The FBI detained Alexander Paffendorf on Tuesday. He was allegedly plotting a mass shooting with the Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow. Then, a controversial provision in next year’s defense budget will strip coverage for gender-affirming care for military family members under the age of 18. Plus, Sweetwater Union High School District moves forward with new cuts to the schedule at Chula Vista High. Students, parents and teachers are worried those changes will hurt the school’s arts program.

The San Diego City Council is forming a special committee focused on lowering housing, transportation and food costs. Then, city staff are recommending removing a footnote from San Diego code, after community pushback and KPBS coverage. Plus, portable classrooms at Ramona Elementary School have needed to be replaced for decades. Voters in Ramona had the chance to fund renovations in November, but they voted not to.

San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said she won’t comply with a new county policy limiting local agencies’ cooperation with Immigration Customs and Enforcement. A local immigration attorney said that violates state law. Then, the city of San Diego is considering upping parking meter prices as it faces a potential budget deficit next year of more than a quarter billion dollars. And holidays mean spending quality time with family, or arguing with them. Some San Diegans share how they approach — or avoid — polarizing topics with family and friends.

The Escondido City Council voted last night to spend $4 million to put up a fence and restore habitat in an area near the Escondido Creek that was being used as a homeless encampment. Prior to the vote, dozens of people were cleared from the camp. Then, the leader of San Diego’s Commission on Police Practices announced his resignation, six months into the job. Plus, President-Elect Donald Trump has vowed to shut down a mobile app used by migrants seeking asylum. Reporter Gustavo Solis spoke to migrants who would be impacted by Trump’s action.

The bill would put 172 acres owned by the Jamul Indian Village into trust, which makes the tribe eligible for certain federal programs and services. Then, Poway and Ramona are exploring how they can share water resources. Plus, the monarch butterfly could be added to the threatened species list. Reporter Andrew Dyer visited Camp Pendleton where the Marines say they have an important role to play in saving the species.

Harborside Park in Chula Vista has been at the center of citywide debates on housing and environmental justice since 2022. The park is scheduled to reopen on Dec. 15. Then, a proposal for a 22-story apartment building in Pacific Beach is causing a stir among neighbors. Plus, reporter Tania Thorne gives us a preview of Vista’s annual Krampus procession.

Key polls on the presidential race gave Vice President Kamala Harris a slight edge over President-elect Donald Trump in November, but modeling by political scientists predicted Trump’s win a month before the election. A local professor tells us how. Then, a recent study found social media use is affecting young men in unexpected ways. Plus, a local ride-share program helps seniors get to their medical appointments, but they are struggling to recruit volunteer drivers.

San Diego County supervisors voted to prohibit the use of county staff, funds or time to assist ICE, unless they have an arrest warrant. Then, researchers at UCSD say their colleagues are chilling their own speech out of fear their federal funding may be cut off. Plus, we hear from a volunteer with Books through Bars San Diego, an organization that gathers and ships books to people who are incarcerated.

A Virginia family came to San Diego to demand answers about their son’s death at the Vista jail in March. Then, an update on a new and improved public transit connection to the San Diego International Airport. Plus, President Donald Trump’s picks for his administration may mean the Project 2025 plan is still in play.

The San Diego City Council will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 10, to select their next president. In other news, a mother is suing the City of San Diego after a high-speed chase by police ended in the deaths of her sons. Plus, the Botanical Building in Balboa Park reopened on Dec. 6. Reporter Katie Anastas takes us inside the renovated building.