San Diego may have expensive housing, but it still ranks as one of the 10 best U.S. cities for raising a family, according to the financial services website WalletHub.

The Miami-based company ranked 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populous, plus at least two cities from each state — on five measures:  affordability, education, health, socio-economics and family fun opportunities.

San Diego came in 8th, with measures of education and family fun outweighing affordability.

Five of the ten best cities were in California, including top-ranked Fremont, Irvine, San Diego, San Jose and Huntington Beach. Only one city in California’s arch-rival Texas — Plano — made the top ten. Pembroke Pines was the top city in Florida, coming in at 40.

“While not perfect — given personal preferences and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a better sense of their options,” WalletHub said.

Other cities in San Diego County made the extended list, including Chula Vista at 43 and Oceanside at 70.

With San Diego in the lead, U.S. home prices reached another record level in March, according to the authoritative Case Shiller Index released Tuesday.

The average U.S. home price rose 1.3% in March following a 0.7% increase in February and was up 6.5% over the past 12 months.

But in San Diego, prices were up 2.2% in March after 1.7% in February and over 11% in the past year.

“This month’s report boasts another all-time high,” says Brian D. Luke of S&P Dow Jones Indices. “We’ve witnessed records repeatedly break in both stock and housing markets over the past year.”

“San Diego stands out with an impressive 11.1% annual gain, followed closely by New York, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, indicating a strong demand for urban markets,” he said.

Prices grew slightly faster in San Francisco and Seattle than in San Diego in March, but those cities’ real estate markets has fallen further, and San Diego remains far ahead over the past 12 months.

An elderly man and woman were found dead in their Santee home Sunday by San Diego County Sheriff‘s deputies.

The deaths in the 300 block of Lantern Way were reported around 11:25 a.m., according to Lt. Michael Krugh.

Both victims suffered head trauma, Krugh said. Their names were being withheld pending notification to the next of kin.

Krugh said there is no outstanding suspect and no danger to the community.

Anyone with information was asked to call homicide detectives at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 565-5200, or anonymously contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Ten San Diego County nonprofit organizations were surprised with $10,000 grants from Cox Charities this week for local programs that support K-12 education, digital equity, conservation and sustainability, and military and veterans.

Cox Charities is a philanthropic foundation led and funded by Cox Communications employees and supported by the company.

The 2024 San Diego Cox Charities community grant recipients and their programs are:

• Alpha Project — Its Permanent Supportive Housing program for veterans provides residents with emergency rental assistance, food, transportation, household supplies, and medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and power chairs.
• Cyber Seniors — Digital training workshops in English and Spanish for older adults that include basic technology training, as well as practical knowledge on how to use technology to connect to friends, family and the community.  
• Downtown San Diego Partnership Foundation — The O-Lot Digital Resource Hub in downtown San Diego will close the digital divide for clients temporarily living in a safe sleeping site and invest in their future by providing access to critical resources to help end their homelessness.
• Experience Nature Unplugged — Through outdoor classrooms and nature-inspired STEAM activities, the nonprofit empowers tweens and teens to use technology intentionally to build community, reduce loneliness and inspire confidence in outdoor settings.
• Forever Balboa Park — Expansion of volunteer programs to maintain and enhance Balboa Park for all visitors, and recruit and train 100 tree maintenance corps volunteers who will help maintain new biodiversity gardens and exterior gardens around the restored Botanical Building.
• Healthy Day Partners — The Straight 2 The Plate Mobile Garden Classroom helps food insecure individuals and families grow their own healthy food and become less reliant on food donations by providing gardening workshops in underserved communities.
• Living Coast Discovery Center — The grant will provide field trips to the center for schools with high poverty levels so that students can explore a nature reserve, interact with wildlife and participate in hand-on STEAM activities.  
• Mama’s Kitchen — The grant will fund meals for 360 critically ill veterans in San Diego County. Meals are home-delivered and medically tailored to improve the quality of life for critically ill veterans and their families.
• San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum — The grant will enable the museum to provide 525 scholarships for younger students from under-resourced communities in San Diego County to participate in STEM educational workshops.
• TERI Inc. – The grant will enable the nonprofit to double its capacity for neurodiverse students to participate in its STEM programs and robotics.

The popular, free Sundown Sunday concert series at Civita in Mission Valley returns this summer on June 9 with a concert by the 1980s dance band BetaMaxx. 

The high-energy band delivers a non-stop, nostalgia-filled rock concert that keeps the dance floor packed with tunes from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode and more. 

The concerts run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the outdoor amphitheater in Civita Park at the intersection of Civita Boulevard and Russell Park Way. Guests are invited to bring blankets, beach chairs and picnics.

Take-out meals are available across the street at Poki Bowl and El Tianguis or from a selection of food trucks. 

On July 7 Republic of Music will take the stage. This cover band performs hits from every significant musical style. The band is known throughout Southern California for its raw, emotive energy and 600-song repertoire.

