😍 Baby earth pig

☀️ Helloooo Friday! We've been waiting for you.

• Today's weather: Coast — Mostly sunny, high around 67; Inland — Sunny with a high near 80.

🎧 Sounds like: "For The Love Of Money" by The O'Jays

Today's newsletter is 782 words — a 3-minute read.

The financial picture in the San Diego mayoral race may have just been upended.

Follow the money: Local attorney Steven Richter on Sept. 12 donated $1 million to the conservative Lincoln Club of San Diego's political action committee, according to a disclosure posted Thursday afternoon.

• Voice of San Diego reported it would be used against Mayor Todd Gloria's re-election bid.

Why it matters: Richter's donation would bring financial parity to a mayoral race in which Gloria enjoyed a massive advantage against first-time candidate Larry Turner.

• Gloria's campaign has spent about $250,000 this year, and has just over $340,000 in the bank.
• Turner has raised less than $80,000.

Between the lines: Mike Turk, a developer and chair of the Lincoln Club PAC, told Axios it was premature to say the money would go to hurting Gloria and boosting Turner, saying only that it would go to "the club's priorities."

• But several sources familiar with the situation confirmed Voice's reporting that all or most of it would go to the mayoral race.
• The club has already endorsed Turner, but it has not formed a specific committee for the race.

The intrigue: Turk and his wife each made maximum campaign donations to Gloria earlier this month.

• "He's always been kind and supportive," Turk, who just had a housing project in Ocean Beach rejected by the planning commission, said of Gloria. "He told me I had a good project and he couldn't understand why they turned it down."

Zoom in: Richter has a slim history as a donor. In June, he and his wife each donated the maximum-allowed $1,350 to Turner.

• In the 2020 mayoral campaign, Richter made three donations totaling $1,100 to former Democratic Councilmember Barbara Bry when she ran against Gloria for mayor.

Catch up quick: The Lincoln Club is a conservative, pro-business organization that is active in local politics.

• It currently sponsors an independent committee opposing County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer's re-election bid.

The other side: Jen Tierney, Gloria's campaign consultant, said she is confident the $1 million donation will be matched in spending by their campaign, the Democratic Party and others "who care about keeping city government out of the hands of the far right."

The rules of committee spending

Republicans are outspending Democrats on political ads in San Diego as the November election approaches but not by much.

By the numbers: Campaigns and committees spent at least $2.7 million on ads from Aug. 1 through Sept. 20, according to data from analytics platform AdImpact.

• Republicans have spent $1.4 million, compared to $1.3 million by Democrats.
• Nearly all of that money is coming from candidates' campaigns, and it includes presidential, congressional and down-ballot races.

Yes, but: San Diego stands out from the national trend that shows Democrats are outspending Republicans by about a half-billion dollars.

The big picture: Political ad spending locally is a fraction of what cities in battleground states are seeing.

• Both parties are spending tens of millions of dollars on ads running in Philadelphia ($218 million), Detroit ($196 million) and Phoenix ($164 million).

Between the lines: Political action committees have planned to spend millions on ads around six key U.S. House races in California that could help determine which party controls Congress in 2025.

Keep reading

Say hi to the first-ever aardvark calf born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Zoom in: Safari Park visitors can't see this calf and its mom yet because they are privately bonding in their burrow.

• But, as ambassadors of their species, the aardvarks could make appearances on behind-the-scenes tours.

Fun fact: An adult aardvark may eat up to 50,000 insects in a single evening, according to the zoo.

Read more

The world's first-ever hearing aid with dual processing just hit the market, and it's a game changer for anyone looking to hear more clearly in conversation. It's called Horizon IX.

See why audiologists are raving about this powerful German technology and start your no-risk trial today.

🤍46 years after PSA Flight 182 crashed in North Park, killing 144 people, the city finally installed a memorial to the victims. (City News Service)

🏗️ Carlsbad officials approved a plan to replace a downtown shopping center with a five-story, mixed use building with 200 apartments, despite local opposition. (Union-Tribune)

🦟 A 71-year-old San Diego County man has tested positive for West Nile virus after traveling to rural Colorado. It's the county's first case of the virus since 2022. (County News Center)

Your weekend plans have arrived.

🎶 Mission Bayfest

The vibes will be high at this 3-day reggae music festival with a lineup that includes Wiz Khalifa, Iration, Stick Figure and more.

🎨 La Jolla Art & Wine Festival

Enjoy local and international artwork, drinks, food, live music and a silent auction while strolling through this free, pet and kid-friendly event.

🛩️ Miramar Air Show

The exhilarating military air show is back with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor Demo and other aerobatic acts.

Two more events

Experts say the new IX hearing aids are the ultimate conversation starter because they're designed with clarity in conversation in mind, offering:

• State-of-the-art noise suppression.
• Lightning-fast dual processing technology.
• Effortless conversation.

Test drive Horizon IX today.

Our picks:

😎 Andy is here to reassure you that Goose was indeed great.

🏝️Kate is looking forward to Bayfest this weekend.

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell.