Inland Edition, December 28, 2018

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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO

VOL. 4, N0. 26

DEC. 28, 2018

Pot priority as council convenes

New era for San Marcos City Council

By Aaron Burgin

SAN MARCOS — After years of the same faces on the San Marcos City Council, Dec. 11 officially brought the start of a new era.

Gone are Mayor Jim Desmond and council members Chris Orlando and Kristal Jabara, the first two who termed out of office and the latter did not seek re-election.

In their place are new Mayor Rebecca Jones — previously the city’s vice mayor — and newly elected council members Randy Walton and Maria Nunez. The trio of were officially sworn into office, as Jones became the city’s 14th mayor.

“As North County’s education hub and safest city, San Marcos is a rising star,” Jones said. “With tremendous success, comes new challenges — I’m all about the solutions and ready to work collaboratively so that generations to come will be afforded the same opportunities to thrive right here in San Marcos.”

In a region of political turnover, San Marcos has been a model of consistency.

Since Sharon Jenkins’ election to the council in 2012, the city has had the same five council members. In 2014, the city canceled the election, citing the lack of challengers.

But with the advent of term limits, several venerable council members would not return to office. And with the council transitioning to district-based elections for the first time, it set off the most competitive election season San Marcos has seen in more than a decade.

Walton, formerly a San Marcos Unified school board member, will represent District 2 after defeating Vallecitos Water board member Mike Sannella and Planning Commission chairman Eric Flodine. Nunez, a bankruptcy attorney, will represent District 1 after defeating businessman Craig Garcia and local political aide Clifton Ireland.

Desmond, Orlando and Jabara were formally recognized for their council service at the Dec. 11 meeting.

The City Council must now determine how it will fill the two-year vacancy created with Jones’ election to the mayor’s seat. Since she was elected at large in 2016, the council can select her replacement from anywhere in the city. They will determine whether to appoint or call a special election for her replacement at the next council meeting.

By Steve Horn

and included a day out on the town visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and Pier 39.

Athletic boosters, community members and parental supporters all pitched in to help fund the trip, raising more than $10,000 for the team.

A large portion of the money was obtained through a crowdfunding campaign by Orange Glen parent Patti Thompson. The online fundraiser generated over $3,600 alone.

Thompson’s son, Theadore, is a junior offensive lineman for the Patriots. That crowdfunding effort to the cause alone.

VISTA — Little time was wasted getting down to business on Councilwoman Corinna Contreras’ first day on the job at the Dec. 11 meeting as some of the city’s major policy issues were on the table.

Contreras, who won by a slim 66 votes over incumbent candidate John Aguilera, opened her four-year term with a swearing in ceremony and subsequent small celebratory meetand-greet and Pages 6-7 cake - eating ceremony in the lobby outside of City Council chambers. On the dais, Contreras thanked voters for putting their faith in her and expressed excitement for her new job representing Vista’s District 1.

“It is the highest honor to be here representing the city of Vista and being extra accountable to my neighbors in District 1,” Contreras said. “I really look forward to working with the council and the mayor and making sure we work on common ground issues that are only going to make our city better. So, thank you to everybody that voted: your voice was heard and I hope that everybody continues to come to council meetings.”

After the festivities ended, other business was on the agenda for Contreras’ first meeting. Imple-

TURN TO ORANGE GLEN ON 15

TURN TO POT ON 13

Top 10 Story Lines of 2018

ORANGE GLEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS, along with coaches and parents, pose for a picture at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. In the CIF Division 6-A final this month, the Patriots lost to Lincoln High of San Francisco. Photo via Facebook

A first for football in Escondido

Orange Glen High is city’s first to reach state championship game

By Steve Horn

ESCONDIDO — For the first time in Escondido history, a high school football team advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championship game.

The Orange Glen High School Patriots competed against the San Francisco Lincoln High School Mustangs in the Division 6-A championship game on Dec. 15 at the City College of San Francisco.

In a close match, the Patriots fell 24-13 to the Mustangs, who claimed their first state crown in program history after wrapping up an undefeated regular season.

The Patriots finished the year with a 10-4 record. Patriots Coach

Jason Patterson credited his special teams unit, the defense’s grit and the offensive running game for keeping the entire game close against a team sans a blemish on its record.

Orange Glen aired the championship game in the school’s gymnasium, library and classrooms to over 500 students and community members.

For Patterson, who is also Orange Glen’s athletic director and physical education teacher, the trip to San Francisco meant far more than merely football.

Patterson said he wanted the trip to the city to be something his squad of student-athletes would remember for the rest of their lives

Students send sifters to Camp fire victims

By Kelli Kyle

A DRIVER from the truck-sharing service GoShare picked up sifters from San Marcos High School on Dec. 17 to deliver to Chico for families affected by the Camp fire. Students in the woodshop class built the sifters, while students in the art class painted them. Pictured are, front, from left: students Caleb Mancini, Sidney Adame and James Crowley and U.S. History teacher Tara Razi. Back: Principal Adam Dawson. Photo by Kelli Kyle

SAN MARCOS — After the Camp fire devastated the town of Paradise and surrounding areas in Northern California, Vista resident Tara Razi, an alumna of nearby CSU Chico, wanted to do something meaningful to help.

“What do you get people who don’t have a home?”

Razi asked. “I didn’t know what I could do for them from down here that didn’t necessarily involve only financial help.”

Razi reached out to her old advisors from Chico State to see what the affect-

ed families needed.

She decided sifters would be most beneficial, after hearing several heartwarming stories from her former colleagues.

“One woman went to exactly where her bathroom would’ve been, and she used a sifter and found her wedding ring,” Razi shared.

“So I thought to myself, OK, that’s something we could actually do.”

As a U.S. history teacher at San Marcos High School, Razi wanted to get the student community inTURN TO SIFTERS ON 17

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T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018

Daddy Car Care small talk jean gillette

Y

them whatever it takes.”

My honorable intentions would last until I got the estimate.

One auto parts man told me it would take $200 to replace one small part of my seat belt — and this was 25 years ago. After I stopped laughing and choking, I told him my funeral would probably cost less than that. Meanwhile, my dad fixed it with $2 worth of parts and a million dollars worth of knowledge.

Eventually, when I was too far away for him to do the actual work, I would do the next best thing. I would call and describe the noises and other various symptoms of my latest car ailment, and he would give me one or two probable causes, complete with exactly what needed to be done to fix it.

Armed with knowledge and a vocabulary that could convince any mechanic that I knew my way around an engine, I would march confidently into the repair shop and tell them what needed to be done.

Being able to tell, rather than ask, saved me enormous time and money. It made it very hard for them to flim-flam me.

If they tried, I would just call my dad and have him talk to them. It worked like a charm.

The debutantes of Boston can keep their fame and fortunes. I’ll bet their fathers wouldn’t know a transmission bearing from a flywheel. Those poor little rich girls have to go through life paying auto mechanics to take twice as long to do half as much. They can never be certain that the job was done right, and their mechanic never cared about the safety of that car’s passenger like my daddy did.

There’s no warranty in the world like a birth certificate.

ou’ve heard about those girls born with the much-lauded silver spoon in their mouths? I had it all over them. When I opened my mouth to howl, a set of metric wrenches was poking out.

That is to say, I was blessed with a daddy whose hobby was car repair. Diamonds are dandy, but they won’t get you back on the road in the middle of the night. Ask anyone you know, and they will have a horror story about getting stranded, or weeks without their car while some auto repair place jerked them around.

I had no such nightmares for the bulk of my lie. My dad once drove from El Cajon to East L.A. for me, after I placed a tearful, panic-stricken phone call.

Mom claimed I wouldn’t recognize my father unless I could see the soles of his feet sticking out from under a car.

That’s just not true. All he had to do is smear a little grease on his nose and chin, and I’d know him in a second.

I am a little surprised that he ever came to the phone once he knew it was me on the other end. For several years, our standard greeting degenerated to “Hi, Dad!” “Hi, daughter. What broke?”

But there was more affection behind those words than you might think. I can think of no greater sacrifice to make for your little girl than to give up watching the weekend golf in order to replace her brake cylinder.

Every now and then I’d get to feeling thoroughly guilty about using up his weekends. I’d say Jean Gillette is a to myself, “This time, I freelance writer who won’t even bother him. thinks a car should just I’ll just take it down to the last forever. Contact her at local repair shop and pay jean@coastnewsgroup.com.

CAPT. DENNIS BOYER is retiring after nearly 40 years with the Escondido Fire Department. He will continue to teach at the Palomar College Fire Academy. Courtesy photo

Fire captain ends long firehouse run ESCONDIDO — For 39½ years, Capt. Dennis Boyer has spent most of his professional life in the thick of it, at Station 3 in Escondido.

But starting in 1995, alongside dozens of other veteran firefighters from all over North County who teach at Palomar, Boyer has also trained class upon class of men and women how to handle the fire engines and

ladder trucks that would be their daily stock-in-trade.

“The guys I grew up with in the fire service, I’m now seeing their sons in the Fire Academy,” he said. “My stepson went through the 45th Academy at Palomar.

That was kind of cool, because it was the only time in his life he had to call me ‘Sir.’” On Dec. 30, 2018, Boy-

er will clock in for his last shift at Station 3 — but even in retirement, his tenure at Palomar College will go on.

He will be back next year for another Academy.

With a patient manner and decades of wisdom, Boyer has been a student favorite at Palomar. During the recent graduation of Fire Academy class 54, the students presented him with a

special award.

“We’ve built a really good Academy,” he said.

“You go to other parts of the state and they’ll say, ‘I’ve heard of Palomar.’ Our graduates will say that the reputation of the academy has preceded them, because when they get hired, they’re told, ‘We hired you because you graduated from the Palomar Fire Academy.’”

Encinitas looks to state for pot deliveries

By Carey Blakely

ENCINITAS — Since the legalization of recreational marijuana use in California, state regulators and city officials have been tasked with deciding which cannabis-related practices should be allowed by law and which ones go one toke over the line.

In Encinitas, where the retail sale, commercial cultivation and delivery of recreational marijuana remain illegal, the City Council has discussed whether it should at least allow legal cannabis products from licensed operators to be delivered to adult residents.

Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear brought the topic to the council’s

attention again on Dec. 12 during her initiated agenda item, noting that the city’s delivery ban is “a little bit of an injustice that remains in our code,” she said.

Blakespear pointed to compassionate care — such as residents who are homebound — as a reason why the council should consider adopting a delivery policy.

But given the potential that by early January it may be legal to deliver marijuana products to any location in the state, including ones like Encinitas that ban pot shops, the council decided to wait before pursuing the matter further at the city level.

The California Bureau of Cannabis Control has proposed multiple regulations for marijuana use, including the statewide legalization of cannabis-product

deliveries. Those regulations were sent to the Office of Administrative Law, which has 30 days to decide whether to approve them, according to Encinitas City Attorney Glenn Sabine.

Sabine told the council that the Office of Administrative Law has the authority to strike down the Bureau of Cannabis Control’s proposed delivery ordinance. He said, “The likelihood is that that’s not going to happen, but it’s not a certainty.” However, an affirmative ruling could be appealed in court.

If an appeal gets filed or the state delivery law remains in limbo for a different reason, Blakespear expressed her hope that the council would authorize cannabis-product deliveries at the city level.

City Councilman Tony Kranz appeared to concur,

saying, “It seems to me that if somebody is inclined to consume cannabis that it isn’t in our best interest to put them in their car to drive to the store.” Kranz, however, also wished to wait to see whether the state renders the subject moot.

It is expected that Sabine will have an update to share at the next regular council meeting on Jan. 9.

On a broader level, Encinitas voters will decide in November 2020 whether to authorize the retail sale, commercial cultivation, manufacturing and distribution of marijuana in the city. A citizen-led initiative called the Cannabis Activity Zoning Ordinance of Encinitas is slated for the 2020 ballot, after it missed a signature-certification deadline for the 2018 ballot by minutes.

Gang member gets life in fatal shooting of motorist ESCONDIDO — An Escondido gang member who fired a shot intended for rivals that struck and killed a woman driving home from Bible study was sentenced Dec. 20 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Dionicio Torrez Jr., 25, was convicted in October of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation that he was an active member of a street gang when 55-year-old Cathy Kennedy was killed.

Torrez also was convicted of attempted murder and shooting at an occupied ve-

hicle.

Deputy District Attorney Laurie Hauf said Torrez fired across a street 12 rounds intended for rivals the night of March 7, 2017.

One of those bullets hit Kennedy -— traveling home from church — in the head, and she died at a hospital.

Defense attorney Alejandro Morales said the prosecution’s case rested on the word of a 16-year-old boy who was with Torrez that night.

The juvenile — who took a plea deal — was the one who fired the shots, Mo-

rales told the jury.

Hauf said two rival gang members were spotted tagging the apartment complex where Torrez and the teenager lived about 9 p.m.

Torrez chased the rivals — followed by the 16-yearold — and Torrez opened fire, according to the prosecutor.

The victim was found alongside eastbound Grand Avenue near Midway Drive.

Her silver Toyota Camry crashed into a parked vehicle.

— City News Service

DEC. 28, 2018

DMV reminds motorists of laws that take effect Jan. 1 REGION — With the new year just around the corner, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wants to inform the public about several new laws or changes to existing law that, unless otherwise noted, take effect Jan. 1, 2019.

— Temporary License Plate Program (AB 516, Mullin): This law requires licensed California dealers, of new and used vehicles to attach temporary paper license plates on a vehicle at the point of sale if that vehicle does not display license plates previously issued by the DMV. The temporary license plates contain a unique number and expiration date. No vehicle can be driven off the dealership lot without the temporary license plate affixed to it unless it already has issued plates.

The intent of this new law is to reduce the number of toll violators and improve safety for law enforcement.

— Driving Under the Influence Ignition Interlock Device (SB 1046, Hill): From Jan. 1, 2019 to Jan. 1, 2026, this law mandates repeat offenders for driving under the influence (DUI) and first DUI offenders whose violations resulted in injury, to install an ignition interlock device (IID) for a period ranging from 12 to 48 months.

This law also allows those who receive a suspension under the Administrative Per Se law to obtain an IID-restricted driving privilege, and receive credit toward their required IID restriction period if they are later convicted of a DUI. These provisions apply to DUI violations that involve alcohol or the combined use of alcohol and drugs. They do not apply to drug-only violations.

Additionally, courts have the discretion to order a non-injury first DUI offender to install an IID for a period of up to 6 months.

If the court does not order IID installation, a non-injury first offender may apply for a driver license for IID restrictions or restrictions that allow them to drive to, from, and during their employment and to and from a DUI treatment program for 12 months.

Previously, an IID pilot program was only in effect in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties.

— Smog Check Changes and New Abatement Fees (AB 1274, O’Donnell): This law expands the existing smog check exemption to vehicles that are up to eight model years old, up from the current exemption of six model years.

During the additional two years of exemption, these vehicles will pay an annual $25 smog abatement fee. The current annual $20 smog abatement fee for the first six years of exemption remains unchanged.

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— Driving Privilege for Minors (AB 2685, Lackey): This law repeals a juvenile court’s authority to suspend, restrict or delay the issuance of a driver license of a habitual truant or ward of the state for up to one year.

The law clarifies that any suspensions or delays reported prior to January 1, 2019, remain in effect.

— Helmets for Motorized Scooters, (AB 2989, Flora): Bicycle helmets are no longer required for riders of motorized scooters who are age 18 or older.

It also amends existing law to prohibit a person from operating a motorized scooter on a highway with a speed limit greater than 25 miles per hour, unless it is within a Class IV bikeway as well as a Class II bikeway.

However, it permits local authorities to authorize the operation of motorized scooters on roads with speed limits up to 35 miles per hour outside of a Class II or Class IV bikeway.

— Unsafe, unsecured loads on vehicles (AB 1925, Choi): This law requires the DMV to include at least one question addressing laws pertaining to driving with an unsafe, unsecured load in at least 20 percent of the knowledge tests administered to driver license applicants.

Unsecured loads, such as ladders, buckets and loose items in the back of pickup trucks, can be dangerous for motorists when they fall onto the road.

Therefore, all vehicle loads must be covered or secured.

— Green and White Clean Air Vehicle exemptions expire Jan. 1, 2019. in High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (AB 544, Bloom).

As previously announced, AB 544 created a new program to grant low-emission vehicles and transitional zero-emission vehicles access to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for an approximate four-year period, regardless of the vehicle occupancy level. Vehicles displaying these decals will no longer have access to HOV lanes.

