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Where Native Plants Thrive, We Thrive When native plants flourish, they create gardens full of life where everything is connected. Songbirds return, butterflies flutter by, and the landscape feels alive in a way that ordinary gardens do not. The 2026 San Diego Native Garden Tour invites visitors to explore this living connection across private gardens throughout the San Diego City region south of I-8 and west of SR-125 — all within San Diego’s coastal zone. This self-guided, two-day tour features gardens in southern San Diego on Saturday and in northern San Diego on Sunday, highlighting how native plants bring beauty, biodiversity, and resilience to urban landscapes. Visitors will see a variety of gardens — from small urban retreats to expansive landscapes — each with at least 60 percent native plants. Many feature plant signage linked to Calscape, the California Native Plant Society’s online database for California native plants, connecting guests with detailed plant information and design ideas through the tour booklet and website. Behind the scenes, a vibrant community of garden owners, artists, designers, volunteers, sponsors, and partners brings the tour to life, sharing creativity, expertise, and passion for native plants. For the first time, select gardens will offer Garden Tour T-shirts — beautiful, wearable art designed to share the tour’s spirit beyond the weekend. Tickets are now on sale, with EARLY-BIRDPRICING THROUGH THE END OF JANUARY. Artist applications are open through January 31, 2026, and sponsor applications are open through February 21, 2026. Proceeds support CNPS San Diego’s outreach and restoration programs, including the Bird Park Teaching Garden in Balboa Park. The California Native Plant Society - San Diego Chapter on Facebook / Instagram

You're invited to Dinner with Santa at Standley Recreation Center! Join us for a tree and menorah lighting, live music, arts & crafts, hot chocolate, cookies, and lot's of fun! Visit: https://www.sandiego.gov/event/dinner-santa-standley-recreation-center-1

This two-part program brings together music, poetry, and performance for an evening of boundary-crossing storytelling. In Act One, improviser Wilfrido Terrazas and poet Ronnie Yates explore the liminal space where their disciplines meet—Terrazas’s music shaped by the Mexico City poetry scene, Yates’s poetry by Houston’s improvised music world. The duo’s first-ever live collaboration promises an adventurous dialogue of words and sound. Act Two presents "The Mexican Husband" (2019) by Fabiola Carranza, a bilingual reimagining of Bertolt Brecht’s "The Jewish Wife" set in contemporary Los Angeles. The play follows a couple’s final night together before the husband flees across the border to avoid deportation—an unflinching, poetic meditation on immigration, separation, and resilience in the face of systemic injustice. Visit: https://www.projectblanksd.org/salty-series-2026 Project [BLANK] on Facebook / Instagram

Whether you’ve finished your book or are just getting started, if you want to be published, you’ll need to put together a query — which is not just a letter but an entire package of materials. In this two-hour, hands-on workshop, we’ll cover what you need to know to be sure your book submissions are the best they can be. You’ll learn tips for query letters, the difference between a summary and a synopsis, what you need to have ready for agents and editors, and what to expect during the process, from query to contract. Wherever you are in the journey, come ready to do some in-class writing, brainstorming, and goal-setting. Wednesday, January 7, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) (ZOOM, live) San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

