Welcome to Monday!
A strong storm soaked all of San Diego County this weekend with some record rainfall, but while the worst of the storm is gone, there are more chances of showers today and throughout the work week. We have the latest info, and Max Goldwasser's microclimate forecasts, to get you ready for a day of more wet weather.
Overnight, President Trump reversed course and encouraged House Republicans to release the Jeffrey Epstein files ahead of a crucial vote.
A family-run Tierrasanta restaurant was weeks away from shutting down for good, but it’s not celebrating 50 years in business. We’re following through with the community’s efforts to save Gaetano’s and the special honor they’re getting from the City of San Diego.
Also in today’s Streamline newsletter, catch up with our Weekend Wrap-Up and explore more useful stories to start your day:
WEEKEND WRAP-UP:
THE STREAMLINE:
WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Monday, Nov. 17 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
San Diego County gets a break from the stormy weather Monday morning, one day after heavy showers dropped more than two inches in some parts of the region, but forecasts predicted more heavy rains expected later Monday followed by another storm later this week.
"A weaker Pacific storm will move through the area this afternoon through Tuesday evening, bringing widespread rain and mountain snowfall for areas above 5,000 feet.," said the National Weather Service. Isolated showers continue into Wednesday with moisture wrapping around the north side of the low pressure system.
A third system predicted to begin by late Thursday or Friday could bring another storm and much more rain, though details about that sytem still remain uncertain.
USEFUL RESOURCES: LATEST WEATHER ALERTS | INTERACTIVE RADAR | SANDBAG LOCATIONS
Saturday saw at least 1.27 inches of precipitation in San Diego -- about a quarter-inch more than the city averages during the entire month of November -- 2.40 inches at Camp Pendleton and 2.30 inches in Oceanside, the National Weather Service reported.
The California Highway Patrol responded to as many as 20 incidents per hour countywide throughout the day, including spinouts, traffic collisions flooded highways, and mud, dirt and rock slides among other traffic hazards, according to the CHP's online traffic incident information page. Calls for service Sunday were a fraction of that, typical of weekend traffic.
San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighters and lifeguards responded to several water rescues in the city throughout the day Saturday, according to the department's online dispatch log, but there were no such calls for service as of midday Sunday.
The SDFD put out a call to all stations Sunday morning advising that the city was in a Water Rescue Alert 1 status, reducing personnel from Saturday's Water Rescue Alert 3 status that was in effect all day. A fire department spokesman told City News Service that Sunday was more of a typical day regarding calls for service.
A rain advisory for all coastal beaches and bays that was issued Saturday by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality remained in effect Sunday.
"Beachgoers are advised that rain brings urban runoff, which can cause bacteria levels to rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets, and may cause illness," the agency said in a statement.
Water contact such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided during rain and for 72 hours following the rain event, according to health officials.
Businesses in South Mission Beach were drying out Sunday after a day of typical flooding that occurs along Mission Boulevard whenever it rains heavily during high tides.
The Beachcomber bar stayed open during Saturday's flooding, as patrons were advised to wear flip-flops and enter through the back door, according to an employee who did not want to be identified when contacted by phone.
Mission Market stayed open Saturday, but there were no customers due to the lack of access, according to employee Diego Delahoz, who said the water level reached about six or seven inches outside and remained that high all day. The market did not flood.
"If we didn't have the sandbags and wood blocking the door, we would have been flooded for sure," Delahoz said. "It happens every time it rains for more than an hour."
The flooding had subsided by the time Delahoz returned to the store Sunday for his 8 a.m. shift.
Horse racing was back on as scheduled Sunday after the rain forced the Del Mar Race Track to close Saturday.
To help the unsheltered weather the storm, the San Diego Housing Commission activated shelters across the city. A full list of the facilities is available online at sdhc.org/homelessness-solutions.
"Safe and dry shelter can be the difference between life and death for our most vulnerable neighbors, including families, young children and seniors," said Jim Vargas, president and CEO of homelessness services agency Father Joe's Villages. "Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly throughout every inclement weather period to ensure that people are safe, warm and fed. Last year alone, we provided 4,672 bed nights of inclement weather shelter, which adds up to one person sleeping in one bed per night."
