When it comes to money for education, a budget crisis is looming in California. In the San Diego Unified School District, it could come down to teachers being laid off.

Parents are receiving e-mails from principals at their children’s schools about possible painful budget cuts. The principals are asking for feedback about how parents want the school to spend discretionary money the district gives to schools. In some cases, parents are being asked to fundraise to make the budget cuts less painful.

Elementary schools with fewer than one thousand students could lose their vice principals. “That’s disappointing,” said one parent at Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary School in Scripps Ranch. “I know the vice principal here is amazing, and all the boys love him because he’s really good with discipline and keeping them in line.”

The parents at Ellen Browning Scripps received an e-mail outlining other possible cuts. Those include reduced hours for recess and lunch supervisors, librarians and counselors.

“Those are on the chopping block right now,” said Board member Richard Barrera. “Those are under discussion.”

Barrera said the approach is to cut from the top, to move vice principals back into the classroom for example. He also said it is possible the District could offer an early retirement incentive to experienced teachers at the top of the salary scale to free up positions for teachers who don't make as much money.

What about layoff notices?

“We will see how it plays out,” said Barrera. “We’re certainly likely to issue lay-off notices, and in the end, we might have to do layoffs.”

“Education obviously is so important, and it’s crazy we have to keep going through these budget cuts,” said one parent. Other parents questioned how the District spends its money.

“I think they need to reorganize and look at what they’re doing, said a parent who is upset about District plans to close down a school in Scripps Ranch and build another.

Another parent said “It looks like they didn’t do good budget control over the years.” Barrera disagreed with that.

“I wouldn't agree that we're not managing our money well.” Barrera did say decisions were made that cost money, like the Board making the decision to give teachers a pay raise in order to try to be competitive with other districts. He said the Board also made the decision to keep class sizes low, which the district is still committed to doing despite the shortfall.

“Having low class sizes, I don’t think any of us would say is wrong, but it's very expensive,” said Barrera. He says the other reason for the shortfall is the Governor’s proposed budget which Barrera says underestimated economic growth. That could change when the Governor revises his budget in May.

“That will be helpful, said Barrera, “but we still have to go forward with a structural deficit, we have to solve it.”

He added, “We will make this work for kids. Our kids are going to have a great year this year. They will have a great year next year. We’re going to take care of a problem now so we don’t continue to have this in the future.”

A small, cash-strapped school district tasked with educating some of the poorest students in the county is once again mired in controversy.

This time a former employee is alleging he was wrongfully terminated by the superintendent for raising concerns about potential wrong-doing.

Parents at the San Ysidro School District, located directly on the U.S.-Mexico border said they are fed up with the drama and think more attention should be focused on the students.

The school district signed a contract with an energy company in 2008 to put solar panels on top of San Ysidro Middle School.

Nine years, $16 million dollars later and after an ugly lawsuit that nearly ripped the district apart, and there is not a solar panel in sight.

At one point, the district’s finances got so bad, the state almost stepped in and took over.

Now it finds itself right back in the thick of controversy with some of the same players.

A former San Ysidro School District employee claims he was wrongfully terminated in January 2016.

In a claim filed with the district, Jose Enrique Gonzalez alleges the Superintendent Dr. Julio Fonseca fired him because the employee raised concerns about the district’s hiring practices.

The district said the man’s claims are false.

The controversy was first reported Monday in La Prensa, a community newspaper.

In a written statement to NBC 7, Fonseca said the newspaper’s claims are false.

“The contents of the story are inaccurate and we invite any inquires regarding the District’s hiring procedures,” the statement read in part.

“My primary obligation is to my students – to keep them safe and ensure their educational needs are met while at the same time safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” Fonseca said.

In the statement, Fonseca points out that the owner of the community newspaper is the solar panel contractor who successfully sued the district for $16 million. The former employee making the claims is the chief operating officer of the publication.

Parents at the San Ysidro School District have had several different superintendents since 2011.

Many say they don’t know all the details of the latest drama, but they are fed up with the constant squabbling at district headquarters.

Rosio Terrera, a San Ysidro Middle School parent, told NBC 7 in Spanish that more attention needs to be focused on the students.

“This is about the kids. Not enough attention goes to the students. They shouldn't be affected by the issues adults are fighting about,” she said.

Another parent told NBC 7 she was upset about the district’s hiring practices because a position was added in the administration when she felt it needed to be added at the school site.

“Only one, two or three people for all these kids?” said Olga Espinoza. “You need extra people right here (at San Ysidro Middle School) not over there,” she said motioning across the street to the district headquarters.

