Inland Edition, July 7, 2023

BLOCK PART Y

Restaurant Row development plans take shape

By Laura Place SAN MARCOS —

Plans for the mixed-use development at the historic Old California Restaurant Row in San Marcos are taking shape, as existing businesses continue to operate until they either move to new locations or close for good.

chief

Vista Unified consolidation plan approved

Two schools closing; 23-24 year not affected

By Laura Place

After purchasing the 10.5-acre property in 2020, company San Marcos Restaurant Row LLC announced plans last fall to develop the site into a new community gathering space with 202 housing units, over 10,000 square feet of commercial space and a new 1.5-acre park.

Since the fall, project

developer Lennar Homes has held three community workshops to gather feedback regarding project designs. At the most recent June 28 meeting, developers shared updated plans for the project, including detailed designs for a new

park.

“This new neighborhood will celebrate the legacy of Old California Restaurant Row by incorporating a mix of outdoor social gathering areas that lead to the new public park, updated dining

offerings and a range of housing options that align with the city’s goals for mixed-use development in this location,” said Lennar San Diego Division President Ryan Green.

“As a local resident myself, I’m excited and eager to bring the community’s vision to life.”

The new park space will include a skared to as the “rolling plaza” — and pickleball courts, both of which received overwhelming community support at workshops. It will also feature an open space lawn, a small amphitheater, two playgrounds for younger and

TURN TO ROW ON 7

VISTA

— The Vista Unified School District board accepted recommendations on June 23 to close Beaumont Elementary and Rancho Minerva Middle schools and relocate Vista Innovation and Design Academy in order to “right size” a district heavily impacted by declining enrollment and deteriorating facilities.

The recommendations were brought to the board on June 22 by the district’s asset management advisory committee following two months of meetings and community forums surrounding the need for school consolidation.

The nine-person committee, formed in April, was tasked with making recommendations for the future of four school sites most heavily affected by low enrollment and poor facility conditions. These included two elementary schools, Beaumont and Monte Vista, and two middle schools, Rancho Minerva and magnet school Vista Innovation and Design Academy, or VIDA.

Such committees are required under the state education code in districts considering school closures.

In a recently-published report, the committee recommended that Beaumont and Rancho Minerva be closed, Monte Vista Elementary be maximized for educational use, and the site becomes the new location of VIDA.

“These are not decisions that we’re making lightly or hastily. We’ve had the benefit of being in the room for hours — we’ve had over 20 meetings this year alone,” said Trustee Julie Kelly.

District leaders have assured community members that no schools will close in the upcoming 2023-24 school year. However, families and teachers at the affected schools are devastated by the decision and frustrated by the lack of logistical planning, such as where Beaumont and Rancho Minerva families will be redistributed.

Brook Virostko, Beaumont PTA president, said her own daughter is starting fourth grade at Beaumont in the fall, but it’s unclear whether she will have to go to

Camp Pendleton service members and their families enjoyed games and other activities during the Marine Corps Community Services Fourth of July celebration at Del Mar Beach on July 3. The event included a family fun zone, food vendors, live music and more. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kayla Trevino

blessing to see’ Formerly homeless student reconnects with Escondido officer who helped him. 3

Courtesy photo

THE SAN MARCOS mixed-use project includes a new 1.5acre park. Courtesy rendering/Lennar Homes

New EUHSD

Jon Petersen, the school board president until May, is named superintendent. 5

is committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of the North County community, today and in the future...

HS grad, once homeless, reconnects with officer who helped him

By Samantha Nelson ESCONDIDO —

The course of a once-homeless child’s life, now a graduate of Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, changed when a concerned police officer stepped in to help five years ago.

In 2018, 12-year-old Alejandro Matias Nazario, or Alex for short, frequented the Starbucks and Jack in the Box on the corners of Quince Street and Mission Avenue in Escondido. He would hang out at Starbucks until it closed before going to the 24-hour Jack in the Box on the other side of the intersection.

Alex’s mom would occasionally be with him, but she would leave him there when it was time for her to go, knowing that he would be safer there. After a while, she returned, and the routine continued.

Alex grew up in Escondido with his older brother and parents. They weren’t always homeless, but his mother began to struggle financially after his father left them. They went from their own home to jumping from hotel to hotel before ultimately living on the streets.

