Follow the local stories shaping San Diego in five minutes each weekday. Enter your email to get the next local briefing.
The Henderson Fire began on Oct. 15, 2026, in the western portion of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near Henderson Street and Brown Street. Driven by hot, dry and gusty conditions, it expanded rapidly, affected base operations and temporarily shut down a major stretch of Interstate 5 near Oceanside.
A Santa Ana wind and heat event began affecting San Diego County on October 15, with separate National Weather Service alerts for inland, mountain and foothill wind-prone areas and the coast. The combination of dry offshore winds, low humidity and unusually warm coastal temperatures raised concerns about fire weather, outages and hazardous driving conditions. County officials urged residents to secure outdoor objects, prepare for possible outages and use air-conditioned Cool Zones if needed.
San Diego County Office of Education said Mountain Empire Unified School District schools would close Friday, Oct. 16, because high winds could make travel hazardous, particularly for school buses. NBC San Diego reported that the closure came amid dry, hot Santa Ana wind conditions, with a National Weather Service high-wind warning affecting inland, mountain and foothill areas of the county. The closure is district-specific rather than a countywide shutdown of all San Diego County schools.
Dangerous Santa Ana winds, low humidity and dry vegetation prompted heightened wildfire preparations across Southern California in mid-October 2026. California directed CAL FIRE and Cal OES to preposition personnel, engines, aircraft and equipment before the wind event, while San Diego County agencies increased staffing and staged resources locally. The winds also created risks of unplanned power outages, though SDG&E’s current forecast showed no Public Safety Power Shutoffs expected through October 22.
The League of California Cities, known as Cal Cities, is a statewide membership organization for California cities. Its board elected Carlsbad Council Member Teresa Acosta as president for a one-year 2026-27 term during the organization’s annual conference in Anaheim. Acosta, elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 2020, is Cal Cities’ first Latina president and the first president from Carlsbad.
The Navy is pursuing a revitalization of its 70.3-acre Old Town Campus in San Diego, which houses NAVWAR and other tenant commands. Manchester/Edgemoor LLC has been selected as the potential master developer and is in exclusive negotiations with the Navy. Under the contemplated leasing approach, a developer could build new government facilities in exchange for the right to develop part of the site, but the Navy says environmental review and project decisions remain pending.
San Diego County replaced its aging Bonita animal shelter with a new East Shelter in Santee at 452 Riverview Parkway. The new facility has fewer dog kennels than Bonita, but the kennels are larger, have outdoor access, and are part of a broader design intended to improve animal care and adoption experiences.