Vehicles that were issued a green or white decal between Jan. 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 are eligible to apply for a red decal that grants them access to HOV lanes until Jan. 1, 2022.

The DMV notified these customers of their eligibility by mail. The DMV will issue light purple decals in 2019 that will grant access to HOV lanes until Jan. 1, 2023. Decals are available to applicants who have not applied for or received a consumer rebate pursuant to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, unless they meet annual income requirements.

For more information or to apply, visit DMV’s Clean Air Vehicle Decals webpage. Visit the California Air Resources Board website for additional information on vehicle eligibility.

New mayor, council majority in Escondido

By Steve Horn

ESCONDIDO — On Dec. 12, City Council embarked on a new era, swearing in Mayor Paul McNamara and Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez to fouryear terms and changing the balance of power from a 4-1 conservative majority to a 3-2 liberal majority.

McNamara won a competitive race against former Mayor Sam Abed, while Martinez won in a landslide against Ed Gallo. As is tradition in Escondido, the changing of the guard happens in the form of an Installation Ceremony, with members voted out or retiring having the chance to speak at the dais one final time before handing over the baton.

At the ceremony, both Abed and Gallo offered parting words before leaving center stage. Gallo read a note from a job manager he worked for as a young adult in New Jersey, while Abed discussed what he described as a burgeoning culture of political divisiveness brewing in the city.

“I am personally proud of my 26 years of public service to this city,” said Gallo, the fourth-longest-serving member of the City Council in its history as an incorporated entity. “I’m proud of being on this council, working together because we’ve

been balancing budgets without using reserve funds, which is critical.”

Gallo also emphasized the state of the economy in Escondido in his parting statement.

“I’m proud to say that efforts at job creation in Escondido has had a profound result. Escondido used to have the lowest median income in North County,” Gallo said. “That is not the case and that is a direct result of this council’s attention to economic development and job creation.”

In his farewell address, Abed opened up by stating that he had taken a new job working for the Escondido-based company Brush Real Estate & Financial Services.

“I truly believed that every policy we implemented and every decision I made was in the best interest of the 155,000 citizens who live in this wonderful city,” Abed said. “I am also very proud of our accomplishments and the fundamental economic, financial, and positive image transformation we have achieved together. Today, Escondido is a cleaner, safer, more efficient, more desirable and more prosperous city.”

Abed also called for more amicable dialogue cutting across party lines in the months and years ahead

within Escondido.

“Let’s commit to embrace all the values that unite us and bring us together as one country, one city, one community, one neighborhood and one family,” Abed said. “For America to remain an exceptional nation, we must commit to a more civil discourse, motivated by mutual respect — motivated by mutual respect, underscore that — and accommodation and compassion ... Thank you Escondido for your support for the past 14 years. It has been the honor of my life to serve you.”

For their part, speaking for the first time as city officials, both McNamara and Martinez thanked those who brought them into office and conveyed, in broad strokes, their goals for the city.

“Public service is always difficult and I’d like to say a personal thank you, whether you agree with the individuals or not, to both Sam and Ed for their many years of public service to this city,” McNamara said.

“I’d also like to thank all of the citizens and residents of this city who supported us and supported this change.

It couldn’t have been done without you. It makes me feel really good that we’re building a sense of community and that we can work together. Obviously, we have

a number of challenges and those challenges are not going to be solved by those sitting up here on the dais. It’s going to be solved by all of us working together.”

McNamara closed his speech by saying only two people believed he could win the mayoral race: him and his campaign manager, Nina Deerfield, who he thanked for her efforts during his run.

Martinez, who had many supports in the crowd, delivered her speech in both English and Spanish, noting that she normally does not write speeches down but did not want to forget to mention anyone in her remarks.

“We really embarked on a journey to unite our city as one Escondido,” Martinez said. “I really felt for a very long time like we weren’t treated as one Escondido and that is something that is really important to me. And so, I will ensure moving forward that we will work as one city. I want to make sure that all of my neighbors are heard, no matter what neighborhood you come from or where you were born and that no community gets left behind.”

The night ended with a mariachi band playing in front of the Escondido City Hall. Escondido’s City Council convenes again at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 2019.

Ad hoc panel to address homelessness in Oceanside

By Samantha Taylor

GLASS ARTIST HONORED Art glass and mixed media artist James Stone of Stone & Glass has been chosen as the 2018 Handmade Entrepreneur of the Year in Handmade Business magazine’s December issue. Stone is a full-time artist working out of Stone & Glass, his environmentally conscious studio at 629 W. Grand Ave., Escondido. Courtesy photo

OCEANSIDE — The Oceanside Housing Commission recently formed an ad hoc committee to address homelessness in the city.

Homelessness in Oceanside was declared a “crisis” by City Council, according to Housing Commissioner Michelle Gomez, who chairs the new ad hoc committee. Gomez is one of four housing commissioners who, along with Neighborhood Services Director Margery Pierce, make up the committee.

“We all know this is a problem but nobody is taking a lead on it,” Gomez said of the homelessness crisis.

“It’s not something we can slap a Band-Aid on.”

Gomez said the committee plans to build a “nine- to 11-person team” of community members with different perspectives to develop a “strategic framework” on how to mitigate the city’s homelessness crisis.

Gomez said that one of the team members would represent the community at large, while another would come from Oceanside Unified School District. She also wants to have someone from the city’s Economic Development Commission and another person who works in social services to be part of the team.

The homeless crisis in the city affects the overall quality of life for both residents and homeless individuals, Gomez said, which is why the committee’s framework team will consist of people with various special-

ties.

The purpose of the committee is to analyze how homelessness happens and what the city can do to prevent it from happening, as well has how the city can help get homeless people back into housing.

Once someone is on the streets, Gomez said, it’s harder for them to get off the streets.

“We want to make sure that one health concern or car issue doesn’t send them to the streets,” she said.

After the committee finishes finalizing its framework team members, it will meet with the team sometime in January to get started. Gomez said the committee plans to complete an analysis in six months on how to address the crisis.

January is also when the San Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homeless conducts its annual Point-inTime-Count, which counts how many people are living on the streets. According to the 2018 count, there were 483 homeless persons in Oceanside.

Though the Point-inTime-Count numbers are useful, it doesn’t give a complete picture of the crisis.

She said it doesn’t account for youths “couch-surfing,” according to Gomez.

Gomez said the ad hoc committee would ideally serve as a model to other cities.

“It’s a nationwide problem,” she said. “Our goal is to create something that other cities can look to as a guide.”

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DEC. 28, 2018

Opinion & Editorial

Views expressed in Opinion & Editorial do not reflect the views of The Coast News

PUC must enforce safety and stop coddling utilities

T

Always consider lifecycle cost

By James Wang

If you're environmentally concerned, you should always consider the full lifecycle of any product.

What materials are needed to make it? How much transportation is used to assemble and deliver it? How will you dispose of it?

For example, consider a cellphone. To make its semiconductor core, masses of ore must be mined. Each cellphone generates 165 pounds of waste - all for a phone weighing ounces.

And what happens when you're done with it? Recycling doesn’t make it disappear – most go to landfill. Its toxic components can't be used in other electronics, and it's not economically feasible to extract its scant precious metals.

What about clothing? Synthetic material is derived from petroleum, and we know that's not good. But what about

Looks nice, but what’s the point?

The environmental restoration and enhancement components of the touted Build NCC program are close to being outright frauds.

More than half of the sand placed last summer as part of the dune creation

Tell Congress: Act on carbon bill Dear Editor:

This holiday season, the one gift that I most want to wrap up for my two teenage kids is a livable world. But, recent scientific reports tell us we have to cut fossil fuel use 50 percent by 2030 to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.

Toward this goal, five members of Congress just

natural fibers like cotton - aren't they better?

Maybe, but not quite ...

Cotton is the world's most chemically-intensive crop, needing massive applications of herbicides and fungicides. And cotton accounts for 25% of worldwide pesticide use. Furthermore, each pound of cotton uses over 3800 gallons of water.

Naturally, manufacturers would rather that you did not know the less glamorous side of their product's lifecycle: your ignorance is their bliss.

But since every product has high environmental costs both to create and to dispose, the best approach is one that you should like: buy what you really, truly love, then keep it a long time.

So be happy and be environmental at the same time!

program was washed away with the first north swell of the season. By the end of this winter’s swells it will probably be all gone.

The dredging program to enhance a never-was, never-will-be tidal flow is ludicrous. The only way for the lagoon to “naturally” connect to the ocean is when a rainfall event generates

enough pressure on the sand buildup at the mouth of the lagoon to cause a breach.

All this feel-good stuff, while doing nothing to enhance the local environment, does make for some nice eye candy for us local denizens.

introduced the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act H.R. 7173 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill when enacted would place a steadily rising fee on carbon pollution and allocate (pre-pay actually) all proceeds to households equally. This market-based approach will drive down carbon pollution, put money in people's pockets, is good for business and will create jobs.

I've asked my representative to learn about and support this bill, and I recommend that your readers do the same.

It's time to set aside partisan differences and, to preserve a livable world, start addressing the threat of climate change by enacting the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in the next Congress.

John Murk Cardiff-by-the-Sea

T. Todd Elvins Solana Beach

his problem is more than 100 years old: When it comes to safety, California’s Public Utility Commission coddles the big utility companies it regulates, sometimes to the detriment and death of the companies’ own customers.

Way back in 1915, state legislators passed a law requiring the Railroad Commission (renamed the PUC in the 1940s) to assure “protection of employees and the general public.” But the commission waited 13 years, until 1928, to make actual rules, most of which were never enforced.

More recently, the Legislature in 2016 passed a law demanding regular reports on electric line safety, especially in likely fire areas.

But consumer lawyer Michael Aguirre, the former elected city attorney of San Diego, says he has not been able to get the PUC to reveal whether it hired any inspectors since passage of that law, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo. Déjà vu, a century later.

“They should have been inspecting all along … but they have admitted they did not prioritize this,” Hill said in an interview. “I believe the PUC didn’t think this was all that important, and so didn’t do it. They will stonewall wherever they can.”

Meanwhile, in lawsuits filed after last fall’s deadly Woolsey fire burned more than 1,000 homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the Los Angeles law firm of Panish, Shea & Boyle claimed Southern California Edison Co. has maintained a “run to failure” safety policy.

Under that system, the law firm charged, “the utility

big recent fires began and whether they ever issued citations there.

All this presents incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom with an opportunity for significant action, for thomas d. elias anyone who follows utility relied entirely on reactive rate increase proceedings knows that no matter who’s maintenance as its equipbeen on the PUC over at ment failed, rather than least the last 50 years, it requiring and enforcing preventative maintenance has favored companies over customers. for its electric facilities.”

Newsom can quickly The lawyers claimed Edison’s practices were in begin changing this.

His first chance arises “callous … disregard for with the Dec. 31 end of the the safety of California six-year term of PUC Comcommunities …”

Edison has not yet re- missioner Carla Peterman, sponded to those lawsuits. appointed by Brown in late 2012. Peterman, who Both Edison, which declined to be interviewed, last Oct. 30 admitted at has never fought against least some responsibility favoring the utilities. in the nightmarish 2017 Newsom’s choice Thomas fire that decimatfor her position will be ed parts of Ventura and critical, as will his picks Santa Barbara counties, and Pacific Gas & Electric for two more slots opening Co. now want consumers to in early 2021. Plus, he can demote PUC President Mifund wildfire safety campaigns costing hundreds of chael Picker back to being millions of dollars, includ- an ordinary commissioner. A former Brown aide, ing coating many miles of Picker expressed more power lines. concern for the financial Despite Edison’s well-being of utilities than Thomas fire admission their customers’ fates after and PG&E’s having been the immense fall fires. found officially at fault in the massive Wine Country PUC presidents decide fires of late 2017, the PUC who supervises each case and can influence meeting has never tried to punish agendas. any corporate official A new PUC chief could supervising power line spur the large-scale safety safety. That’s coddling. It checks required by Hill’s has persisted more than 2016 state law.

100 years, and it’s high So Newsom can create time it ends. big change at this scanEven after years of dal-ridden agency, which enhanced fire danger, only four years ago spent the PUC reports it has $10 million in public funds just nine employees in its on criminal lawyers to Safety and Enforcement protect commissioners.

Division tasked with It’s an early conmaking random audits of sumerist test for the new power transmission lines governor, also testing the and checking natural Democratic supermajority gas pipes. That’s nine to in the state Senate, which cover thousands of miles. must confirm any appoinPUC officials did not answer queries on whether tee to the powerful PUC. randomized inspections Email Thomas Elias at by those nine engineers tdelias@aol.com. included any areas where

california focus

Inland EdItIon

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5

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

Strange

well?’ She surprisingly said: ‘Yes!’ and I said: ‘That’s my grandma.’”

Celebrity sightings

things

Caldwell’s Antiques is a local landmark and frequent haunt for celebs in search of collectibles Special to The Coast News

ENCINITAS — It may be small, but Caldwell’s Antiques in Leucadia is filled with a cornucopia of collectibles, antiques and in general, unique stuff.

It’s also been around for more than five decades attracting regulars, locals and many celebrities over the years.

According to son Fred Caldwell, the shop is around 600 square feet and has been in the same location, 1234 N. Coast Hwy. 101, since 1963, the same year his parents started the business.

“We lived in Glendale from 1957 until 1961,” he said. “Dad moved furniture, and people ended up giving him so much of it when they moved, he opened a used furniture store there called House of Values.”

In 1963, when Caldwell’s father Chuck bought the current location, his

mother transitioned used furniture into “antiques.”

“Every year, we’d go visit family in Indiana and stop at many of the antique shops along the way. One time we stopped at what we thought was a yard sale and was met by a man with a shotgun who asked what we were doing there,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell took over the management of the shop after his mother, Tyke, passed away in 1981, however, his father still owns it. His father remarried to Connielou in 1982 and both have been involved in the local American Legion for decades.

Caldwell also has his own graphics business, Coast Hwy. 101 Design, based at the same address as the shop.

And while antiques and similar businesses have disappeared from the mainstream, especially in San Diego, Caldwell’s Antiques is

still standing its own.

“Owning the property we’re on and being too stubborn to sell it has been the main reason we’re still here.

It’s a hard business to run with high rents and North County is getting crazy with those,” he said. “Each antique shop usually has their specialty items. Mine are vintage arcade machines, cool old advertising and weird stuff. We also have the only roadside attraction here on North Coast Hwy. 101 ‘The Strange Thing.’”

Of course, selling antiques and “weird stuff” is a fun business to be in and one that never gets old as there’s always something happening.

“The best parts about running this business are: the history lessons we learn, the occasional extremely rare valuable thing that happens to show up, and finding what people are looking for

A VINTAGE postcard depicting “Maryluiz and Rabbit” is just one of many rare items available at Caldwell’s. Courtesy photo

(he keeps a Rolodex wish list, so he can call people whenever the treasure they’re looking for shows up),” he said.

It’s also great meeting interesting people and being privy to all those strange events that happen regularly. Most of the time, good ones, he said.

“Like one time a lady came by who was looking for ‘Hoosier kitchen cabinets’

(the first such multi-task cabinets kitchens had). I didn’t have any, but I asked her: ‘Have you ever heard of New Castle, Indiana, where those cabinets were first made?’

She said: ‘Are you kidding? I made a special trip there one time to learn more about them and the nicest lady at the historical society told me so much!’ I asked, ‘Was her name Mary Cald-

Of course, there have also been many a celeb sighting over the years at Caldwell’s Antiques, and when it happens, Caldwell often gets starstruck.

“Being in business at the same location on a busy highway for 55 years means there have been a lot of celebrities through our door.

When film critic Leonard Maltin came in with his wife, I thought, now what’s a question I could ask him?

I know: ‘What’s your favorite movie of all time?’ It was ‘Casablanca,’” he said.

And there’s the time when Ellen DeGeneres came in one day and asked: “How much is that jukebox outside?”

“I said: ‘It’s $1,100, are you Ellen?’ and without batting an eye she said: ‘Yes! How much is it now?’

I should have said: ‘$1,500, but I’m not as funny.”

And then in 1989, HBO was filming “The Heist” next door at a car lot.

“When Pierce Brosnan came in, my dad followed him in saying: ‘Any movie stars show up yet, Fred?’

I said: ‘Only the star of the movie! Pierce Brosnan, meet my father Chuck!’ They shook hands as dad said slowly: ‘This is the most excitement we’ve had around here in two days.’”

