Newsletter: 🐶🐈⬛ San Diego Humane Society offers discounted pet adoptions through July 🐰🐹
Plus, San Diego to spend $1 million on a new food assistance effort.
From cats, dogs and rabbits, to chickens, fish and turtles, my childhood home always included loving animal companions.
We welcomed my first pet — Tuxedo, a gray- and black-striped kitten — when I was 3, and my dog Pablo Picasso — a black lab and dalmatian mix — a few years later.
Since moving to San Diego more than two decades ago, I have lived with roommates and their pets but have not had the chance to adopt one of my own.
That changed last Friday when my husband and I met Bubba at the San Diego Humane Society and the loving, 8-year-old boxer mix joined the family. Every time I see him play with his corduroy dino toy or lay out in the sun on our patio, my heart fills with more love for him.
If you're also looking to add a furry friend to your home, this month, the San Diego Humane Society is running its quarterly Empty the Shelters promotion with discounted adoption rates in partnership with the BISSELL Pet Foundation.
— Lauren J. Mapp
Food distribution funding program
Facing rising food insecurity from federal CalFresh cuts, San Diego County is launching the Safety Net Bridge Program with local food banks, directing $1 million toward outreach and food distribution in 16 hard-hit zip codes starting mid-July.
— Sam Barney-Gibbs
San Diego Black Pride kicked off last weekend with its signature ball filled with runway performances set to vogue, house and club music at Liberty Station’s chapel. From Friday to Sunday, the nonprofit hosted a series of events as part of its sixth annual celebration of Black queer culture.
— Jenna Ramiscal
Block party returns to Encanto for third year
The Encanto Block Party Music Festival drew more than 1,500 people to Imperial Avenue, where they enjoyed live music and shopped from local vendors at the adjacent street fair. Organized by the Black Arts and Culture District, Sunday’s festival marked a return to a longtime Encanto tradition of block parties on Imperial Avenue between Woodman and 68th streets.
— Lauren J. Mapp
The organizers of Good News Bar’s monthly sober drag brunch aim to create a space that breaks from the part of queer community culture that promotes using substances to have fun and offers exploration for those who are sober-curious, or “sober-queerious.”
— Sam Barney-Gibbs
ICE’s internal watchdog is trying to intimidate the agency's critics by showing up at their homes, CoreCivic sold Otay Mesa Detention Center to the federal government and an ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican father who had resided in the United States for more than 30 years. Here's what happened last week in immigration news.
— Rami Alarian
Mass immigration hearings crowd courtrooms
The Trump administration is ordering dozens of immigrants deported at the same time through mega master hearings, where a single judge could have more than 100 cases on a given morning or afternoon during a mega master docket. Attorneys around the country have said that many people do not get notice of the hearing date changes in time, and researchers found that courts changed the hearing dates between nine and 35 days before the mega master date.
— Story by Kate Morrissey for Capital & Main
California lawmakers target price gouging in ICE detention
Immigrant detainees say they pay $20 for tampons and nearly $19 for instant coffee while earning only $1 per day through a federal work program.
— Story by Kani’ya Davis, Capital & Main
This week San Diegans can attend a crow-themed trinket swap, dance at Pride parties and learn about proper rainwater harvesting.
— Rami Alarian
Other news
An extreme heat warning for San Diego is in place through Thursday evening, NBC 7 reported. The county offers Cool Zones for San Diegans to escape the heat at 33 libraries, community centers and other locations.
San Diego City Council unanimously approved buying a $400,000 armored military robot that can emit non-lethal gas equipped with cameras and a claw that can open doors and walls, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
A wild bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on July 11 tested positive for rabies, according to the County of San Diego Communications Office. County Public Health Services is asking anyone who may have come into contact with the bat to call (619) 692-8499 immediately.
Rabies symptoms can take weeks or months to appear in humans and include flu-like fever, headache and fatigue; tingling or itching where bitten; anxiety; insomnia; fear of water and confusion, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The disease is nearly 100% fatal in humans without prompt treatment before symptoms appear.
Last year, unhoused seniors in San Diego County ages 55 and older were homeless for a month longer on average than younger people, Voice of San Diego reported. One of the primary challenges for unhoused older adults — who make up a quarter of the region’s unhoused population — is finding affordable housing while living on a fixed income.
Experts say that extremism that leads to violent incidents like the fatal shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in May can be prevented, as long as it's treated as a public health crisis, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office has failed to meet the state standard for 911 call wait times for four years in a row, according to inewsource. Last year, a quarter of people waited more than 15 seconds for their calls to be answered, and a fifth waited more than 20 seconds.
