium store.

Police said the suspect was carrying a torch and flammable liquid as he entered the store.

An employee was seen exiting Adult Emporium. Officers began attempting to get the man to come outside the store, firing non-lethal warning rounds at the suspect.

Officers then sent in Ryder, their K-9 Unit, to get the man to come out. That's when police said the man burned the K-9 on its neck and around its face.

Three officers immediately used their hands to put the fire out on Ryder. They're now suffering from burn injuries on their hands. Once they were able to get the fire out on Ryder, they took him out to the car and returned to the entrance to provide backup to the other officers staying with the suspect.

Police deployed bean bag rounds, but the suspect then approached the officers, lighting himself on fire. That's when police shot him with deadly rounds.

The suspect was seen by ABC 10News reporter Dani Miskell coming out of the Adult Emporium with his leg partially on fire. Officers rendered aid to him, and he was taken in an ambulance minutes later. The suspect died at the hospital just before noon.

ABC 10News has still not confirmed the name of the suspect.

ABC 10News learned the K-9, named Ryder, was treated for burns to his face but was released from a veterinary hospital hours after the incident.

Ryder is expected to fully recover from his injuries, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who was there when K-9 Ryder was discharged from the hospital.

"Our officers are out here protecting people, stepping into harm's way every single day," Wahl said. "It's the absolute least I can do to make sure they're okay in the hospital, and that goes for our K-9s as well."

Kristina Welsh, an emergency vet who has worked on K-9s before, added that recovery may be worse in the coming days as the burn wounds swell.

"Within a day or two it may evolve; we may see that the area [we] thought was localized could get bigger," Welsh said, emphasizing the need for recovery and rest.

Nearby neighbors who witnessed the action said they were concerned for their safety as it all unfolded Wednesday morning.

Jonah Gruber, one witness said, "There was a lot of yelling. [I heard] 'Drop the blowtorch, ' 'Come out with your hands up. I heard a warning shot. It was definitely scary. I haven't seen anything like that before. It only makes me worried as a resident living here anyone who has mental health issues or someone who is on some kind of drug can find a blowtorch and start burning people, or a dog. It makes me worried."

Gruber's girlfriend, Piper Whittington, also witnessed the events from her living room window where she was working. "I was like, what on earth is going on? We immediately ran back inside just because we felt it wasn't safe. I just moved here four months ago. It's wild that I'm seeing this."

On the banks of the Scioto River, as it snakes through downtown Columbus, Ohio, herons stalk fish as egrets wade in the shallows.

Wildlife isnt the only thing the river sustains. The Scioto helps to feed a public water system that serves more than 1.4 million customers in this fast-growing stretch of the state, where advanced manufacturing and tech companies are driving job gains.

The top water users here include entire suburbs, an Anheuser-Busch brewery and bottling plant, Ohio State University and a large Google data center in New Albany, a 20-minute drive northeast of downtown, according to public records.

As data center proposals proliferate across the country, neighbors are asking lots of questions about the industrys approach to water. But its tough to get clear answers about how much water these facilities need for cooling, to keep increasingly powerful computing equipment from overheating.

WATCH THE STORY BELOW:

Data center operators and other businesses are often reluctant to talk about how much water they use, citing competition and trade secrets. Most data centers in the United States tap into public water systems, but confidentiality agreements and state laws allow companies to shield details about their water consumption. Ohio is one of several states where legislators are considering mandatory reporting requirements for the industry.

Its very difficult to craft conservation standards and efficiency standards when you dont even know exactly how much water youre talking about, said Helena Volzer, director of water resources at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a nonprofit focused on protecting the regions water quality and supply.

But consumption figures from Columbus Water & Power, obtained through a public records request, provide some details and context. The utility serves one of the nations data center hot spots, where developers have flocked thanks to heavy power, available land and state and local incentives.

In 2025, companies affiliated with two Google data centers one in New Albany, the other in Columbus were among the top 10 customers in the water departments footprint.

Records show Googles New Albany data center used more than 1 billion gallons of water last year. Thats more water than the nearby suburb of Bexley, home to approximately 13,000 people, consumed. The Google data center in Columbus drew down approximately 448 million gallons last year, or about 1.2 million gallons a day.

