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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.

Politics

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.

What months at sea do to San Diego sailors and their ships

Life at sea brings long separations, fewer comforts and mounting maintenance needs.

News

Those Navy ships you see coming in and out of San Diego Bay are often full of sailors who have either just endured the endless exhaustion of a deployment or are on their way to one.Why it matters: Deployments cause stress not only for the men and women onboard, but for their ships, too, raising questions of how much sailors and the gray hulls they serve on can sustain.

Why San Diego has so many mosquitoes this summer

Hot, humid weather and high tides are helping mosquitoes multiply across parts of the county.

Health

It&#x27;s not just you — there are likely more mosquitoes biting this summer.The big picture: The hot and humid weather led to a mosquito boom, plus high tides created more marsh space for the buggers to breed, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to Fox 5" data-vars-click-url="https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/san-diego-mosquito-surge-vector-control/" data-vars-content-id="578e7140-6faf-4e8a-8f7e-1c188d0ac94e" data-vars-headline="Why San Diego has so many mosquitoes this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/san-diego-mosquito-surge-vector-control/" target="_blank">according to Fox 5</a>.

What it's like to ride in a driverless Waymo

Early rides will avoid highways, limiting longer trips while making shorter city hops more practical.

Transit

I got a brief preview of the not-too-distant future, when driverless Waymo cars will soon roam our streets.The big picture: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Waymo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/22/san-diego-waymo-reader-reactions-driverless-cars-autonomous-vehicles-opinions" data-vars-content-id="75682279-38fe-45f6-a3dc-27b31b23a593" data-vars-headline="What it&#x27;s like to ride in a driverless Waymo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/22/san-diego-waymo-reader-reactions-driverless-cars-autonomous-vehicles-opinions" target="_self">Waymo</a> received its final approval last week to roll out autonomous cars in San Diego and plans to launch in stages soon, spokesperson Sandy Karp told Axios.<ul><li>Last week, I went on a driverless ride.</li></ul>

How San Diego helped launch the self-driving car era

A 1995 cross-country drive ended in San Diego and helped prove autonomous cars could become reality.

Long before Waymos and Teslas <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="roamed our roads" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-cars-san-diego-robotaxi-rides-public-launch" data-vars-content-id="5b599bb0-8f0b-4346-80bf-c35d3f0263c7" data-vars-headline="How San Diego helped launch the self-driving car era" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-cars-san-diego-robotaxi-rides-public-launch" target="_self">roamed our roads</a> without drivers, there was the 1995 minivan that steered itself 2,849 miles from Pittsburgh to San Diego.The big picture: This minivan was one of the first demonstrations that self-driving cars were possible. It helped pave the way for some of the autonomous vehicles we see today, Todd Jochem, who worked on the project, told Axios.

San Diegans are split on riding in Waymos

Some readers love the driverless cars. Others say they'll never set foot in one.

Since Waymo&#x27;s arrival <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="in San Diego is imminent" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-cars-san-diego-robotaxi-rides-public-launch" data-vars-content-id="decd72ac-783b-486d-833f-cdd707360c5d" data-vars-headline="San Diegans are split on riding in Waymos" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-cars-san-diego-robotaxi-rides-public-launch" target="_self">in San Diego is imminent</a>, we asked if you&#x27;d ever ride in one of the driverless cars, and boy, did you have opinions.The big picture: Some of you can&#x27;t wait to hop in and ride with no one behind the wheel. Others say never in a million years.

San Diego starts lowering speed limits around schools

The city is installing thousands of new signs as lower speed limits roll out neighborhood by neighborhood.

San Diego is starting to cut speed limits on streets around schools in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa this week, and then will expand to the rest of the city.Why it matters: This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="part of a plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/03/24/san-diego-speed-limit-reductions-need-funding-2-4-million" data-vars-content-id="35d88603-339d-42d7-89ac-3d3009d6df99" data-vars-headline="San Diego starts lowering speed limits around schools" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/03/24/san-diego-speed-limit-reductions-need-funding-2-4-million" target="_self">part of a plan</a> approved by the City Council last spring to improve street safety.<ul><li>It came after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="multiple children were killed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/02/23/jackson-drive-lake-baldwin-stop-sign-tickets-andrew-olsen-san-carlos" data-vars-content-id="35d88603-339d-42d7-89ac-3d3009d6df99" data-vars-headline="San Diego starts lowering speed limits around schools" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/02/23/jackson-drive-lake-baldwin-stop-sign-tickets-andrew-olsen-san-carlos" target="_self">multiple children were killed</a> by drivers last year.</li></ul>

San Diego restricts rideshare pickups in Gaslamp

The new zones restrict pickups along 5th Avenue downtown on weekends.

