With shovels to the ground, construction launched Monday on a new “innovation district” in downtown San Diego that aims to transform into a tech and employment hub.

City leaders, including Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilman Todd Gloria, took part in a ceremonial dig to mark the first phase of construction this year on the future site of the Broadstone Makers Quarter at 16th Avenue and Broadway in the East Village. 

The Makers Quarter, a project many years in the making, is a mixed-use site developed by Alliance Residential Company that will ultimately feature 175,000-square-feet of retail space and restaurants, one million-square-feet of office space, 800 residential units and 60,000-square-feet of open public space, parks and public art.

The goal is for the space to become a hub for local entrepreneurs, artists and residents, and a gathering ground for community events.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Faulconer touted the Makers Quarter as a key factor in the continued improvement and revitalization of downtown San Diego.

“Great things are happening in San Diego and people from across the country are recognizing that,” said the mayor. “2016 is shaping up to be one of our best years yet with the development of Broadstone Makers Quarter excitingly underway.”

Faulconer said innovation is at the forefront of San Diego’s strong economy. He said Makers Quarter is a much-needed space to help drive ideas, creativity and continued innovation in the city.

Monday’s event was the first in a series of groundbreaking ceremonies expected at the Makers Quarter site over the next several months. To learn more about the project, visit this website.

A San Diego attorney spearheading a downtown development proposal that allows for a stadium has accused the City Attorney of attempting to disenfranchise voters by threatening to keep a citizen’s referendum off the November ballot.

Cory Briggs addressed a 25-page report released Monday by the San Diego’s City Attorney’s Office pointing out potential legal problems and risk with the Citizens Plan.

The initiative, backed by Briggs and former City Councilmember Donna Frye, is aimed at hiking the city's hotel room-tax rate, to generate more money for public safety and services.

Several points in the Citizens Plan were identified as having potential legal risk, according to the City Attorney’s report.

One of those included was, "allowing hotel operators to retain tax revenue collected from guests (who are the taxpayers) is at odds with state and local laws, including San Diego Charter section 85, requiring deposit of all tax revenue in the City’s treasury," the report states.

The timing of the report raises questions, Briggs said.

"I think it is a calculated maneuver to ensure the public is disenfranchised," Briggs said.

"It’s the beginning of a process the City intends to implement to prevent the voters from once again weighing in on big issues affecting the City’s future," he added.

If there’s going to be a lawsuit over the Citizens Plan for a new NFL stadium, Briggs advised the City to file documents so that facts could be brought out in court.

Briggs has earned the ire of municipal attorneys across California by lodging numerous lawsuits that cost taxpayers plenty.

Major funding for the Citizens Plan signature-gathering campaign came from JMI Inc., which has proposed a satellite campus of San Diego State University on the site of Qualcomm Stadium if and when the Chargers move.

Briggs’ plan faces an undercurrent of opposition from the hotel industry.

However, on Tuesday, Briggs told NBC 7 that the San Diego Tourism Marketing District has agreed to throw its support behind the Citizens Initiative, a November ballot measure that will ask voters to raise hotel taxes to expand the convention center. 

The support from the TMD would leave the Chargers' downtown stadium proposal dead, Briggs said. 

City Attorney spokesperson Gerry Braun said the City has not received a copy of any settlement proposal with TMD.

"We were provided only with an agenda of topics for a meeting that is still three days away," Braun said. "Even after today’s news conference by Mr. Briggs, his purported settlement terms remain a mystery to the City." 

When approached by NBC 7, Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani did not comment. 

City councilmembers Scott Sherman and Chris Cate have come out against the plan, according to NBC 7 media partner VoiceofSandiego. See how politicos responded here. 

The San Diego County Convention and Comic-Con have not supported the plan.

The Citizens Plan has the Chargers' seal of approval as well as that of Councilman David Alvarez and mayoral candidate Lori Saldaña.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer is reserving judgment on both measures, pending further review.

Competing tax hike measures might confound voters who also will consider a SANDAG regional transportation tax increase, along with several other ballot propositions.

A child was bitten by a rattlesnake in Boulevard, CalFire said. 

The incident happened at 12 p.m., authorities said, at Ribbonwood Road and Interstate 8. 