But there arent many data centers on a list of the heaviest water users in the region. Near the top, along with Ohio State, Google and a handful of cities, youll find facilities that make and package all sorts of products, from beer and soft drinks to pet food, soaps, baby formula and synthetic rubber gloves.

John Newsome, the citys water administrator, said data centers account for roughly 3% of overall consumption in the Columbus water departments service area.

People are gonna have different opinions of it, he said of that number. I would say 3 percents not a huge burden on our system.

Last year, the department supplied 156 million gallons of water a day to customers across more than two dozen communities. Thats well below the systems daily capacity of 245 million gallons, Newsome said.

Hes not worried about running out of water anytime soon. But hes watchful.

Im not tapped into Lake Erie or the Ohio River. Were in the middle of the state. We have to capture our water, he said. If we can find a very efficient way to continue to have industrial growth in our area, without compromising our water supply for drinking water, that buys us many, many generations into the future on water supply for central Ohio.

Industry reports and maps indicate there are more than 150 data centers operating or planned in central Ohio, ranging from closet-sized facilities to sprawling campuses.

The New Albany International Business Park is home to 40 data centers so far, with more on the way. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft all have planted a flag at the park, along with operators including QTS, CyrusOne, EdgeConneX and Vantage. They sit side-by-side with manufacturers, distributors and biotech companies.

WATCH: Ohio's data center boom really started in New Albany. Here's what it looks like.

In late 2025, the entire 12,000-acre business park consumed about 9 million gallons of water a day about 56% of the 16 million gallons its entitled to under a service plan with the Columbus water department. That service plan was approved in 2015, long before New Albany became a destination for the data-center industry.

In most cases, its unclear how much water individual facilities are using. Columbus water officials see customer names and addresses. They dont know for sure if a building is a data center, a manufacturing facility, a warehouse or a power plant.

Economic-development contracts between companies and New Albany spell out expectations around water use. But businesses typically ask public officials to black out that information when copies of those agreements are released, citing trade secrets.

And in early 2026, the state legislature started requiring public entities to treat any information related to economic-development assistance applications as confidential a move that created tremendous uncertainty and the threat of criminal charges for officials. The Ohio General Assembly narrowed those new confidentiality requirements in June, but the recent updates to state law dont take effect until Sept. 23.

Water use at data centers also varies dramatically, depending on where the facilities are located and how they cool down computer hardware, which throws off a lot of heat.

Every time we are building a cooling system, it is based on that climate, said Adam Kramer, who leads the data center group for Panattoni Development Company, a major real estate developer working on projects in Ohio and across the country. And its based on the community. And its based off of the water infrastructure that is or isnt available.

Some data centers rely on air conditioning and fans to keep temperatures low.

There are water-based systems that cool the air through evaporation and closed-loop systems that recirculate coolants, like glycol, to absorb and release heat. Some data centers combine multiple methods, with different cooling systems inside and out.

Theres also immersive cooling, which allows workers to submerge servers in tanks filled with a special, heat-absorbing fluid. Each approach has trade-offs when it comes to up-front costs, complexity and water and energy use.

Its important to make sure that our cooling decisions are not one-size-fits-all, said Suzie Shin, who manages data center sustainability programs at Google.

The tech giant releases water-use information for its computing halls and offices as part of a yearly environmental report. The company has several data centers that use more than a billion gallons of drinkable water each year, like the one in New Albany.

But Google also uses air-cooling technology in some cities. A data center in Georgia depends on recycled wastewater, from toilets and sinks, for cooling.

If there is scarcity or a high risk of scarcity or a high risk of depletion, then we look for alternatives, said Shin, describing the companys approach to water as hyper-local.

Volzer, at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, wants to see disclosure requirements for all large water users. That would help policymakers and researchers get a better sense of who is consuming a lot of water and how to manage demand.

She and her colleagues have been studying water use at data centers, digging into everything from how wastewater gets handled to how much water the industry indirectly consumes for off-site power generation. Much of that research focuses on the recent wave of massive projects, the so-called hyperscale facilities designed to meet the ever-growing demand for data processing, cloud storage and artificial intelligence.

This is larger than anything weve seen before, Volzer said.

It might seem odd to have a conversation about water availability in the Great Lakes region, which is home to 20% of the worlds surface freshwater supply.

But, Volzer said, we have a responsibility to manage that water sustainably for not just generations today, but generations to come.