An open government watchdog said the real legal issue the district may be facing is not about the original allegation over hiring concerns, but about whether or not they tried to cover it up.

A special board meeting has been scheduled for Thursday night to discuss concerns. Some are asking the superintendent to step down.

San Ysidro School Board President Rosaleah Pallasigue sent NBC 7 the following statement: 

"The allegations are absolutely false. The Board was consulted and in support of all decisions made relating to this matter, as in all personnel matters. The goal is for this project to be completed; and we look forward to Manzana Energy being present at all future board meetings, through project completion, to keep the community and board informed."

A pedestrian was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle near the intersection of East Main Street and Greenfield Drive in El Cajon.

The collision happened at approximately 7:56 p.m. Tuesday, according to Heartland Fire.

The vehicle involved in the crash stayed at the scene, according to Lt. Soulard with the El Cajon Police Department.

The victim was taken to Sharp memorial Hospital. Further detail regarding the victim and their injuries is unknown at this time.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.

Fresh faces will fight for their first-ever Olympic medals, and veterans will try to add to their medal hauls. In fan-favorite sports like figure skating, the world's best will try to land their quadruple jumps, while four new Olympic sports, including snowboarding's big air and speed skating's mass start, hope to find an audience. 

And while perrenial powerhouses like Norway, Canada and the United States compete in the medal race, African nations like Nigeria (bobsled) and Uganda (snowboarder Brolin Mawejje) are just hoping to be there.

The Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, are one year away — the Opening Ceremony will be held on Feb. 8, 2018. Here's what to watch for: 

Young U.S. Stars

Snowboarder Chloe Kim, a favorite to win an Olympic gold medal, has an impressive list of firsts: She was the first woman under the age of 16 to win three Winter X Games gold medals, the first American female snowboarder to win a gold at the Winter Youth Olympics, and in 2016 she landed the first-ever back-to-back 1080s to earn a perfect score in the halfpipe event at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix.

Now 16, Kim, the daughter of South Korean immigrants, is headed to Seoul and Pyeongchang this week as a sports envoy from the United States, to meet with university students and athletes.

Figure skater Nathan Chen is known for his skill at complicated quadruple jumps, and last month he landed five in one program at the U.S. Championships. The youngest of five children and a son of immigrants from China, the Salt Lake City native began skating at age 3. Now 17, he is hoping for a gold medal in PyeongChang.

Returning stars — among them two-time gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White, slalom gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, and gold medalist downhill skier Lindsey Vonn — will be part of Team USA's effort to beat its record of 10 gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Where Is PyeongChang?

Pyeongchang County, a resort region southeast of Seoul, is in the Taebaek Mountains of South Korea, sometimes called the Korean Alps. Lonely Planet describes Pyeongchang as a worthwhile choice for keen skiers and snowboarders because of "its well-developed resorts and abundance of snow." South Korea is building a high-speed rail line from Seoul to the resorts, which is expected to cut travel time from a three-hour drive to about two hours.

New Events Coming to the Olympics

Four sports will debut at these Olympic Games: snowboarding big air, mass start speed skating, curling mixed doubles and the nations team downhill skiing event.

The big air contest consists of one jump and one trick, rather than hours-long competition between individuals or a race against a clock, according to Team USA. Snowboarders will start at the top of a ramp that is 49 meters high with a 40-degree incline at its steepest point. American Ryan Stassel is number two in the international big air standings.

The mass start speed skating is as it sounds — up to 20 skaters race around an oval together, 15 laps for women and 20 laps for men.

Curling mixed doubles features teams composed of two players, a man and woman.

The nations team event has mixed teams of two men and two women competing in a head-to-head slalom with a head-to-head knockout format (NCAA tournament style), according to the International Ski Federation.

With these four new sports, 102 gold medals will be awarded - more than at any previous Winter Games. 

Will the NHL Play?

Discussions continue about whether players in the National Hockey League will participate in the Winter Games. Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, has joined the talks.

The owners of the NHL teams are concerned about disruptions to the league's regular schedule and to the NHL's all-star weekend, scheduled for the end of January

"If the status quo remains, I don't expect us to be in the Olympics," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

Players in the NHL first competed in the Olympics in 1998.

The Mascot

The Games' mascot is a white tiger named Soohorang. Sooho means protection in Korean; rang comes from the middle letter of ho-rang-i, the Korean word for tiger, and is also the last letter of “Jeong-seon A-ri-rang,” a traditional folk song of Gangwon province, where the competition will take place.

At least one person was taken to the hospital after a truck flipped over in the College Area, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed.

The crash occurred around 9:11 p.m. on the westbound Intersate 8, just west of College Avenue. 

CHP said this appeared to be a solo vehicle crash and one person suffered minor injuries. 

Three lanes on the freeway were blocked off to traffic, CHP said. 

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

A man was taken to the hospital after he was stabbed in the East Village area of San Diego, police confirmed.

The incident was reported just after 8 p.m. on 12th and Imperial Avenue, near the Trolley. 

According to San Diego Police, there is no information on any suspects.

The extent of injuries is unknown.

No other information was immediately available.

The family of a Lemon Grove homeowner, who shot and killed an intruder Tuesday morning, said they are saddened by the death but defended the father's actions to protect his son's life.

Two men with handguns broke into a home on Eddy Drive just before 2 a.m., San Diego County Sheriff's (SDSO) investigators said.

Francisco Suarez Sr. and his 22-year-old son, Francisco Suarez Jr. were inside the home at the time.

SDSO said during a struggle, Suarez Jr. was shot several times. 

He was brought to Scripps Mercy Hospital for treatment but will be okay, detectives told NBC 7.

"This s--- has got to stop, the violence, the whole world is screwed up,” said his uncle, David Marquez.

Marquez told NBC 7, he is angry and frustrated over the violence thrust upon his family.

"A person has the right to defend his family, his house, regardless of who it is,” Marquez said.

Investigators said the two armed men targeted the Suarez' home.

“The suspects intentionally came to this home but we don't believe the victims knew the suspects," SDSO Homicide Detective Kenn Nelson said.

"It was a big stupidity of the people breaking into the house. It makes no sense,” Marquez said.

Multiple home security cameras in the area, including a door bell camera, appeared to show that the second suspect fled in a car parked near the Suarez' house.

At this point of the investigation, detectives believe Suarez Sr. was protecting his son when he took one of the suspects' guns and used it. He was questioned by investigators but is not in custody.

Meanwhile, the family told NBC 7 that knowing one suspect is still outstanding worries them.

Sheriff's investigators said they do not have a description of the suspect or the car he was driving. But he is considered to be armed and dangerous.

A 75-year old man was killed in a hit-and-run Tuesday night in Spring Valley, according to Cal Fire Department officials. 

The crash occurred at 10:02 p.m. on Tyler Street and Sweetwater Road.

Fire officials said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

A 4-month-old Iranian baby who needs lifesaving heart surgery and was initially blocked under President Donald Trump's travel restrictions arrived at an Oregon hospital Tuesday, NBC News reported.

Doctors at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital said early diagnostic tests on Fatemeh Reshad are promising, the medical center said in a statement.

"Fatemeh looks well. Our tests this morning have confirmed her diagnosis and the urgent need for treatment," Laurie Armsby, interim head of the center's Division of Pediatric Cardiology, said in the statement.

"As we suspected, her heart condition has resulted in injury to her lungs, however the studies today indicate that she has presented to us in time to reverse this process," Armsby said.

A major decision could be coming Wednesday from Sacramento that would extend drought restrictions.

That has a lot of local residents scratching their heads, given the recent heavy rain and conservation efforts. The San Diego County Water Authority also declared the drought conditions over for our county following the storms.

But that is not stopping the State Water Resources Control Board from considering the idea of keeping statewide drought controls in place.

Some Poway homeowners are not so happy with the potential of more restrictions.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said resident Cliff Doughty and his neighbor Jim Hoover.

Californians have saved water on average by 22.5 percent a month since June 2015, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.

But for residents in Poway, there will be a monthly fee increase that kicks in this March.

“People worked hard and conserved water and did without a lot of things,” said Doughty. “Then they were rewarded with increase in water rates. They want to charge us more because they’re not selling enough water.”

Jim Hoover said he isn't just feeling the pain of a rate increase, but the impact the drought had on his landscaping business that he recently retired from.

“It’s really tough right now because everybody is going to rocks," Hoover said.

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said Sacramento is out of touch, putting too many regulations on residents.

“I wish Sacramento could come down here and pay attention to how we’ve taken care of business. The San Diego Water Authority has done a terrific job. We’ve got more than enough water for our needs," Vaus told NBC 7.

Though Poway's needs may be met, and one of California's prime water sources, the Sierra snowpack has gotten more snow than normal, state regulators want to continue restrictions because of concerns about water supplies on the central coast between Monterey and Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara reservoir is under 15 percent full.

