⚡️Electrifying school buses

☀️Hey there, it's Monday and we're on our way to Minneapolis for an Axios Local retreat with our colleagues from around the country!

• Today's weather: Coast — Cloudy to start, then the sun will come out. High around 70; Inland — Foggy morning then sunny with a high in the 80s.

🎧 Sounds like: "Girl from the North Country" by one Minnesota's best, Bob Dylan.

Today's newsletter is 856 words — a 3.5-minute read.

More students than ever are going to class in an electric school bus as school districts, including San Diego Unified, race to take advantage of unprecedented government funding to replace their diesel fleets.

Why it matters: Exhaust from diesel buses is linked to serious health and development conditions for children, especially in low-income communities.

• The growing electric bus movement, fueled by state and federal incentives, promises to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve kids' health, too.

Zoom in: San Diego Unified currently has 13 electric buses in its fleet of more than 400.

• They transport students at 14 schools in the Lincoln cluster in southeastern San Diego, which is heavily impacted by pollution.
• The district will also soon replace 30 diesel buses under a grant through the EPA's Clean School Bus Program. Those are expected to hit the road in the 2026-27 school year.

Yes, but: The range of the vehicles and charging times limit bus routes and service areas, district transportation officials told Axios.

• Freeway driving also sucks up more battery life than residential routes because there are less stops for regeneration.

Stunning stat: An electric school bus costs about $370,000, more than triple the price of a traditional diesel bus.

The big picture: There are roughly 12,000 committed electric school buses in the U.S., including those funded, ordered or delivered, as well as the ones currently on the road.

• California, which offers generous rebates, leads the country with about 12% of its fleet being electric.

Between the lines: Part of the local push comes from state law requiring all newly purchased or contracted school buses to be zero-emission by 2035.

Caveat: While San Diego Unified strives to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and has received grants to electrify its fleet, eliminating emissions through electric buses will be minimal because less than 10% of students ride one each day.

Go deeper

San Diego-based chip giant Qualcomm has informally approached Intel about a takeover, in what would be the largest tech merger of all time, according to multiple reports.

Why it's matters: This could reshape the U.S. tech industry, and become the next president's first major antitrust case.

• It also reflects the rapid fall from grace for Intel, which once was the world's largest chipmaker.

By the numbers: Intel's stock price has fallen by 36% over the past year, even including a small boost on Friday from the Qualcomm news.

• Its current market cap is around $93 billion, whereas Qualcomm is valued at around $188 billion.
• The largest tech merger to date was Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.

Zoom out: Qualcomm hasn't yet made an official offer for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel, nor explained publicly how it would finance such a giant acquisition.

The big picture

🔋 SDSU is building an $80 million STEM education center at an extension campus in Imperial County to train students to work in the growing "Lithium Valley" economy that powers electric vehicle batteries. (Union-Tribune)

🥐 Knead Artisan Bakery has opened at Symphony Towers downtown with a cafe serving pastries, breakfast and lunch on weekdays. (Eater)

📲 Social media platforms will be prohibited from deliberately delivering addictive feeds to minors in without parental consent starting in 2027, under a new California law. (Axios)

About a year after a diabetic man died in the San Diego Central Jail, the county medical examiner ruled his death was a homicide by negligence. The San Diego District Attorney is investigating, and the family is planning to file a federal lawsuit against the sheriff's office. (NBC7)

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Balboa Park is the country's second most popular business of all time on Yelp.

Why it matters: We know the park is San Diego's gem, but it's nice to see the Yelpers give this cultural landmark the credit it deserves.

The big picture: Balboa Park is home to more than a dozen museums, hiking trails, dog parks, sports fields, a golf course, gardens (including one where butterflies replaced nudist performers), and the San Diego Zoo – which you may have heard recently got its giant pandas back.

Between the lines: A popular spot for out-of-towners, it sees about 14 million visitors each year, according to the city.

• Yes, but: There are a few perks for residents, including free admission to some museums on Tuesdays each month. Check out the Museum of Us tomorrow!
• Plus, kids go for free at several museums and the Japanese Friendship Garden in October.

What we're watching: The $21 million renovation of the park's iconic Botanical Building is expected to be completed this fall.

Zoom out

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San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish on Sunday became the first Japanese player in MLB history to record 2,000 career strikeouts.

State of play: Darvish's nine strikeouts helped the Padres sweep the Chicago White Sox with a 4-2 win in another late-game rally in front of a sell-out crowd.

• The Padres are now one win away from securing a wild card playoff spot.
• Winning an NL West division title is still possible if the Padres win all six of their remaining games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

What's next: The Padres head to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

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Our picks:

✈️ Andy is a big fan of early morning flights.

🍔 Kate is excited to try a Jucy Lucy in the city where it was invented.

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell.