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Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton's plans for Calif. and San Diego

The Republican discusses income taxes, $3 gas, Sunbreak Ranch and the Tijuana River sewage crisis.

Election

It&#x27;s time to vote for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="governor" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/06/03/san-francisco-california-self-funded-candidates-chakrabarti-steyer-election-results" data-vars-content-id="08a65fad-9c3c-4843-bdba-d55e2d40e31c" data-vars-headline="Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton&#x27;s plans for Calif. and San Diego" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/06/03/san-francisco-california-self-funded-candidates-chakrabarti-steyer-election-results" target="_self">governor</a> in California.The big picture: Democrat Xavier Becerra is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="squaring off against" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/06/10/california-governor-race-runoff-steve-hilton-xavier-becerra-election-2026" data-vars-content-id="08a65fad-9c3c-4843-bdba-d55e2d40e31c" data-vars-headline="Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton&#x27;s plans for Calif. and San Diego" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/06/10/california-governor-race-runoff-steve-hilton-xavier-becerra-election-2026" target="_self">squaring off against</a> Republican Steve Hilton. Axios sent questions to both candidates and today we share Hilton&#x27;s responses.

Your San Diego pumpkin patch guide

From corn mazes to hayrides, these local farms offer fall fun for kids, adults and dogs this season.

Things to Do

The weather isn&#x27;t exactly autumnal, but that won&#x27;t stop us from getting our pumpkin patch on.The big picture: There are several across the county to choose from.

Padres return home with their season on the line

The Padres won nearly two-thirds of their games at Petco Park this season, giving fans some hope.

Sports

The Padres head home with their playoff backs against the wall, but there&#x27;s still reason for hope. State of play: Down 2-0 to the vaunted Milwaukee Brewers, the Padres have to win the next three to advance.

San Diego's 48th District candidates answer our questions

They discuss housing, health care and the issues that could put them at odds with their own parties.

The 48th Congressional District race is attracting national attention and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="big spending" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/11/senate-campaign-ad-spending-most-expensive-election" data-vars-content-id="e3eedc94-1c65-4a0e-a171-2ec2ab765f1f" data-vars-headline="San Diego&#x27;s 48th District candidates answer our questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/11/senate-campaign-ad-spending-most-expensive-election" target="_self">big spending</a>, as Democrats hope to flip the seat from red to blue.The big picture: Republican Rep. Darrell Issa opted not to run again after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="redistricting made the district favorable" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/10/09/how-prop-50-could-change-elections-in-san-diego" data-vars-content-id="e3eedc94-1c65-4a0e-a171-2ec2ab765f1f" data-vars-headline="San Diego&#x27;s 48th District candidates answer our questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/10/09/how-prop-50-could-change-elections-in-san-diego" target="_self">redistricting made the district favorable</a> to Democrats, and Democratic City Councilwoman <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Marni von Wilpert" data-vars-click-url="https://www.marnivonwilpert.com/" data-vars-content-id="e3eedc94-1c65-4a0e-a171-2ec2ab765f1f" data-vars-headline="San Diego&#x27;s 48th District candidates answer our questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.marnivonwilpert.com/" target="_blank">Marni von Wilpert</a> is hoping to capitalize on that.<ul><li>Meanwhile, County Supervisor <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jim Desmond" data-vars-click-url="https://www.desmondforcongress.com/" data-vars-content-id="e3eedc94-1c65-4a0e-a171-2ec2ab765f1f" data-vars-headline="San Diego&#x27;s 48th District candidates answer our questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.desmondforcongress.com/" target="_blank">Jim Desmond</a> is trying to keep the seat in the Republican camp.</li></ul>

Scoop: San Diego weighs AI tool to help write city policies

Madison AI would ingest city records to draft documents, raising security and oversight concerns.

Politics

The city is considering a contract with a company that sucks up city documents and then uses AI to write new policies for lawmakers to vote on.Why it matters: This would be a big jump in the city&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AI usage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/04/01/how-san-diego-uses-ai-government-copilot-gemini-future-potholes-records-requests" data-vars-content-id="e85b0d55-2f3a-4122-ae61-dc10b8ca32f3" data-vars-headline="Scoop: San Diego weighs AI tool to help write city policies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/04/01/how-san-diego-uses-ai-government-copilot-gemini-future-potholes-records-requests" target="_self">AI usage</a> and raises questions about the security of public data and whether we want robots drafting policies.