Embark on a unique winter adventure from San Diego to Big Bear on our selected dates. Experience the thrill of this picturesque mountainous destination surrounded by majestic snow-covered landscapes. Our tours take you from San Diego to Big Bear on specific days, allowing you to enjoy this winter getaway. Immerse yourself in exciting activities such as skiing, snowboarding, or simply relax in a cozy setting with panoramic views. Don't miss the chance to explore Big Bear from San Diego on the scheduled dates. Book now and get ready for an unforgettable experience amidst the winter beauty of Big Bear! Limited Spots are Available! Dates Seasons opens in December of 2025 Costs: $125 per person only round trip transportation from all pick up locations ALL AGES About your Tour Trip Includes: - Round Trip Transportation - Lift Tickets (available for groups over 10 guests for an additional fee) - Ski/Snowboard Lessons (available for groups over 10 for an additional fee) - Equipment Rental (available for groups over 10 guests for an additional fee ) - Meal voucher (available for groups over 10 guests for an additional fee) Sample Itinerary: * - 5:30 a.m. Depart San Diego Pick Up Location - 9:15 a.m. Arrival to Big Bear Mountain Ski Resort (Snow Summit) - 10:30 a.m. Lessons Begin (if ordered) - 12:30 p.m. Lunch on your own or with meal voucher (if ordered) - 5 p.m. Depart Big Bear Mountain Resort for San Diego - 8:15 p.m. Arriving in San Diego Locations (Times are approximate) Pick Up Locations 1. Amtrak Train Station 1050 Kettner Blvd, Downtown San Diego, CA at 5:30 a.m. 2. Mira Mesa Location (Park n Ride) 9540 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126 at 6:10 a.m. (Convenient for Alliant University Student) 3. Escondido Transit Center (between bus & sprinter station) 796 West Valley Parkway, Escondido, 92025 CA at 6:40 a.m. (convenient for oceanside, san marcos, vista residents) 4. Promenade Temecula 40830 Winchester Rd Temecula, CA 92591 (TGIF Friday's) at 7 a.m. Five Star Tours on Facebook / Instagram

The unsettled atmospheric system also generated stiff winds and widespread overnight lightning ground strikes, including one that set fire to scores of trees in Escondido, authorities said.

The Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego welcomes iris yirei hu as the 2025 Longenecker-Roth Artist in Residence. iris is a multidisciplinary journey-based artist from Los Angeles who works across paintings, installations, intercultural collaborations, writing, and public art. She roots her art practice in processes of material and spiritual transformation, as evidenced in labor intensive pieces and installations that explore the subterranean realms of grief and loss, cycles of life and death, the earthly and the otherworldly, and the infinitely evolving self. Central to her practice is working across territories and peoples, through which she investigates how geography, kinship, and the sacred are reflected in cultural technologies and ecological practices. A lifelong learner, she has undertaken rigorous study of ceramics, weaving, and papermaking by being in community with culture bearers and experts, and proposes that the preservation of craft is integral to bridging cultural, geographic, and generational divides. In 2022, LA Metro commissioned iris to design a large-scale mosaic artwork for the future UCLA/Westwood Purple Line Metro Station slated to open for the 2028 Summer Olympics. She has exhibited at the Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena, CA); Center for Arts, Research, and Alliances (New York, NY); Museum of Contemporary Art (Tucson, AZ); Plug In Institute for Contemporary Art (Winnipeg, MB, Canada); John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI); Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; among many other venues. Notable awards and residencies include: John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Artist-in-Residence in Pottery (2025), Meztli Projects Cultural Worker Fellowship (2024), California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists (2022), Headlands Center for the Arts Artist-in-Residence (2022), California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship (2021), and Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2020 & 2018). UC San Diego Visual Arts on Facebook / Instagram

Join us at Play Day for another fun-filled family day! Get inspired inspired by Fox Maxy’s installation "Blood Materials" and create your own clay sculpture with us. Art Activity: Make animals, small abstract shapes clay, or a pinch pot with educators at MCASD . Additional Programming: At 11 a.m., join a kid friendly tour of works in the MCASD’s permanent collection. From 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., enjoy music, a book nook, and free play on McGrath Terrace. At 12:30 p.m., listen to stories, songs, and rhymes with Ms. Katia, Librarian on the Go. *Museum admission is free from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. for all visitors, with Play Day offerings happening between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. No RSVPs are required for Play Day admission. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego on Facebook / Instagram

South Bay Rec proudly presents A Merry Grinchmas Event free of charge using the code 128541 Arts & Crafts, Photobooth, free food, and a magic show! Visit: https://www.sandiego.gov/event/merry-grinchmas-event-south-bay-recreation-center

Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office in New York City after midnight Thursday. The city's first Muslim mayor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has promised to focus on affordability and fairness.