In Columbus, the water department recently flattened out its rate structure, getting rid of a system where commercial customers paid progressively lower rates as their water use increased. Officials are studying whether it makes sense to introduce a peak-rate system like surge pricing where businesses would pay more at times when their demand spikes.

Newsomes also exploring the possibility of using wastewater for cooling, starting in an industrial area south of the city. That recycled water would flow through a separate set of pipes to data centers, manufacturers and other businesses.

The businesses would pay to build that new infrastructure, allowing the city to turn wastewater into a commodity. Companies tapped into that system could pay a lower rate.

Thats very innovative, Newsome said. We have an opportunity to do it here, and were trying to take advantage of that opportunity.

The water department hopes to solicit proposals for that project next year.

After all, Newsome said, We only have so much water supply. We have a bucket. Once that buckets empty, then theres no more water put in.

This story was originally published by Michelle Jarboe at the Scripps News Group station in Cleveland.

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Months after two terrorists killed three men at a San Diego mosque, the City Council Tuesday unanimously adopted a working definition of Islamophobia with the intention of taking a moral stance against hate.

Dozens, including faith leaders, spoke in favor of the proposed definition, which reads: "Islamophobia is a form of racism, prejudice, discrimination, hostility, or hatred directed toward Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim, or their property, that targets expressions of Muslim identity or perceived Muslim identity and may manifest through speech, conduct, institutional practices, exclusion, intimidation, harassment, or violence."

Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera and Council President Joe LaCava proposed the action, the definition above serving as "an educational tool to help the city identify, condemn, and combat anti-Muslim hate and would reaffirm the city's commitment to religious freedom and civil rights," according to a statement from the council members.

On May 18, a pair of teenagers motivated by white nationalism gunned down the victims at the Islamic Center of San Diego before fleeing and fatally shooting themselves.

The victims -- mosque security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, and congregation members Nadir Awad, 57, and Mansour Kaziha, 78 -- "sacrificed their lives to protect the entire community inside the Islamic Center of San Diego," ICSD Imam Taha Hassane said.

"In an ideal San Diego, people of all faiths and backgrounds would feel safe and loved. Tragically, that is not the case. These are hard times," Elo Rivera said, noting that some members of the Muslim community did not feel supported by the city following the shooting. "Some of those harms have occurred here in these chambers."

Following the May attacks, the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego found that 88% of surveyed Muslims in San Diego County reported feeling less safe in their community, 74% reported increased concern for their personal safety because they are Muslim and nearly half expressed concern that threats against Muslims are not taken seriously.

Earlier this year, the council adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of Antisemitism, a move that has proved controversial owing to that definition's repeated references to Israel, which skeptics said conflates the Jewish community with that country. Muslim leaders told city leaders they were not consulted regarding that definition. Jewish faith leaders were also not consulted regarding the Islamophobia definition passed Tuesday.

Councilman Kent Lee said the move taken by the council was the "bare minimum" and La Cava said the action Tuesday was "just the beginning."

"This is an effort to carve a path forward from the horrific event," he said. "Hate has no room, no home in San Diego."

Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell agreed, saying Tuesday's vote sets a standard.

"When one community is targeted for its faith, we all have a responsibility to stand up and say `not here, not in California, not in America,"' she said. "We must always remember an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us."

Tasha Williams, a community activist and former candidate for mayor, said San Diego needed to follow the lead of other communities and use city resources to create an active shooter alert network, referencing not only the Islamic Center of San Diego, but also the earlier Chabad of Poway hate crime, which left one person dead and three injured.

Elo-Rivera and LaCava both said they supported the idea and would begin working toward such an alert system.

Following the May 18 attack, Abdullah Tahiri, president of the Muslim Leadership Council of San Diego, told reporters that his community was in a state of deep shock and mourning.

"This act of what we call domestic terrorism against the Islamic Center of San Diego, this was not only a mass shooting that happened at a religious institution, but this was a school mass shooting," Tahiri said. "And if it weren't for the bravery and selflessness of Amin Abdullah, the security guard who sacrificed his life, we'd have countless children dead today."

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters that Abdullah's actions, including promptly instituting a lockdown of the Eckstrom Avenue mosque and then engaging the killers in gunfire, "without a doubt delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two (shooters) from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque, where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet of these suspects."

"Tragically, he died in that gunbattle," Wahl said.

Awad and Kaziha also helped minimize the shooters' opportunities for inflicting further harm, according to police.

"The other two victims, as best we can tell with the video surveillance at the mosque, drew the attention of both of these suspects back out into the parking lot area, where they were unfortunately unable to flee, and both suspects were able to successfully corner them and kill both of them while both suspects were outside," Wahl said during the news conference at downtown SDPD headquarters. "The massive (police) response that was seconds away undoubtedly pushed both of the suspects to run back to their vehicle and flee the parking lot.

"And I want to be very clear -- all three of our victims did not die in vain. Without distracting the attention, without delaying the actions of these two individuals, without question there would have been many more fatalities yesterday."

Police received reports of another shooting in the area, this one just south of the Islamic center. Investigators later determined that the suspected shooters -- Cain Lee Clark, 17, and 18-year-old Caleb Liam Vazquez, both of San Diego -- had, while fleeing, randomly fired on a landscaper working on Salerno Street, missing him and leaving him uninjured, police said.

Not long after the second shooting was reported, officers were called to yet another nearby location. There, in the 3800 block of Hatton Street, a vehicle was stopped in the roadway, and inside it were the bodies of the suspected perpetrators of the shooting spree. They had shot themselves, according to police.

"Writings found in the vehicle described hatred toward various religions and races," the SDPD asserted in an online statement.

DENVER (AP) Cole Carrigg homered twice and finished 4 for 5, Troy Johnston had three hits and two RBIs, and the Colorado Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres 9-3 on Tuesday night to end an eight-game losing streak.

It was the first career multi-homer game for Carrigg, a 24-year-old rookie who finished a triple shy of the cycle. His three-run shot to right field capped a five-run sixth inning that gave Colorado a four-run lead.

The loss snapped an eight-game win streak for the Padres, who remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League wild card.

After relieving Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in the fifth, Ryan Feltner (6-10) gave up five hits and struck out five batters in five scoreless innings.

TJ Rumfield had two hits for Colorado to extend his on-base streak to 20 games.

The Rockies entered 5-21 in their past 26 games and had lost 11 of their previous 12 against the Padres. Colorado, at 56-95, needs to win at least seven of its final 11 games to avoid becoming the first team with four consecutive 100-loss seasons since the New York Mets from 1962-65.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Campusano and Austin Hays each hit a solo homer for San Diego. Tatis home run, which came on the second pitch of the game, was his 18th since the All-Star break.

Wandy Peralta (3-3) took the loss after allowing four earned runs in less than an inning.

When disaster strikes, most homeowners expect their insurance to cover a huge chunk of repairs. But a growing number are discovering they are responsible, out of pocket, for far more than they expected.

Carl Roberts learned that firsthand after a tree damaged his roof. He found out he would have to cover the first $4,000 in repairs himself.

"That's a pretty significant deductible," he said. "My spouse and I were a little shocked when we found that out."

Roberts said he didn't realize his policy had changed to 1% of his home's value.

RELATED STORY | US home sales weaken to slowest pace in more than a year as mortgage rates, home prices climb

"For a medium house of $400,000, that would mean you would have a $4,000 deductible," Roberts said.

In the past, he said he would have owed only $1,000.

WATCH as a homeowner warns how a rising deductible can be very costly:

What's driving insurance costs higher?

Extreme weather is a major factor driving insurance costs up.

The U.S. experienced 23 climate disasters with $1 billion or more in damages in 2025, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions. That's $115 billion in damages and the third-highest year of billion-dollar climate events on record.

But George Hosfield, vice president and general manager of home insurance at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, said weather is only part of the equation.

"I think the inflation and the underlying cost to repair a home that's what's really hitting consumers now," he said.

Here's what you can do

Some consumers choose higher deductibles to lower their monthly premiums. While a viable option for managing monthly costs, that can leave homeowners paying thousands of dollars before insurance coverage kicks in.

Hosfield said homeowners should review their coverage regularly, especially after making changes to their property.

"If you've done major renovations or additions to your home you name it those are the kinds of things that can really change how much coverage you need," he said.

RELATED STORY | Is your home covered? Why summer is peak season for insurance claims

Hosfield also urged homeowners to know exactly what their deductible is before they need to file a claim, "It's worth the consumer's time to take that call and have that conversation," he said.

In the end, Roberts found a contractor to fix his roof and gutter for under $2,000 but had to pay for it entirely out of pocket.

"That's a huge impact," he said.

Reviewing your policy before the next storm hits could save you from a costly surprise, so you dont waste your money.

_______________________________

Follow John:

For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com

Poway is moving closer to banning standalone data centers after the City Council unanimously advanced an ordinance Tuesday night.

If approved at the final vote on Oct. 6, the ban would take effect 30 days later.

Mayor Steve Vaus has been the driving force behind the effort, along with Councilmember Anita Edmondson, arguing data centers are not a good fit for the city.

"I'm not against AI. It's just AI data centers and the fact that they don't provide any jobs, which are critical to us. They're not a good fit," Vaus said.

Vaus has also pointed to limited land as a key reason for keeping data centers out of Poway.

I don't think it'll be that long before we see data centers in outer space," he said. "Once you run out of dirt, there's no more, so we wanna make sure our dirt gets used for businesses that are gonna benefit the community."

The push to ban data centers has gained momentum nationally as political leaders debate the ethics of expanding the facilities. Vaus said he is not concerned with how other cities or elected officials approach the issue.

"I don't care what other politicians do, Republican or Democrat. We do what's right for Poway," Vaus said.

Vaus first proposed the ban on standalone data centers to City Council members in July. Tuesday's meeting produced much of the same outcome.

During the meeting, Deputy Mayor Jenny Maeda suggested scaling back the ban to a five-year moratorium, which would give the council time to reevaluate the issue in the future. The proposal lacked support, and the ordinance moved forward with another unanimous vote.

Vaus said he was not surprised by the result.

"AI data center bans are becoming kind of the cause du jour. We just like to get things done here and we will," Vaus said.

Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the collision of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the news outlet said.

Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that two people were killed when the chopper went down. At least one other person was killed on the ground, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it, Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later the coverage cut off.

The helicopter, used by NBC and Telemundo, went down near a large storage facility in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, officials said. News crews were reporting on a collision from earlier in the day, when an SUV slammed into the middle of a city bus, killing at least two people and injuring six others. Photos and videos online showed half the SUV lodged in the side of the bus.

From the helicopter itself, its pretty well destroyed, Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the fire department, said. So we are going to have to go through the rubble and see how many victims there were on board, as well as identify the helicopter; we couldnt even see a tail.

At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter caught fire, which was quickly put out, according to officials. NBC4 reporter Robert Kovacik was at the bus scene and saw black smoke and rushed to the helicopter crash site. Dozens of police cars surrounded the scene as ambulances entered.

Two people were brought to a hospital, said Rico A. Gross, a fire department battalion chief. Their conditions were not immediately released.

Williams and the stations website identified the dead aboard the helicopter as Eliana Moreno, a familiar voice for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 during the stations aerial coverage, and pilot George Marciniw. Both were employees of Angel City Air, which operated the chopper.

Moreno, born in Orange County, joined the Angel City Air helicopter team in 2010, the same year she earned a broadcast journalism and political science degree from Chapman University. She reported for several Southern California news outlets and began flying with Marciniw in 2023, the NBC4 website said.

Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.

Losing five Angelenos is very painful, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. And I know this community of Chatsworth, hit hard, will be grieving for some time.

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles said in a statement they are deeply saddened and extended heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.

Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked the emergency crews responding to both crashes and said in a post on X that our hearts are with the victims and families.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said personnel will arrive Wednesday to begin an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash.

There have been at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the U.S. since 2000, killing 16 people, according to a review of federal accident records and news accounts.

They include a 2023 crash in a New Jersey forest that killed the pilot and a photographer aboard a helicopter used by Philadelphia station WPVI and a 2022 crash beside a Charlotte, North Carolina, interstate that killed a pilot and meteorologist during a training flight for WBTV.

San Diego Gas & Electric customers have questions about their electric bills specifically, why delivery fees are often higher than the cost of the electricity itself.

After viewers sent in their bills and posted their questions on Reddit, I brought those questions directly to SDG&E.

"Electric delivery fees are typically higher than the generation costs that they see on their bills every month... why is that?" I asked.

"We understand that affordability is a top priority for customers ... when you generate electricity here at San Diego Gas and Electric - we don't profit off of that," Anthony Wagner, a representative with SDG&E, said. "It's a pass-through directly to the customer. When you think about delivery, it's everything else that goes into delivering safe and reliable electricity into someone's home."

