We investigated 283 suicides in San Diego between November 1981 and June 1983. The first 204 cases were collected consecutively. The next 79 were consecutive cases under age 30. The sample consisted, then, of three separate but overlapping consecutive series: 133 cases under age 30, 150 cases age 30 and over, and 204 cases of all ages. Overall, substance abuse/dependence was diagnosed in about two thirds of the cases, both over and under age 30. Depressive disorders were most commonly diagnosed in association with substance abuse (SA) in both age groups. Many other disorders also accompanied SA. There were significantly more diagnoses of “drug” abuse among the younger cases than among the older suicides. The frequency of alcohol abuse was the same. There were no significant differences in the rates of SA between the men and women in the 204 consecutive cases. Of the 45 suicides with psychotic disorders in the consecutive series, more than half (62%) were also substance abusers. Of the 15 cases who had personality disorders, 14 also were substance abusers. Also, 12 of 13 gay males were known to be substance abusers. In all cases, the drugs most frequently abused were alcohol, sedatives, marijuana, and stimulants. Depressive symptoms were common in the cases with SA even if an affective disorder was not formally diagnosed. We conclude that SA is possibly far more important as a primary etiology of suicides than was previously believed.

This paper uses an assignment model to understand the cross section of house prices within a metro area. Movers' demand for housing is derived from a lifecycle problem with credit market frictions. Equilibrium house prices adjust to assign houses that differ by quality to movers who differ by age, income and wealth. To quantify the model, we measure distributions of house prices, house qualities and mover characteristics from micro data on San Diego County during the 2000s boom. The main result is that cheaper credit for poor households was a major driver of prices, especially at the low end of the market.

Dispersion of ocean pollutants in estuarine environments and bays (such as San Diego Bay) depends on the location of the source of the pollutants relative to the mouth and the tidal excursion, which is the net horizontal distance over which a pollutant particle moves during one tidal cycle of flood and ebb. Pollutant dispersion was investigated using a coupled hydrodynamic and chemical discharge model in this study. The results show the existence of two distinct (northern and southern) spill patterns of pollutant dispersion. The northern spill pattern is characterized by fast reduction of the pollutant concentration in the water column, rapid dispersion of pollutants to the San Diego port and to outside of the San Diego Bay, and slow dispersion of pollutants to the southern bay. The southern spill pattern is characterized by slow reduction of the pollutant concentration in the water column, slow dispersion, and confinement of pollutants in the southern San Diego Bay. The results may be useful for ocean pollution control and management.

In the US, the historic Hollywood-era Lafayette Hotel in San Diego has deployed a ClearEdge Power fuel cell system that will reduce energy costs and lessen its impact on the environment. The hotel's recently completed extensive renovation includes the installation of a 40 kW ClearEdge5 fuel cell system.