Steve Hubbard, a San Diego yoga instructor widely known as “NamaSteve,” has filed a third lawsuit against the city, intensifying a legal dispute over his ability to conduct free, donation-based outdoor yoga classes.
The latest lawsuit, filed on June 22, alleges that park rangers have continued to intimidate and illegally ticket Hubbard for holding yoga sessions at the beach and even at his home, despite prior legal victories on First Amendment grounds.
Hubbard, a fitness instructor who teaches at Palisades Park in Pacific Beach, received three tickets in May 2025. Two were issued at the beach, and one was issued at his residence after he live-streamed a yoga class. Hubbard contends that these actions are intended to intimidate him from exercising his First Amendment rights.
"Even after the U.S. District Court ruled the city’s ordinance prohibiting ‘giving any lecture’ in a city park violated the First Amendment, park rangers continued citing our client for this, including going to his home and citing him for teaching yoga online because it could be viewed in a park," stated Bryan Pease, Hubbard's attorney, in a statement to Times of San Diego.
San Diego implemented a revised municipal ordinance in 2024 that targets unpermitted commercial activity in public spaces. Under this regulation, groups of four or more people participating in activities such as massage, yoga, dog training, or fitness classes require a permit to operate.
Hubbard and another yoga teacher, Amy Baack, initially sued the city seeking a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of the ordinance, arguing it infringed upon their First Amendment rights. While the district court did not grant the injunction, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals later issued one, stating that "teaching yoga is protected speech by the First Amendment."
A second lawsuit was subsequently filed in state court to challenge the local rules directly. During this legal process, city attorneys reportedly issued subpoenas for Hubbard's Venmo and bank statements, as well as the GPS location records of students who had donated to his classes. The state court case is scheduled to proceed in January 2027.