SDG&E does profit off the delivery portion of the bill. Think of it like buying a bottle of water you're not really paying for the water itself. You're paying for the bottle, the cost it took to deliver it, and to keep it cold. With SDG&E, that means paying for pipes, wires, crews, towers and grid improvements. Investors or shareholders then profit off of the investment in the electric grid itself, Wagner explained.

This year, regulators limited shareholders' profits for SDG&E to under 10%.

"I would say that wildfire risk is definitely a component, greening the grid [and] all this battery storage.." Wagner said.

I also asked why SDG&E customers seemed to be using less electricity and still paying more than in years prior.

"We've noticed a decline in electrical sales over the last several years, about a five percent decline. That is mainly attributed to a slowing of electric vehicle adoption and a slowing of customers electrifying their homes. In what that does, it causes upward pressure on the rate itself," Wagner explained.

SDG&E's position is that customers are paying for a lower-risk, high-tech, green energy infrastructure and that can come at a higher cost.

The first Black man to play for the San Diego Padres broke the color barrier in the Pacific Coast League, but not before facing discrimination while playing American Legion baseball.

Johnny Ritchey made history in San Diego by becoming the first Black man to play for the San Diego Padres organization earning him the nickname "Jackie Robinson of the West."

Ritchey played as a catcher for the Pacific Coast League and the Padres in 1948 and 1949. But before that milestone, he faced racial discrimination while playing American Legion baseball.

According to the historian for American Legion Post 492, Ritchey was not allowed to play in South Carolina in 1938 because of the color of his skin. Historian Bill Swank said Ritchey told him during an interview that it happened again 2 years later in North Carolina.

"He and Nelson Manuel were not allowed to play. That was the biggest trauma in his young life," Swank said.

Earlier this year, Swank spoke with the San Diego American Legion commander and asked him to file a formal resolution requesting an apology. The resolution passed at the state level and made it to the national committee, but was sent back with a request for more details.

"I don't feel that you have to beg something like this. I was told they need more details. How much more detail do you need to prove racial discrimination?" Swank said.

While the National American Legion has not issued an apology, Ritchey's family says they are focusing on his legacy.

His daughter, Johnaa Ritchey, described her father as "an excellent baseball player, an excellent person with a good character."

"I am overwhelmed at times at just how much of an impact my dad had on people who remember him," Johnaa Ritchey said.

Those who knew him personally also carry fond memories. Billy Capps, a former commander of Post 492, said he shared the field with Ritchey.

"I played, uh, probably 5 games with him," Capps said.

Johnaa Ritchey said her father's memory lives on beyond the baseball diamond.

"He was a good father. Uh, I remember going to uh softball games, baseball games," Johnaa Ritchey said.

Despite the national committee's response, Johnaa Ritchey said she remains grateful for the recognition her father has received at the local and state level.

"I think that my father as well as Nelson Manuel are both looking down and they both have a big smile on their face and they're probably saying I'm proud of the legacy that I left for my, you know, for my family," Johnaa Ritchey said.

ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) The City of Encinitas could be taking the next step toward installing red light cameras at city intersections on Wednesday.

The City Council will decide how to direct staff on how it should move forward with implementing the tech on Encinitas intersections.

I am open-minded about red light cameras. I think they could help, Mayor Bruce Ehlers said.

Now, the red-light camera conversation was supposed to be heard last week. 

But Ehlers told ABC 10News the conversation was moved after more data was found on previous red-light cameras at two intersections that they wanted public to be able to see. 

A city staff report showed Encinitas had the cameras until May 2020. 

They had a lot of really good data on what in essence was a 16-year pilot program already. And it shows that they're effective at those intersections, Ehlers said.

Advocates have been calling for the camera systems for quite a while now.

It would be a big step towards hopefully saving some lives and creating some structure around expectations of driver behavior in our city, Laura Van Dusen, a founding member of Safe Streets Encinitas, said.

ABC 10News has spoken to Van Dusen and her group about their fight to get the green light for red light cameras in Encinitas following the death of 12-year-old Emery Chalakian. 

I'm friends with the Chalakian family. Emery Chalakian was a 12-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a red-light runner in April of 2025. So, yes, this is worth spending money on, Van Dusen said.

Ehlers told ABC 10News he has a couple of questions before telling staff how to move forward. One is getting clarity on how much someone would be charged for a red-light ticket. 

Number two, what's the cost of the city? We want to make sure that it's not exorbitant. How many intersections can we practically cover and will, you know, last time we had approval to do the city moved forward with approval for 10, they chose to only do two, Ehlers said.

Theres hope from red-light camera advocates there will be positive steps forward toward getting the cameras. 

We'll keep pushing and we'll keep advocating to have an impact and make our streets safer, Van Dusen said.

Wednesday will likely be the coolest day of the week, with temperatures topping out near to 10 degrees below average! Thursday will be nearly as cool, with a minor warm-up into the weekend and another slight dip in temperatures early next week as storms pass through the Pacific Northwest.

You can expect 70s and 80s all week for the coast, inland and mountains and low-100s in the deserts.

A thicker marine layer develops into Wednesday morning and may produce sprinkles to patchy drizzle along with patchy fog for some inland areas. Slower clearing to sunshine Wednesday and Thursday, with faster clearing Friday into the weekend.

It will be breezy each afternoon and evening in the mountains and deserts with westerly winds of 15 to 35mph.

Wednesday's Highs: 

Coast: 71-76

Inland: 75-83

Mountains: 74-84

Deserts: 98-102

Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry. 

San Diego State's non-conference basketball schedule is designed to keep the Aztecs and their fans close to home, with road trips limited to Las Vegas, Palm Desert and Los Angeles, along with a series of games spread across San Diego County.

Head coach Brian Dutcher said the approach was intentional.

"The furthest we go in non-conference is Vegas. We go to Palm Desert and Vegas. We don't travel multiple time zones. So, we're either in the state or we're in a neighboring state," Dutcher said.

The Aztecs will open the season with five games in San Diego, though only three will be played at Viejas Arena. On Nov. 7, SDSU will face Colorado in the Bill Walton Classic at Pechanga Arena.

"Aztecs fans that used to go to games at the old Sports Arena will get a chance to go back," Dutcher said.

On Nov. 15, the Aztecs will play their first-ever game at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, taking on New Mexico State.

"Looking forward to getting up to Oceanside, get up to the North County area, and let some fans up there just stay close to home and drive to the game," Dutcher said.

One of the marquee non-conference matchups is a Dec. 29 road game at UCLA the first meeting between the two programs since 2012. The series also includes the first-ever return trip for the Bruins to Viejas Arena during the 2027-2028 season.

"I'm grateful to them for wanting to do that, and give our home fans a year from now an opportunity to have a UCLA game here in this building," Dutcher said.

Combined with a soon-to-be-released Pac-12 schedule that features three fewer trips to altitude, the Aztecs are looking at the most travel-friendly schedule of the Brian Dutcher era.

The season opener at Viejas Arena is on Nov. 3 against Cal State Fullerton.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)- A 39-year-old man with an extensive criminal history is facing four felony charges after police say he drove a stolen Tesla onto the Pacific Beach boardwalk Monday afternoon, critically injuring a 25-year-old woman.

Juan Antonio Gonzaba is accused of stealing the Tesla, driving it onto the boardwalk at a high rate of speed, and striking the woman. San Diego police arrested Gonzaba after bystanders at the beach chased him to a nearby parking lot and got him on the ground.

Police said the owner of a Tesla called to report their vehicle stolen, telling authorities they were tracking the Tesla from their app. Police believe Gonzaba was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.

He is facing felony charges for DUI, hit-and-run, vehicle theft, and evading police.

Court records show Gonzaba has 18 previous criminal cases dating as far back as 2009, with the most recent cases happening last year. Those cases involved burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, auto theft, and attempted kidnapping, among other things. The cases span across San Diego, East County, and South County. Court records also show Gonzaba was in and out of prison throughout the years.

The crash sent shockwaves through the Pacific Beach community, with many witnesses saying they came close to being hit themselves.

"I never expected this to happen to me, so I was like, I didn't expect it to happen at all. I would never expect anybody to come down a boardwalk where people are walking and on their bicycles, you know, I mean, people aren't oblivious to even me on my bike, so I mean, I can't imagine a car," said Alex Srour.

Gonzaba is currently being held at San Diego Central Jail. His bail is set at $100,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.