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As San Diego, California struggles with homelessness, drug addictions and illegal immigration, the city has decided to crack down on beachside yoga, according to a local instructor
“It is a beautiful city, a great place to live, but there’s a lot of problems. Yoga is not one of them,” instructor “Nama Steve” Hubbard told “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Hubbard said yoga helps “create and maintain physical health, mental clarity and an emotional sense of balance,” which he added can help a lot of the issues facing residents in San Diego.
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04: General view of downtown San Diego and San Diego bay on July 04, 2023 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images) (Getty Images )
Hubbard said he has been doing yoga classes on the beach spot for 17 years, but recently park rangers have begun enforcing the city ordinance against gatherings without a permit.
Hubbard added that he was being watched by a park ranger during the interview and that the mayor was invited to attend a yoga class but declined.
“There was a meeting set up for Friday with the mayor, but he has canceled. And it’s been told to me that the city attorney gave him the advice to cancel that meeting.”
The city of San Diego requires businesses to seek a permit and unpermitted activities need to keep to four people or less, according to FOX 5 San Diego. Yoga instructors are now seeking legal action against the city over the renewed enforcement.
A city spokesperson told a local affiliate that the ordinance has been in effect since 1993.
“These updates went into effect March 29 and are in place to ensure these public spaces remain safe and accessible to all users at all times. Park Rangers, police and lifeguards have the authority to enforce these codes to ensure public safety in San Diego’s parks and beaches,” the spokesperson stated.
Migrants have long snuck into the U.S. by way of the Pacific Ocean, but over the last three years, California has seen an “exponential increase in maritime smuggling,” Brandon Tucker, director of Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations in San Diego, said.
Since fiscal year 2020, maritime smuggling events — which can also include trafficking drugs and other contraband — in California have increased nearly 140%, according to CBP.
So far, the San Diego sector has seen more than 185,000 encounters in fiscal year 2024, up nearly 70% from the same period in 2023, according to CBP data.
Fox News’ Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this report.
VideoElizabeth Heckman is a digital production assistant with Fox News.