Brosnan laughed and said: “Thank God! I thought TURN TO CALDWELL’S ON 7

6

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

Top 10

STORY LINES OF 2018

1

‘Blue Wave’ crashes ashore in North County

The North County has been a reliable bastion of support for the Republican Party over the years, but as 2018 dawned, talk of changing demographics and dissatisfaction with the current presidential administration put the region’s political future in the balance.

Nationwide, pundits predicted that a so-called “Blue Wave” would prove to be a repudiation of the Trump administration’s politics.

North County became ground zero of the movement, as activists set their sights on the 49th Congressional District, where Darrell Issa had narrowly survived a challenge two years early. In 2017, protesters began the longest running demonstration of its kind as they picketed outside of Issa’s office for more than a year.

Those protests paid dividends, as in one of the first victories of the “blue wave” movement, Issa announced his resignation in January.

But the movement was just getting started.

It took nearly a month after Election Night to assess the true breadth and depth of the political shift, but when the Registrar of Voters certified the results, one thing was clear: A blue wave indeed had washed ashore in North County: • Mike Levin became the first Democrat to win the district’s congressional seat in more than 40 years.

• Paul McNamara unseated longtime Escondido Mayor Sam Abed, a staunch conservative who had taken a hardline stance on illegal immigration, and the council shifted from a 4-1 conservative majority to a 3-2 liberal majority.

• Carlsbad voters elected two liberal candidates to shift the City Council to liberal majority for the first

time in a generation.

• Encinitas moved closer to a unanimous liberal-leaning city council, with one vacant seat up for appointment.

• Not only did a Democrat win the 76th Assembly race for the first time, a single Republican did not advance out of the jungle primaries.

• San Marcos, a conservative stronghold, saw liberal-leaning candidates chip away at the council majority.

• And, with just days before the count was certified, a liberal candidate in Vista completed nearly a 20-point turnaround from election night to stun longtime Republican Councilman John Aguilera.

This truly marked a generational shift in the electorate in North County, the reverberations of which will be felt for some time.

2

From a ‘Blue Wave’ to ‘green’ initiatives, from the grand opening of an airline to the closing of a psychiatric facility, North County saw its fair share of major headlines this year. Here are the Top 10, as voted on by The Coast News staff.

In Encinitas, a Superior Court judge has interceded in the city’s years-long attempt to come in compliance with state housing laws following the voters’ rejection of yet another proposed housing element update, Measure U. The judge has given Encinitas 120 days to adopt an affordable housing plan certified by the state after invalidating a local prop-

The following month Del Mar voted 3-2 to reject that decision and opted to let the courts determine who has land-use authority in the county’s smallest city.

And in the region’s largest city, Oceanside, voters rejected a controversial ballot measure, Measure Y, or the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) Initiative, which would have made it more

DEC. 28, 2018 testing the Trump administration’s policy of separating children of illegal immigrants.

Several elected officials actively campaigned around the topic of illegal immigration. One of the more prominent officials, Escondido Mayor Sam Abed, lost his election, and some believe the city’s changing electorate were turned off by his hardline stance.

And in Encinitas, which made headlines in 2016 by joining the so-called “Welcoming Communities” movement, Mayor Catherine Blakespear wrote a letter to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions about the border-separation policy.

4

North County cities grapple with environmental issues

It’s no surprise that environmental headlines would dominate our coastal region, and this year was no different. Encinitas moved forward with a plan to ban plastic straws from restaurants, and also became the first city to in the region to adopt a “gold standard” climate action plan that hinges on the city adopting community choice energy with its North Coastal neighbors.

Those cities — Oceanside, Carlsbad and Del Mar — will all be watching tiny Solana Beach, as it carries the mantle of energy independence from SDG&E with its fledging CCE effort, which is experience “growing pains.”

Oceanside officials began hearing from a group

Cities across the region continued to grapple with the realities of Proposition 64 — the landmark 2016 statewide initiative that legalized personal recreational cannabis use — and cannabis regulation.

In Encinitas, the council deferred on deciding the fate of cannabis in the city until 2020, when citizens will vote on an initiative to allow and regulate cannabis storefronts, deliveries and manufacturing and cultivation. The city recently deferred a decision on whether to allow deliveries until the state decides whether it will allow such deliveries statewide, which would render local intervention moot.

Solana Beach voters will also get a chance to weigh in on the cannabis debate, as the council decided to put the question of cannabis storefronts to voters in 2020.

In Vista, voters legalized medical marijuana sales by approving Measure Z, despite the outcry from the largely conservative City Council. On the eve of the election, the city of Vista brought a five-count misdemeanor criminal complaint against a group which has spearheaded fundraising efforts for Measure Z, alleging various campaign finance violations.

The Oceanside City Council, after months of debate, voted to approve medical marijuana deliveries.

Expect this topic to continue to lead local headlines in 2019 and beyond.

6

Leucadia dominates headlines

Housing issues roil region

As the state continues to grapple with a so-called “housing crisis,” North County elected officials and residents continue to clash over state requirements for added housing and concerns over the impact of housing on traffic, noise and the character of the respective communities.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved several controversial developments, citing its desire to ease the housing crisis in the region. The approvals of the Newland Sierra, Valiano and Harmony Grove Village South projects came in the face of fierce opposition from community leaders and residents alike.

A group spearheaded by the Golden Door Spa successfully collected enough signatures as part of a referendum to rescind the county’s approval. The Supervisors, however, have placed the question before voters in 2020.

5

Cannabis controversy continues

DEMOCRAT MIKE LEVIN and his wife, Chrissy, celebrate on Election Night in Del Mar. Levin won a high-profile race to replace retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, in Congress.

Facebook photo

osition that requires such plans to be voted on by the people.

The judge’s ruling, however, doesn’t apply to future housing element updates.

In Del Mar, the city has found itself in a battle with the California Coastal Commission over an ordinance regulating short-term vacation rentals.

The city passed an ordinance that would limit rentals of less than 30 days in nearly all residential zones to minimum seven-day stays for no more than 28 days a year. The Coastal Commission rejected the ordinance, arguing that it was too restrictive and would impact tourists access to the beach, and adopted in June a plan that would allow vacation rentals for a minimum of three consecutive days for no more than 100 days a year.

difficult to turn farmland of residents, who are taking into housing developments. cues from Encinitas and other locals, who want the city to also ban plastic straws in The immigration restaurants. debate hits home Tiny Del Mar stood up to the Coastal Commission In the lead up to the rejecting managed retreat June primary elections, as an option to combat sea the state’s so-called “sanc- level rise in its climate actuary city” status became tion plan, which is setting a flashpoint of controversy, up a major battle that will and several communities no doubt play itself out in jumped head on into the 2019. skid. The Board of SuperEncinitas kicked off visors voted 3-1 in April to its “Living Shoreline” projsupport the Trump adminis- ect in Cardiff-by-the-sea, tration’s lawsuit against the which includes a series of state and three of its immi- man-made dunes that will gration laws. protect Coast Highway 101 Carlsbad’s City Council from flooding during storm voted to oppose sanctuary events but also provide habcities a month later, and itat for native species. reaffirmed it a month later And in Carlsbad, after against a throng of residents 64 years, the Encinitas Powurging them to reconsider. er Station, one of the infaThousands of residents in mous landmarks along the North County participated San Diego coastline, was in a rally in Carlsbad pro- retired on Dec. 11.

3

Known as a sleepy surf town, Leucadia was alive with controversy all year, with some of the biggest — and in some cases, quirkiest — headlines throughout our pages.

The single biggest controversy involved a planned transformation of the community’s main drag, North Coast Highway 101, by way of the Leucadia Streetscape.

A group of neighbors formed an organized opposition, lining streets throughout the community with signs that read “One Lane: Insane,” referring to the plan to shrink the street from four lanes to two between Leucadia Blvd and La Costa Avenue. The group also sued the city to stop the project.

But the plan was endorsed by the City Council and Planning Commission and competing group of supporters, who argued that the street as configured imperils pedestrians, cyclists and is bad for local businesses.

And in October, the California Coastal Commission unanimously endorsed the project.

Two months later, one of the project’s most ardent supporters, Roberta Walker, was critically injured when a truck struck her will she was riding her bicycle during the early morning hours on Dec. 8. Walker’s accident has galvanized the efforts to accelerate the start of the project.

Residents were also up TURN TO TOP 10 ON 7

DEC. 28, 2018

7

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

TOP 10

a story that will likely play itself out in 2019.

in arms over a plan to build a staircase at their beloved Beacon’s (or Beacon, depending on who you talk to) Beach, to supplement — and ultimately replace — the beach’s iconic switchback trail. Supporters of the project argued that the project was necessary to protect beach access, as the bluff above the switchback could collapse and destroy it at any moment.

But the city’s Planning Commission denied the project in October, and again in December, shelving it until at least July, unless the project is appealed to the City Council.

At the same beach in September, 13-year-old Keane Webre-Hayes suffered traumatic injuries when he was bitten by a great white shark while lobster hunting. Keane’s injury became a national story, and later the city of Encinitas honored him and the Good Samaritans who were credited for saving his life with a proclamation in honor of their bravery and life-saving efforts.

And finally, from the “wait, what?” files, Leucadians were in an uproar when they found out that an apparel company had trademarked the community’s name, and sent out ceaseand-desist letters to local T-shirt makers who were using the name on their clothing.

In one case, a letter targeted the T-shirt company that has been printing Leucadia brand shirts for nearly four decades.

The company behind the lawsuit threats, Flashbuz, dropped the letters in response to the community outcry. Several residents said they plan to sue to reverse the trademark.

10

CONTINUED FROM 6

The failure of Proposition 6

CARL DEMAIO, second from right, flanked by GOP candidates John Cox and Diane Harkey, gathered enough signatures to put Proposition 6, a measure rolling back a state gas tax increase, on the November ballot. Prop. 6 went down to defeat.

Photo by Shana Thompson

7

Mental health closure rocks region

It’s been a while since Tri-City Medical Center was front-and-center in the news, but in June, when the public hospital announced plans to “suspend” its inpatient psychiatric facilities, the region responded in an uproar.

The hospital cited costs and a recent change in federal regulations requiring hospitals to remove from rooms all features that patients could use to hang themselves, known as “ligature” risks, for the need to suspend the activities.

Needless to say, the condemnation was swift and widespread, as law enforcement, mental health activists and elected officials implored the hospital to reconsider its decision.

The district’s board of directors held a second meeting to reconsider the decision, but ultimately voted to shutter the facilities in the fall.

Mental health and suicide prevention were at the top of awareness this year following the deaths of celebrities Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and our reporter Kelli Kyle outlined the ongoing suicide prevention efforts throughout North County.

At Canyon Crest Academy, these discussions hit home the hardest, as the student body was left to grapple with two student deaths (one a suicide) and an injury that was possibly the result of self-harm. The events happened within a short period of time of each other, leading to questions of how these incidents could happen and what should be done about them.

8

Del Mar Gun Show suspended

Amidst rising nationwide concerns about gun violence — following mass shootings at a Florida high school, video game competition and a Thousand Oaks

CALDWELL’S CONTINUED FROM 5

you were going to say two years!”

Of course, celebs have been part of the Caldwell’s store experience for a while now.

“When we lived in Glendale, a friend of my folks was a film and TV director named David Butler (who got Shirley Temple in the business directing her first five films). He was currently directing episodes of “Leave It to Beaver.” He thought I looked so much like the Beav, that he wanted to screen test me to be his replacement if the studio wanted to continue the series as Jerry Mathers was a bit old for the part, being a teenager,” he recalled.

That never happened but kept Caldwell excited for a few years hoping it would.

Then in 1995, who wanders into the shop but Mathers himself. He had moved into a house on Neptune, Caldwell said.

“We both shared a lot of stories about Mr. Butler and became friends,” he said.

Then one day and only a few days after Mathers had signed the cover of a magazine the whole Cleaver family was on, a friend of Caldwell’s leaned over the

FRED CALDWELL, left, owner of Caldwell’s Antiques, with “Leave It to Beaver” star Jerry Mathers. Courtesy photo

counter and said: “I think Wally just walked in.”

“I chuckled expecting to see someone who looked like Wally Cleaver from a galloping horse, but there was Tony Dow in the flesh!

So, I had him sign the same magazine cover,” he said.

Around the mid-1990s Caldwell didn’t know who the woman was who sang the entire song “You Make Me Feel So Young” was as she wandered around the shop, until she introduced herself before she left. It was Karen Black.

In the 1960s, his mom

sold a candlestick phone to comedian Dick Martin of TV’s “Laugh-In” fame. And comedienne Elaine Boosler came in one day asking for anything with mermaids on it.

“I said, my neighbor has some old fruit crate labels with a tomato headed mermaid on it,” he recalled. She said: “Tomato headed mermaids are big this year!” and she bought it.”

Other visitors include: England Dan & John Ford Coley, Ace Frehley of KISS, Kelly of Leslie and Kelly, Sergio Mendez and former

nightclub — activists in Del Mar have pushed to end a gun show that has been held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for the past 30 years.

The 22nd District Agricultural Association Board — which runs the fairgrounds on behalf of the state — elected to suspend the show for the span of 2019, until a new policy concerning the gun shows could be drafted.

Controversy also arose over the show’s operators and his criminal record.

The operator, in turned, slapped a local gun-safety advocacy group with a cease-and-desist letter accusing the group’s founder of defaming the gun show’s owner.

In Encinitas, officials adopted a resolution urging lawmakers to curb gun violence, in spite of calls from gun rights activists to reject the resolution. Carlsbad adopted a similar resolution in the fall.

And the organization Moms Demand Action held

an anti-gun protest in June.

9

New flights and an ongoing fight

The McClellan-Palomar Airport dominated headlines in Carlsbad this year for a couple of reasons. First, after nearly 10 years of planning, California Pacific Airlines finally launched commercial service from McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad.

The airline services four cities with plans to expand to two more, but two days of cancellations in December, and passengers stranded in Pierre, South Dakota, over Thanksgiving, rocked the company.

And then, the Board of Supervisors approved a controversial update to the airport’s master plan, which prompted a residents group to sue the county over what they say was a flawed environmental impact report.

The city of Carlsbad is also considering legal action, in

local news anchor Jack wrapping it with the image White, who bought an au- of a vintage Woodie car. thentic Thurston magician “NCTD had me do three poster. different designs and they all went by my shop on North What’s the future?

(Highway) 101 several times As for the future fore- a day,” he said.

Another thing that’s cast of the antique business from Caldwell’s perspective, still popular is the “Kook it will just go with the flow. Calendar” that he makes “We kind of rise with sometimes that features the the tide here with sales, us- best of the costumes placed ing eBay and Craigslist when by guerilla artists on the things get slow. There’s no “Magic Carpet Ride” sculprhyme or reason when busi- ture in Cardiff.

“About 20 percent of the ness is great, it just happens people who come in are lookwhenever,” he said.

But regular folks shop ing for something specific,” Caldwell’s, too, not just the he said. “They usually want to get on my wish list when rich and famous.

“The average shopper I ask them if they’d like me wanders in to find out what to contact them whenever kind of shop this is,” Cald- an item, they’re looking for well said. “I ask them to let turns up. Or, I can usually point them in a direction to me know if they find out.”

To keep things interest- another shop that may have ing and stocked, Caldwell’s what they’re looking for.”

He’s been networking obtains newer items by going a few times month to es- with other antique shops tate sales, garage sales, and in North County since 1979 “you name it and things call when he printed the first to me that I think will fit in Treasure Map listing all the antique shops’ essential inthe shop.”

“In the graphics busi- formation. “And now that I ness, I design and sell a lot can do full color graphics, I of local postcards that are a still make them every few staple item here but do oc- years,” he said.

As for what’s the coolcasional work for the city and design plenty of custom est item Caldwell’s has had for sale at the store or the business cards for folks.”

Probably the two funni- strangest? Probably the coolest things so far he designed est item was a toss-up beincluded a 40-foot city bus tween a rare 1941 Wurlitzer

The region became ground zero for the fight for Proposition 6, a statewide initiative aimed at repealing the so-called “gas tax,” Senate Bill 1. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in April 2017, which raised both gas taxes and vehicle registration fees in an effort to tackle the state’s infrastructure backlog.

The architect of the “Yes on 6” campaign, former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio, staged a series of “cheap gas” rallies in Encinitas, Carlsbad and elsewhere to raise awareness of the repeal campaign.

In Julian, a group of Caltrans contract workers came under fire for allegedly campaigning against Proposition 6 while on duty, as activists filed a complaint with the state Fair Political Practices Commission against Caltrans. The FPPC confirmed the investigation in September.