The location of the victim is approximately 60 miles east of Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the nearest trauma center. 

The child's age, gender and condition is unknown. 

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

Close to 20 undocumented immigrants were discovered in a boat in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego Tuesday. 

A red flare was spotted at 4:45 a.m. by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter while on patrol west of Point Loma. 

Less than an hour later, a man called 911 from a disabled panga reporting that he had fired the red flare. 

A Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations helicopter located a boat carrying 17 people approximately 8 miles west of Pacific Beach. 

The passengers, described by officials as undocumented immigrants, were rescued by a Coast Guard vessel at 8:15 a.m. 

The ship brought the passengers to Shelter Island where they were taken into custody by federal officials. 

Two Muslim women say they were removed from a ride at a popular San Diego beachfront amusement park because they were wearing Islamic headscarves.

The women, who asked to be identified by only their first names, went to Belmont Park in Mission Beach on September 25 to celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday. The day marks the end of the Hajj prayer and is recognized by Muslims all over the world.

Miski, 19, and Maryan, 23, said they were seated on the ride when the operator called over the manager.

“We offered to tuck it in,” Miski said. “We offered to sign waivers but the manager refused.”

A spokesperson for Belmont park said that employees may stop riders from wearing certain types of shoes, long hair, scarves, headwear or cell phones on some rides.

“Unfortunately, the longer flowing head scarves that wrap around the neck, pose a heightened danger of getting wrapped in mechanisms of three of our rides,” Belmont Park said in a written statement. “These rides spin and can cause such loose articles to strangle the rider. Shorter headscarves are permitted as they do not pose the same risk. “

Miski said that wasn’t the case. “Our headscarves were not loose,” she said.

The San Diego natives say they have been to Belmont Park in the past and rode on the Beach Blaster ride before without any issues.

“We’ve been to Six Flags and you would assume Six Flags is a lot more dangerous,” Maryan said. “It kind of baffles me that they would say that’s a safety issue when it’s really not.”

The students say there was no signage prohibiting headscarves on Beach Blaster. 

Also, the restriction of clothing or loose articles is not included in the rules section of the Belmont Park website. 

The women said wearing their headscarves is part of their religion and is non-negotiable.

“We’ve worn our headscarves our whole lives and it’s never been an issue for us,” Maryan added.

The two college students have filed a complaint against Belmont Park with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

The City of San Diego owns the property and may receive revenue from ticket sales, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The woman say they hope that by speaking out, they will keep this from happening to other women or girls who wear hijab at Belmont Park.

An 18-year-old University of Texas student killed on campus last week was apparently sexually assaulted and strangled, according to officials.

Law enforcement officials told the Austin American-Statesman they were awaiting lab results before possibly filing more charges against 17-year-old Meechaiel Khalil Criner, a homeless teen accused of killing freshman Haruka Weiser.

Criner faces a charge of murder and remains in the Travis County Jail on $1 million bail. It's not clear if he's hired an attorney.

Police have said Haruka Weiser, a popular theater and dance major from Oregon, appears to have been randomly targeted and police "don't have a clue what the motive is."

Weiser's body was found near Waller Creek April 5 near the football stadium.

Austin police released surveillance video April 7 showing a person of interest in the case in the area several times on April 5. Tips from Austin firefighters and a female community member led police to Criner.

Meechaiel Khalil Criner Arrest Warrant Affidavit

Thailand kicked off the world's largest water fight Wednesday in honor of Songkran, the country's New Year festival, NBC News reported. 

Celebrated with everything from water guns to hoses to elephants spewing water, crowds of revelers battle in the streets and douse passersby. The water is believed to clean people of their sins and misfortune. 

This year, however, officials are asking participants to curb water use in the face of the worst drought in decades and has cut the festival from four to three days.

Critics say that rising temperatures have been exacerbated by China's extensive damming of the Mekong River — which also runs through Thailand, as well as Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia.

Experts hunting for traces of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 lost a state-of-the-art sonar device for the second time in three months, NBC News reported.

The "towfish,"an underwater sonar device dragged behind ships that scans the seabed for debris, was attached to an 1,800-pound weight to keep it floating from the surface when "the failure of a tow cable connector resulted in the loss," the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said in statement Wednesday.