Alex and his family were homeless for a few years before he met Escondido police officer John Larson. While working the graveyard shift, Larson heard reports of a boy hanging out alone in the area from Starbucks employees, who are now police cadets, which prompted the

officer to investigate.

After approximately a week, Larson finally spoke with Alex, who was initially afraid of the police officer because he thought he would be taken away.

“I didn’t want to leave my mom,” Alex said.

Alex eventually opened up to Larson about his situation and some bad experiences while homeless, like when he was robbed for his tennis shoes.

“It broke my heart,” Larson said. “I mean, here he was at 12 years old, and

grown men were picking on him and taking his shoes.”

Larson soon decided to take Alex back to the station with him.

“Knowing the situation, I knew that there was more that the police and the state could do to help better his

life,” Larson said.

Alex stayed in an intake center for juveniles before heading to foster care. Larson lost contact with him when he was placed in a new home.

Larson never forgot about the boy he helped that fateful night. In December, he opened up about Alex to Bobbi Akans, the point of contact for a Shop with a Cop event. Akans did some digging for the officer and eventually found Alex, a senior attending Rancho Buena Vista High School.

Larson went to the school in civilian clothes to see if he could find Alex and talk to him. He left his information and soon heard a response from the teen’s counselor. Larson returned to the school the following day to take Alex to lunch.

Larson learned that after he left the intake center, Alex had gone to live with a family in San Ysidro for a year before moving in with a new family in Vista.

“I wanted to be closer to my mom and stay in touch,” Alex said.

Although Alex hasn’t seen his mother or brother in a few years, he has grown close with the Vista family that took him in. “They’re my family at this point,” he said.

Moving in with them was a significant transition for the teenager, who was surprised by the big house, the clothes and the food he was provided.

“It felt very surreal,”

Alex said. “I’m grateful for all the opportunities I have.”

Larson was invited to Alex’s Sunday family cookouts, where he met the family and saw how well Alex’s home life was going.

“It was a blessing to see,” Larson said.

When Alex returned to school after being homeless, he was immediately thrust into seventh grade even though he had missed nearly two years. Despite the odds stacked against him, Alex persevered and performed well academically over the next several years.

“He had every right to struggle, and he still graduated on time with great grades,” Larson said. “It shows his strength and courage and how regardless of his situation, he chose to be successful.”

When Alex graduated on June 7, Larson celebrated with him.

The now 17-year-old will begin classes at MiraCosta College this fall with plans to major in graphic design. He also has a part-time job and hopes to start a clothing brand as a hobby.

After reconnecting, Alex and Larson plan to stay in touch.

“I appreciate what he did for me,” Alex said about Larson. “If he wasn’t there that night, I don’t know how my life would have changed. I wouldn’t have graduated, I wouldn’t have found my new family or my friends… I’m really grateful.”

ALEJANDRO ‘ALEX’ Matias Nazario and Escondido Police Officer John Larson at the Rancho Buena Vista High School graduation ceremony June 7. Courtesy photo/Escondido Police Department

Tips sought in San Marcos hit-run crash

By City News Service

SAN MARCOS — Authorities are asking for help in identifying a motorist who fled following a collision that left a motorcyclist seriously injured in a San Marcos intersection three weeks ago.

The victim was headed west on West San Marcos Boulevard when the driver of a pickup truck ran a red light at Grand Avenue and turned directly in his path shortly before 5:30 a.m. June 15, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department reported.

After the collision, the motorist drove off without making any attempt to aid the downed motorcyclist, according to the regional law enforcement agency. Paramedics took the victim to a hospital for treatment of major injuries.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured images of the truck, a 1995-2000 extended-cab Toyota Tacoma that had damage to its passenger-side door in the crash, sheriff’s officials said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Racist graffiti defaces school mural

By Laura Place SAN MARCOS —

Community members are working to remove racist graffiti discovered Tuesday morning on a newly-painted mural at San Marcos Middle School.

The vandalism was discovered all over the campus, including over an in-progress mural featuring the school’s name and lion mascot painted just this last week in a partnership be-

tween Cal State San Marcos and the middle school.

Xuan Santos, a professor of sociology and criminology and justice studies at CSUSM, said volunteers showed up on June 27 to continue work on the mural when they discovered the vandalism. They immediately began work to remove it and touch up the mural.

The graffiti included various monikers, illustrations and racist slurs direct-

ly next to the mural.

“They did defacement across campus, but came to the mural, and out of the blue wrote all these derogatory terms,” Santos said. “They defaced the mural, defaced the wall, shamed the campus and [reminded] us very quickly that racism and anti-people-of-color is an issue in North San Diego County.”

Staff from the middle school and university had been in talks about a community project for four months and decided to do a mural on an old wall near the school gym.

Work on the mural started last week once school let out for the summer, with community members, formerly incarcerated individuals, and students and staff from San Marcos Middle School and CSUSM all contributing, Santos said.

Manny Rodriguez, a sociology student at CSUSM and volunteer who helped paint the mural, said he was saddened to see the derogatory vandalism but that “this won’t discourage us from continuing to do the right thing.”

Escondido OKs balanced budget as trouble looms

By Samantha Nelson ESCONDIDO

— Despite having a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the city expects to make deep service cuts in the next few years to address an ongoing structural deficit unless additional revenue streams are found.

The City Council approved a balanced budget at its June 21 meeting after city financial staff eliminated an $11.3 million deficit for the upcoming 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Financial Services Director Christina Holmes broke down how staff was able to balance the budget:

— $1.5 million in reserve funds from the city’s Section 115 Pension Trust, used to pay the city’s pension obligations;

— $3 million from the general liability reserve funds;

“It’s frustrating to see that people would just come over and write and express themselves in that form. I was pretty frustrated, mixed emotions, sad … why would somebody go out of their way to do something like this when you have people giving their hard work to make this a better place?” he said.

Santos added that he believes the racist language in the graffiti could be targeting the school’s principal, who is Black. The vandalism has been reported to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, he said.

San Marcos Unified School District spokesperson Amy Ventetuolo said law enforcement had identified the individual responsible and is taking the lead in the investigation.

“We’re so saddened and devastated that this mural that’s being worked on has been vandalized,” she said. “But the amazing talented artists, they’ve been the ones working on this mural, their response was amazing. They’re there right now getting back to work painting the mural.”

Humane Society waives reclaim fees for stray pets

By City News Service REGION — The San Diego Humane Society is waiving reclaim fees for picking up stray pets through July 16, officials said this week.

The SDHS will also extend its Empty the Shelters adoption promotion, cutting adoption fees in half for all adult dogs and cats 7 months and older until July 30.

The organization said statistics show that 1 in 3 pets becomes lost during their lifetime, and only 1 in 10 will be found.

“If they are lost, we want them to return to their family where they belong. If they are available for adoption, we want to find their perfect match in our animal loving community,” SDHS Presi-

dent and CEO Gary Weitzman said.

In 2022, the SDHS took in 275 stray dogs, cats and other small animals and 16% were reclaimed by their owners, officials said.

The nonprofit organization also offers programs that provide medical care and community education.

The SDHS is open for walk-in adoptions Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its campuses in San Diego, Escondido, El Cajon and Oceanside.

The Lost2Found program can be accessed by texting LOST to 858-7265678.

Visit sdhumane.org for more information on animals available for adoption.

— $3.6 million from the vehicle replacement reserve funds;

— $1.1 million by deferring additional city vehicle replacements;

— $1.4 million in onetime revenue from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds received in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;

— $600,000 from the city’s historical cost savings reduction calculations.

Although staff was able to balance next year’s budget, Holmes cautioned that something must be done to address the city’s expected long-term deficit over the next two decades as expenditures continue to outpace revenue.

“Those reserve funds will not be available without a new, ongoing source of revenue,” Holmes said.

The city expects a $10 million average deficit over the next five years and an $18 million average deficit over the next 20 years.

Earlier in June, Holmes said the city’s $59.6 million in total reserve funds will be depleted by 2030 if nothing changes.

Staff warned the Council that conversations over the ongoing structural deficit, which was first identified in 2017, need to continue and deep cuts may need to happen.

Staff is currently reviewing potential additional revenue streams including a general sales tax, a utility users’ tax, increased transient occupancy tax rates, a parks district and a cannabis program.

Last year, voters rejected a ¾-cent sales tax measure.

“We’re not on good financial footing,” said Councilmember Consuelo Martinez at the June 21 meeting. “We have a structural deficit issue, so it’s really important (for residents) to stay engaged with us as we make hard decisions in the next fiscal year.”

VOLUNTEERS WORK on the morning of June 27 to cover up racist graffiti spray-painted over a community mural at San Marcos Middle School. The mural project is a partnership between CSUSM and the middle school. Photo by Steve Puterski

Mother of 2 kids fatally struck on 78 pleads not guilty to child abuse, DUI

By City News Service

happened.