A number of conservative lawmakers — most notably 49th Congressional District candidate Diane Harkey and Escondido Mayor Sam Abed — latched their campaigns on to the gas-tax opposition. Still, other groups actively campaigned against Proposition 6, arguing that the boost to infrastructure spending outweighed any added burden caused by the increase at the pump.

Voters statewide agreed with opponents of the repeal and rejected Proposition 6 in a stunning 55-percent to 45-percent rebuke. Carlsbad recently celebrated the expansion of its carpool lanes along I-5 — funded by SB1.

“Peacock” jukebox and a 1902 9-foot Steinway Concert Grand Piano, he said.

“Someone asked Dad once how he got the huge piano into our little shop and he said: ‘We got a running start at the door.’”

Strange is as strange does

However, the strangest item to ever come into Caldwell’s Antiques is still there: “The Strange Thing.”

An old showman brought it in just before the turn of the century.

“We don’t know what it is, we just know it’s strange!” he said. “It costs a quarter to see, but it’s still a 50-cent value. A young couple on their first date saw the signs outside one day and they had to stop to check it out. Two years later, they came back and told me the attraction was such a hit with the lady, ‘She’s always talking about it.’”

So, the man contrived a plan and made new signs for it one day that said: “The Shiniest Thing” and placed a wedding ring inside the showcase with “The Strange Thing,” for when they “happened by” once again on their bikes.

And she, said: ‘Yes!’ They’ve been married three years now and have a little girl.’”

8

arts CALENDAR Know something that’s going on? Send it to calendar@ coastnewsgroup.com

DEC. 28

CASINO HOLIDAY

From 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Dec. 28, hear Gino and the Lone Gunman at Luis Rey’s at Pala Casino and Resort. In The Cave, hear flamenco music at 6 p.m.

Dec. 28, with Patrick Berrogain and Hot Club Jazz.

For more information, visit palacasino.com.

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018

A rts &Entertainment 31 at 818 S. Coast Highway.

Visit her work displayed at the gallery or daniellamanini.com.

‘HEROES AROUND ME’

Running through Jan. 3, the Reflections Art Program present “Heroes Around Me” art at the Civic Center Gallery, City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Ave., Encinitas, by students as they explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning.

JAN. 1

SPLASH JAM

DEC. 29

HOLIDAY JAZZ

From 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Dec. 29, enjoy Cougrzz Rock at Luis Rey’s at Pala Casino and Resort. Jesus Meleclo, Flamencos, Acoustic Pop, Jazz will be featured in The Cave at 6 p.m.

Dec. 29. For more information, visit palacasino.com.

DEC. 30

COWBOY JACK IS BACK

Cowboy Jack will perform 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Witch Creek Winery, 2906 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad. For details, call (760) 720-7499. Free admission.

DEC. 31

MANINI MURALS

E101 Gallery presents the murals of artist Daniella Manini through Dec.

The sixth annual New Year’s Day Splash Jam begins at 2 p.m. at the Cardiff Kook, at the west end of Chesterfield and Coast Highway, Cardiff. Anyone of any age who plays an acoustic string instrument is welcome. Call (760) 5228458 for more information.

JAN. 2

OPENING ART SHOW

Join the Oceanside Public Library in welcoming artists Eileen Sprague and Elizabeth Custer. Their work will be on display at the Civic Center Library Jan. 2-Jan. 31, at 330 North Coast Highway, Oceanside, with an opening reception at 4 p.m. Jan. 5. Visit oceansidepubliclibrary.org or call (760) 435-5600 for more information.

TURN TO ARTS CALENDAR ON 9

ONE OF THE OFFERINGS at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, a sculpture garden at Escondido’s Kit Carson Park. Courtesy photo

Niki de Saint Phalle’s ‘Magical Circle’ Special to The Coast News

ESCONDIDO — In 2003 the city of Escondido opened Queen Califia’s Magical Circle — the only American sculpture garden created by renowned French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle — in the Iris Sankey Arboretum in Escondido’s Kit Carson Park.

It has become a cultural landmark for the San Diego region — a place where visitors can mill about while playing, touching, dreaming and finding inspiration in the garden’s colorful homage to California’s mythic and historic origins and its cultural diversity.

“California has been a rebirth for my soul and an earthquake for my eyes — sea, desert, mountains, wide open sky, brilliance of light and vastness of space,” the artist once remarked about living in La Jolla. “I have embraced another way of life and have let my discovery of this landscape manifest itself in my work.”

To date there have been more than 12,600 visitors to the garden on the standard open days with an additional 482 visitors with private groups on other days, according to Visit Escondido.

“Queen Califia's Mag-

ical Circle is a unique and vital art installation in our community. We're so fortunate to have Niki's only North American sculpture garden located here to share with San Diego locals and our many national and international visitors!” said Katherine Zimmer, the city of Escondido's tourism manager at Visit Escondido.

Who is Niki?

If you’re not familiar with this artist who lived in La Jolla until her death in 2002 at age 71, she was born in 1930 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, and was raised in New York City. Her art is collected by everyone from well-known celebrities (musicians who perform at the Super Bowl among them) to business people around the world.

“She has always had a huge market and it’s because her art is fun, lighthearted, beautiful, colorful and just brightens up whatever environment it is put in,” said Dave Stevenson, her former business manager, who brokered many art deals for her art.

Saint Phalle started painting in 1948, moved four years later to Europe (Nice, Paris and Mallorca) and first came to international prominence in 1961 as a member of the influential “New Realists,” a group that also included Christo, Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely (her frequent collaborator whom she married in 1971).

She is best known for her oversized, voluptuous female figures, the Nanas, which can be seen in cities and museums around the world. Among her largescale installations are the “Stravinsky Fountain” near the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1983), the “Tarot Garden” at Garavicchio in southern Tuscany (which was entirely financed by the artist and opened after 24 years of work in 1998), and the “Grotto” in Hannover’s Royal Herrenhausen Garden (2003).

Saint Phalle continued living near Paris until

Niki de Saint Phalle

Photo by Giulio Pietromarchi/Courtesy Niki Charitable Art Foundation

1994 when, because of poor health (brought about by exposure to toxic fumes from polyester materials used in her early sculptures), she moved to La Jolla, said Stevenson, who is also a trustee for her estate.

“She is very well-known in Paris and among those in the art world,” he said.

“Niki was a very charismatic woman and she moved to La Jolla for health reasons, and to escape her notoriety.

She was constantly harassed by the media and couldn’t go anywhere without being noticed in France. She loved La Jolla and in California she was anonymous, and she could just do her art. She also had a severe lung disease due to working with fiberglass throughout her art career.

“Her sculptures were made of polyester and she damaged and compromised her lungs during the later course of her life,” he said.

She was also a force to be reckoned with and worked until the end; especially helping to create the Queen Califia garden park.

It was about two-thirds completed before she died, Stevenson said.

Big gift

“Queen Califia’s Mag-

ical Circle is my grandmother’s gift to the region,” Bloum Cardenas, a Bay Area artist and trustee of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, said. “Niki’s first significant architectural project was ‘The Bird’s Dream’ and she called it that because her personal symbol was the eagle.

This garden, then, is the final realization of the bird’s dream, Niki’s dream, to create a wonderful legacy for a place she dearly loved.”

The garden is Saint Phalle’s last major project and stands as one of only four large-scale sculptural environments designed and built by the artist and her studio. The others are the “Tarot Garden,” “Noah’s Ark” in Jerusalem, Israel (completed in 2001 in collaboration with Swiss architect Mario Botta), and Hannover’s “Grotto.”

“My first really big piece for kids was the ‘Golem’ (completed in 1970 in Jerusalem) and three generations know and love it. Here (in Escondido), you can also touch the sculptures,” Saint Phalle said in one of her last interviews. “They feel nice and you won’t harm them. You can be a part of them … it’s like a marriage between the sculptures and the child or adult. Maybe it brings out the child in adults, too.”

Naming of the garden

According to reports, the garden is named from the legendary black Amazon queen, Califia, who was believed to rule a terrestrial island paradise of gold and riches “on the right hand of the Indies.”

The legend was first popularized in the 16th century romance novel, “Las Sergas de Esplandián,” which received wide circulation in Spain. Geologist John McPhee recounts the tale in his book “Assembling California” (1994), which Saint Phalle read and drew on as a source for her initial ideas.

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DEC. 28, 2018

9

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

A rts &Entertainment Second City improv troupe in Escondido on New Year’s Eve

By Steve Horn

ESCONDIDO — If you want to close out the year laughing, the California Center for the Arts, Escondido is the place to be.

The famed Second City’s Improv All-Stars will take center stage at the Center for the Arts on Dec. 31, doing an hour-long show alongside opening acts by local youth improv group "Off the Cuff," as well as comedians Joel Brill and Jerry Corley. Second City — which has improv groups stationed in Chicago, Hollywood and Toronto — has produced stars such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Aidy Bryant, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Michael Myers and Bill Murray.

“Off the Cuff,” housed within Escondido’s Patio Playhouse, has both youth and adult performance

ARTS CALENDAR CONTINUED FROM 8

MIXED MEDIA

Through Jan. 22, see “Attic Archaeology” by artist Judith Christensen at the Encinitas Library Gallery, 540 Cornish Drive. For more information, call (760) 753-7376 or visit judithchristensen.com.

JAN. 3

LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS

New Village Arts, 2787 State St., Carlsbad, announces its second New Play Festival, with “Final Draft,” scheduled for Jan. 3-Jan. 6. This year’s festival will feature plays by local playwrights. More information on schedule and ticket pricing at newvillagearts.org.

groups. Managing Director Deborah Zimmer conveyed excitement about the group having a chance to precede the famed Second City.

“We look up to Second City as a great source for our own performances,” Zimmer said. “All the kids are very excited to be opening the show for such a giant in the improv industry.”

Expect the unexpected from Off the Cuff, Zimmer said, when asked about what her troupe has in store for the audience.

“When Off the Cuff youth improv performs the audience is in for one surprise after another,” Zimmer said. “These young minds are the future of improv and they have the skills to entertain all ages and backgrounds.”

Zimmer noted that many of

Jan. 5, in the underground Wine Cave, 11154 Highway 76, Pala. Tickets, $40 per person includes all art materials including paint, brushes and a canvas and are available at the Pala box office, by calling (877) 9467252, or by visiting startickets.com. To charge by phone, call (800) 585-3737.

JAN. 6

FIRST SUNDAY MUSIC

Friends of the Encinitas Library’s free First Sunday Music Series will feature alto saxophonist Julian Roel at 2 p.m. Jan. 6 in the Encinitas Library Community Room, 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. Call (760) 7537376 or visit encinitaslibfriends.org, for more information.

her youth performers have proceeded to stay with the squad and continue as adults.

Second City, which has performed since 1959 and will soon turn 60 years old, has a seven-person crew for its All Stars. The All Stars will perform under the auspices of the Second City Touring Company.

Marc Warzecha, a Los Angeles-based Director of the Second City Improv All Stars, said the audience at the Center for the Arts can look forward to many laughs and a show which, by its nature as unscripted improv, will be one of a kind.

“It will be a fun, funny, spontaneous evening of comedy,” Warzecha said. “It's always exciting to perform an interactive improv

mation, visit http://bit.ly/1P- p.m. Jan. 12, There will be ja7r5 or call (760) 436-3036. a special talkback Jan. 18, with the cast and artistic director. It will play WednesJAN. 8 days at 7p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., CURTAIN UP FOR KIDS New Village Arts con- Saturday and Sunday matitinues its collaboration with nees at 2 p.m. with Sundays Kids Act, a local youth act- at 7 p.m. at 987 Lomas Saning program , with a 10-week ta Fe Drive, Solana Beach. session of stage training, Tickets, preview $45, weekwhere they create their own ends $56 at (858) 481-1055, characters and plays. In the or northcoastrep.org. end, at a professional theatre, students will perform their original plays, along JAN. 10 with a short piece of Shake- ‘WHIMSY & SPARKLE’ spearean verse, in front of On display through Jan. scenery that they’ve creat- 24, see the work of fuseded for family and friends. glass artist Crisinda Lyons, Cost is $199. Register now, with “Whimsy and Sparkle” at newvillagearts.org, for at the Encinitas Community sessions Jan. 8 to March 5, Center Gallery, 1140 OakJan. 9 to March 6 or Jan. 10 crest Park Drive. to March 7.

BRITISH INVASION MUSIC

JAN. 4

FREE MUSIC

Pala Casino Spa & Resort will continue its free events series in January at the new, expanded Luis Rey’s on Fridays and Saturdays. Hear B.I.G. from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 at 11154 Highway 76, Pala.

JAN. 7

GARDEN FULL OF ART

Sculpture in the Garden IX continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 2019 at the San Diego Botanic Garden. 230 Quail Gardens Drive. This exhibition showcases 50 sculptures from 30 artists set against the backdrop of San Diego Botanic Garden. All sculptures are JAN. 5 for sale. Naomi Nussbaum, PAINT & SIP curator. Free with paid Pala Casino Spa & Re- admission or membership. sort will host a Paint and Sip Sculpture Map at https://bit. art event from 1 to 3:30 p.m. ly/2tXmjLL. For more infor-

ARTIST

CONTINUED FROM 8

A large mosaic sculpture of Califia (11 feet tall), an archetype of feminine power and strength, commands the center of the garden.

Clad in gold armour, she holds a small bird aloft while standing astride a monumental eagle (13 feet tall).

Openings between the bird’s massive legs lead visitors into a small domed “temple” decorated with cosmic symbols as well as painted ceramic plaques that were originally designed for the “Tarot Garden.”

In planning the garden, de Saint Phalle totally immersed herself in regional history and myth.

They became “springboards to create imaginative creatures which celebrate the diversity of life,” said the artist according to reports, “as well as those factors which have played a large role in southern California (including the Spanish, Mexican and Southwestern Indian cultures).”

It took nearly four years to plan and execute and Saint Phalle remained a part of the project until just before her death.

Lech Juretko, who has directed Saint Phalle’s mosaic workshop since 1994 said: “Here, Niki personally selected dozens of varieties of glass in differing shapes, color, hue, translucency and degrees of reflection.

For the first time, she also used a wide assortment

show with this much audience involvement, and performing on New Year’s Eve will be particularly exciting. We look forward to kicking off the new year with laughs.”

Attendees may have a chance to partake in the art of improv themselves, Warzecha further explained, saying audience participation is in the cards.

“This performance will be a fully improvised show of shortform games, similar to what one would see on an episode of ‘Who's Line is it Anyway,’” Warzecha said.

“Everything will be made up on the spot, and everything will be inspired by audience suggestions, and in some cases, audience participation. One thing that is exciting about improvisation as a live show is that the audience and the

The free January entertainment schedule at Pala Casino and Resort presents The Shagwells, 1960’s British Invasion at 1 p.m. Jan. 8 at the 60+ Club. 11154 Highway 76, Pala. For more information, visit palacasino. com.

JAN. 9

NEW SEASON AT NCRT

North Coast Repertory Theatre presents the knockabout farce, “Moon Over Buffalo” with previews at Jan. 9 and opening night 8

of polished and tumbled stones such as travertine, agates, quartzes and veined turquoise.”

The results are magical and ever changing, as the movement of light, wind, color and reflections continually transform the garden.

“Her art is just great fun to look at when you want to take a break and let your mind wander off,” said Stevenson, who has a Saint Phalle race car she created just for him.

The park’s entrance is five minutes from the Via Rancho Parkway exit off I-15 at the intersection of Bear Valley Parkway and Mary Lane. Admission is free.

For general information, call (760) 839-4691 or go to www.queencalifia.org.

JAN. 11

ART OF CLAY

“Five by Five x 73,” a clay and tile assemblage by Kay Jaynes will be on display through Jan. 24 at the Encinitas Community Center Gallery, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. For more information, call (760) 943-2260.

JAN. 12

‘ART OF RAKU’

Running through Jan. 24, see the exhibit by Alex Long, “The Art of Raku” pottery. These one-of-akind pieces are perfected in

performers are all discovering together — live and in the moment — what the show will be that night.”

The going price for tickets to the show range from $37.50 to $48.50. An additional $30 puts VIP ticket holders in the room with cast members with a chance for autographs, photographs and access to the theater’s bar.

Zimmer said there is almost no better way to close out the year and open up the one ahead than with a heavy dose of the laughs.