A remote-controlled submersible was flown in from the United States to attempt to recover the yellow, torpedo-shaped unit from the seabed.

Surveillance video shows a fireball erupting at Checker Flag Car Wash in Dallas when a driver vacuums up what may have been spilled gasoline, according to business owner Mark Krim.

The footage — recorded April 4 at 11:43 p.m. — shows a vacuum tank bursting into flames as a man cleans out the trunk of his car. Krim said he believes the driver was vacuuming gasoline.

"That first second, that tells everything. And you can see how it starts," said Krim, watching the video. "He's vacuuming, just sucking up that gasoline, just blew that thing right up!"

When Krim first noticed the vacuum tank was burned, he looked turned to surveillance video to find out how it happened. He found evidence of gasoline while repairing the vacuum.

"The bags inside were soaked with gas," he said. "I had to take everything apart and let it air out for a day before I could even rebuild it."

The car wash owner said he's seen a lot on surveillance footage, but nothing like what was recorded that night.

"Shocking," Krim said. "Now I can laugh because nobody got hurt."

Not only does the man in the video appear uninjured, but he appears unfazed as the fire rages, calmly retrieving more coins for the machine to spray the fire with water.

"I mean, he was nice enough to try and put it out," Krim joked, but said the driver was "so lucky he didn't get hurt" because what he did was dangerous.

Fortunately, the fire and power were already out.

"You know, if anybody did this at home with a home vacuum, that thing could blow up in their face," Krim cautioned. "They just have to know about this stuff."

House Speaker Paul Ryan will not be the Republican Party's presidential candidate, as he made clear again on Tuesday when he ruled out the possibility of accepting the nomination at the GOP convention in July, NBC News reported.

"Let me be clear: I do not want, nor will I accept the Republican nomination," Ryan said at a press conference.

But Ryan is running a campaign this fall -- one to keep his own job as House Speaker by creating an identity for congressional Republicans that is distinct from Ted Cruz, Donald Trump or whoever emerges as the GOP presidential nominee.

"Not running does not mean I'm going to disappear," Ryan said on Tuesday. "There is a big debate going on right now. It's about what kind of country we're going to be. As Speaker of the House, I believe I have not just an opportunity but an obligation to advance that debate."

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds a press conference to announce a new campaign endorsement.

A Philadelphia mother was devastated to receive an anonymous note comparing her young son with autism to a "wild animal" and demanding she "do something about that child."

Bonnie Moran is a stay-at-home mom with three sons, two of whom have autism. Her 3-year-old son, Ryan, also has ADHD and pica, a disorder that causes him to have an appetite for non-food items. Moran herself suffers from spina bifida, an opening in the spine that can result in damage to the spinal cord and nerves, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Moran and her husband recently allowed Ryan to play outside in the backyard and enjoy the warmer weather. Moran told Philly Magazine Ryan was squealing loudly at times, which he often does when he gets excited. She said that may have prompted one of her neighbors to write her a nasty letter targeting the toddler.

Moran checked her mail last Wednesday and found the handwritten note, which said the following:

To the parent of the small child at this house,

• Sanders Cheers Strikers as 39K Verizon Workers Walk Out

The weather is getting nicer and like normal people I open my windows for fresh air. NOT to hear some BRAT screaming his head off as he flaps his hands like a bird. I don’t care if it’s the way you raised him or if he is retarded. But the screaming and [carrying] on needs to stop. No one wants to hear him acting like a wild animal it’s utterly nerve wracking, not to mention it's scaring my normal children. By you just standing there talking to him don’t do anything. Besides you look like a moron as he walks all over you. Give him some old fashioned discipline a few times and he will behave. If that child needs fresh air…take him to the park not in out back or out front where other people are coming home from work, have a day off, or just relaxing. No one needs to hear that high pitched voice for hours. Do something about that child!

One of your neighbors

Moran told NBC10 she was shocked when she first read the letter.

"I sat there and blubbered like a little baby because it hurt," she said. "It hurt to the core to be told your son is retarded."

Moran eventually threw out the letter, but not before posting a photo of it in a Facebook group. She received widespread support right away, and although she still doesn’t know who wrote the letter, Moran takes solace in the fact that one person’s expression of hate led to a show of love.

"The outpouring of people just loving my son and showing what a community is about," she said, "what neighborly is about."

The Republican National Committee's chairman, Reince Priebus, battled back against Donald Trump's claims that the party's process for selecting president is "stacked against me."

The Republican front-runner has been outmaneuvered by rival Ted Cruz in a series of recent state meetings to select national convention delegates, and says the process was set up to protect party insiders and shut out insurgent candidates.

"The Republican National Committee, they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to kind of crap to happen. The rules are no good when they don't count your vote ... like in Colorado," Trump said on Tuesday at a rally in Rome, New York. "The rules are no good when you have to play dirty tricks to pick up delegates."

Priebus tweeted late Tuesday: "Nomination process known for a year + beyond. It's the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break."

As we followed the SDSU’s men’s basketball team through a redeeming second half of the regular season, then into the NIT after an apparent snub from the NCAA to the big show, and into the final four at Madison Square Garden, there was a push to make the final games extra special for seniors like Winston Shepard and Skylar Spencer.

Since that fateful game in New York City we haven’t heard much from the upperclassmen, but Tuesday afternoon, sophomore forward Malik Pope declared for the 2016 NBA Draft. Pope was expected to take advantage of the new NCAA rule which allows underclassman to participate in the draft process and hold on to collegiate eligibility so long as they don’t hire an agent.

In a statement released by SDSU, Head Coach Steve Fisher says he will be keeping an eye on the rising junior saying, “With the rule change, it is a great opportunity for Malik to get workouts and evaluations from NBA personnel. Together, we will monitor his progress.”

Pope had some standout moments this season but was it enough to get him a spot in the pros? Ahead of the Final Four, Pope led the team in rebounding for the seventh time in the season and 10th time in his career. In the final 13 games of the season Pope posted averages of 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists. It wasn’t until the latter half of the 2015-2016 when Pope started seeing regular rotation. Pope has tremendous promise but it may be too soon for him jump into the draft. There is plenty of growth potential for him at SDSU and an opportunity to have a solid junior year; but kudos to him for exploring his options.

This year’s combine is one month away in Chicago, Illinois. Pope has until 10 days after the conclusion of the NBA Draft Combine to decide if he will see it through or withdraw his name. The NBA Draft is set for June 23 in New York City.

They may look all right on the outside.

But experts say one out of every four city buildings in San Diego is in poor condition -- and, that hundreds of millions of dollars will be needed for upgrades.

It's no secret that San Diego's "infrastructure" is in bad shape.

NBC 7 has reported extensively on “deferred maintenance” involving thousands of miles of streets, sidewalks, water and sewer mains.

But when it comes to buildings where city employees work and serve the public, the truth is just coming to light.

On Thursday, the City Council got chapter-and-verse from a 120-page consultant's report based on two years of analysis.

The upshot seems to be, it may take a decade or more to catch up with what needs doing.

The biggest-ticket item on the list is City Hall.

And guess what?

"We're not going to be putting a lot of money into this building, we haven't been for a while,” says Councilman Mark Kersey, who chairs the City Council’s Infrastructure Committee. “This building is old, it's decrepit, and we have had some issues like asbestos. So I think, long-term, that's something we'll have to take a look at. I think our priority now is, and remains, the neighborhood infrastructure that people see every day."

Meaning, buildings such as fire stations that also are "old and decrepit" -- not just by the standards of fire fighters who have to live in them, but those of the consultants hired by the city for millions of dollars.

The options facing the Council: rehab the buildings to acceptable "service levels"? Or replace them altogether.

Out of 560 buildings studied, 147 were found to be in poor condition.

City Hall, a high-profile example of the problem cases, is more a half-century old.

Between it and the adjacent City Operations Building, you're talking about a third of the $403 million cited as the "reinvestment cost" of bringing up all the substandard facilities up to "good condition".

So after years -- decades, actually -- of kicking the can down the road, where does the city's buck finally stop?

