Inland Edition, February 8, 2019

Page 1

The Coast News INLAND EDITION

.com

VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO

VOL. 5, N0. 4

FEB. 8, 2019

Measure Z rollout hit by critics

Two days in jail for false accusation

By Steve Horn

“We are definitely building both ways,” Olavide said. “Being bilingual and biliterate … both academically and socially in both languages is a huge advantage.” It took some convincing of the parents, but the results since August have been overwhelmingly pos-

ENCINITAS — A judge has sentenced a North County woman who falsely accused former State Assembly candidate Phil Graham of sexual misconduct to two days in county jail and three years probation, after the woman pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to criminal charges stemming from her claims. Superior Court Judge Sim Von Kalinowski rendered his sen- Burgan tence Tuesday afternoon after Graham, who lost in the June primary, called on the judge to render a harsher sentence. Von Kalinowski ruled that Nichole Burgan, the woman who falsely accused Graham of forcibly kissing her in May 2018, should receive a more lenient sentence — which included a 90-day jail term that was stayed pending completion of her probation, $655 fine, 10 days public works service and a mental health evaluation — because she did not

TURN TO DUAL LANGUAGE ON 13

TURN TO ACCUSER ON 17

VISTA — Receiving an up vote by over 7.5-percentage points in November, the roll-out of Vista’s Measure Z — which legalizes the selling of medical marijuana — has proven to be anything but smooth sailing in its two months on the books so far. The turbulence began Dec. 21, 2018, when Vista City Manager Patrick Johnson published an implementation memorandum outlining how Measure Z would manifest itself in the months ahead. Critics of the city’s handling of Measure Z say they believe the city has taken things into its own hands in unfurling the law. One of the biggest lines of contention centers around the creation of a lottery system for applicants aspiring to open cannabis storefronts in the city, as opposed to the first-come, first-served regime called for by Measure Z. That lottery system led to confusion on application day on Jan. 22, culminating in four different lawsuits now ongoing against the city. One of those lawsuits, filed on behalf of Manuel Migueles Collective by San Diego attorney Michael Cindrich, alleges that Vista officials went above and beyond the mandate of Measure Z in implementing a lottery. “The measure that was voted on by the people and passed by them, did not include any language which would permit the city to utilize a lottery process to accept these applications,” TURN TO MEASURE Z ON 7

By Aaron Burgin

FAVIAN TORRES, kindergartner at Grapevine Elementary School in Vista, works on his English skills with teacher Lara Sims as part of the school’s dual language immersion program. Photo by Steve Puterski

MUY BUENO: Dual language program a hit Vista Unified sees districtwide potential as Grapevine effort gets high marks By Steve Puterski

VISTA — Ellos están aprendiendo lo básico. The translation is: They are learning the basics. These kindergartners are the first of their kind at Grapevine Elementary School as they embark on the first-ever dual language immersion program in the Vista Unified School District. Fifty-two youngsters enrolled in

the program, which kicked off this year as part of the district’s push to close the academic achievement gap and address a community need. Principal Rafael Olavide said his staff and the district prepared for one year to figure out how to best deliver the program. In the end, a 50-50 directive was found to be the best, meaning 50 percent of class work is in English and the other half is in Span-

ish.

Jacob pitches countywide CCE effort in State of the County Address By Aaron Burgin

REGION — San Diego County is poised to become the next agency to move toward energy independence from San Diego Gas & Electric, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob announced during

her State of the County Address. Jacob said that she and Supervisor Nathan Fletcher would bring a proposal for a countywide community choice energy plan, becoming the ninth agency in the county to explore the

independent energy market. “It’s time the County of San Diego does the same,” Jacob said after naming the eight cities working on CCE plans — Encinitas, La Mesa, Santee, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Del Mar, Carls-

bad and San Diego. Solana Beach became the first city in the county to successfully launch a CCE program late last year. CCEs, also known as community choice aggregation, refers to the process in which a jurisdiction forms

Mariachi Dinner Concert

Featuring Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego Veterans Association of North County Saturday, February 23 • 1617 Mission Oceanside ADVANCED TICKET SALES Manny Astorga 760.681.2576 Angie Magaña 760.757.6276 Ida Acuña 760.717.3309 Jerry Alaniz 760.583.3870

Sponsored by: American GI Forum Education of Oceanside Scholarship Fundraiser - Donations accepted

Ticket Price

00 40 (dinner

$

included)

an entity that buys power on the open market — as opposed to from a utility company — and chooses the source of power based on the community input. Jacob, a vocal critic of TURN TO ADDRESS ON 12


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