“New Year's Eve is the evening when the stress of the previous year goes out the window,” Zimmer said. “What better way to relieve the roller coaster ups and downs of 2018 than to come out and share an evening of hilarity, mirth and happiness?”

the firing process creating Cultural Endowment Fund. beautiful glazes. Civic Cen- For more information, visit ter Gallery, City Hall, 505 S. carlsbadplayreaders.org.

Vulcan Ave., Encinitas. For more information, visit alexJAN. 15 longart.com.

JIMMY BUFFET TRIBUTE

JAN. 13

SEACHANGE BRASS

Hear the premier performance of Seachange Brass at 6 p.m. Jan. 13, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito, 1036 Solana Drive, Solana Beach with Frank Glasson and Tim Saeger, trumpet; Rachel Trumbore, trombone; Brian O’Donnel, bass trombone and Matt Pennington, French horn. A portion of ticket sales will go to the Solana Beach Band Program and other programs supporting school instrumental music. Tickets $20 at door.

JAN. 14

PLAYREADERS START SEASON

Carlsbad Playreaders open their 2019 season with “An Act Of God,” directed

by Gerilyn Brault at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14, at 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad. No reservations. Suggested donation: $1 Student, $5 adult, $10 Support The Arts. Cash only. Playreaders is made possible in part by the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation, Robert H. Gartner

The free Pala January entertainment schedule Casino and Resort presents a Jimmy Buffet Tribute, Coral Paradise at 1 p.m. Jan. 15 at the 60+ Club, 11154 Highway 76, Pala. For more information, visit palacasino. com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

Make your reservations for Mainly Mozart’s Amadeus! gala 5:30 to 10 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, 7100 Aviara Resort Drive Carlsbad. Tickets are $400. For more information, call (760) 448-1234

10 cies among its five local Citizen Commissions, including Budget & Finance, Know something that’s going Climate Action, Parks & on? Send it to calendar@ Recreation, Public Arts and coastnewsgroup.com View Assessment. Applications are being accepted until 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14. ApDEC. 28 plications and more inforGARDEN OF LIGHTS mation are available at cityFrom 5 to 8:30 p.m. ofsolanabeach.org or call through Dec. 30, the San Di- (858) 720-2400 ego Botanic Garden En-cinitas, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, is trans- DEC. 30 formed into a dazzling win- PAY FINES WITH FOOD ter wonderland – Southern Escondido Public LiCalifornia style. More than brary is offering its annu125,000 sparkling lights al Food for Fines program illuminate the flora on 37 through Dec. 31. Food for acres. Tickets for Garden Fines offers patrons the of Lights are available at opportunity to clear up to the Welcome Center at the $20 in fines from library SD Botanic Garden on the accounts by donating evening of visitation. There non-perishable, nutritious, are no advance ticket sales pre-packaged food for Esavailable. condido’s Interfaith Community Services. Each food HOLIDAYS BAZAAR item counts as $1 toward reThe Encinitas Bazaar ducing fines. All donations offers a special Holiday must be given at the CusMarket with extended Hol- tomer Service Desk at 239 iday hours through Dec. 29, S. Kalmia St., Escondido. but is also open every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 459 S. Coast DEC. 31 Highway 101, Encinitas.

NEW START FOR NEW YEAR Seaside Center for Spiritual Living will host a DEC. 29 New Year's Eve “Burning DON’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE Bowl” event from 7 to 8:30 The Village on Cedros, p.m. Dec. 31 at 1613 Lake Solana Beach’s will host a Drive, Encinitas. All are in“New Year’s Eve-Eve” cel- vited to burn what you want ebration from 7:30 p.m. to release for 2018 and set Dec. 29 to 1 a.m. Dec. 30 at intentions for 2019 in a sup348 S. Cedros Ave., Solana portive community setting.

Beach. The block party will Most of the ceremony will feature live entertainment, take place inside, with a complimentary light bites few minutes outside for the and non-alcoholic bever- burning process. For more ages. Food and alcoholic information, visit ctillotdrinks will be available for son@seasdiecenter.org, or purchase from local eater- SeasideCenter.org or call ies and food trucks. At 10 (760) 944-9226. p.m., join the silent disco, in which guests will receive headphones to enjoy the JAN. 1 music while dancing on a NOMINATE TOP BUSINESS 600-foot-square dance floor.

The Vista Chamber of Commerce is asking for COMMISSION SEATS OPEN nominations for its “Heroes The city of Solana of Vista 2019” gala. It is Beach is currently seeking looking for the Best in 2018 volunteers to fill 17 vacan- to honor. Nominate your

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T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018

JAN. 5

WINTER READING SALE

Encinitas Friends of the Library bookstore will hold a book sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 5 at 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. Most books will be from 25 cents to $1.

Visit encinitaslibfriends.org.

FRIENDS AND FAITH

The Catholic Widows and Widowers of North County, a support group for those who desire to foster friendships through various social activities, will take a walking tour at the El Corazon Compost Facility, Oceanside on Jan. 5 and attend the “TwelfthNight Choral Festival” at ‘COOKING ’ROUND THE WORLD’ baking classes, hosted by the city of San Marcos, begin Feb. 1 at St. Thomas More Catholic the San Marcos Community Center. Courtesy photo Church, Oceanside Jan. 6.

Reservations are necessary company or another com- JAN. 2 p.m. no later than Jan. 3 for at (858) 674-4324. pany for Small Business of the Gloria McClellan Center the Year (50 employees or MUSIC APPRECIATION “Welcoming the New Year The Gloria McClellan Buffet” at 11 a.m. Jan. 4 at JAN. 6 less), Large Business of the Year (51+ employees), New Center is offering Music 1400 Vale Terrace Drive, DINNER DANCE North County Widows Business of the Year (In Appreciation from 1 to 3:15 Vista. Suggested donation Existence or in Vista two p.m. Jan. 2 at 1400 Vale Ter- is $4 for those 60 and older, and Widowers Club invites years or less), Non-Profit of race Drive. For information, and an $8 charge for those all to a 2019 kick-off Dinthe Year (501(c)3) or Busi- call (760) 643-5288 or e-mail younger than 60. at (760) ner Dance at 5 p.m. Jan. 6 at Shadowridge Country Club, ness Person of the Year. luigibeethoven@cox.net.

643-5288.

1981 Gateway Drive, VisApplications can be gotten ta. There will be music by at pandora.com/station/ BE A NEWCOMER FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING The Carlsbad Newcomplay/4128343709062152223 North County Anti-Hu- The American Roots Band. and are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 1, ers will meet for coffee at man Trafficking Collabo- Cost is $40. Information and 2019. The gala will be held 9:45 a.m. Jan. 2 at the Carls- rative will meet at 9 a.m. RSVP to Anne at (760) 757at 6 p.m. April 5at Cal State bad Senior Center, 799 Pine Jan. 3 at United Methodist 2029.

Ave., Carlsbad, followed by Church Fellowship Hall 490 University San Marcos.

"Eco-Safari in Kenya" at S. Melrose Drive, Vista. For TWELFTH NIGHT CELEBRATION 10:15 a.m. President Patri- more information, visit soSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE St. Thomas More CathThe San Diego Foun- cia Mehan, and friends will roptimistvista.org or contact olic Church presents its dation has opened up the share highlights of a 2018 Soroptimistinterna-tional- Twelfth-Night Choral Festival with congregational application for 100 scholar- tour among wildlife and the vista@gmail.com. carols and Christmas music ships for San Diego County native Maasai tribe. No host from North County church students pursuing higher luncheon after meeting. Vis- GET FIT THIS YEAR carlsbadnewcomers.org education during the 2019- it The Gloria McClellan choirs, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

2020 school year, totaling for more information.

Center is offering Positive- at 1450 S. Melrose Drive, in $2 million in grant availly Fit exercise classes Tues- Oceanside. ability. The holidays are the MAHJONG DAY days and Thursdays, beJoin folks at the Glo- ginning Jan. 3 at 1400 Vale BASIC HANDGUN CLASS perfect time for stu-dents to work on these applica- ria McClellan Center for a Terrace Drive. Beginning A three-hour familtions for an opportunity to friendly game of Mahjong (chair assisted) at 10:30 a.m. iarization and safety class receive financial support 10:15 a.m. to noon every Intermediate (chair option- is offered from 10 a.m. to 1 for school. The San Diego Wednesday, beginning Jan. al) at 9:30 a.m. Cost for eight p.m. Jan. 6, at the Escondido Foundation Common Schol- 2, at 1400 Vale Terrace classes is $39. Reserve on- Fish and Game Association arship Application is avail- Drive, Vista. line at gmacvista.com or call shooting range at 16525 Gueable at sdfounda-tion.org/ jito Road and Lake Wohlford (760) 643-5281. students/community-schol- JAN. 3 Road. Handguns and ammuarship-program/ until 2 nition are provided for the LAST CHANCE WELCOME THE NEW YEAR p.m. Feb. 5, 2019.

Reservations are need- class but participants are Make reservations by 1 ed by Jan. 3 for the Carlsbad encouraged to bring their Chamber of Commerce fare- own handgun. Cost is $60. well to its CEO, Ted Owen, To register, call Jack at (760) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 746-2868.

The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa, 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. Tickets for JAN. 7 the retirement celebration KIDS’ COOKING CLASSES $75. Tickets or sponsorRegister now for the ships at https://carlsbad.org/ city of San Marcos bakevent/tedsfarewell. ing class “Cooking Round the World,” for youth 6- to 12-years old on Fridays at JAN. 4 4 p.m. beginning Feb. 1 at the San Marcos Community PRESERVING THE ROSES “Saving the Roses and Center, 3 Civic Center Drive, Preserving Genetics” will San Marcos. Cost is $169 for be the topic at 1:30 p.m. Jan. eight weeks. Stu-dents must 4 at the Gloria McClellan Se- join by the first class. Regisnior Center, 1400 Vale Ter- tration required at san-marrace Drive. The speaker is cos.net/register. For more John Bagnasco, author and infor-mation, call 760-744radio personality for Garden 9000.

Compass. Fingertip lunch is at noon followed by busi- REPUBLICAN WOMEN MEET The San Marcos Repubness meeting at 12:30 p.m. and program at 1:30 p.m. lican Women annual memVisit vistangardenclub.org bership Wine and Appetizer or e-mail Vistagardenclub@ gathering for 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at the home of Vivian Pulgmail.com. liam, 1131 Jugador Court, Lake San Marcos. They will FREE TAI CHI From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. be collecting old cell phones Jan. 4 (first Saturdays) at for folks who need to comthe Encinitas Library, 540 municate but may not have Cor-nish Drive, Encinitas, the financial means. ReserRichard Hsu will guide a vations are not needed. For free Tai Chi session of exer- more information, call Buncises. For more infor-mation, ny Nedry at (760) 744-0953 visit http://bit.ly/1EqwxGF or call (760) 753-7376.

TURN TO CALENDAR ON 17

DEC. 28, 2018

Dr. Seuss’ widow dies at 97 REGION — Audrey Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss and a longtime La Jolla resident, died last week at her Mount Soledad home, it was reported Dec. 21. She was 97.

Random House Children’s Books and the official Dr. Seuss Facebook page announced that she died Dec. 19.

Audrey Geisel was born in Chicago in 1921 and was raised by her mother, a Norwegian i m m i g r a nt , according to an obituary published in the San Diego Geisel Un i o n -Tr i bune on Friday.

Her father was a singer and dancer, and soon disappeared from her life.

She grew up living with her mother, or family friends, or, once, in foster care.

She attended Indiana University as a nursing student, where she met her first husband, E. Grey Dimond, a pre-med student.

They both worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, then moved to Kansas, where their two daughters were born, before moving to La Jolla in 1960.

“I saw that and knew I'd stay here forever,” she later remarked on seeing the Pacific Ocean.

Audrey Geisel married Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel in 1968.

He published 20 books during their more than two decades of marriage, including “The Lorax” and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” She is sometimes credited with moving his work more in the direction of social issues through books such as “The Lorax,” which has environmental themes, and the “The Butter Battle Book,” an anti-war story, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

She would tell Geisel he wasn’t just writing for children any more; the kids he first entertained had grown up and were now reading his stories to their own offspring.

She also had a hand in discovering lost Seuss manuscripts as she went through the mountain of material he left behind in desk drawers and closets.

That led to the publication of “What Pet Should I Get?” in 2015.

Theodor Geisel died in 1991, and his widow spent the next decades shepherding his legacy and donating to institutions he supported, including the San Diego Zoo and UC San Diego — where the Geisel Library is named after the two.

Funeral plans are pending.

— City News Service

11

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

After 64 years, Encina Power Plant goes dark

By Steve Puterski

CARLSBAD — Just before the stroke of midnight on Dec. 11, the iconic Encina Power Plant ceased power-generating operations for the first time since its construction in 1954.

Carlsbad City Attorney Celia Brewer made the announcement during the City Council meeting, receiving an enthusiastic applause from the packed house.

Taking Encina’s place is the Carlsbad Energy Center, a natural gas “peaker” plant, which will generate about 530 megawatts of flexible power to the region, according to NRG Energy spokesman David Knox. NRG Energy owns both facilities.

As for the city, Assistant City Manager Gary Barberio said an agreement between NRG Energy and the city requires the power company to decommission and demolish the plant within three years. The old facility used to generate 965 MW, he said.

“It is definitely iconic, the building and tower. The power plant’s been there for pretty much the city’s entire life,” he said. “Some say it’s a beacon and some say it’s

ENCINA POWER PLANT ceased operations on Dec. 11 after 64 years of generating power to San Diego County. A new natural gas peaker plant owned by NRG Energy on the same site is taking over generating power. Photo by Steve Puterski

an eyesore. Nonetheless, it’s an older plant that’s served its useful life and now we’ll have a different source of power that is cleaner.”

The first step, though, is for NRG Energy to decommission the plant, which may take up to one year.

Once the decommission is complete, the agreement states NRG Energy has two

years to demolish Encina.

The peaker plant is an upgrade over the former oil and natural gas Encina facility. Knox said the company had to pivot after the state passed regulations against the use of siphoning seawater to use to cool the plant. To cool the peaker plant, NRG Energy uses recycled water.

But advances in technology have made for a more efficient replacement, he added. The former plant took 12 to 18 hours to start up all the while releasing emissions. The peaker plant, however, takes just 10 minutes and it is much easier for the company to accurately feed the power grid, which is owned by San Diego Gas & Electric.

“It’s fast, flexible natural gas,” Knox said. “Predicting in 10 minutes is real easy. Predicting in 12 to 18 hours is real hard. Power increase, especially with renewable, you can need more power quickly and you can provide that. This is a much more flexible and dispatchable technology that allows you to bring the power to bear when you need it, and turn it off when you don’t.”

Perhaps the biggest aspect of the agreement is the redevelopment of the Encina Power Plant. Barberio said NRG Energy must conduct robust outreach with the community. Knox said NRG Energy will begin those efforts in 2019.

SDG&E also owns several acres on the site — Can-

non Park, which the city operates, and its North Coast Operations Center along Cannon Road. The city is the land-use regulator, Barberio said. He said another part of the redevelopment plan is the city finding a suitable location elsewhere in the city for the operations center.

A switch station, owned

by SDG&E, will remain on site to transition power from the peaker plant to the grid.

“The city’s long-term goal was to remove as much of the industrial uses from the approximate area as possible,” Barberio explained.

“For the past 20 years or so, the city’s goal has been to try and find a new location for those industrial uses.”

Finished in 1954, the Encina Power Plant incorporated its iconic smokestack along Carlsbad Boulevard. Barberio said during construction, the city of Oceanside attempted to annex much of the coastline including the power plant, as a way to increase its tax base.

However, the ensuing vote failed and Carlsbad officially incorporated in 1952 to keep the plant within the new city limits.

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T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018

Food &Wine

Nirvana? Deckman’s in Valle de Guadalupe

L TUSCAN VINEYARDS produced acclaimed wines with the 2015 vintage. Courtesy photo

2015: Classic year for Tuscan wines taste of wine frank mangio

Y

ou have to do your homework with Italian wines.

With each year there is an inconsistency in quality. They can be very good or very bad depending on what mother nature has presented to winemakers at harvest time. California has the most consistent weather conditions of any country.

Even the most disappointing of recent vintages in California, the 2011,

showed well in some varietals as select winemakers worked hard to get the maximum out of the harvest.

But countries like Italy every so often contend with a headache called mistral, a hurricane-like weather condition that can roar in from the north and virtually destroy crops.

Reputable wineries have been known to plough under their grapes at harvest rather than bottle a bad vintage. 2015 had no such problem.