San Marcos closes $3.8M budget gap

By Laura Place SAN MARCOS —

VISTA

—

A woman accused of driving drunk on a Vista freeway just before a crash that killed two of her children pleaded not guilty June 22 to child abuse and DUI counts.

Sandra Ortiz, 33, was arrested following the Father’s Day crash that killed her 10-year-old son, Alan, and her 16-year-old daughter, Amy.

Police said that after a piece of luggage fell from their vehicle at around 6 p.m. Sunday, Ortiz pulled the car over to the side of state Route 78.

The children then entered the freeway to retrieve it and were struck by an oncoming vehicle, police said. Ortiz and four of her other children were in the car when the fatal crash

She was initially arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was in custody on $500,000 bail, but Vista Superior Court Judge Matthew Brower released Ortiz on supervised own recognizance.

She must follow a number of conditions while out of custody, including prohibitions against driving. A protective order was signed for her four surviving children.

That order allowed her to see the children in person while attending Alan and Amy’s funeral services, but otherwise their communications may only occur over the telephone.

Brower said additional

Leaders in San Marcos have adopted a “strong” budget for the next fiscal year despite lingering challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, making a withdrawal from the city’s reserves to close a $3.8 million budget gap.

As predicted last year, San Marcos feels the absence of federal COVID-19 funds that have provided millions of dollars in padding over the past three years. This is the first year the city has used reserves to cover a budget deficit without federal funds to smooth things over.

“This was a more challenging budget situation for us, and I think for every city, as we all come back to normal both in terms of operations and in terms of funding,” City Manager Jack Griffin said at a June 14 City

Council meeting. “The budget we presented you is not the budget we would ideally present you, but we believe it’s a strong budget.”

San Marcos was allocated $18 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds in 2021, $10 million of

Ex-trustee named EUHSD superintendent

By Samantha Nelson

ESCONDIDO — The Escondido Union High School District has hired former school board president Jon Petersen as its superintendent.

The district began its search for a new superintendent after it was announced in May that Anne Staffieri would be leaving to take over the San Dieguito Union High School District. The same month, Petersen resigned after serving almost 23 years on the Escondido school board to apply for the open position.

“I am both honored and humbled to be selected as superintendent,” Petersen said. According to the district, several highly qualified candidates from across

In loving memory of William (Bill) Isaacs

May 17, 1945 -

June 2, 2023

William (Bill) Allan Isaacs, age 78 passed away on June 2, 2023, in Carlsbad, CA.

Bill is survived by his devoted sister Betty (Joel) Zane, niece Tamara (Kris) Jones, nephew Joseph (June) Zane, great nephews Kent and Dean Jones, great nieces Lillian and Rose Zane, along with cousins Steven and Richard Lowenstein, Michael Levy and Lois Charito.

Born in Long Island, New York, Bill moved to Tucson, Az., graduating from Catalina High School.

He served in the

Southern California were interviewed before Petersen was chosen. His contracted annual salary is $256,438.

Petersen’s education

Army Reserves and earned a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from Cal Western University in San Diego.

Bill was a gifted and dedicated educator at Carlsbad High School for 38 years.

In addition to his teaching curriculum, he established the first computer program at Carlsbad High, coached their Cross Country Team and later was granted a travel sabbatical to Southern Europe, North and Central Africa, exploring ancient burial grounds and excavation sites.

He influenced and inspired the lives of thousands of students and will be remembered for his allegiance to them.

As an avid student of life and curious about the world, Bill became an expert world traveler.

He immersed himself in cultures around the globe from big cities to remote villages.

With precise planning and research, Bill led students and family on the most exciting, enriching trips imaginable.

Bill loved sports, both as a spectator and

career began in 1992 when he joined San Pasqual High School as an English teacher. He later became the school’s assistant principal and principal, and was most recently the chief business officer of the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District.

“At this juncture in our school district’s history, I feel that I am ready to lead the district because I understand the challenges our students face, and I appreciate the culture of our schools and the community of Escondido, where I have lived all my life,” Petersen said.

Petersen speaks Spanish fluently and is the father of a bicultural, biliterate family.

“I am comfortable working with students and

participant. He excelled at snow skiing, beach volleyball, tennis and later at pickleball. He competed in multiple tournaments, winning a collection of trophies.

