El Torito Closes La Mesa Restaurant As Once-Mighty Mexican Chain Continues To Disappear

Another longtime San Diego County restaurant is saying goodbye as one of Southern California's most recognizable Mexican restaurant chains continues its decades-long retreat. El Torito has announced the closure of its La Mesa restaurant, bringing an end to a familiar East County dining destination as the 72-year-old company, which once operated nearly 200 restaurants across the country, has dwindled to a fraction of its former size.

From $4 Million To Nearly $30 Million: San Diego's Mission Beach Lifeguard Station Disaster Exposed In Internal City Records

San Diego taxpayers were initially told that emergency work at the deteriorating Mission Beach Lifeguard Station would cost approximately $3 million to $4 million. Now, newly obtained internal City records and direct responses from San Diego officials confirm a much larger financial reality: $29.6 million in combined estimated costs, $20.9 million in replacement funding still unsecured, and lifeguards continuing to occupy the original observation tower for months after structural engineers recommended against its continued use.

Popular San Diego Birria Restaurant Launching New Nighttime Dining Concept In City Heights

One of San Diego's most beloved destinations for traditional Mexican birria and menudo is preparing to expand into evening dining. Family-owned Birrieria y Menuderia Guadalajara, which has built a loyal following for its slow-cooked goat birria, rich consommé and handmade tortillas, has announced the November 4 grand opening of Vamos a Cenar, a new nighttime dining concept at its City Heights restaurant.

Crumbl Cookies Closes San Diego Location As Viral Dessert Empire Faces 70% Sales Collapse And Dozens Of Shutdowns

One of America's fastest-growing dessert chains is experiencing a dramatic reversal, and San Diego has not escaped the fallout. Crumbl, the viral cookie company that built a billion-dollar-scale brand around oversized cookies, rotating flavors and social media hype, has permanently closed its Mira Mesa location as the once-booming chain confronts plunging sales, dozens of nationwide closures and growing financial pressure on its franchise operators.

Controversial Billionaire "Papa" Doug Manchester Wants To Bring AI To San Diego, So We Asked AI What It Knows About Him.

San Diego billionaire developer Douglas "Papa Doug" Manchester wants to help usher the city into the age of artificial intelligence, with his development team exploring a massive 400-megawatt AI data center as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Navy's sprawling Old Town property. But before San Diego welcomes a project designed to power the technology of tomorrow, we figured it might be entertaining to ask that very technology what it knows about the man behind the proposal.

San Diego Restaurants Closures & Downgrades This Week (October 16 - October 22) Due To County Health Department Inspections

A location of San Diego-born pot pie chain, a popular Convoy District yakitori restaurant, a well-known San Diego coffee chain, a couple fast food restaurants, a burger destination, some local sushi spots, and several other restaurants and eateries across San Diego County are among the 18 food establishments ordered temporarily closed or downgraded following health inspections from October 16 through October 22, 2026.

San Diego's Pop Pie Co. & Stella Jean's Publicly Admit Health Closure Over Vermin

Two of San Diego's most recognizable homegrown food brands have temporarily closed their original University Heights locations after their owners reported that health inspectors discovered evidence of vermin, but rather than quietly shutting their doors, Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean's Ice Cream took the unusual step of publicly announcing the closure, explaining the findings and accepting responsibility. Newly released county inspection records, however, present an unexpected discrepancy: the official public report makes no mention of vermin or pest droppings despite confirming the closure.

'Friday' And 'Elf' Star Faizon Love Avoids San Diego Assault Trial Despite History Of Violence

Actor and comedian Faizon Love, who grew up in San Diego before becoming a Hollywood fixture in films including Friday and Elf, has avoided an upcoming felony assault trial over allegations that he attacked a female hotel employee in Mission Valley. A San Diego Superior Court judge granted the 58-year-old actor two years of mental health diversion on October 21, allowing him to pursue treatment rather than face immediate prosecution, despite objections from prosecutors who pointed to his history of confrontations and a previous assault conviction.