I analyzed Wine Spectator’s recent Top 100 wines of the world out of more than 15,000 released and tasted this year, and indeed Italian wines scored as well TURN TO TASTE OF WINE ON 16

ike a growing number of millenials, my son Quinn has taken up residence in Tijuana and commutes to work in San Diego. Drawn by the affordable housing and thriving culinary and music scene, these young professionals are just say

ing no to the San Diego cost of living and doing their own thing south of the border.

A few months back I planned a trip down to check out his world and of course do some exploration of the culinary scene. My checklist included Caesar’s for the original Caesar salad, a Xolos soccer game, brunch at a trendy TJ spot, then a Sunday afternoon road trip to Valle de Guadalupe to the renowned Deckman’s.

I arrived in Tijuana late Saturday afternoon and was quickly thrown off by the intense traffic scenario just over the border.

It didn’t help that my international roaming did not kick in until about 10 minutes in, leaving me unable to navigate, text or call. For future reference I’ve been told that when just over the boarder, shut your phone off and when you boot it back up the international plan will kick in.

After the mild traffic panic, I reached Quinn’s place where we unloaded and headed straight to Caesars for the object of my salad lust. I’ve had a version of the original Caesar a few years back at Romesco in Bonita. Restaurateur Javier Placencia owns both Caesars and Romesco so if you don’t want to cross the border for it you have that option. There is nothing like getting it from the source and Caesars is very oldschool and that romances the salad even more.

You will see the chopping block cart on wheels moving from table to table with the servers expertly working their magic chopping, cracking and mixing the ingredients in a manner that has been done since it was invented in 1927 or thereabouts. It consists of romaine lettuce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, crushed garlic, coddled egg, lime juice, fresh black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, baguette oven-baked garlic croutons and anchovy filets.

Before you freak out on the anchovies let me assure you that all these ingredients blend so seamlessly to create one of the best salads you will ever experience. It should be noted that there is a full menu and a bustling bar scene at Caesar’s as well. It’s located on the

DREW DECKMAN, chef/owner of Deckman’s en el Mogor, at his outdoor wood-fueled kitchen. The restaurant is about 90 minutes south of Tijuana and well worth the trip. Courtesy photo

THE WOOD-FIRED Quail and Bone Marrow with a view of the vineyard at Deckman’s. Photo by David Boylan

busy Avenue Revolucion in the Centro district of TJ so there is plenty of action surrounding it.

Dinner was followed by a Tijuana Xolos soccer game which is a major sporting event, drawing fans from as far as Los Angeles. The tailgating scene was similar to our football version with the addition of roaming mariachi bands providing a soundtrack to the experience. Nothing notable to report on the stadium food offerings and that was somewhat disappointing. That said, the Xolos have a loyal following and it’s a raucous environment.

Sunday morning started with a nice brunch at an elegant joint with a hipster edge called Alma Verde. It was a nice slice of calm and a perfect transition to the

incredible culinary experience that we were about to embark on 90 minutes south in the Valle de Guadalupe. The coastal drive down is very scenic then it gets even better as you cut inland to wine country.

Deckman’s en el Mogor is the official name and I’ll just say up front this place should be on the list of every serious culinary aficionado in San Diego. Seriously, it’s that good and the adventure of getting there is half the fun.

Chef owner Drew Deckman grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia, and after completing a degree in philosophy from Rhodes College began a journey that took him all over Europe. That journey included working with some of the biggest names in the culi-

nary world and earned him a coveted Michelin Star for his work in Restaurant Vitus in Germany. That is just a snapshot of his culinary accomplishments as there are far too many to list here.

The term farm to table is not some marketing jargon at Deckman’s. They are literally surrounded by the farms and ports that provide a very high percentage of ingredients, not to mention the wine. The indoor-outdoor structure itself is amazing and the outdoor, wood-fueled kitchen is a sight to behold. The scent of burning wood cooking quail and other such culinary delights is almost overwhelming in the best possible way. There were times during our meal, with the sensual aromas, the stunning visuals of the vineyard, and my good company, that I thought to myself “it does not get much better than this.” And it really doesn’t. And on top of the world-class culinary experience, Drew Deckman is just a really nice guy. I will admit I was a bit intimidated by his fame within the culinary world going into our LTP radio interview but was immediately charmed by his approachability and sense of humor.

Given that I had a designated driver, we made the drive back to TJ early that evening. My advice would be to book one of the many lodging options in the area so you can enjoy the very impressive local wine and not have to make the drive back and deal with the border crossing on a Sunday evening.

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding Tijuana and the surrounding area and yes, it can be a dangerous area, but so can any city that size. I will be back as there is much more to explore in the area.

Check out Deckman’s at www.deckmans.com.

DEC. 28, 2018

POT

CONTINUED FROM 1

mentation of the new medical marijuana initiative — Measure Z — was the most prominent issue.

Measure Z, opposed pre-election by Vista Mayor Judy Ritter and other conservatives on the City Council, passed on Election Day with a 53 percent to 46 percent vote.

Ritter also was elected to a third Contreras term as mayor.

According to the city’s Measure Z implementation calendar, registration application forms and instructions will go live Jan. 7 for prospective medical marijuana dispensaries. A one-week period between Jan. 22 and Jan. 29 will then allow for applicants to send in their materials for review by city of Vista officials. By Feb. 5, the city will publish its priority list of top dispensary applicants.

During the public comments portion, attorney Damian Martin said the way the law was written and its timeline could allow for low-quality applicants to muddy up the process.

“I think you can shape the policy of the applicants that come in based on how you throttle and leverage these timelines,” Martin

13

T he C oast News - I nland E dition said. “And the reason why I say that and I’m suggesting that you enhance and kind of turn the screws on the timeline here, the applicants that you get are going to be the best ones, the ones that are more prepared ... If you let this go on all the way until Jan. 22, you’re going to get all of the riff raff and all the speculators because you’re giving them plenty of time to get an application together.”

City Attorney Darold Pieper responded saying though Ritter and the legal team opposed Measure Z during the campaign, they were working diligently to implement a law Vista’s residents electorally supported. Pieper emphasized that the hasty implementation deadlines written into the Measure Z law, however, has made it difficult.

“We are faithfully following everything that was put in measure by its authors,” Pieper said.

“While it might be possible to speed some things up, I think this is a very fast track — certainly compared to any other city or county in the state who has undertaken to do this and there is some considerable effort in which we’re involved now.”

At the meeting, the council also discussed the top priorities found within its City Council Goals Action Plan for 2018-2020.

Deputy Mayor John Franklin raised the specter of discussion of different respective components of the City Plan in more depth

at upcoming City Council meetings as a means of opening them up for discussion with the broader Vista community.

“I’d enjoy having maybe a bit more granular-level detail conversation,” Franklin said. “We’ve got eight goals here. Maybe once a month we could get into one subject matter as a recurring process just to keep these conversations going.”

Contreras said she hoped the council could also include updating its Climate Action Plan in the Action Plan, which currently stands out as a missing piece. Every city in California must keep an updated Climate Action Plan and fulfill its mandates.

“We are seeing that we’re in a 24/7 fire season and then when we’re not in fire season, and then when we get a little bit of rain, we get a lot of rain. So these rain events are getting very condensed as far as time frame,” Contreras said. “I would like to see us get really serious about climate readiness and resilience, making sure that we have planning around any heat waves that come up. I know we have cool zones, but I would like to see, do we have an assessment as to whether we have cool zones around where we have more vulnerable populations?”

City Council will convene again after the holidays on Jan. 8. For the first time in 2019, those meetings will be broadcast live.

GRAVES HOUSE, better known as “Top Gun House,” will be temporarily removed from the Oceanside Beach Resort construction site. File photo

Beach resort weeks from construction

By Samantha Taylor

OCEANSIDE — Nearly a decade since it was first proposed, construction of the Oceanside Beach Resort is about to begin.

According to developer and property owner S.D. Malkin Properties, the resort will feature a 226-room full-service hotel on the south block of Pacific Street and Mission Avenue, and a 158-room boutique hotel on the north block.

Both hotels will contain “multiple restaurants and bars” and more than 22,000 square feet of interior meeting and function space.

“We plan to start within 30 days,” said Jeremy Cohen, director of S.D Malkin Properties, via email.

The resort is scheduled to open in 2020, but it was first approved in 2009. It was then that S.D. Malkin Properties reached a development agreement with the city with the expectation that the former city Redevelopment Agency would issue tax allocation bonds.

The recession and financing difficulties delayed the project, as well as the end of redevelopment agencies in the state. The city negotiated a new agreement to sell the property to S.D. Malkin and to share proceeds of the transient occupancy tax generated by the hotels.

Then a lawsuit challenging the tax sharing agreement delayed the project

even further, although the city eventually won in trial court and court of appeal.

In late 2017, S.D. Malkin announced it would begin construction in April of this year, but rising costs delayed construction even further.

Currently sitting on the property is a parking lot, an empty field and the historic Graves House, also known as “Top Gun House” for its appearance in the 1986 movie.

Cohen said the house will be moved off-site, renovated and returned to the open space facing Pacific Street on the property. It will be converted into an ice cream shop, Cohen confirmed.

14

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018

Sports

Pickleball has Vista’s MacGregor back in the swing of things

By Jay Paris

VISTA — Luke Jensen, a former tennis pro, took one look at Cammy MacGregor and shook his head.

“What are you doing here?” Jensen asked.

It wasn’t as if MacGregor was in a pickle. Instead MacGregor was at the recent USA Pickleball National Championships where she won the senior women’s single and doubles titles.

Jensen was providing the commentary for ESPN, and like many tennis players, he’s added another

CAMMY MACGREGOR won singles and doubles titles at the recent USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells.

Courtesy photo

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racket to his repertoire.

“You can do both,” MacGregor said.

The sport is sweeping though North County and elsewhere. Tennis courts are being converted into pickleball courts, which feature a smaller area to cover as the sport combines the elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong.

Many of the shots used in tennis, especially at the net, are equally effective in pickleball.

MacGregor, a Vista resident who was ranked professionally as high as No. 75 in singles and No. 39 in doubles on the women’s tennis tour got bit by the pickleball bug in 2015.

“I picked it up and kept going with it,” MacGregor said of one America’s fastest rising sports with more than 3 million players nationwide.

At the USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells last month, McGregor was among the more than 2,200 participants ranging from ages 8 to 90. MacGregor, 50, was the queen of the singles and doubles in the senior division. Carlsbad’s Jennifer Dawson, who with her husband, Steve, own the Bobby Riggs Racquet and Paddle Club in Encinitas, was MacGregor’s partner.

“It’s been great to be able to win but let me tell you it gets tougher and tougher each year because you are seeing more tennis players and more badminton players getting into pickleball,” said MacGregor, a tennis and pickleball teaching pro at Carlsbad’s Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. “So the players are just getting better and better and you have to try and keep your skill level up.”

McGregor was usually up at the net as a tennis

player. She leaned on her serve-and-volley approach to win points, leaving those wanting to hug the baseline to others.

“The less ground strokes the better,” MacGregor said. “That was why pickleball was suited for me because there is a lot of touch and feel with your volleys.”

With the players in such close proximity to each other it makes for some wicked exchanges at the net. That’s as long as a competitor doesn’t enter “the kitchen” which is a 7-foot area extending from both sides of the net where the ball must first bounce before being struck.

And with the courts being about half as big as a tennis court, athletes whose movement is compromised can still participate in pickleball.

“Absolutely because some people can’t play tennis anymore,” MacGregor said. “They try pickleball and they love it because they don’t have to cover the whole court. A lot of people that I have met have told me that story. It’s not that they don’t love tennis, don’t get me wrong. But it’s easier for some to play pickleball and the sport is also unbelievably social.”

Those worried that pickleball could alter their tennis have it wrong, MacGregor said.

“I’ve heard some tennis players say it was going to hurt their game and that’s absolutely not true,” MacGregor said. “When you get in a volley exchange 14 feet from your opponents, it’s great work for you handand-eye reflexes.”

That comes straight from a player who was head-and-shoulders above her rivals at the USA Pickleball Championships.

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TOYOTA TOUR QUALIFIER Scarlet Weidig, of San Marcos, took third place with an evenpar 72 for a two-day score of 144 at the final PGA Southern California Junior Tour Qualifying School tournament of the year at Menifee Lakes Country Club on Dec. 15-16, earning a place in the Toyota Tour Cup for the 2019 season. Courtesy photo

DEC. 28, 2018

15

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

Sports

Chargers in playoffs, which poses problem for some sports talk jay paris

T

he Chargers are playoff-bound and what’s the harm in tagging along?

If it was only that easy, this tug-a-war with emotions on whether to cheer for the NFL outfit that once called “San Diego” home.

It’s not simple for some people, and they’ll pass on the Chargers and that’s fine. Trying to tell consumers where and when to spend their money was always miscast in my eyes.

But if you want to hiphip-hooray for the Chargers, even with them hanging their shingle in Los Angeles, go for it.

If you aspire to be a hate-hate-hater of everything associated with Dean Spanos after the team’s owner ripped away a franchise that dominated the San Diego sports scene here for nearly six decades, have at it.

But it’s the players on the field that I gravitate toward. To me, they are the real Chargers, not the guys in the luxury suites sipping on top-shelf social sparkers and munching on catered meals.

Give me the sweaty men with dirt under their

ORANGE GLEN CONTINUED FROM 1

“It was fun to see everybody help out,” Thompson said. “Everybody gave a little bit and a little bit from each person really makes a difference.”

Patterson said that without community fundraising efforts and logisti-

QB PHILIP RIVERS still calls San Diego County home — he commutes daily to Los Angeles — but how many other locals are along for the Chargers’ playoff ride? Photo via Twitter

knuckles, guys with knees that buckle seemingly every day except Sunday for three hours, players that stiff-arm pain and longterm health ramifications so we can enjoy a game.

So if the Chargers (114) have performed well enough to be invited to the postseason, good for them.

Good for the Spanos family, too? I don’t know many people that go there and I’m one of them. What the Spanos clan and the NFL did to the dedicated Chargers boosters in San

Diego was and is a crime.

But what’s nearly a bigger travesty is making the playoffs one time in eight years. What a blemish to have such a lousy track record with Philip Rivers at quarterback.

Rivers, who drives through Rancho Santa Fe every morning headed for work, will retire someday. Although the way the 37-year-old is producing, he isn’t ready for his gold watch yet.

But he will be fitted for a gold Hall of Fame jacket

on the horizon, and that the Chargers’ brass let the sun set on way too many seasons without giving him a chance for a Super Bowl ring is embarrassing.

Some ex-Chargers fans get red in the face that their old team is succeeding. But instead of getting miffed, I get a kick out some good guys getting their due.

Rivers is the most accessible superstar in the NFL and he’s as solid as his Southern accent is thick. He didn’t move the Chargers.

Antonio Gates is anoth-

er future Hall of Famer and one could sense his pain after his fumble killed the Chargers’ final shot of beating the Ravens last week.

He didn’t move the Chargers.

That goes for countless anonymous employees, the nuts and bolts, if you will, of any organization.

Whenever you see coach Anthony Lynn entering or leaving the field, Bill Stetson is on his hip. Stetson, the team’s director of security lives in Escondido.

Whenever a ducat is

cal support, things would not have sailed as smoothly.

“Our district was extremely supportive in helping us get up to the state championship game,” Patterson said. “And our community really rose behind us.”

Due to the money raised, Patterson said that student-athletes received

a “holistic experience” in San Francisco, allowing for a second bus full of students, which included the cheerleading squad, marching band and journalists.

Thompson, a lifelong Escondido resident who attended San Pasqual High School, said that the team’s efforts throughout the 2018 season uplifted the Escon-

dido community.

And as the games proceeded and the wins piled on, Thompson noted, the bleachers became increasingly full underneath the bright Friday night lights which epitomize high school football.

“The kids are a riot — I mean, they cheer like crazy kids,” said Thompson, who

said she made pulled pork sandwiches for every home game, which were sold at the concessions stand.

“They’re nuts. They love it.”

Patterson said he believes the team’s ethos along with a collective spirit contributed to its success.

It is a season, said Patterson, which will go down in

M arketplace News

al, Wagner urges you to read on.

“Some clients say the procedure is virtually painfree,” he said. “It’s called Scalp Micro-Pigmentation (SMP), and it’s non-invasive and uses a tiny needle to plant dots of ink into the skin, imitating the look of hair follicles.”

