July 29, 2026 (San Diego) – Recent top stories in other media include fire insurance relief for San Miguel Fire Dsitrict residents, challenges to SDG&E’s proposed rate hikes, AI answering some local police calls, a lawsuit over a Voter ID initiative’s ballot description, the federal government buying a local ICE detention facility, controversies over use of technology at Kaiser, Poway’s mayor seeking a ban on AI data centers, Temecula planners concerns over SDG&E’s power line proposal, mass whale die-offs, and more.
Local
State
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Local
East County fire district added to state list, offering insurance relief (10 News)
Homeowners in parts of East County could soon see relief on their home insurance bills. As of July 1, the San Miguel Fire Protection District — which includes Crest, Spring Valley, Mt. Helix and Rancho San Diego — was added to California’s Fire Risk Reduction Community list. The designation requires insurers to ‘take into account and reflect the reduced wildfire risk in the area. It will last 2 years. Fire Marshal Jon Newman said the district qualified based on its community outreach and fire mitigation efforts.
E-bike takeover paralyzes El Cajon traffic (10 News)
A mob of e-bikes took over multiple streets in El Cajon on Friday afternoon, paralyzing traffic across 6 lanes and sending drivers into a panic….Lisa estimated the riders were between 8 and 12 years old — middle school age.
Consumer advocacy groups formally challenge SDG&E’s proposal to raise rates in 2028 (KPBS)
Several groups are formally pushing back on San Diego Gas & Electric’s request to raise customer rates by 8.6% in 2028, citing affordability concerns. Under the proposal, an average electric bill would jump about $14 over 2027 estimates, while a natural gas bill would rise about $8. Edward Lopez, executive director of the San Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action Network, cited a California Public Utilities Commission report that found SDG&E’s average residential electric rates have already risen 98% over the last decade.
AI is now answering non-emergency calls to El Cajon police (NBC 7)
The city of El Cajon is now using a new artificial intelligence system to answer non-emergency calls to police, aimed at reducing hold times for callers and alleviating the volume of calls on dispatchers.
Poway mayor pushes to ban AI data centers, saying they would ‘decimate the city’ (10 News)
Mayor Steve Vaus says a single large AI data center could consume as much energy as every home in Poway combined.
Kaiser nurses say technology is making their jobs — and patient care — worse (CalMatters)
Call center nurses at the health giant said workplace surveillance tools and AI prioritize speed and cost savings over quality and safety.
The Temecula City Council and east San Diego County planning group worry the projects could increase wildfire risk. They also say SDG&E hasn’t been forthcoming about the proposals.
How researchers are using ground sensors to predict cliff collapse (KPBS)
Ground sensors can help predict the collapse of cliffs along San Diego’s coast according to research conducted over four years by Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists…. Young said over the course of the research the team predicted five cliff collapses hours to days before they happened at the sites. The goal of the research was to analyze if developing an early warning system for coastal erosion is feasible.
San Diego County’s top election official affirms confidence in local voting procedures (KPBS)
During a primetime address to the nation Thursday, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that voting by mail in California and other places is “inherently corrupt.” He also referenced…the length of time it takes to certify an election here. Shawn Brom, San Diego County’s Registrar of Voters, said unequivocally there’s no significant voter fraud locally. Roughly 90% of ballots are cast via mail in San Diego County, according to Brom. He said election staff follow many steps to ensure votes are legitimate. For example, verifying the signature on a mail ballot and suspending a lost mail ballot when a voter requests a replacement. State law provides 30 days to certify elections. Brom said his office typically takes about a week to process ballots, then uses the remaining time to audit results and provide opportunities to add missing signatures to legitimate ballots.
State
Trump’s new immigration strategy revealed in purchase of 2 ICE detention centers in California (CalMatters)
As California officials try to block immigration facilities across the state, the Trump administration is deploying a new strategy to secure detention capacity on the West Coast. It’s buying up the real estate outright.
Voter ID-backers sue California attorney general over ballot description (Los Angeles Times)
Backers of a November ballot measure that would require Californians to verify their identity when voting sued state officials on Monday, alleging bias in how the ballot’s summary is written.
California lawmakers weigh ending charity tax break for Imperial County ICE detention center )KPBS)
A growing number of state and local officials are backing a bill to end a long-running tax break for the immigration detention facility, which was revealed by a KPBS investigation earlier this year.
Proposal would allow drivers to trade personal data for potentially lower insurance rates (KPBS)
AB 311 would change California insurance law by allowing drivers to opt in to being tracked through telematics, which transmits data to insurance companies.
Researchers declare “catastrophic mortality event“ as 145 gray whales found dead on West Coast (CBS 8)
Experts say at this pace, 2026 could wind up being one of the deadliest years on record for these marine mammals.