Community Corner
Discounted Disney Tickets + Public Debut For Pandas: Saturday Smiles
Increased Lottery prize payouts; new restaurants; top-ranked hospitals; and more nice SoCal news.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — To keep your weekend light, Patch presents some positive Southern California stories from the past week — many that hopefully will brighten your day.
Animals
Pandas To Make Public Debut Aug. 8 At San Diego Zoo
The public will soon get to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, the first pandas to enter the U.S. in 21 years.
Find out what's happening in Santeefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
San Diego Humane Society Gets $75K Grant For 'Lifesaving Work'
"It takes a village to care for the 40,000 pets who come through our doors every year ... "
Find out what's happening in Santeefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Arts and Entertainment
13th Annual Uptown Jazz Festival In Long Beach Kicks Off Next Month
The Long Beach Jazz Festival, a beloved summer event and North Long Beach tradition, is set to take place Aug. 3, the city announced.
Disney Offers Discount Tickets To Anaheim Residents: What To Know
Wednesday marks Disneyland's 69th anniversary and the theme park is celebrating by announcing a special ticket offer for Anaheim residents.
Business
Airbnb Stays Contribute $1.6B To San Diego Area Economy: Report
Airbnb also supports around 18,000 jobs and generated $453 million in other tax revenue, the report claims.
Blo Blow Dry Bar Opens Doors In Los Alamitos
Blo Blow Dry Bar is North America's original blow dry bar and franchise and is opening its doors to the Los Alamitos community
Community
The second phase of the Polliwog Park Tree Project is underway, and eight new tree species will be introduced to the community space.
CA Lottery Increases Prize Payouts All Week To Due Software Glitch
To make up for a glitch that affected some winnings, the CA Lottery will fatten the pot this week.
Giant Warehouse Project OK'd At Site Of Former Redlands Waterpark
City Council's approval overturns the Planning Commission’s unanimous vote last month recommending the project be rejected.
Events
Coca-Cola Toasts SeaWorld's 60th Anniversary With Celebration Sundays
The next Celebration Sunday is this Sunday.
Fashion Valley Mall Celebrates Christmas In July With Summertime Santa
Attendees can get photos with Santa, enter giveaways and enjoy local treats.
The multicultural festival will feature arts and food from a range of countries and cultures around the world.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park To Celebrate World Echidna Day
The park will host keeper chats at Zuest Station near the tree kangaroo habitat.
SeaWorld San Diego To Host First-Ever Pride Week
The weeklong celebration, slated July 19-28, will feature a daily Pride meet up, brunch with LGBTQIA+ stars, specialty merchandise and more.
Health
Officials Break Ground On East County's First Crisis Stabilization
The 14,000-square foot property in El Cajon is slated to open in the fall of 2025.
These Are The Top-Ranked Hospitals In SoCal: U.S. News Ranking
U.S. News evaluated more than 5,000 hospitals based on their performance across 30 medical and surgical services.
Restaurants
The La Jolla restaurant opens Thursday and will honor 100 local heroes with free Chick-fil-A entrées for a year.
Hankering For Indian Food? Himalayan Taste Opening 2nd SW RivCo Spot
The restaurant will be located at 26900 Newport Road in Menifee. Himalayan Taste currently has locales in Temecula and San Juan Capistrano.
NorCal Sandwich Chain Mr. Pickles Opens First LA Shop
Mr. Pickles serves up stuffed sandwiches, from Italian classics to California mainstays, often on Dutch Crunch bread.
Schools
SDSU, USD Announce Dual Law, Master Of Public Administration Degrees
The program, pending the approval of the California State University Board of Trustees, is tentatively set to launch in fall 2025.
Sports
Ali Riley Of Angel City Football Club To Play In Olympics
The Angel City Football Club captain is playing for New Zealand, her father's home country.
Outside of the city of Los Angeles, Long Beach will host the largest number of sporting events for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Transit
MTS Board Approves Copper Line Trolley Segment
The line will serve four stations between El Cajon Transit Center and Santee Trolley Station.
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