Controversial San Diego Restaurateurs Take Over Hotel La Jolla Rooftop With Aries, Led By Acclaimed Chef James Montejano

Acclaimed San Diego chef James Montejano is taking the lead in the kitchen of Aries Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge, an ambitious new coastal dining and nightlife destination coming to Hotel La Jolla. But while the chef brings an impressive culinary pedigree to one of San Diego's most spectacular restaurant settings, the restaurateurs behind the venture arrive with a complicated history of health department closures, disputed workplace allegations and a seemingly endless cycle of restaurant rebrandings.

REVIEW: Weezer, The Shins And The Songs That Outlive The People We Used To Be

On a rainy Wednesday night at San Diego State University, three generations of alternative rock converged for a sold-out celebration of music, memory and the remarkable realization that the songs of our youth can somehow become the soundtrack to someone else's.

Billionaire Developer's Secretive San Diego AI Data Center Pitch Exposes Trump Ties, Housing Questions And 99-Year Navy Land Deal

A billionaire developer, a secretive 400-megawatt AI data center proposal, close ties to the Trump administration and a potential 99-year deal involving prime San Diego Navy land. What happened to the promise of thousands of homes, and could residents end up paying higher electricity bills? Newly obtained public records also reveal that the former head of San Diego's public electricity provider retained her $505,270 annualized salary in a remote advisory position while securing a separation agreement potentially worth more than half a million dollars.

San Diego Burger Bar Key & Cleaver's Original City Heights Location Listed For $1.45 Million

Less than four years after opening its original San Diego restaurant and months after expanding into North County, locally owned burger bar Key & Cleaver is facing an uncertain future at its flagship City Heights location. The property at 4727 University Avenue has been listed for sale for $1.45 million, with the offering including the fully equipped restaurant, liquor license and other assets, raising questions about whether the neighborhood establishment will remain in its original home.

San Diego Supervisor's $250,000 Taxpayer-Funded Ad Blitz Raises Questions Over Congressional Campaign Ties

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond reportedly spent nearly a quarter-million dollars in taxpayer funds promoting his official social media presence while running for Congress. But newly examined campaign finance records raise an even more troubling question: Why was the county employee overseeing Desmond's public communications also personally paying for digital advertisements for his congressional campaign, later collecting tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements from the campaign, while public money was being spent advertising on some of the same platforms?

San Diego Moves To Kill Flock Surveillance Cameras As Mayor And Police Chief Fight Back

San Diego's controversial network of more than 500 automated license plate readers moved one step closer to extinction Wednesday after a City Council committee voted to advance efforts to terminate the city's contract with surveillance technology giant Flock Safety, setting up a potentially explosive confrontation with Mayor Todd Gloria, Police Chief Scott Wahl and a newly emboldened coalition of privacy advocates demanding an end to mass vehicle surveillance.

Carlsbad's Cinépolis Luxury Cinema Closing After 35 Years

Another longtime San Diego County movie theater is closing permanently, as Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas La Costa Paseo Real in Carlsbad prepares to shut its doors on Thursday, October 29, ending 35 years of movie screenings at the property. The six-screen theater at 6941 El Camino Real has operated under the Cinépolis brand since 2011 and was among the Mexican cinema giant's earliest locations in the United States.

San Diego Mexican Restaurant Celebrates 55 Years Weeks After Health Shutdown And Retraction Demand

One of San Diego's most recognizable Mexican restaurants is preparing to celebrate 55 years of margaritas, mariachi music and handmade tortillas, but the milestone comes just weeks after county health inspectors ordered the establishment closed over major food safety violations and its representatives demanded that SanDiegoVille retract reporting based on official inspection records. Now, a glowing anniversary feature published by Times of San Diego is highlighting Casa de Pico's celebrated history without mentioning the recent shutdown or the controversy surrounding it.