Opponents of the designation included one board member who pointed out that palm trees are not even really trees but, rather, are members of the grass family, and San Diego's city forester ...

Perhaps the worst of it took place on the region's roadways, where the California Highway Patrol in San Diego has responded ... wakeup call at 5 a.m. when a palm tree planted in a narrow strip ...

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria echoed that sentiment Thursday night. "I'm deeply grateful to ... the fire was believed to have started in a palm tree but the cause was not yet known.