“I do commend Kersey, that he’s got a committee that’s working on this, “says Point Loma resident Jarvis Ross, a retiree who regularly attends council meetings, follows municipal issues, and offers opinions during non-agenda public comment sessions.

“It looks like they’re starting to address the problem, and it needs to be something that’s done in perpetuity,” Ross told NBC 7. “The idea is, dedication of the money – that’s one thing that concerns me. Sometimes we have a potful of money that’s voted on by the taxpayers to be for a certain purpose – then they dip into it for something else."

Andrew Keatts, who covers city government for NBC 7’s media partner Voice of San Diego, was anything but surprised by the findings in the report.

"Even the amount of money we're spending right now isn't enough to get us to improving the situation,” he said in an interview. “All we're doing now is preventing the situation from getting worse. The choices then become finding a new revenue source -- which, there are certainly going to be people who have a problem with that. Or, making cuts to get to the level we're comfortable with. But there's no other way to do it."

As for people having a problem with new revenue sources, the $3 billion “Rebuild San Diego” measure (Prop. H on the June ballot), is opposed by two councilmembers who say it’s the wrong approach to solving the infrastructure deficit.

The last time there were serious thoughts of replacing City Hall, during the Great Recession, the projected cost was $293 million – and eventually the idea was shelved.

Meantime, the consulting study -- discussed by the council on Thursday -- didn't cover the city's buildings in Balboa Park.

An old "deferred maintenance" estimate there: $300 million.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert learned Tuesday he will have to face two accusers at his sentencing later this month, and that efforts to mislead the FBI will be taken into consideration by the federal judge who will decide his fate.

Convicted of hatching an elaborate scheme to conceal a sordid past, Hastert also was rebuffed in federal court Wednesday in his apparent attempt to keep one last secret.

The former speaker's lawyers asked to file under seal, their response to the probation department's recommendations for sentencing. That document, called a presentence report, or PSR, takes a variety of factors into account, including a defendant's family, social and medical history, his offenses and aggravating and mitigating factors. PSRs are never publicly released.

But Judge Thomas Durkin denied the request, maintaining there is nothing in the defense's response which is now or should be kept secret, and ruled that the document should be unsealed immediately.

Hastert’s problems didn’t stop there. The judge also said he intends to consider, as an aggravating factor, Hastert’s attempts to mislead investigators, by assisting them in recording phone calls which he maintained would prove he was being extorted by a man spinning fanciful claims of abuse.

Investigators said it was during those phone calls that they concluded Hastert was not being extorted, and that the young man’s claims were, in fact, true.

Defense attorneys protested the relevance of the misleading calls as an aggravating factor. But Durkin cut them off.

"The defendant, rather than admitting to conduct with Individual A, basically said Individual A was holding him up," Durkin said. "That’s an aggravating fact in my mind, that’s not conduct that’s 40 years old."

And, lest the message be lost on the defense as to how they should prepare for sentencing, Durkin declared, "If you need a preview of what I think are aggravating factors, that’s a big one!"

During the hearing, prosecutors also confirmed they intend to call as witnesses a young man identified in the records only as "Individual D," along with Jolene Burdge, the sister of another victim who is now deceased.

Individual D is identified in court documents as a former member of the Yorkville wrestling team during the period when Hastert was coach. He recalled the former speaker had installed a "La-Z-boy" type chair in the boys’ locker room so he could sit and watch while the boys showered, and that Hastert once peformed a sexual act on him during a massage.

Hastert's attorney apologized on his behalf in a statement over the weekend.

"Hastert acknowledges that as a young man he committed transgressions for which he is profoundly sorry," said attorney Thomas Green. "He earnestly apologizes to his former students, family, friends, previous constituents and all others affected by the harm his actions have caused."

Hastert’s sentencing is set for April 27.

It’s that time again. Right now, a hundred thousand people are planning, packing and getting ready for the 17th installment of what has become the world’s most famous and successful music festival.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival is an institution -- and rightfully so. Losing nearly a million dollars its first year, Coachella sold 198,000 tickets and grossed $84.3 million in 2015. Not only are those figures both world records, as in previous years, all six days of the event sold out long before a single fan set foot on the Empire Polo grounds, and before a single band was announced.

With the recent news that the Indio City Council has voted to allow the festival's promoters, Goldenvoice, to expand attendance from 99,000 to 125,000 in future years of the two-weekend event, it seems that Coachella will break its own world records very soon.

As the perennial festival marches confidently toward hitting the 20-year mark, it becomes more and more entrenched in pop culture. Whether fans routinely attend, watch the live YouTube stream or just read some of the endless amount of press on the event each year, it's become a very familiar event in general, let alone in Southern California. And that is why, for the second year in a row, I can distill my Coachella Survival Guide to less than 20 words:

Drink a lot of water. Wear comfortable shoes. Use sunscreen. Be smart about drugs and alcohol. See many bands.

And now to the most important element of the upcoming six days in the desert: the music.

Below are the best three bands to see each day, along with a stockpile of backups.

FRIDAY

LCD Soundsystem: Is James Murphy the new Gene Simmons? Five years ago, the band pulled a move from the Kiss playbook and performed their "last show ever" at Madison Square Garden. Hmm. Now, LCD Soundsystem are back, and a new album is in the works. Despite the shell game, this will undoubtedly be a Coachella highlight.

Mavis Staples: The 76-year-old gospel singer and civil rights activist is a living legend. Her new album, February’s "Livin’ on a High Note," features collaborations with everyone from Benjamin Booker and Aloe Blacc to Nick Cave and Neko Case.

The Kills: Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince’s lo-fi garage-duo return after five years off due to multiple surgeries that repaired tendons in Hince’s hand. The pair’s long-awaited fifth album, "Ash & Ice," is scheduled for release on June 3. Their Coachella performances should preview the new album and include plenty of fan favorites as well.

The rest: Savages, St. Germain, the Last Shadow Puppets, Parov Stelar, Christine & the Queens, M83, Underworld, Joey Bada$$, Foals, Sheer Mag and the Front Bottoms.

SATURDAY

Ice Cube: N.W.A founding member Ice Cube (aka O’Shea Jackson) has long hinted that a reunion of his incendiary rap crew was in the works for the back-to-back weekends in Indio. And since Snoop busted out the 2Pac hologram last year, I’m guessing that Eazy-E (Eric Wright) just might take the same form this year. Regardless, this is a "can't miss" set.

Grimes: Sure, Claire Boucher just played Coachella, but that was before she released her pop masterpiece, "Art Angles," at the end of last year. The new songs should propel her already wild performances into the next level.

Vince Staples: Kendrick Lamar may be the new king of hip-hop, but Staples is the crown prince. His 2015 double album, "Summertime ’06," was one of last year’s best and proved that the 22-year-old Long Beach rapper is a whole lot more than just an Odd Future collaborator.

The rest: Lush, Disclosure, Courtney Barnett, the Damned, Ex Hex, Run the Jewels, ZHU, DJ Koze, Matthew Dear, Rhye, Gary Clark Jr., Deerhunter, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Guns n’ Roses.

SUNDAY

Major Lazer: After last playing the Mojave Tent in 2013, Major Lazer return to Coachella for a headlining slot. And thanks to "Lean On" -- their 2015 international smash hit -- these two weekend-closing sets should be absolutely bonkers.

Prayers: San Diego’s lone representatives get a chance to shine on the biggest stage they've played to date. Leafar Seyer (Rafa Reyes) and Dave Parley look to push their pioneering "cholo-goth" even further into the mainstream with their two weekends in the desert.

Rancid: Born from influential ska punks Operation Ivy, Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman lead their punk quartet in a 25-year anniversary victory lap at Coachella this year. Their new, Brett Gurewitz-produced EP will be released in the coming months.

The rest: Beach House, Flume, Kamasi Washington, Death Grips, TOKiMONSTA, Sia, Wolf Alice, John Digweed, Nosaj Thing, the Vandals, Mint Field, Chris Stapleton, Young Fathers, Girlpool and Deafheaven.

Southern California homeowners have seen their water rates go up almost 400 percent in 10 years.

Now another increase voted on by the Metropolitan Water District will raise rates on its prices for 2017 and 2018.  Jason Foster with the San Diego Water Authority says those prices will get passed on to retail water agencies in the San Diego region and then come out of the wallet of local residents and businesses.