The Grammy Recording Academy welcomed San Diego R&B artist Geminelle as a new member, she posted on Instagram. Academy members include music professionals who advocate for creators rights and vote for Grammy winners annually.
Upcoming Events
July 16
Verbatim Books in the Park 'til Dark: Verbatim Books returns for the third year of its community reading series at Morley Field's Bird Park. Guests can bring a blanket, chair, dinner or snacks and their current read. Recurring every third Thursday of the month through September. 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Morley Field's Bird Park, corner of Upas and Pershing, North Park, San Diego, CA 92104
Paper Mates: Tender Hooligan hosts a weekly art night with open turntables organized by DJ Mane One. 6 - 10 p.m., every Thursday, 221 Third Ave Suite 101, Chula Vista, CA 91910
HeART Night: New Path Narcan Project and The Brown Building host their weekly HeART Nights series, offering a free arts and crafts activity as part of their harm reduction programming. 6 - 8:30 p.m., weekly on Thursdays, The Brown Building, 4133 Poplar St., San Diego, CA 92105
Poetry Night at Rumi Wine Bar: Rumi Wine Bar is hosting a poetry night for poets, writers, artists and poetry lovers to sip curated wines, share their work and listen to new voices. Takes place every third Thursday of the month. 6 - 8 p.m., Rumi Wine Bar, 2937 Lincoln Ave., San Diego, CA 92104
July 17
Crow Party: Honest Thrift & Plants is hosting a trinket-swap-and-mingle shopping event. Hosts ask attendees to bring at least one trinket to trade. Tickets available online. $5 entry. 5 - 7 p.m., Honest Thrift & Plants, 2609 Congress St., San Diego, CA 92110
Club Bae: Park & Rec hosts Club Bae, a San Diego Pride weekend party featuring DJs Von Kiss, Dauché, Jocelin, Felicia and Almond Eyez. Tickets are available online. $20 at the door until capacity is reached. 9 p.m., Park & Rec, 4612 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92116
Chicana Pride: Diskos Rayados hosts a pre-Pride party with an all-vinyl set of reggaeton, cumbias and quebraditas, featuring La Bux, La Crunchy 619 and Betty Bangs. 9:30 p.m. - late, West Coast Tavern, 2895 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92104
July 18
San Diego Pride Parade: San Diego Pride is hosting its annual Pride Parade, the region's largest single-day civic event and among the largest Pride parades in the country. Spectators can watch along a 1.5-mile route while community members marching with an organization can register with that group ahead of time. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., starting at University Avenue and Richmond Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103
Rainwater Harvesting 101: City Farmers Nursery is hosting CatchingH2O for a class on the basics of rainwater generation, passive versus active harvesting solutions and rebates and incentives available throughout San Diego. The event is free to attend with no RSVP required. 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., City Farmers Nursery, 3110 Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
Free Gender-Affirming Haircuts at San Diego Pride: Black Dagger Community Collective is offering free gender-affirming haircuts at the San Diego Pride Festival for the fourth year provided by volunteer hair stylists and barbers. The group is seeking volunteer stylists, barbers and community helpers; interested volunteers can email blackdaggercommunitycollective@gmail.com or submit an application online. Shifts at 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. and 2:30 - 6 p.m., July 18-19, Marston Point, Eighth Avenue and Balboa Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Agave: Ancient Plant, Future Landscape: City Farmers Nursery is hosting Deanna Moore of The Agave Lab for a class exploring Mexican, U.S. and California native agaves, their ecological roles, cultural history and human uses, including an agave show-and-tell. 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., City Farmers Nursery, 3110 Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
July 19
Garden Design for Busy People: City Farmers Nursery is hosting a class on creating a low-maintenance garden. The class will cover easy layouts, plant placement and design choices for an attractive, manageable outdoor space. The event is free to attend, no RSVP required. 9 - 10 a.m., City Farmers Nursery, 3110 Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
Chamorro Seafaring & Ancestral Knowledge Workshop: CHE'LU and CSU San Marcos PIC Health are co-presenting a workshop on traditional CHamoru seafaring and navigation practices, facilitated by CHamoru master carver Señot Mario Borja. The event includes hands-on cultural activities and a lunch provided by Guahan Grill. Registration is available online. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Guahan Grill, 515 Mission Ave., Oceanside, CA 92054
Summerween Movie Night & Sunday Pop-Up: Cocina Folklore, Ady Spellman Shop and Pasteles Hantilly are hosting a Summerween-themed pop-up and movie night at Mujeres Brew House, inviting guests to come in costume and enjoy themed drinks and food. Free admission. 4 - 8 p.m., Mujeres Brew House, 1983 Julian Ave., San Diego, CA 92113
