Yes, this is an items column. With due respect, somebody needed to pick up the reins after Tom Blair (rest in peace) and Diane Bell (enjoy buyout retirement in peace).
DOING THEIR DOWNTOWN “I DO’S”
East Village resident Jeana Wallace is respectfully aware of a 100-year-old, fourth-generation family wedding tradition. Her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents all got married on August 25. Guess what she’s doing on that date this year?
Yep, saying “I do.” For the second time to the same guy, actually.
Jeana (a San Diego Sun profile subject) first married Eddie Valenzuela on May 21. During the madness at this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Now, they’re making it official for family and friends. Downtown San Diego-style.
The meeting place is the bayfront InterContinental San Diego. The hotel is conveniently located near the city’s San Diego-Coronado Ferry boarding point. Guests will hop on the 4 p.m. ferry. The ceremony is at Centennial Park in Coronado (some surprises can’t be revealed).
The group will catch the 6:30 p.m. ferry back to San Diego. In time for a reception at Garibaldi’s in the InterContinental.
That evening, look for the lots of bubbles on the InterContinental lawn. Jeana holds a fun annual “Bubble Pop Up” event in East Village, hosted by her company Regency West Insurance. The Sun predicts bubble production for the nuptials will be…poppin’.
THE MAYOR’S MEDIA KERFUFFLE
The Sun isn’t active on the cesspool currently known as X (formerly Twitter). But peeks are allowed, and the shade thrown out on X last week symbolized a dark day for mayoral-media relations.
In short: La Prensa San Diego denounced San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s communications team for not inviting the media outlet to a tour of the city’s safe campsite for people experiencing homelessness.
La Prensa had requested access. Invitations to media outlets went out, but not to La Prensa. (Not to The Sun, either.) When La Prensa complained about the snub, their X feed says a mayoral spokesperson replied: “I know this is going to be hard for you to swallow, but you’re not special…”
Hmm. A diligent media outlet that voraciously covers homelessness need not be special. It does deserve equal access to news stories that are important to its readers.
As happens during social media drive-bys, shrapnel splattered. In this case, it hit veteran Voice of San Diego reporter Lisa Halverstadt. (No need to rehash it.) It shouldn’t need to be stated, but Halverstadt is the region’s leading repertorial voice on homelessness. Especially in the wake of the buy-out-induced retirement of The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Gary Warth.
Let’s not let half-baked social media posts allow an internecine squabble to overshadow the central issue: The mayor’s office regularly ignores media requests. The Sun sees this on a regular basis.
The Todd Squad likes to use the catchphrase: #ForAllOfUs. Gloria’s comms team ought to reflect on the literal meaning of that hashtag.
LAST WORDS
- At 92 years old, Star Trek icon William Shatner will become the oldest inductee this year in the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Hall of Fame. Shatner’s portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk sparked interest in space for millions of viewers. Shatner also journeyed into space in 2021 aboard Jeff Bezos’s rocket; and is widely credited for solving the Trouble with the Tribbles.
- For the third straight year, the San Diego Padres are raising ticket prices. Underperforming mediocrity comes with a price. In this case, a nine-percent bump.
- If you’re one of the half dozen people who hasn’t been to a Taylor Swift concert (or want to relive the euphoria) there’s the second day of Lumi Lunch (Taylor’s Version) on Sunday, August 13. Karma may be your bestie, but reservations go quickly.
- On National Cubano Day (Wednesday, August 23) Buy Uno, Get Uno Free at Havana 1920 in the Gaslamp Quarter.
- The Smoking Gun in the Gaslamp Quarter is celebrating six years in business with $6 food-and-drink specials from 3 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 24. Get a Banana Sunset Roller Disco cocktail and a Frito Pie for $12. Order that with a straight face. SDSun
