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  1. 6 a.m.Rain.60°
  2. NoonShowers.68°
  3. 6 p.m.Cloudy.63°
  4. MidnightShowers.62°
  1. TodayRain. High 68° Low 61°
  2. SatCloudy. High 70° Low 54°
  3. SunPartly cloudy. High 72° Low 56°
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Sunrise 6:16 a.m. Sunset 4:47 p.m.

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Friday, November 13, 2026

San Diego's budget projects balanced for the first time in 20 years

Plus, a record El Niño has the coast bracing for a wet, high-surf winter

The SDtoday team2 stories14 sources5 min read

City HallTop story

San Diego's projections show a balanced budget next year for the first time in 20 years

San Diego's budget gap fell to $88 million in the current fiscal year

Source: The Korea Daily

View as table
Value
FY2025$136 million
FY2026$258 million
Current fiscal year$88 million

If you've braced for another round of City Hall cuts, take a breath. Mayor Todd Gloria said at a Nov. 6 press conference that projections now let the city balance next year's budget without more spending cuts or tax increases. A small surplus is projected for fiscal year 2028.

The turnaround comes from city spending reductions, the new trash collection fee, hotel tax revenue, lower pension costs and a one-year wage freeze by city unions. Gloria cautioned the forecast isn't final.

  • Deferred maintenance and infrastructure needs: about $8 billion
  • Library hours: restoring them needs ongoing revenue, COO Bethany Bezak says
  • Minor shortfalls in the following four years: not ruled out

Have a view on the city's license plate cameras? The Council votes Mon., Nov. 16 on whether to end its Flock contract. Police Chief Scott Wahl defended the readers, citing the and a privacy advisory board. Officers must reference a case number to access data.

One burglary case shows how the plate readers are used

$90,000
in stolen property recovered in a Rancho Peñasquitos burglary
30 days
of plate-reader data the department retains
Nov. 16
Council vote on ending the Flock contract

Source: 10News.com

Weather

Scripps and NOAA say a record El Niño is already pushing San Diego's sea levels up

If you spend time at the coast, here's your heads-up. Scripps Oceanography and NOAA briefed on the super El Niño Thursday, and sea levels are already a record 1.5 feet above average.

1.5 feetabove average: the record sea levels San Diego has already seen

A typical El Niño lifts sea levels about 0.5 to 1 foot above normal.

“We are facing a triple threat here in terms of coastal impacts in California associated with this El Niño that is higher waves, more rain and higher sea levels.”

Mark Merrifield, UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography

The Sacramento Bee says rain is expected Friday and several more times this weekend from . The key Niño 3.4 region is about 6 degrees Fahrenheit above average, a modern record, and is projected to pass 7 degrees in December. Coastal flooding already hit at the end of October.

  • Ocean off California: more than 10 degrees above average
  • Kelp stress: many local species have a thermal threshold around 23°C
  • Kelp recovery after the last El Niño: over a decade

El Niño's effects are expected to stretch from this weekend to late spring

  1. Nov. 13Rain is expected, with more atmospheric-river rain through the weekend.
  2. Nov.–Dec.Kelvin waves are expected to prolong high sea levels.
  3. DecemberThe Niño 3.4 anomaly is projected to rise above 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Jan.–Feb.El Niño's boost to California rain moisture is expected to be strongest.
  5. SpringTemperatures are expected to decrease by late spring.

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Asked

Tap an answer to see how San Diego answered.

Asked

How are you getting ready for a wet El Niño winter?

News Notes · More

Storms

Strong thunderstorms were moving northeast at 25 mph along a line from Camp Pendleton to Imperial Beach at 3:49 a.m. Wind gusts up to 50 mph and pea-size hail were possible in places including Chula Vista, Oceanside, El Cajon and University City. KESQ

SDG&E

A San Diego City Council committee voted 2-1 Thursday to advance Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera's resolution to explore replacing SDG&E with a nonprofit, publicly owned utility. Separately, South Bay residents pushed back Thursday outside Chula Vista City Hall against SDG&E's proposed 8.6% rate hike. Mayor John McCann stood with seniors and said any increase needs to be reasonable and financially responsible. FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News10News.com

Streetlights

Fixing a broken San Diego streetlight now takes 340 days on average, up from 144 days in fiscal year 2021, a city audit found. The streetlight division paid $1.4 million in overtime last fiscal year. Times of San Diego

Average streetlight repair time rose from 144 to 340 days

Source: Times of San Diego

View as table
Value
Fiscal 2021144 days
This fiscal year340 days

UTC

Westfield UTC's new luxury wing adds 70,000 square feet of retail, with brands including Chanel, Hermès and Carolina Herrera, after an eight-year expansion. NBC 7 reports the mall is putting the finishing touches on a $1 billion transformation. CBS News 8NBC 7 San Diego

Santee

Santee kicks off the holidays Nov. 20 with a free celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Santee Trolley Square, 9884 Mission Gorge Road. Look for sledding, live music by Upstream, face painting and photos with Santa. The tree lighting is at 6:15 p.m. Santee PatchEast County Californian

The Buy

Two kitchen upgrades you’ll wish you got sooner: a safe + easy-to-clean 5-in-1 mandolin slicer that will cut your prep time in half, and these top-rated stainless steel mixing bowls that are nesting and dishwasher safe. Advertising from Amazon.

Featured Deal

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Older Adults

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Content marked with an * is advertising.

Asked

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Asked

What's on your weekend list?

Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 39 games

Quoted

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

— Marie Curie

Things to Do

Things to Do

San Diego, CA

Friday, Nov. 13

See every San Diego eventFeature your event

Jobs

The Buy

The Wrap

Little astronauts, this one's for you. The Children's Museum of Discovery in Escondido turns into an after-hours galaxy for Space Night on Saturday, Nov. 14, with space-themed activities that introduce kids to astronomy, astronauts, and aerospace. It runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. We're picturing a lot of tiny rocket pilots. Space Night is go for launch.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? SDG&E customers pack Santee hearings on an 8.6% rate hike

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Every source in this edition14 links · 12 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. The Korea Dailyen.koreadaily.com
  3. 10News.com10news.com
  4. FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI Newsfox5sandiego.com
  5. Sacramento Beesacbee.com
  6. KESQkesq.com
  7. FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI Newsfox5sandiego.com
  8. 10News.com10news.com
  9. Times of San Diegotimesofsandiego.com
  10. CBS News 8cbs8.com
  11. NBC 7 San Diegonbcsandiego.com
  12. Santee Patchpatch.com
  13. East County Californianeccalifornian.com
  14. San Diego events calendarsdtoday.5amcity.com

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SDtodayto me · Fri., Nov. 136:00 a.m.

San Diego's budget projects balanced for the first time in 20 years

Plus, a record El Niño has the coast bracing for a wet, high-surf winter

The TLDR

  1. San Diego projects a balanced budget for next year
  2. Council votes Mon., Nov. 16 on the Flock plate readers
  3. Record El Niño brings rain and high sea levels
Read this edition

More stories this week

From SDtoday’s other editions

All the news
EventsTwitchCon is in full swing at the Convention Center through SundayIf you're headed downtown this weekend, expect crowds. TwitchCon began Friday at the San Diego Convention Center and runs through Sun., Nov. 15.Your BillsDozens speak against SDG&E's proposed 8.6% rate hike in SanteeIf your SDG&E bill already stings, you had company in Santee on Tuesday. More than 100 people signed up to speak at the first of two California Public Utilities Commission hearings on the utility's request for 2028. SDG&E says the proposal could mean about $14 more a month for electricity and about $8 more for natural gas.City HallSan Diego's City Council approved the $4.2 billion Midway Rising plan for the old sports arena siteIf you live near Midway, big changes are coming. The San Diego City Council on Mon., Nov. 9 approved the $4.2 billion Midway Rising redevelopment, which would replace the old sports arena and add thousands of homes on city-owned land. It's billed as the largest affordable housing project built on public land in state history. Mayor Todd Gloria calls it a "home run," but local businesses now face displacement.

Around San Diego

From NBC 7 San Diego, SanDiegoRed and 2 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

More local news
  1. NBC 7 San Diego56 minutes ago

    Chula Vista volunteers clean up neighborhood ahead of potential El Niño rains, on NBC 7 San Diego

    More than two dozen volunteers collected 1,200 pounds of trash during a Chula Vista cleanup ahead of potential El Niño rains.

  2. Los Angeles Times1 hour ago

    Airports, passengers recover from FAA meltdown as chaotic holiday travel season looms, on Los Angeles Times

    Following a historic four-hour FAA ground stop triggered by a faulty communications router, U.S. airports face thousands of lingering flight cancellations and delays just days before Thanksgiving travel ramps up.

  3. FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News2 hours ago

    Mexican drug trafficker pleads guilty to smuggling narcotics into U.S. using aircraft, on FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News

    Mexican drug trafficker Marco Antonio Lopez-Guerrero pleaded guilty in federal court to leading a criminal organization that used juvenile girls and ultra-light aircraft to smuggle narcotics across the U.S.-Mexico border.

  4. SanDiegoRed2 hours ago

    Aeropuerto de Tijuana reporta afectaciones en vuelos por lanzamiento de cohete, on SanDiegoRed

    Se insta a los viajeros a ponerse en contacto con sus aerolíneas para conocer el estatus de sus vuelos.

  5. NBC 7 San Diego2 hours ago

    Ground stop aftermath: San Diego travelers share stories of delays and detours, on NBC 7 San Diego

    Flights resume at San Diego International Airport after a nationwide ground stop, but passengers continue to face delays and disrupted travel plans.