Axios San Diego
August 13, 2025
1 big thing: Walking with elephants
A remodeled elephant habitat will open at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park early next year, offering guests an up-close look at the animals and the zoo's wildlife conservation efforts.
Why it matters: The Denny Sanford Elephant Valley is the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's "largest and most transformative project" in its 109-year history, according to the alliance.
Driving the news: The zoo announced the new opening timeline and construction update on Tuesday, which was World Elephant Day.
Zoom in: The reconstructed habitat is designed to replicate the African savanna and grasslands through the seasons, with horticulturists and arborists curating hundreds of plants, like African thorn trees that elephants eat.
- Guests will be surrounded by elephants on multiple sides as they walk on pathways alongside and above the herd. They'll also be able to see the world's largest mammals play and swim in a 240,000-gallon watering hole.
- Mkutano House, a new two-story restaurant at the center of the habitat, was inspired by traveler lodges on African safaris.
- Nearby Mkutano Park will host educational programming about African wildlife.
What they're saying: "Every detail of this habitat has been purposefully designed to reflect the elephants' natural environment, supporting their well-being while inspiring meaningful connections," San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance interim president and CEO Shawn Dixon said in a statement.
The big picture: Through this exhibit, the zoo is looking to highlight Kenyan culture and communities, where people and elephants coexist.
- It will also highlight the collaborative conservation efforts the zoo supports in Africa with several organizations there.
Between the lines: African savanna elephants are an endangered species, and their populations are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, poaching and challenges to coexisting with humans, according to the zoo.
- Researchers are using the Safari Park's herd to better understand their social behaviors and health needs, monitoring techniques and the protection of elephants in the wild.
- The zoo is also helping the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary fund a mobile veterinary unit to provide care in the remote wilderness of northern Kenya.
Follow the money: The project, which has been under construction since 2022 and is now 80% complete, was funded by more than 4,000 donors, including a major gift from longtime zoo supporter and billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford.
If you go: The new experience will be included with admission to the park, which already offers a variety of additional immersive wildlife safaris.
- The park is open daily from 8am-4pm. Tickets are $66 for kids and $76 for adults.
2. 🏠 Risk of selling homes for less than they cost
About 2.7% of San Diego County home listings were at risk of selling at a loss in May, Redfin estimates.
The big picture: There are a lot more sellers than buyers in the U.S. real estate market, Redfin said.
- A small but growing share of sellers nationwide could sell their homes for less than they paid for them.
By the numbers: Nearly 6% of U.S. homes for sale risked selling at a loss in May, up from around 4% a year earlier, though still historically low, per Redfin.
If U.S. home prices fall by 1% — as Redfin has predicted will happen by the end of 2025 — the overall share of homes at risk of selling at a loss will rise to 6.4%.
- In San Diego, a 1% price decline would mean 3.1% of homes were at risk of selling for a loss.
Between the lines: Homes purchased post-pandemic (after July 2022), as prices soared to new highs, are more likely to sell at a loss than those bought during or before the pandemic.
Zoom in: In San Diego, about 1% of single-family homes and 4.9% of condos for sale are at risk of selling at a loss, per the report.
- 9.7% of homes bought after the pandemic and 5.1% of homes bought during the pandemic are at risk of selling for a loss.
- Just 0.2% of homes bought before the pandemic face the same risk.
Reality check: There's a difference between taking a loss and being "underwater," or owing more money to your lender than the house is worth.
- Nearly all sellers have enough equity in their homes to sell them for more than they owe, per Redfin.
3. The Lineup: 🗑️ Trash fee fight
4. 🍸 Sips and snacks: Pre-dinner drinks at Lala
Lala is my new go-to spot to grab cocktails before dinner in Little Italy.
Dig in: The cozy-chic bar and lounge tucked away next to Barbusa on India Street opened last year and the vibe is perfect for a fancy and flirty girls' night out.
- It's run by the Busalacchi family, which also owns popular Italian restaurants Barbusa and Nonna + Zucchero in the downtown neighborhood.
What to order: The sweet and spicy Lala martini leans into the veggie cocktail craze with peppadew pepper infused vodka, housemade brine, lime, muddle basil, serrano and tomato.
- The La Sirena cocktail is smoky and tropical with mezcal, luxardo rosso, pineapple, lime and coconut.
The intrigue: Lala's Busa oat milk espresso martini is the Busalacchi family's signature drink that's also sold by the bottle.
If you go: It was pretty easy to walk in and get four seats at the bar for a weekday double date, but they take dinner reservations too.
- Lala is open daily from 5-11pm, with happy hour until 6:30pm.
Best bites: After enjoying cocktails and a warm baguette with salted butter, we walked across the street to Bencotto for dinner on the patio.
- There, the homemade pasta tossed in a 60-pound wheel of parmigiano reggiano cheese was fun to watch and dripping with rich, creamy flavor.
Axios San Diego
