The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 6, N0. 6
MARCH 19, 2021
Judge sides with parents in school suit
Escondido sets police guidelines on de-escalation
By City News Service
REGION — A judge on March 15 ruled in favor of a group of North County parents who sued the state to overturn pandemic-related rules they allege have unfairly prevented school districts from reopening for in-person learning. The temporary restraining order issued by San Diego Superior Court Judge Cynthia Freeland prohibits the state from enforcing the provisions of its January framework for reopening schools, which the plaintiffs allege has interfered with school districts’ reopening plans and includes “arbitrary” restrictions that have impeded in-person instruction from resuming. Lee Andelin, an attorney representing the parents, said the order appears to apply to schools statewide. The parties will reconvene in two weeks for a hearing on a preliminary injunction. Regardless of the ruling, a representative from the California Health & Human Services Agency said that due to progress regarding declining transmission rates and the push for school staff vaccinations, San Diego County high schools and middle schools will be reopening for in-person learning this week. “California has and will continue to accelerate the safe reopening of schools by increasing access to vaccines for school staff, ensuring ample resources to implement key safety measures, and reducing COVID-19 transmission rates,” said Rodger Butler, the associate secretary, media relations, for the California Health & Human Services Agency. “Because of progress across each of these key factors, middle and high schools throughout San Diego County can reopen for in-person instruction this week. “We will continue to TURN TO PARENTS ON 7
By Tigist Layne
JESSE SATKOSKI, of Escondido, is a longtime fan of the popular game show “The Price Is Right.” In the March 12 episode of the show, he won nearly $40,000, a living room set and a new car. Courtesy photo
‘Price Is Right’ fan savors ‘jaw-dropping’ win By Jordan P. Ingram
ESCONDIDO — An Escondido resident won a Grammy-themed showcase, including a new car, during a March 12 episode of “everyone’s favorite game show,” The Price Is Right. Jesse Satkoski, 25, is a longtime fan of the program. After hearing from
a friend about the possibility of becoming a contestant and submitting an online application, Satkoski was selected to appear on the CBS daytime show hosted by comedian Drew Carey. Satkoski said this was his very first experience as a contestant on a televised game show.
“Honestly, it’s the most insane, jaw-dropping experience I’ve been a part of,” Satkoski told The Coast News. “It was just a really fun experience. Drew Carey is an awesome person to meet. It’s just cool to go on a show I’ve watched with my mom and family growing up.
You can go in there with nothing and everybody can leave with something if they’re lucky.” On Friday, Satkoski made it the show’s final showcase and went on to win $39,187, a living room set with a 75-inch television and a new Mazda MX-5 Miata convertible.
ESCONDIDO — Following incidents of police brutality across the nation over the past year that sparked widespread outrage and calls for police reform, the Escondido Police Department announced last week that it has established a standalone de-escalation policy. The policy says that officers should gather all of the information they can before entering a potentially tense situation. It also says that officers should use tactics to lower the intensity during these encounters. Officers are called on to stay calm, listen to the individual in question and use clear and concise language If necessary, officers can disengage, or walk away from a situation, as long as the person isn’t a threat to others. De-escalation practices and training have been a part of the department for years; however, this is the first stand-alone de-escalation policy the department has created. Escondido Police Chief Ed Varso told The Coast News that the department worked with North San Diego NAACP, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, as well as a few other groups to allow some community input on the policy. “For the department, it’s another commitment that we’re making,” Varso said. “De-escalation alone will not solve every problem that we face. … However, when we have moments where TURN TO DE-ESCALATION ON 6
Developers reach settlement with Villa Serena tenants By Tigist Layne
SAN MARCOS — National CORE, a nonprofit affordable housing developer that has recently faced backlash over its decision to relocate dozens of low-income families for a redevelopment project, has reached a settlement with its tenants. According to André León from the San Diego Tenants Union, tenants who were a part of the union and were still at Villa Serena
Apartments could choose between a $10,000 settlement for relocation assistance or temporary subsidized hotel accommodations where tenants would be paying around $650 a month, with National CORE putting up the difference. The developer, which will soon begin the process of demolishing and rebuilding the Villa Serena Apartments located at 340 Marcos Street, sent 90-day notices to 60 low-income families
back in November alerting them that they would have to relocate. In December, members of the Villa Serena Tenant Association with the support of the San Diego Tenants Union sent a letter to the developer criticizing them for “depriv[ing] [tenants] of their legal right to relocation assistance.” This is referring to documents that tenants have been required to sign since at least March 2016.
DELIVERY
Typically, tenants are entitled to relocation benefits and assistance, including, but not limited to rental assistance, advisory services and payment for moving expenses. However, in addition to standard leasing documents, National CORE has required tenants to sign a “Move-in Sheet” and a “Waiver of Relocation Benefits Notice,” which says that signatories waive their rights to federal Uni-
form Relocation Assistance (URA) and state relocation assistance, respectively. The “Move-in Sheet” claims that signatories “will not be entitled to any relocation payments or assistance provided under the URA, and the “Waiver of Relocation Benefits Notice” claims that signatories “will NOT be entitled to any relocation payments and/or assistance provided under the Califor-
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