There was no shortage of news stories this year, and our Voice of San Diego photojournalists were there every step of the way to bring those stories to life.
They documented the region’s homeless crisis, visits from politicians and even the tight community of backstretch workers in Del Mar. They spent time with families dealing with loss, heartache and pain. But they also captured moments of joy.
Here are some of our favorite images by staff and freelance photojournalists.
January
Gov. Gavin Newsom helps clean up the site of a homeless encampment in downtown San Diego on Jan. 12, 2022. Newsom visited San Diego to announce his budget proposal of $14 billion to help thousands of people who are unsheltered get off the streets. Photo by Adriana Heldiz
February
Feliciano Antonio and Alberta Armenta visit their son’s grave on Feb. 17, 2022. Luis Alberto Antonio Armenta died of an overdose according to the county’s Medical Examiner’s Office in early 2021. His family suspected there was more to the story behind his death, and that the police failed to investigate some of the odd circumstances. Photo by Adriana Heldiz
March
Sophia Rodriguez’s husband Dan plays with toy swords with their 4-year-old daughter while he holds their 10-month-old son at home in Chula Vista on March 8, 2022. Earlier this year, the couple was searching for a state-funded preschool to help with their childcare expenses. The family spoke with Voice of San Diego’s Will Huntsberry for our Cost of Living series. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
April
Kassandra Martinez, 19, and her son Adrian Martinez, 6 months, share a bunk in the family shelter area of Golden Hall in the downtown San Diego Civic Center Concourse on April 8, 2022. Her two female cousins and their children are also at the shelter. Photo by Peggy Peattie
May
Jodee and Steve Watelet at their home in Mesquite, Nevada, on Friday, May 20, 2022. Their son Kellen Watelet, 22, took his own life on Jan. 6, 2020. He was the first sailor or Marine that year to die by suicide in San Diego County. Photo by Miranda Alam
June
Massive protests erupted around the country against the decision that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. San Diego had 1,000 protesters march through downtown and another 1,000 that gathered near Waterfront Park outside the San Diego County Administration building. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
July
Horse Groomers working in the morning at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on July 29, 2022. Back in September Voice’s Tigist Layne reported on the Del Mar Racetrack’s backstretch workers who are responsible for taking care of more than 2,000 Thoroughbred horses. Most of the workers are from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador and are made up of grooms, hot walkers, exercise riders, pony riders and assistant trainers. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
August
Becca Williams, a San Diego Unified School District board candidate, plays with her two sons in her home in Pacific Beach. Williams ran against Cody Petterson to represent the district’s coastal areas. She lost in November. Photo by Brittany Cruz-Fejeran
September
A first grade class at Guillermo González Camarena, primary school in the eastern part of Tijuana on Sept. 13, 2022. Most of the students were two years behind because of the pandemic. Broder Report contributor Sandra Dibble wrote in September that students across Baja California were trying to make up for lost time. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
October
Marisa Rosales sits in her 1949 Hudson Commodore in National City on Oct. 7 , 2022. Voice’s Managing Editor of Daily News Andrea Lopez-Villafaña spoke to members of The United Lowrider Coalition and National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis back in October about why National City still has a cruising ban. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
November
President Joe Biden arrives at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to attend a get-out-the-vote event for Rep. Mike Levin in Oceanside on Nov. 3, 2022. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
December
Dallin Mifflin and his dog Lita are residents of La Posada de Guadalupe shelter in Carlsbad on Dec. 13, 2022. Earlier this month, Tigist Layne reported on how the La Posada de Guadalupe shelter, a historically men-only shelter in North County, was expanding shelter to women and children. Photo by Ariana Drehsler
are these the 12 best photos of the year?