Resident Karen Valencia said that's why “conservation is key and everything needs a little protection.”

Senate Republicans voted to silence Elizabeth Warren after she read from a letter by the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. that criticized the civil rights record of Trump's nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, NBC News reported.

The debate on the confirmation of Sen. Sessions came to a screeching but temporary halt Tuesday night when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, objected to a speech that the Massachusetts Democrat was giving.

Warren quoted from a letter Coretta Scott King wrote in opposition to Sessions, an Alabama Republican, during his attempted confirmation for a federal judgeship 30 years ago. Scott King wrote that Sessions had used "the awesome power of his office to chill the pre-exercise of the vote by black citizens."

McConnell and other Republicans said Warren violated Senate rules. The rule, No. 19, says senators cannot "directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator." Because of this, the Senate voted 49-43 to admonish Warren, effectively barring her from speaking further.

People who want to visit the United States could be asked to hand over their social-media passwords to officials as part of enhanced security checks, the country's top domestic security chief said, NBC News reported.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told Congress on Tuesday the measure was one of several being considered to vet refugees and visa applicants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

"We want to get on their social media, with passwords: What do you do, what do you say?" he told the House Homeland Security Committee. "If they don't want to cooperate then you don't come in."

President Donald Trump will deliver remarks to law enforcement officials at the Major County Sheriffs' Association & Major Cities Chiefs Association Joint Conference Wednesday morning.

President Donald Trump addressed a national meeting of law enforcement officials and directed them to "turn in" the illegal gang members in their areas to the Department of Homeland Security.

It was part of a speech that included Trump's reaction to the oral arguments regarding his proposed travel ban on immigrants and refugees from seven countries.

The president also addressed the illegal drug trade that's affecting so many local law enforcement agencies before turning his attention to undocumented immigrants.

“You know the illegals, you know them by their first name. You know them by their nicknames. You have that power,” Trump said.

“You’re in the neighborhoods. You know the bad ones. You know the good ones,” he said. “I want you to turn in the bad ones.”

“We’ll get them out of our country and bring them back where they came from.”

He suggested the local law enforcement officers call up the Department of Homeland Security and vowed that the agency will deport the undocumented immigrants "fast."

As recently as November, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman has stated it is not her department's job to enforce federal immigration laws. Zimmerman has said that responsibility rests with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

L’Auberge Del Mar recently completed a $4 million redesign of the luxury hotel’s guest rooms and meeting spaces.

A statement from the Del Mar resort’s operator, Destination Hotels, said the property’s 121 guest rooms have been updated with a design by noted Los Angeles interior designer Barclay Butera, who also oversaw a redesign at L’Auberge in 2008.

The rooms have been updated with a “coastal chic” decor, with new wall coverings, carpeting and bedding. There is also new contemporary artwork, cabinets, lighting and wood furnishings, among other elements.

Operators said refurbished meeting areas are now in coastal blues, soft greens and crisp whites, reflecting the overall hotel design. There are also new light fixtures, carpeting, wall coverings and mirrors.

The resort also recently partnered with artist and photographer Aaron Chang, who is showcasing his surf and ocean images throughout the property. Operators have also added a live TV feed of the Pacific Ocean, which welcomes guests and anchors the lobby’s front desk area.

The property is located at 1540 Camino Del Mar.

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The words used to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a Senate debate Tuesday evening have become a rallying cry on social media for her supporters.

#ShePersists, #LetLizSpeak and Silencing Elizabeth Warren were trending on Twitter Wednesday with tens of thousands of tweets in the wake of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell telling Warren she couldn't quote a letter penned by a civil rights leader to criticize attorney general nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions, citing an arcane rule that senators cannot indict or shame another sitting senator.

“Sen. Warren was giving a lengthy speech,” McConnell said in a statement. “She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

Twitter users responded fiercely, using the end of McConnell's statement to point out women who have defiantly refused to be silent, including Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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Senate Republicans shut down Warren's testimony during her dissent of Sen. Jeff Sessions' confirmation. Warren read a 1986 letter written by Coretta Scott King that criticized Session’s position on civil right while he was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. 

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It says Sessions exercised his power to “chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens in the district.” Sessions' nomination to lead the Justice Department has been met with outcry from many Senate Democrats over his record on civil rights.

McConnell objected to her speech as a violation Senate Rule 19, which says that "no senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another senator or to other senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator." The senate voted along party lines, 49-43, to admonish the rest of Warren’s testimony.

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After Republicans stopped Warren from reading the letter, she recorded a Facebook live video of herself reading the letter in its entirety.