Late-night Uber and Lyft pickups won&#x27;t be happening on Fifth Avenue in Gaslamp anymore. They&#x27;re now restricted to certain areas in downtown San Diego.Why it matters: The new designated rideshare locations are meant to ease traffic and the scramble to find your ride on busy nights.<ul><li>They arrived just in time for Comic-Con crowds.</li></ul>

Social events are enticing San Diegans to use public transit

Beer, hikes and ice cream are helping San Diegans choose public transit over driving.

If it&#x27;s been a while since you&#x27;ve hopped on a city bus, local organizers are hoping a beer will entice you.Why it matters: Advocacy groups are trying to convince locals that just because we live in a sprawling, car-centric city doesn&#x27;t mean driving is the only option, especially with more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="housing near transit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-san-diego-038e29ea-537d-4fc2-9886-fe0eac326e20.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="649c451a-7f21-4c73-91c0-d61deb454cbd" data-vars-headline="Social events are enticing San Diegans to use public transit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-san-diego-038e29ea-537d-4fc2-9886-fe0eac326e20.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_self">housing near transit</a> on the horizon.

San Diegans lost over a day to rush hour in 2025

Rush hour delays in San Diego totaled 30 hours on average, per a new traffic congestion report.

San Diego drivers lost 30 hours <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="stuck in rush hour" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/22/traffic-by-city" data-vars-content-id="676d9417-09c5-4635-bfdb-a03bbb485f08" data-vars-headline="San Diegans lost over a day to rush hour in 2025" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/22/traffic-by-city" target="_self">stuck in rush hour</a> last year, per the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="TomTom Traffic Index" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/" data-vars-content-id="676d9417-09c5-4635-bfdb-a03bbb485f08" data-vars-headline="San Diegans lost over a day to rush hour in 2025" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/" target="_blank">TomTom Traffic Index</a>.Why it matters: That&#x27;s more than an entire day staring at somebody else&#x27;s license plate, tail lights and — if you&#x27;re lucky — quippy bumper stickers.

Parking no longer free at Balboa Park or zoo

Here's what San Diego residents and visitors will pay — and how to register or pay by phone.

It&#x27;s official. You now have to pay for parking at both the San Diego Zoo and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Balboa Park" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/11/19/san-diego-city-council-new-paid-parking-plan-balboa-park" data-vars-content-id="cdf520a8-b58b-44cd-85e4-9668f6876feb" data-vars-headline="Parking no longer free at Balboa Park or zoo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/11/19/san-diego-city-council-new-paid-parking-plan-balboa-park" target="_self">Balboa Park</a>.Why it matters: This historic change is happening after City Council votes to help close the city&#x27;s massive budget gap.

The best and worst times for San Diego Thanksgiving 2025 travel

Wednesday evening traffic and Sunday airport crowds will be the worst — plan ahead and pack patience.

Holidays

If you&#x27;re <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="traveling for Thanksgiving" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/24/thanksgiving-travel-delays-weather" data-vars-content-id="a4e6200c-e4c1-4eef-85cc-71aaaa4283f8" data-vars-headline="The best and worst times for San Diego Thanksgiving 2025 travel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/24/thanksgiving-travel-delays-weather" target="_self">traveling for Thanksgiving</a> this year, remember to pack your patience.Why it matters: There&#x27;ll be a record-breaking 81.8 million Americans leaving town for Thanksgiving this year, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AAA" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/11/aaa-thanksgiving-travel-forecast-2025/" data-vars-content-id="a4e6200c-e4c1-4eef-85cc-71aaaa4283f8" data-vars-headline="The best and worst times for San Diego Thanksgiving 2025 travel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/11/aaa-thanksgiving-travel-forecast-2025/" target="_blank">AAA</a> predicts.<ul><li>About 90% of them will be driving, 7% will fly and everyone else will take trains, buses, or cruise ships.</li></ul>

San Diego drivers lost 88 hours to traffic last year

Drivers in the region lost 88 hours to congestion last year — the most since tracking began in 1982.

The average San Diego car commuter is spending a record 88 hours annually <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="stuck in traffic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/08/slowest-driving-cities-america-list" data-vars-content-id="d195f925-ad1f-47b2-b5af-374ef95986e3" data-vars-headline="San Diego drivers lost 88 hours to traffic last year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/08/slowest-driving-cities-america-list" target="_self">stuck in traffic</a> amid changes in when and why we drive, a new report finds.Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19 pandemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/cdc-covid-vaccine-rules-recommendations-high-risk-fda" data-vars-content-id="d195f925-ad1f-47b2-b5af-374ef95986e3" data-vars-headline="San Diego drivers lost 88 hours to traffic last year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/cdc-covid-vaccine-rules-recommendations-high-risk-fda" target="_self">COVID-19 pandemic</a>.

Transit 🚗

What it's like to ride in a driverless Waymo

How San Diego helped launch the self-driving car era

San Diegans are split on riding in Waymos

San Diego starts lowering speed limits around schools

San Diego restricts rideshare pickups in Gaslamp