On Aug. 11, the Mighty Untouchables return to Civita Park. This popular multi-cultural mix of musicians and singers entertains throughout the world, bringing everything from Motown to classic rock, along with Latin, country and current pop hits. 

Their repertoire includes songs from Lizzo, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Prince, Toto, David Bowie, The Temptations, Journey, and more.

The wildly successful Kicks Band will debut at Civita Park on Sept. 8.  Kicks is a variety dance band whose musical repertoire spans six decades. The band got its start performing full-time in clubs throughout Southern California, then branched into the Las Vegas casino and corporate circuits.

The 14-acre Civita Park is the civic heart of Civita, a 230-acre master-planned community being developed by Sudberry Properties on a former rock quarry site in Mission Valley. The multi-level public park features active play areas, civic event areas, gardens, stylish group seating, a community garden, a dog park, outdoor game areas, a military tribute, and an interactive splash fountain.

A woman died after crashing a vehicle into a tree in Valley Center on Sunday evening.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Rock Hill Ranch and Valley Center roads around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The woman was temporarily trapped in her vehicle, the CHP reported. Her name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

It was unclear if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

No other injuries were reported and the crash remainder under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Mall developer Simon has announced plans to develop 850 luxury apartments at Fashion Valley on the site of the JC Penney store that is closing next year.

“We’re excited about this next phase of Fashion Valley as we continue to reinvest and add a walkable, livable lifestyle community that is intertwined with handpicked luxury brands that can only be found here,” said Mark Silvestri, president of development at Simon.

“This redevelopment marks a new era of sophistication and convenient living in San Diego,” he added.

Simon is partnering with luxury apartment developer AMLI Residential on the Mission Valley development, which will include 100,000 square feet of new retail and dining space. Work is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete by the end of 2026.

Fashion Valley has just completed a multimillion-dollar revitalization to continue to draw shoppers from greater San Diego and northern Baja.

“Due to this unique positioning and Simon’s continued reinvestment, it attracts some of the most prominent names in luxury and European fashion” said Vicki Hanor, senior executive vice president and managing director of luxury leasing for Simon.

The mall recently announced that three first-to-market luxury brands will join the lineup including Celine in 2024, and both Christian Louboutin and Fendi in 2025. 

Few details of the planned housing were released, but AMLI described it as a “dynamic living environment — a vibrant, diverse and exclusive residential enclave featuring incomparable amenities and high-end finishes.”

AMLI owns and manages 77 apartment communities, including about 26,000 apartment homes, and has over 2,900 additional units under development at seven new communities.

A new street sign honoring the late community leader and former Assemblymember Howard Wayne was unveiled in Linda Vista on Saturday.

The honorary sign reading “Howard Wayne St” was placed at the intersection of Morena Boulevard and Buenos Avenue.

“Howard’s passion to make a positive impact wherever he went and with everything he did  was an inspiration for so many in the community, myself included,” said San Diego City  Councilmember Raul Campillo, who arranged for the sign.

“He truly loved his community, and his community loved him. I’m grateful to be able to celebrate Howard with an honorary street naming in his home neighborhood of Linda Vista,” Campillo said.

Wayne, who died in November 2023, served as a deputy attorney general, assemblymember for the 78th District, and chair of the Linda Vista Planning Group.

The site of the street sign was chosen because Wayne was instrumental in the Morena Corridor Plan and because his wife, Mary, lives nearby.

A pedestrian was struck and killed early Saturday morning on a freeway ramp near Golden Hill, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The victim was hit around 5 a.m. on the ramp from westbound Route 94 to northbound Interstate 5.

Several cars may have hit the person according to reports from the scene, and drivers stopped to speak with officers.

Traffic was halted for 30 minutes until the lanes were cleared. The fatal collision remains under investigation.

City News Service and OnScene.TV contributed to this article.

State Sen. Shannon Grove’s bill to make prostitution of a minor a felony passed the state Senate on a vote of 36-0, but with amendments that weakened protections for teens aged 16 to 17 and gave judges sentencing discretion.

“The crime of purchasing a child, of any age, for sex in the state of California should be a prison felony,” said Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield. “I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate Pro Tem and Senate leadership for, once again, passing on an opportunity to restore amendments to the bill and stand up for all of California’s children.”

“We must restore this bill in the Assembly to protect every child in the state of California from the horrific crime of sex trafficking,” she said.       

Prior to the floor vote on Thursday, the Public Safety Committee made amendments to Senate Bill 1414 that in Grove’s view significantly weakened the legislation. Those changes were:

• Soliciting children 15 and under for sex can only be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. 
• Soliciting children 16 and 17 years old is only punishable as a misdemeanor.
• A felony conviction carries possible but not mandatory jail time.
• A conviction does not automatically require registration as a sex offender.

Led by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, the committee amended the bill because they considered it overly broad and were concerned about unintended consequences.