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And other Democratic senators were subsequently able to read King's letter in full without being censured. It was not immediately clear why they weren't rubuked along the same lines. 

A specialty coffee roaster with deep roots in San Diego’s North County will open a new location Thursday, this time in Little Italy.

Lofty Coffee Co. – known for its North County cafés specializing in fresh coffee, organic pastries and healthy breakfast dishes with ingredients sourced from local farms – has made its way south, opening a new café and scratch bakery at 444 Cedar St.

The company started in 2011 as a corner café on historic Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. In addition to the Encinitas café and the new Little Italy location, the company also runs a café in Solana Beach and a production facility where coffee is roasted and pastries are baked, also in Encinitas.

The pastries are all made from scratch and baked fresh daily, including hand-rolled croissants, muffins and cookies. Wheat-free pastries are also on the menu. Lofty Coffee Co. also presses its own fresh, organic juice and makes its own almond milk, again focusing on local ingredients.

The new café in Little Italy joins a healthy lineup of eateries in the community that is known for its varied, vibrant dining scene.

Vice President Mike Pence once had his own quarrel with the court weighing the legality of President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is weighing the Justice Department's move to reinstate Trump’s immigration order, which bars travelers and refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations. The order was blocked by a lower court last week.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the entire federal court system after his order was blocked, saying Wednesday morning that “we are at risk” because of court’s action.

But more than a decade ago, criticism of the courts — specifically the 9th Circuit — came from the deeply religious future vice president.

Pence, then a Republican congressman from Indiana, made his Christian faith a central aspect of his political identity. America and religion are closely intertwined, he explained. And, in his view, federal courts like the 9th Circuit threatened to disrupt this tradition.

He spoke about this on an Indiana radio show hosted by two self-described “evangelical Bible-thumpers” Chris Dickson and Ron Chappell, in 2003. 

The topic: an attempt to remove Christmas as a federal holiday filed by a “secular” lawyer. 

When asked about this by Chappell, Pence springboarded into criticism of the 9th Circuit.

“People recognize how radically secular the 9th Circuit has become,” he said. “It was that court that recently ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance needed to be amended to remove the phrase ‘under God,’ I think we can expect more of these kind of strange cases.”

The Pledge case was a popular issue for the religious right. In a 2004 Gallup poll, 91 percent of those surveyed responded that they wanted the words "in God" to remain in the Pledge. 

Pence moved on to speak more broadly about the role of religion in government.

“These are all designed to achieve the goal of eradicating any vestige of religion from our national life,” he said. “People have come to believe that the freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment is the freedom from religion. It is most certainly not that.”

He talked about religious paintings that hang in the U.S. Capitol before circling back to the courts.

“We’re headed into, I think, a continuing battle over the meaning of the First Amendment, freedom of religion,” he said. “It’s a battle that begins with who’s in the White House to appoint federal jurists because increasingly the courts have decided to preempt this area with their own judgment.”

He concludes toward the end of the show: “We are a deeply religious people, whose public institutions presuppose a supreme being. That’s who we are as Americans.”

NBC has reached out to the White House seeking comment.  

The mother of a young backpacker killed in an Australian hostel spoke out against President Donald Trump’s claim that her daughter was killed in a terror attack that was ignored by the media, NBC News reported.

Rosie Ayliffe said terrorism was quickly ruled out in the the fatal stabbings of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 20, and Tom Jackson, 30. However, it was included on a list of 78 attacks that the White House says were “executed or inspired by” Islamic fundamentalists. The list was released to defend Trump’s claim that the media “doesn’t want to report” such attacks.

Ayliffe called the connection between her daughter’s death and Islamic fundamentalism a “myth.”

In an open letter to Trump on Facebook, she wrote that the vilification of an entire religion is “a terrifying reminder of the horror that can ensue when we allow ourselves to be led by ignorant people into darkness and hatred.”

The majority of Europeans would support a Trump-like travel ban on immigration from predominantly Muslim countries, according to a poll, NBC reported.

About 55 percent of the 10,000 surveyed across 10 countries agree that immigration from predominantly Muslim countries should be halted. Chatham House, the London-based think tank that conducted the poll, called the findings “striking and sobering.”

The poll comes after a string of terrorist attacks over the last 18 months that have caused tensions across Europe as countries decide how to manage their borders.

Majorities in eight of the 10 countries supported a Trump-like ban, including Poland at 71 percent, Germany at 53 percent, United Kingdom at 47 percent and Spain at 41 percent.