Axios San Diego
May 26, 2026
1 big thing: Mission Trails bridge still stalled
When 21-year-old Max LeNail died trying to cross the river in Mission Trails Park in 2021, his parents set about building a bridge in his honor.
The big picture: But today, those bridge plans remain up in the air, stymied by bureaucracy despite a state grant secured to pay for it.
- And his parents are losing hope that there's a way forward.
Catch up quick: LeNail was a few months away from graduating from Brown University with plans to go to medical school when he died, his father, Ben LeNail, told Axios.
- He was living in San Diego and doing remote college during COVID.
- An avid trail runner, he went to Mission Trails on a stormy day for what was for him a short run up South Fortuna and then down the San Diego River Crossing Trail.
- That trail takes you across the river, which is a trickle of water in the summer, but can be waist-deep after heavy rain.
The city has long had a plan to build a bridge for those rainy months, but to date, nothing has been done.
Threat level: It tarted to hail at the end of LeNail's run and his watch's GPS data shows he paused on one side of the river, then decided to cross it, Ben LaNail said.
- Police said at the time he likely slipped and was carried downstream.
- LeNail was found dead the next day.
Flashback: After his death, his parents committed to building a bridge over the river.
- They worked on it for five years, raising $1 million from friends and family, and helped secure a $1.5 million state grant.
Yes, but: They ran out of funds conducting the multitude of environmental studies required.
- The state grant was only awarded to cover the construction costs, according to Jennifer Morrissey, Mission Trails Foundation Executive Director.
State of play: The grant funding is still available when the city is ready to take on the bridge project, Morrissey told Axios.
- Councilmember Raul Campillo, who represents the area, has long been pushing for the project and told Axios the project is still working its way through city bureaucracy.
Friction point: All of this is incredibly frustrating to Ben LeNail, who thought the bridge would honor his son's life.
- "Here is a project that was universally embraced, a private family decided to do all the work, and we were met with incredible opposition," he said. "This is the state we live in, where when good people want to do good projects, they are met with opposition at best and obstruction at worst."
2. 🌡️ Blast that AC, or not
About a quarter of San Diego County homes don't have air-conditioning, new census data shows.
Why it matters: AC can feel like a much-needed luxury here, with rising electricity costs and record-setting heat waves in the winter.
The big picture: Nationally, just 6.9% of U.S. households lacked AC in 2023.
- It was most uncommon in San Francisco, where 65% of homes lacked AC.
- And Los Angeles County had the highest overall number of homes without AC at nearly 702,000.
Between the lines: Some places don't get hot often enough to warrant AC installations, which could be an argument for our coastal neighborhoods.
- Pumping cool air through the house can also be too expensive because of high energy rates.
3. The Current: ⛴️ New ferry ride launching
5. 🧠 Our spelling whiz kid
Axios San Diego