"It's undoubtedly going to be felt by customers throughout San Diego County," said Foster.

The MWD supplies water to 19 million people in six counties, nearly half of San Diego's water supply. Officials say the increase will average about 4 percent a year, but Foster says San Diegans will pay much more than that.  

"It looks like the increase on the untreated water rate is actually closer to 12 percent," said Foster. The cost for treated water will increase 3.9 percent. He says customers here pay more for water including a charge from the MWD to bring Colorado River water to San Diego, which will increase by 6.2 percent in 2017.

The San Diego Water Authority is in a legal battle with MWD over its rate setting practice.

In a press release, the Metropolitan Board said the "two-year spending plan strikes a balance between equitable generating revenues to invest in the Soutland's water future and managing rates through modest increases reflecting the cost of service."

Jason Foster with the San Diego County Water Authority says these price hikes are a good reminder why the county should do more to generate it's own water sources like desalination plants and San Diego's "Pure Water" program.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is drawing criticism from one of Donald Trump’s spokeswomen after he made a subtle reference to her candidate’s positions, NBC News reports.

"Self-righteousness isn't very proactive: We can talk about taxes, we can talk about jobs and even immigration, but that doesn't really put food on the table and save lives," Katrina Pierson said.

Zuckerberg spoke Tuesday from Facebook’s F8 developer conference against those who want to build physical and digital walls. Trump has regularly spoken about building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Ted Cruz says building “a wall that works” is part of his immigration plan.

“I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as others. For blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, reducing trade, and in some cases around the world even cutting access to the Internet."

A middle school coach in Southern California says he was fired for collecting students' unwanted fruit and leaving the produce for other students to take.

In the wake of his termination, students and their families were demanding former coach Arnold Villalobos get his job back after he said the Azusa Unified School District allegedly fired him for collecting and re-distributing fruit that lunch-line students did not plan to eat.

The coach said he thought he was providing a service by saving fruit that was headed for the trash and giving it to student-athletes and others on campus who wanted it. He said he was unaware of public health restrictions on re-serving unsealed food.

A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, Villalobos said it troubled him to see so many students not eating the apples, oranges and bananas the school district's food service provided everyday as part of lunch at Center Middle School.  

"They were just going to throw it away, so I thought I would do something good," said Villalobos, explaining that he placed an open box in the lunch area where students could leave unwanted fruit they had planned to throw away.

What he collected, he distributed around campus, earmarking some for members of the student sports teams that practiced each day after the final bell. Villalobos said he distributed all of the collected fruit at school and never took any home.

After three years of collecting fruit, food service told Villalobos for the first time last month he should not be doing so, according to the now-former coach. He said the day he received a written notice, he stopped.

In following weeks, some students brought him bags of fruit they had collected, which Villalobos said he threw away. By his own account, he was placed on suspension, and at a meeting last Friday at district headquarters, he was informed he was being terminated, because "taking" fruit from the students was not permitted.

Angel Olivares, a student-athlete, said he looked forward to the snacks after basketball practice, and his parents approved.

"Who wouldn't want to save that?" said Angel's mom, Amy.

But the school district told Villalobos he had violated the law — specifically, the health code — by gathering students' lunch-line fruit and re-serving it, Villalobos recalled.  

Azusa Unified declined to discuss the case with NBC4 or to comment, calling it a personnel matter. Unanswered is whether the district perceived the collection — regardless of intent — as discouraging students from eating the fruit served at lunch.

Several of the students Villalobos coached, along with their parents, protested the coach's termination.

"We want Arnold," chanted one group of students. Some printed fliers calling for his reinstatement and displayed them at school Tuesday. Parents backed them, praising Villalobos for mentoring students, encouraging them to keep up their grades and even helping them with homework.

"He's there for the kids," said Angel's father, Juan Olivares, recalling that Villalobos always made sure his student-athletes got home from games safely.

Parents prodded Azusa Unified to reverse course.

"I think they're making a really big mistake if they don't bring him back," Amy Olivares said.

The California School Employees Association intends to look into the case, a spokesman said.

"My kids are everything for me," Villalobos said.