While a traditional tattoo penetrates rive layers of epidermis, SMP only penetrates two layers. “It works by placing natural ink pigments via a micro needle at the epidermal level of the scalp, realistically replicat-

ing the appearance of natural hair growth and density.”

While previous hair loss treatments either didn’t last or involved surgery, SMP offers a permanent solution to a problem that will only get worse over time. “By the time you recognize your

Contact Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com.

Follow him @jparis_sports the history books for the Escondido community.

“We tried to emphasize the discipline and focus” needed to win football games, said Patterson.

“They were very unselfish.

Players truly were playing for each other … It was definitely one of the most memorable seasons I have ever been a part of.”

Marketplace News is a paid advertorial. If you would like an article on this page, please call (760) 436-9737

Thinning hair?

Try hair tattoo OCEANSIDE — Thinning hair is a fact of life for many men and women. It’s so common, in fact, that strides have been made in hair restoration making permanent solutions available at a variety of price points. These days, a thicker-looking head of hair is possible for anyone. Dan Wagner, CEO of MyHairTransplantMD, and his team of hair restoration specialists are excited about the latest solution they have to offer — hair tattooing.

Yes, you read that right.

If you have an aversion to tattoos, or needles in gener-

delivered to a fan, it probably first crossed the desk of Michael Dougherty. Dougherty, the team’s director of ticket operations lives in Carlsbad.

The NFL gave its blessings to heist the Chargers out of San Diego. But taking the “San Diego” out of the Chargers hasn’t proven as easy, which is why there’s a drinking contest on game days whenever the announcer stumbles in claiming they hail from San Diego.

It’s done so often, those participating seldom go thirsty.

While for many it’s tough toasting the Chargers, we raise a glass. Not to the powerful men arriving at the misguided decision to leave San Diego, but to the men who toil in the trenches, that have their shoulders separated to casually be popped back in and to those who’ll walk with a limp for rest of their life.

The Chargers, who finish the regular season on Sunday at Denver, will either be the AFC’s No. 5 seed, or the No. 1 seed, with a win and a Kansas City Chiefs loss or tie to the Raiders.

So if you’re among those cheering for the Chargers, then you’re pulling for the Raiders, too.

Crazy, huh?

hair loss, you’ve already lost 50 percent of your hair,” Wagner said. “Topical treatments become a temporary band aid at best. Perhaps maybe you don’t want to have surgery at this time, but might consider it in the future. In either case, SMP

can help you achieve the look you want. Some of our clients do it to avoid hair transplant surgery and its costs altogether, and others look to SMP to work in conjunction with previous or future hair restoration efforts.”

Each procedure takes approximately two to five hours, depending on the extent of the bald or thinning area.

“It might take up to three sessions to achieve the look you want,” Wagner said. “It’s still about a third of the cost of a hair transplant and the results are also permanent and immediate.”

Wagner invites anyone interested in Scalp Micro-Pigmentation and any other hair loss solutions to visit MyHairTransplantMD at 2103 S. El Camino Real, Suite 201 in Oceanside.

For a step-by-step guide to their consultation, hair restoration processes, before-and-after photos and a complete explanation of pricing, visit their website at www.MyHairTransplantMD.com or call the office at (800) 262-2017.

16

T he C oast News - I nland E dition

Nonprofit provides legal services for immigrants

By Lexy Brodt

REGION — For the immigrant community in San Diego, navigating the country’s complex legal system can pose a difficult, and sometimes insurmountable barrier.

And because of their economic status, age, or their detention at a border facility, many are not able to easily access an attorney.

Casa Cornelia seeks to fulfill that need. A San Diego-based nonprofit, the 25year organization provides free legal services for those eligible for humanitarian immigration relief in Southern California. According to Executive Director Carmen Chavez, Casa Cornelia serves asylum-seekers, victims of crimes such as domestic violence or human trafficking, and children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected.

The nonprofit has served about 2,200 people so far in 2018, and about 300 in the North County region.

The North County Amnesty International Chapter honored Casa Cornelia in early December with their Digna Ochoa Humanitarian Defender award, which recognizes an individual or group for their work protecting human rights in the North County community.

Casa Cornelia is assisted in its efforts by between 200 and 300 volunteer attorneys, volunteer interpreters and translators at any given time, from across San Diego, which allows them to “multiply exponentially our reach to all corners of the county,” Chavez said.

The organization supports a full-time staff of 28 individuals, nine of which are attorneys. Chavez referred to staff attorneys and

CASA CORNELIA staff members work with young clients at their San Diego office. Casa Cornelia is the only free legal service organization in the county that provides direct legal representation for unaccompanied, detained children.

Courtesy photo

volunteers as “zealous advocates for our clients.” “(They) always have been, always will be,” Chavez said.

The nonprofit operates with a budget of just over $2 million. It garners financial support from a yearly fundraising event called La Mancha Awards, as well as individual donations and grants, such as the United Nation’s Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, a fund that assists different entities in helping victims of torture and their families.

The center has served thousands of clients since it opened in 1992, responding in kind as policies and procedures for immigrants, as well as social climates abroad have changed.

In 2014, Chavez noted a marked increase in the number of children attempting

to flee violent circumstances in Central America. From 2012 to 2014, the number of children served by the organization doubled from 317 to 633 clients.

Clients from across the globe have sought out its services — individuals from countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and former Eastern Bloc nations. Clients are often referred to the organization by other local agencies, community leaders, law enforcement officials or victim advocates.

“We’ve had persons from all over the world who are hoping to find freedom and safety,” Chavez said.

In addition to serving immigrant clients already in the area, staff and attorneys will also screen individuals at the Otay Mesa detention facility, to determine if they are legally eli-

gible to be granted asylum.

Staff are often working with clients who have experienced trauma, which can be exacerbated by their experience in the detention centers.

“Their human spirit has been damaged,” Chavez said. “And they’re hoping to find safe haven and an opportunity for a new life … they yearn for that.”

Casa Cornelia is the only free legal service organization in San Diego County that provides direct legal representation for unaccompanied, detained children.

Chavez said that working and communicating with younger clients can sometimes be a challenge, particularly when it comes to communication.

Although the various volunteers with the organization speak a combined 45 plus different languages and dialects, there might be the added difficulty of clients speaking an indigenous dialect.

Chavez described Casa Cornelia staff as the “legal first responders” for their clients. They guide individuals in the process of obtaining asylum, after which they are “given orientation as to the next steps,” whether that may be obtaining a work permit, determining eligibility to become permanent residents, or pursuing citizenship. For these purposes, Casa Cornelia will help refer clients to other organizations in the county.

“We are focused on (immigrants) that are currently at risk, currently detained or who have been victimized” Chavez said. “We help them with the first visa application or the first asylum application … We secure their legal status.”

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TASTE OF WINE CONTINUED FROM 12

as the U.S. with Tuscany topping any district in the world. Focusing in on the top 10, Tenuta San Guido Sassacaia 2015, from the Tuscan district of Bolgheri, was awarded No. 1 wine in the world ($245).

No real surprise there.

More important for the Italian wine market, the No. 3 wine in the world selected

by Wine Spectator is Castello Di Volpaia, a 2015 Chianti Classico Reserve ($35).

This best represents the vast majority of Sangiovese grape-based wines with a 2015/2016 vintage at value prices. Federica and Nicolo Mascheroni Stianti produced this gem in their tiny town of Volpaia. Federica pointed out that with 96 points, “it was the highest score ever for our wine.

It is a balanced complex red with a long gorgeous finish.

Our grapes are crushed and vinified in steel tanks, then aged in a mix of Slavonian oak casks and French oak barriques for two years.”

Italian reds are not wines that are casually consumed. When I open one, there is always a small wedge of cheese, preferably a Parmesan, some cold cut meats like Prosciutto from Parma or Salami from Genoa.

The perfect bread would be an Italian loaf, uncut with sesame seeds and honey baked in on top.

I hand-separate a generous piece and dip it in olive oil, dusted with sweet basil spices.

“Molto bene!” as an Italian or anyone who enjoys Italian wine and food would proclaim … very good!

Driving through Italy is a hair-raising experience but it’s the best way to enjoy the hundreds of varietals and thousands of vineyards, many in the backyards of each Italian that has the property to do it.

The country produces one-fifth of the wine in the world. It deserves a place on your wine list. See chianticlassico.com.

A tasting holiday at PAON

With key help from the Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery of Los Angeles, PAON Restaurant, Wine Bar & Wine Shop in Carlsbad staged a sold-out holiday party & Wine Ware-

house sale this month. Taste of Wine and Food was the media partner in the event, which featured five areas of wine tasting where wine club members mixed and matched with the public and members of the trade.

The Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad was the benefactor of a silent auction.

Fifty wines created a lot of excitement including the Riboli Family, named 2016 American Winery of the year by Wine Enthusiast magazine.Guests got a chance to also taste wines by: Trefethen, Fess Parker, Flora Springs, Arrowood and my favorite from the group, the Losano Malbec 2015 Grand Reserve from Mendoza, Argentina ($22).

For more on PAON and its wine club, visit paoncarlsbad.com.

Wine bytes

• Seasalt Seafood Bistro in Del Mar is presenting Castello Banfi Italian wines from Tuscany in a six-course wine and food dinner at 6 p.m. Jan. 10. Discover Super Tuscan wines and other favorites for $75 per person. Call (858) 7557100 to reserve a place.

• Five key wine regions of France will be explored closely with a class at Meritage Wine Market from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 15. Twelve wines will be tasted along with French cheeses, charcuterie and other regional samples. Look for insights on Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire Valley and the Rhone Valley. Cost is $89 each. RSVP and get more details at (760) 4792500.

• Firenze Trattoria in Encinitas has a great night of Paso Robles’ best, Niner Wine Estate with its rich reds, pairing up with a five-course custom dinner at 6 p.m. Jan. 17. Meet Niner owner Andy Niner and winemaker Patrick Muran at Firenze. Beautiful red blends are their specialty.

Cost is $100 per guest. Call (760) 944-9000.

• The seventh annual Vin Diego Wine & Food Festival is April 13 at Waterfront Park along San Diego’s Embarcadero. Over 300 wines will be featured, plus the best chefs in town presenting their best dishes. Tickets start at $85. Details at vindiego.com.

Reach him at Frank@ tasteofwineandfood.com

DEC. 28, 2018

BMI readings can be misleading for some Ask the Doctors

Dr. Elizabeth Ko

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Dr. Eve Glazier

DEAR DOCTOR: I'm not thin by any means, but I'm not obese either. I lift weights three to four times a week, run about 10 miles a week, play soccer and regularly do half-marathons. Now a new study says that because my BMI is 26, there's no way I can be fit and healthy. Is this true?

DEAR READER: Due in part to the limitations of BMI as a measurement, many athletes and muscular individuals will fall into the overweight category, which is a body mass index in the range of 25 to 30. The body mass index, a measure of body fat based on the ratio between an individual's height and weight, can be

a useful tool. However, it doesn't leave room for additional factors like bone density, muscle mass, overall body composition, or the natural variations inherent in the sex, age or ethnicity of an individual.

For example, the BMI of someone who is athletic can skew higher because of the presence of additional muscle, which is denser than fat.

Elderly adults tend to have more body fat than younger adults and may have experienced bone loss as well. And on average, women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat than do men.

With athletic individuals, whose habits when it comes to healthful diet and regular exercise are usually quite good, we tend not to worry that much about their actual weight. In these specific cases, we agree that it is possible to fall into the category of being overweight but still be fit.

However, when a patient edges into the upper regions of the BMI category of overweight, or when they

register as obese, which is a body mass index of 30 and above, it becomes a different story. At that point we will definitely explain to them the not-insignificant health risks associated with obesity, no matter how physically active the individual may be. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome and certain cancers.

In a large-scale study published last year in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers from England found that, even when they were otherwise clinically healthy -- that is, their blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid levels were all within in the normal range -- individuals who were obese were at measurably higher risk of the adverse health outcomes we mentioned above. Even being overweight raised the risk of coronary heart disease up to 30 percent, despite good blood pressure, blood sugar

and blood lipid numbers, according to the study results.

The researchers' conclusions came from analysis of data drawn from the electronic medical records of 3.5 million people between 1995 and 2015. However, critics of the study point out that important factors associated with lifestyle, such as exercise habits, diet or stress, each of which can affect or even skew results, were not given equal weight.

If the extra pounds that tipped your BMI into the overweight category can be attributed to additional muscle mass because of your athletic endeavors, and if your metabolic markers are all in good order, then in our opinion, you can consider yourself to be fit.

Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health.

Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.

Assault charges filed against man accused in standoff ESCONDIDO — A Pauma Valley man accused of ambushing three San Diego County sheriff’s deputies at his home in a rural area near Casino Pauma, sparking a nearly six-hour standoff in which he suffered a gunshot wound, was charged Dec. 26 with three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer.

Arraignment for 28-year-old Jose Nieto at Palomar Medical Center was postponed until Jan.

11 because he was deemed medically unfit for the proceeding while being treated for the gunshot wound he sustained during the Dec. 20 standoff.

The complaint against Nieto includes allegations of personal use and discharge of a firearm. He faces 33 years and eight months in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon.

The standoff began around 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 20, when deputies Cory

Crawford, Jared Muli, and John Avedesian went to a home in the 156-00 block of Adams Drive in response to a a 911 call from a man who said “he needed help and didn't feel safe in his home.”

As the three deputies approached the front door of the home, they were met with gunfire, said sheriff’s Lt. Rich Williams.

The deputies returned fire, established a perimeter around the home and called for backup, including

a SWAT team. Nearby residents were evacuated from their homes and surrounding streets were shut down.

The deputies were not injured.

Authorities spend hours trying to establish communication with the gunman, but when that was unsuccessful, the SWAT team entered the home about 10 p.m. and found Nieto inside with a gunshot wound to his lower body, Williams said.

SIFTERS

Senior Sidney Adame, one of Razi’s former students, rallied the art classes to paint the blank sifters once she heard what Razi wanted to do.

As a member of the school’s Associated Student Body, Adame was focused on ways the school could give back this season.

“I’m already kind of in that zone,” Adame said. “I wanted to bring it into the art program and see if anyone wanted to do it, and they were all excited to help.”

Students in the AP art classes uniquely painted each sifter, but each one contained the same message — “SMHS is thinking of you.” Adame said this project provided some important perspective for her and her fellow students.

“We’re so caught up in our own little world,” Adame said. “During these times, I think a lot of people can get stressed out about the wrong things, and this is a good time to take a step back and really appreciate what we have, and the beautiful things we get to do for people.”

The project was fueled wholly by donations — Home Depot donated four rolls of mesh, while the woodshop class provided the wood.

GoShare, the business that donated the delivery

services, also got involved through a student.

The company connects van or truck owners with people who need cargo transported — it’s like Uber or Lyft, but instead of transporting people, they carry bulkier objects.

The school quarterback’s father is a vice president at the company, and they put Razi in touch with CEO Shaun Savage, who was also eager to get involved.

“We wanted to find a way to help,” Savage said.

“This was a good opportunity that came up, and it was right in our wheelhouse.”

In reflecting on the

project, Razi explained how touched she was by the way the Chico community supported Paradise.

It was similar, she said, to how North County came together to help Fallbrook following the Lilac fire.

And now that the sifters are delivered, Razi hopes they will help families uncover some things they weren’t sure they’d ever get back.

“If they could find artifacts, if they can find personal jewelry and personal belongings with these sifters, we’ve done our job,” Razi said. “Hopefully it brings a little smile to the families’ faces.”

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volved in this project.

The woodshop class built the sifters, and the art classes painted them. On Dec. 17 at 7:30 a.m., a truck service — donated by the San Diego-based company GoShare — came to pick up 53 sifters and deliver them to Razi’s contact in Chico that same day for distribution.

“It will reach more than 53 families because families all share,” Razi explained.

“The ladies I’ve been in contact with up north are really excited to get them.”

— City News Service

CALENDAR

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JAN. 8

FAITH AND FRIENDS

The Catholic Widows and Widowers of North County, a support group for those who desire to foster friendships through various social activities will Dinner at the Elk’s Club, Vista on Jan. 8. Reservations are necessary at (858) 674-4324.

JAN. 9

UNDERSTAND MEMORY LOSS

The public is invited to Memory Loss 101, presented by Dementia Care Consultant Jean Alton from Alzheimer’s San Diego from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Civic Center Library Community Rooms, 330 N. Coast Highway, Encinitas.

For more infor-mation or to pre-register, call (858) 492-4400 or visit alzsd.org.