SDSU housing could squeeze College-Rolando Library parking

Parking disruptions once slashed the branch's circulation and foot traffic, supporters say.

A construction project to build more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="SDSU student housing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/09/23/student-housing-rent-growth-san-diego-university" data-vars-content-id="adcceb70-1ff7-4ea1-87f3-ae4a3c25bfdf" data-vars-headline="SDSU housing could squeeze College-Rolando Library parking" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/09/23/student-housing-rent-growth-san-diego-university" target="_self">SDSU student housing</a> could make it harder to visit the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="College-Rolando Library" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/locations/college-rolando-library" data-vars-content-id="adcceb70-1ff7-4ea1-87f3-ae4a3c25bfdf" data-vars-headline="SDSU housing could squeeze College-Rolando Library parking" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/locations/college-rolando-library" target="_blank">College-Rolando Library</a>, according to library supporters.The big picture: The library on Montezuma Road has long shared a parking lot with a church, but that church is being turned into five stories of off-campus housing.

Amazon delivery hub in Crown Point draws backlash

Amazon used a city parking lot as a base for package deliveries, prompting calls to shut it down.

Amazon set up a package delivery hub in Mission Bay over the weekend, and some city leaders are not happy about it, even as the retail giant said it was a mistake.The big picture: The company used a city parking lot in Crown Point to park a delivery truck, which workers used as a base to deliver packages by hand.

San Diego Navy families strain under Lincoln's long deployment

With no return date set, spouses say uncertainty, shortages and exhaustion are taking a toll at home.

As the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nears" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/14/trump-uss-abraham-lincoln-deployment-middle-east" data-vars-content-id="e5c989cc-9970-4b42-954e-02838dbbb645" data-vars-headline="San Diego Navy families strain under Lincoln&#x27;s long deployment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/14/trump-uss-abraham-lincoln-deployment-middle-east" target="_self">nears</a> nine months of deployment, including an unprecedented stretch at sea, the weight of it all keeps getting heavier for sailor families here.The big picture: The deployment’s blistering length has included a record-setting 240-plus days at sea without a normal port call, leaving the 5,000-plus sailors run ragged and lacking adequate food and supplies at times, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="multiple" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/uss-abraham-lincoln-navy-sailors-jumping-overboard-conditions-2237h2gl0" data-vars-content-id="e5c989cc-9970-4b42-954e-02838dbbb645" data-vars-headline="San Diego Navy families strain under Lincoln&#x27;s long deployment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/uss-abraham-lincoln-navy-sailors-jumping-overboard-conditions-2237h2gl0" target="_blank">multiple</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="news" data-vars-click-url="https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-08-13/uss-george-washington-middle-east-abraham-lincoln-22541038.html" data-vars-content-id="e5c989cc-9970-4b42-954e-02838dbbb645" data-vars-headline="San Diego Navy families strain under Lincoln&#x27;s long deployment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-08-13/uss-george-washington-middle-east-abraham-lincoln-22541038.html" target="_blank">news</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="outlets" data-vars-click-url="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/08/11/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say/" data-vars-content-id="e5c989cc-9970-4b42-954e-02838dbbb645" data-vars-headline="San Diego Navy families strain under Lincoln&#x27;s long deployment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/08/11/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say/" target="_blank">outlets</a>.

Flock backlash grows as San Diego keeps its cameras

Local critics have failed to halt the cameras, but a broader privacy backlash could revive the fight.