San Diego city staffers were monitoring more than 46,000 storm drains during the rainy weather, along with recently cleared channels in the Chollas Creek area. Residents can report storm-related issues, such as flooding or downed trees, by using the Get It Done app or by calling 619-527-7500.
Sandbags were made available in limited supply to San Diego residents leading up to the storm.
The city of San Diego took precautions to protect residents at Safe Sleeping Program sites and other homeless-shelter locations by fortifying some areas with sandbags. Outreach teams were in the San Diego River and other areas alerting people of the coming rain and offering resources.
Temperatures will be on the cool side all week, in line with traditional November weather. The forecast for next weekend shows clear skies.
City News Service contributed to this report
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said House Republicans should vote to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case, a startling reversal after previously fighting the proposal as a growing number of those in his own party supported it.
“We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on social media late Sunday after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a weekend in Florida.
Trump's statement followed a fierce fight within the GOP over the files, including an increasingly nasty split with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had long been one of his fiercest supporters.
The president’s shift is an implicit acknowledgement that supporters of the measure have enough votes to pass it the House, although it has an unclear future in the Senate.
It is a rare example of Trump backtracking because of opposition within the GOP. In his return to office and in his second term as president, Trump has largely consolidated power in the Republican Party.
“I DON’T CARE!” Trump wrote in his social media post. “All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT.”
Lawmakers who support the bill have been predicting a big win in the House this week with a “deluge of Republicans” voting for it, bucking the GOP leadership and the president.
In his opposition to the proposal, Trump even reached out to two of the Republican lawmakers who signed it. One, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, met last week with administration officials in the White House Situation Room to discuss it.
The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted.
“There could be 100 or more” votes from Republicans, said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., among the lawmakers discussing the legislation on Sunday news show appearances. “I'm hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.”
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. That is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had panned the discharge petition effort and sent members home early for their August recess when the GOP's legislative agenda was upended in the clamoring for an Epstein vote. Democrats also contend the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition and gain the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.
Massie said Johnson, Trump and others who have been critical of his efforts would be “taking a big loss this week.”
“I'm not tired of winning yet, but we are winning,” Massie said.
The view from GOP leadership
Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.
“We’ll just get this done and move it on. There’s nothing to hide,” adding that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been releasing “far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.”
The vote comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.
Johnson said Trump “has nothing to hide from this.”
“They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said.
Trump's association with Epstein is well-established and the president's name was included in records that his own Justice Department released in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.
Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someone’s name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.
Khanna voiced more modest expectations on the vote count than Massie. Still, Khanna said he was hoping for 40 or more Republicans to join the effort.
“I don't even know how involved Trump was,” Khanna said. “There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.”
Khanna also asked Trump to meet with those who were abused. Some will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.
Massie said Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump's endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record, if they vote “no,” that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.
“The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump's presidency," Massie said.
A MAGA split
On the Republican side, three Republicans joined with Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Boebert.
Trump publicly called it quits with Greene last week and said he would endorse a challenger against her in 2026 “if the right person runs.”
Greene attributed the fallout with Trump as “unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files.” She said the country deserves transparency on the issue and that Trump's criticism of her is confusing because the women she has talked to say he did nothing wrong.
"I have no idea what’s in the files. I can’t even guess. But that is the questions everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard?” Greene said.
Trump’s feud with Greene escalated over the weekend, with Trump sending out one last social media post about her while still sitting in his helicopter on the White House lawn when he arrived home late Sunday, writing “The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!”
Even if the bill passes the House, there is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will go along. Massie said he just hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., “will do the right thing.”
“The pressure is going to be there if we get a big vote in the House," Massie said, who thinks “we could have a deluge of Republicans.”
Massie appeared on ABC's “This Week,” Johnson was on “Fox News Sunday,” Khanna spoke on NBC's “Meet the Press” and Greene was interviewed on CNN's “State of the Union.”
Story by Kevin Freking and Chris Megerian, Associated Press
CONSUMER:
With the holidays quickly approaching, more San Diego families are ditching flights and instead hitting the roads to explore their own backyard.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel shows some low-cost ways San Diegans are enjoying America's Finest City:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
Local Italian restaurant Gaetano's was on the brink of closing down just months before celebrating its 50th anniversary — until ABC 10News stepped in to tell their story.
WATCH — Reporter Ava Kershner explains how the Tierrasanta community has rallied to keep the family-owned business going since her story first aired in August:
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