WOMAN’S CLUB LUNCH

The Woman’s Club of Vista will meet for lunch at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Shadowridge Golf Club, 1980 Gateway Drive, Vista hosting the San Diego chapter of Inter-national Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), who create a safer environment for abused chil-dren. Each child receives a denim jacket or vest with the BACA emblem on it. The members of The Woman’s Club will be donating denim jackets or vests to BACA. Luncheon is $18.

For reserva-tions, kdkyan@gmail.com or call (919) 847-2786.

TAI CHI CHUAN

The Gloria McClellan Center is offering Tai Chi Chuan on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. beginning Jan. 9 at 1400 Vale Terrace

Drive. Registration is required. To register, call 760.643.5281 or log onto gmacvista.com.

JAN. 10

BE A NEWCOMER

Vista Friends and Newcomers will host a January Coffee at 10 a.m.

Jan. 10 at Pegah’s Kitchen, 945 Santa Fe Ave., Vista.

Come prepared to order a no-host breakfast. Anyone interested in joining VFN, call Sandy at (760) 3902397.

JAN. 12

EYEGLASSES FOR NEEDY

Encinitas Chapter of Lions Club International, with the California Lions Friends in Sight, Essilor Vision Foundation, and the Encinitas library, will provide free vi-sion and hearing screenings, and free refurbished eyeglasses from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jan. 12 at the San Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas. No registration is neces-sary. First-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit https://clfis.info/ or encini-taslions.org.

FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Soroptimist International of Vista and North County Inland will host a one-mile Human Trafficking Awareness Walk 12:30 to 3 p.m. Jan. 12, at the Wave Waterpark, 101 Wave Drive, Vista. Information tables and STOP Trafficking signs will be provided. Registration at Wave Waterpark entrance.

Speakers will include San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan, Joseph Travers, Saved In America, Jaimee Johnson, Sisters of the Streets. For more information, visit soroptimistvista.org.

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Enjoy Arizona’s countryside, history at Lynx Lake hit the road e’louise ondash

W

HOP! Or maybe the sound was more like

THWOMP! At any rate, my friend, Donna, is laying on her back after hitting a patch of ice on the trail and amazingly, she's laughing. Unfortunately, she is the first in line of our party of four hikers and didn't see the thin layer of ice that had formed at a watery spot on the trail.

Donna will probably feel the consequences of this fall tomorrow, but for now, she’s taking it in stride while the rest of us hover.

Once we recover from HER fall, we continue our hike around Lynx Lake, about five miles east of Prescott, Arizona.

Every turn on the alpine trail brings a reason to pull out my cell phone camera. The 40-degree air

keeps us moving at a brisk pace as we pass mallards and cranes cruising the only feet away. The birds make ripple patterns in the wa-tery reflections of a spotless blue sky.

About halfway around our 3-mile circumnavigation, we arrive at the North Shore Vista Point where, at the right time of year, visitors can see bald eagles in their nests. (Portions of various trails in the Lynx Lake Recreations Area are closed from Dec. 1 to June 30 to allow the nesting eagles, an endangered species, to remain undisturbed.)

The countryside here is representative of the beautiful rugged scenery and near-solitude that is easy to find just a few minutes' drive from downtown Prescott. Twice the capital of Territorial Arizona, which became a state in 1912, Prescott sits more than a mile high close to the state's center.

It is this wide-open countryside, the curious and colorful rock formations, clean, dry air, cooler summers and gentle

LYNX LAKE, near Prescott, Arizona, is actually a 55-acre reservoir that sits at 5,530 feet of elevation. It attracts birdwatchers from throughout the state and beyond, some who come to see the nests of bald eagles. A scenic 3-mile trail circumvents the lake. Photo by E’Louise Ondash

winters, an abundance of outdoor activities, and (drum roll, please) cheaper housing prices that make Prescott a magnet for both visitors and new residents.

And, like our friends, longtime Oceanside residents, the new folks continue to roll in. In 2000, the city's population was 34,000: today it's 42,000.

That's a 25 percent increase, but in actual numbers and

by California standards, this is minuscule growth.

However, it's enough to cause housing prices to head north, so it’s safe to say that longtime Prescott residents are probably not thrilled with the influx.

But to visitors like us from "next door" — the most populous state in the country — Prescott and the surrounding area still look like a whole bunch of open

space.

And if you want to fit in, know that the city is pronounced PRESS-kit. It was named after historian William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859), a partially blind, highly regarded historian who had a photographic memory. He never visited Arizona and died before the town was named.

We have only 48 hours to explore and to enjoy some of area’s attractions, and our Lynx Lake hike is a good start.

Later we stop at Mary’s Cozy Home Furnishings, a former bank building on State Route 89 that has been converted into an antique, handicrafts and home design store jammed to the rafters with merchandise.

The floors, walls and ceiling are punctuated with splashes of holiday red and

green. I could browse for a week, but escape with a Christmas card basket, hoping that not everyone will go digital this year.

Later, as the sun goes down, we await for the grand illumination of the Valley of Lights. A mile-long, one-way, drivethrough route sponsored by the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce, the show features light tunnels, cartoon characters and holiday symbols created by thousands of multi-colored lights. This puts us in the mood for a walk through downtown’s Plaza where the historic Yavapai County Courthouse (finished in 1918) and the majestic elms that ring it have been encased in lights.

The downtown area is filled with homes, business buildings and churches that are beautiful examples of Victorian, Queen Anne, Early Territorial, and Neo-Classical, Mission and Second Renaissance revival

architecture. Prescott also claims the first Carnegie Library built in Arizona.

Nearby, another historic gem: the Palace Restaurant and Saloon, an icon that stands amid Prescott’s Whiskey Row. An ornately carved Brunswick bar fills the front portion of the first floor, and glass cases are full of artifacts and memorabil-ia of famous (Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Steve McQueen) and not-sofamous patrons.

In 1900, when the town was burning and the Palace caught fire, patrons picked up the massive wooden bar and carried it into the street. For more, visit www. visit-prescott.com.

CORRECTION: In my Dec.14 feature, I misspelled Cross Border Xpress (www. crossborderxpress.com), the bridge that takes pedestrians directly across the border into the Tijuana Airport.

Join Elfin Forest Trail Patrol ESCONDIDO — Start off the new year with a commitment to give back to Mother Nature and spend more time outdoors. The Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Escondido Creek Conservancy are recruiting volunteers for their next Trail Patrol training, 9 a.m.-noon Jan. 19 at the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, 8833 Harmony Grove Road. Register online at trailpatrol.eventbrite.com.

Trail Patrol volunteers sign up for monthly hikes at the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve (EFRR) and the conservancy’s neighboring preserves to help maintain trails and protect the natural open spaces.

“One of my favorite parts of serving on the Trail Patrol is a bit selfish.

I sometimes need motivation to make time for a good hike, so I look forward to my three hours a month on the Elfin Forest Trail,” said volunteer Cindy Pahl. “At the

same time, I love my role as an ‘ambassador’ for Elfin Forest, which feels less selfish and more giving.”

Volunteers get to explore the trails while assisting visitors and submitting reports to rangers and land managers.

“When a trail issue is reported by a trail patrol volunteer, rangers quickly respond with action. This results in greater trail sustainability and a safer recreation experience for our visitors,” said EFRR Park Supervisor Jeff Anderson.

EFRR provides outdoor recreation area for 150,000 visitors a year. EFRR park rangers and conservancy land managers rely on trail patrol volunteers to be the eyes and ears for the reserve and report their observations. There are trail options for various mobility levels and you don’t need to be a wildlife expert. The conservancy provides training and a uniform.

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40 billion gallons: Desalination plant hits milestone

By Steve Puterski

CARLSBAD — Three years and 40 billion gallons later the Carlsbad Claude “Bud” Lewis Desalination Plant is humming along.

The facility is touted as the largest and most technologically advanced in the Western Hemisphere and on Dec. 13, VIPs and various stakeholders gathered in celebration of the plant supplying about 10 percent of drinking water to San Diego County.

The desalination plant

Who’s

NEWS?

Business news and special achievements for North San Diego County.

Send information via email to community@ coastnewsgroup.com.

SHARP COOKIES

Lauren North from Solana Beach, Samuel Merson of Rancho Santa Fe, Margot Richter of Encinitas and Annabel Xu and Sydney Schenk from San Diego, begin their academic careers at Tufts University for the Class of 2022, in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts. Colin Morrison, of Carlsbad, has been named to the Elmira College Dean’s List for the fall 2018 Term. McDaniel College Student Ravi Patel of Rancho Santa Fe Traveled to China to Participate in National Model United Nations. Tianzuo Wang of Encinitas received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the College of Business at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dec. 14.

opened three years ago to much fanfare, and some criticism, as one of the crown jewels for Poseidon Water, which owns the facility. It pumps in about 50 million gallons of water per day and is a source for protection against severe drought.

“Despite a lot of rainfall the last couple of weeks, desalinated seawater is part of our core supply,” said Carlos Riva, CEO of Poseidon Water. “We don’t have to only rely on snowpack and rainfall.”

Steve Twyman, of San Marcos and founder of Connect23.com has launched Connect23.com with a simple idea — to provide a safe social media experience without all the privacy issues. Twyman created Connect23.com to address those issues and says the site is for everyday people, and is not a site for illegal activity to occur. It is sim-

sures a fresh supply of water for the foundation of human growth.

She also railed against the Trump administration’s denials of the recently released National Climate Assessment, which found climate change is affecting health, safety, quality of life, agriculture and rate of economic growth in a negative manner. Boxer said desalination is a step in the right direction.

“Climate change is real and will bring climate ex-

tremes including drought,” she added. “Our water supply is also in jeopardy and this is a solution.”

Sandra Kerl, deputy general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, said the success of the project was due to numerous partners, public and private, working to protect the water supply in San Diego County, which sits at the end of systems from the Colorado River and Northern California, and is the last to receive water. Due to

22.3 cents less than one month ago but 27 cents more than one year ago. It has risen 24.7 cents since the start of the year.

REGION — San Diego County’s unadjusted unemployment rate dipped slightly to 3.2 percent in November, with nonfarm industries adding nearly 10,000 jobs, the California Employment Development Department announced Dec. 21.

The November unemployment rate is down from a revised 3.3 percent in October and even further below the 3.5 percent rate in November 2017.

Total nonfarm employment increased by 9,800 jobs from October to November while total farm employment lost 300 jobs.

Nonfarm employment now totals 1,503,800 in San Diego County and farm jobs total 8,500.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry added 5,900 jobs monthover-month, the most of any industry in the county. Government was the county’s only other industry to add more than 800 jobs, increasing by 2,900.

According to EDD data, 1,300 of the government jobs added were in the state and local education sub-industries.

The leisure and hospitality industry continued to lose jobs as 2018 recedes further away from the summer months. The industry lost the most jobs of any in the county from October to November at 1,300.

Year-over-year data showed an employment increase of 26,400, all nonfarm jobs, from November 2017 to November 2018.

A majority of those gains, 16,500 jobs, came in the professional and business services industry. Yearover- year farm employment stayed steady at 8,500 jobs.

California’s unadjusted unemployment rate dipped from 4.1 percent in October to 3.9 percent in November, according to the EDD. That rate is also below the state’s unemployment rate in November 2017, 4.2 percent.

Nationwide unemployment also fell in both time spans, from 3.7 percent in October and 3.9 percent in November 2017 to 3.5 percent in November 2018.

— City News Service

— City News Service

LOCAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Oceanside’s Nancy Glen and her sister Julia Glen have begun writing a series of children's books focused on the communities of Southern California.

Their first book “Oceanside Adventures” is available now. Woven throughout is the history with local attractions and events. A percentage of the proceeds goes to local literacy programs. The next few books will be about Encinitas, Carlsbad, Vista and other North County communities. For more information, visit glencreations.com.

BIG TOY DRIVE

NEW FACE IN CARLSBAD

Todd Liotine has associated with the Carlsbad office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage as an affiliate agent. Prior to affiliating with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Liotine was an agent with Harcourts Prime Properties. He holds aa bachelor’s degree in business administration.

MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS staff members at Palomar College are scheduled to move into the new M&O building, a Zero Net Energy facility, in February. A public ribbon-cutting is planned for March. Courtesy photo

Yet-to-open Palomar College building earns more awards SAN MARCOS — With back-to-back design awards in November and December, the new Maintenance & Operations (M&O) building at Palomar College added to its portfolio of industry honors, which began with “Best Green Project” and now includes awards for engineering and technological innovation — all before opening its doors to the public. The staff is currently scheduled to move into the building in February, and a public ribbon-cutting is planned for March.

As a “Net Zero” project, M&O will be the first community college building in the world to earn Living Building Petal certification, and was designed to achieve the equivalent of LEED Platinum status.

On the average day, it will generate 105 percent of its own energy demand, making it a Zero Net Energy building.

On Nov. 9, the college was notified that the American Council of Engineering Companies has recognized the project with an Honor Award, to be pre-

sented at the organization’s Feb. 7, 2019 “Engineering Excellence” banquet in San Francisco. With this win, the M&O building is automatically entered for the ACEC’s highest honor, the Golden State Award.

The project garnered further recognition with a Citation Award in the Technological Innovation category of the Design & Philanthropy Awards in Los Angeles.

“Our goal with this facility was always to set an example to the rest of the district and the community of what can be accomplished when you have everyone working together toward a common goal,” said Palomar’s Construction & Facilities Planning Manager, Dennis Astl.

Astl said that goal included utilizing newer technologies to reduce the size of the building and designing the project as the most sustainable building on campus.

“And since we would be located at the front of the San Marcos campus at the corner of two very busy

public streets, the new facility had to be beautiful,” he added.

The two latest awards follow the September naming of M&O as “Best Green Project” in Southern California by the prestigious Engineering News-Record (ENR) Magazine.

Located on the corner of Mission and Las Posas Roads, the project uses a unique passive design system to embrace the Southern California climate, and a narrow footprint helps achieve optimal temperatures throughout the building year-round. Innovative features like thermal chimneys and electronic roof monitors create increased natural ventilation and lower building energy consumption. Together, these features provide an 85-percent reduction in cooling hours and a 30-percent heating load reduction on a typical winter day.

Other sustainable strategies, such as rainwater harvesting, renewable energy, and daylight harvesting, further enhance the building.

County average gas price drops to lowest amount since Jan. 30

@CoastNewsGroup

REGION — The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County dropped Dec. 27 to its lowest amount since Jan. 30, decreasing seven-tenths of

the plant, she said, the county has been able to avoid mandated state water allocations, which hit the region hard several years ago.

Due to severe drought up to 2017, the state forced drastic cuts in water consumption covering residential and businesses alike.

“Our region has greatly benefitted from this project coming online,” Kerl said.

“It’s a stable water supply and we have avoided mandated state water allocations.”

County jobless rate dips as ’18 comes to end

ply a way to communicate without your personal information being shared to third parties and leveraged for their profit. It recently updated its website and are about to launch Apple and Android apps.

The Carlsbad office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage hosted a successful Toys for Tots drive for the San Diego Marine Corps Toys for Tots organization Dec. 1. The Marine Toys for Tots Program aims NEW DIRECTORS to collect new unwrapped The Palomar Health toys and distribute those Board of Directors seated toys to less fortunate chilfour new members Dec. 10 dren at Christmas. including John Clark, Laurie Edwards-Tate, Richard GRANT FOR CLUB Engel and Linda Greer. The Boys & Girls Clubs of four were elected to four- Oceanside received $5,000 year terms on Nov. 6. The from Legacy Endowment district covers all or por- Community Foundation tions of Escondido, Poway, to purchase supplies and Rancho Bernardo, Rancho equipment for BGCO’s Real Peñasquitos, San Marcos, Options for Adults with Vista, Valley Center, Pau- Disabilities (R.O.A.D.’s) ma Valley, Pala, Ramona, Program. R.O.A.D.’s memJulian, Palomar Mountain bers performed at the Elks and Santa Ysabel.

Lodge Dec. 6 thanks to support from the foundation.

NEW SOCIAL MEDIA SITE

Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said the project took more than 20 years to complete in its totality. He noted about 400,000 residents in the county benefit from the water supply, which reduces stress on the Colorado River and sources from Northern California.

Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said climate change is a massive threat, and the state’s recent severe droughts are cause for concern. Desalinated water, she said, en-

a cent to $3.369.

The average price has decreased seven consecutive days, dropping 4.8 cents, including two-tenths of a cent on Wednesday, according to

figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

It had gone up 2.6 cents over the previous three days.

The average price is

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T he C oast News - I nland E dition

DEC. 28, 2018