Public Safety

Local activists and some elected officials have <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tried and failed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/12/10/san-diego-police-flock-license-plate-surveillance-cameras" data-vars-content-id="c06cf897-c884-4afc-8e60-a61932717991" data-vars-headline="Flock backlash grows as San Diego keeps its cameras" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/12/10/san-diego-police-flock-license-plate-surveillance-cameras" target="_self">tried and failed</a> to get rid of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Flock cameras" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" data-vars-content-id="c06cf897-c884-4afc-8e60-a61932717991" data-vars-headline="Flock backlash grows as San Diego keeps its cameras" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" target="_self">Flock cameras</a> across the county, and now pushback against the license plate readers is spreading nationwide.Why it matters: The movement against cameras made by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Flock and similar companies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" data-vars-content-id="c06cf897-c884-4afc-8e60-a61932717991" data-vars-headline="Flock backlash grows as San Diego keeps its cameras" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" target="_self">Flock and similar companies</a>, fueled by concerns over privacy and police misuse, could bring new attention to local efforts to stop their use.

New Get It Done app still can't report off-leash dogs

The redesigned app makes city complaints easier, but off-leash dog reporting is still on the way.

San Diego has rolled out a new version of its Get It Done app, which is supposed to be easier to use. But it still doesn&#x27;t have a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="place to report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/04/28/san-diego-school-fields-off-leash-dogs-plan-delayed-humane-society-calls-get-it-done-app" data-vars-content-id="49e2efbc-d11a-4695-a01e-f546631fe153" data-vars-headline="New Get It Done app still can&#x27;t report off-leash dogs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/04/28/san-diego-school-fields-off-leash-dogs-plan-delayed-humane-society-calls-get-it-done-app" target="_self">place to report</a> off-leash dogs pooping up school fields.The big picture: The updated app lets you snap a picture of an issue, including trash or a broken sidewalk, and categorize it quickly, but city officials told Axios that a function to easily report off-leash dogs remains in the works.

Mission Bay bathrooms reopen after outcry

The city found new funding to restore 13 restrooms a month after budget cuts shut them down in July.

News

After just a month, the closed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="bathrooms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/06/mission-bay-bathrooms-closed-san-diego-budget-cuts-park-restrooms" data-vars-content-id="52ba1060-436f-46eb-8c57-6de1f258331d" data-vars-headline="Mission Bay bathrooms reopen after outcry" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/06/mission-bay-bathrooms-closed-san-diego-budget-cuts-park-restrooms" target="_self">bathrooms</a> in Mission Bay Park will be open once again.The big picture: Mayor Todd Gloria reversed the closures of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="13 park bathrooms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/05/14/san-diego-budget-public-bathrooms" data-vars-content-id="52ba1060-436f-46eb-8c57-6de1f258331d" data-vars-headline="Mission Bay bathrooms reopen after outcry" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/05/14/san-diego-budget-public-bathrooms" target="_self">13 park bathrooms</a> after public outcry.

San Diego studies adding housing to 7 city library sites

The city is studying whether affordable homes could be incorporated into seven library properties.

Development

Add to the list of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="buildings that could become" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/28/old-town-perrys-cafe-housing-midway-rising" data-vars-content-id="a27c579d-c90c-4182-bfa3-68b85f00ca25" data-vars-headline="San Diego studies adding housing to 7 city library sites" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/28/old-town-perrys-cafe-housing-midway-rising" target="_self">buildings that could become</a> housing: city libraries.The big picture: San Diego is weighing building housing on 11 publicly owned sites, including seven libraries.

Sara Jacobs puts free child care atop Democrats' agenda

San Diego families with two young kids spend about 40% of their income on care, one study found.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs has big plans this fall: help Democrats take back the House, then pass universal free child care.Why it matters: Democrats need an ambitious plan and big ideas to resonate with voters, and child care should be at the top of that list, Jacobs told Axios.

Sara Jacobs shares her quintessential San Diego outfit

Her local uniform pairs a sundress and sandals with sunglasses and a sweater for cool evenings.

Culture

San Diegans have their own fashion sense. But what that means is different to everyone.The big picture: To celebrate our distinct dressing style, we&#x27;re launching a new series on San Diego outfits, where we&#x27;ll ask locals what&#x27;s a quintessential OOTD to them.

Politics 🇺🇸

Xavier Becerra's gubernatorial agenda for California

Scoop: San Diego weighs AI tool to help write city policies

SDSU housing could squeeze College-Rolando Library parking

California vows to fight Trump's mail-in voting order

Amazon delivery hub in Crown Point draws backlash