Bill’s loyalty and dedication to family and friends was a true gift. Bill’s quick wit and unique sense of humor brought laughter and surprise to those around him.

Along his journey through life, he was fortunate to have several very faithful and dear friends which he treasured.

After retirement, Bill could be found every morning with some of his buddies in downtown Carlsbad for coffee.

Bill was giving and generous with a “heart of gold” and will be deeply missed.

Per his wishes, there will be a small family service at Pacific View Mortuary in Corona del Mar.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the San Diego Food Bank.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ name/william-bill-isaacs-obituary

which were used to recover lost revenue. Other dollars were utilized for nonprofit grants and school-based mental health resources.

Griffin said the city cut expenditures wherever possible without cutting positions to prevent a larger defi-

cit this year. Hiring freezes in some departments are continuing into next year.

Despite the $3.8 million withdrawal, the city maintains liquid reserves totaling 41% of expenditures — just over $37 million — above the city’s minimum 40% goal. However, staff warned that the city could dip below this minimum in future years if they don’t find ways to increase revenue.

“We don’t want to bring budgets to you that use reserves,” Griffin said. “We are going to reach a point where there’s going to be some service level reductions if we don’t get the revenue side of it back even with the expenditure side, and we all want to avoid that.”

Staff are predicting a 4.2% revenue increase com-

staff from ethnically and culturally diverse communities,” he said. “I am committed to providing the resources to ensure that all students succeed.”

The school board is pleased to welcome its former colleague back in his new role.

“We are confident that under Jon’s leadership as superintendent, EUHSD will continue to expand our strong college and career technical education pathways, provide innovative educational opportunities for all students, and improve student achievement across the district,” said Bill Durney, acting board president.

The district is still searching for Petersen’s replacement on the board.

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Betty L. Heard Oceanside

June 18, 2023

Jeanne Ricker, 90 Escondido

June 14, 2023

Julia Olga Corral, 92 Oceanside

June 13, 2023

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JON PETERSEN served almost 23 years on the EUHSD board. Courtesy photo

CREWS WORK on the highly anticipated $100 million San Marcos Creek project. Courtesy photo/City of San Marcos

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State split ideas going to new lows

The idea of splitting California into two states is nothing new. No place as large as California, with its almost 170,000 square miles and its largest in the nation population of 39.2 million — even after losing 600,000 residents in the last few years — will ever be immune from people who believe smaller is better, as ex-Gov. Jerry Brown loudly proclaimed in the 1970s.

As early as the 1940s, some in California’s most northern reaches began seeking a divorce from the rest of the state. Their proposal has never earned a legislative or popular vote above the county level.

After Granholm’s SONGS visit, more questions than answers

By Bart Ziegler

When announcing that the Biden administration has committed $26 million to search for sites to store the nation’s nuclear waste, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm raised more questions than answers.

During a press conference June 9 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Granholm said the money would fund a national search to find communities willing to store spent nuclear fuel, including the 3.6 million pounds of deadly waste stored at SONGS.

She didn't say where the storage sites might be. So far, governors from New Mexico and Texas have said no.

We wonder how the waste would travel great distances to arrive at the so-called consolidated interim storage sites and how the transportation would impact communities along the way.

The DOE estimates it could take 15 years to open the interim sites.

What does that mean for the permanent disposition of 89,000 metric tons of spent fuel piled up in 35 states? Will the federal government deliver on its obligation to open a permanent

Dear Editor,

repository during our lifetimes?

Given the extraordinary challenges of dealing with radioactive waste, which can remain deadly for hundreds of thousands of years, why does the federal government continue to support nuclear energy development?

While Granholm's speech covered the What — that's the easy question — we continue to puzzle over the Who, When, Where and, in the case of continued reliance on nuclear energy, the Why.

During the press briefing, we appreciate the remarks and consistently strong advocacy of Rep. Mike Levin.

“We finally have a plan when it comes to spent nuclear fuel across the United States,” Levin said. “Now we’ve got to execute on that plan.” ***

Ten years ago this month, a booming chorus of collaborators demanded that Southern California Edison retire the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for good.

Fraught with mechanical problems and a radioactive leak, the reactors had not generated electricity for nearly 18 months.

In June 2013 at the San Diego County Administration Center, the Samuel

Lawrence Foundation organized talks to call for the plant’s closure. The talks included former Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan, who led the country during the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Days after the meeting, Southern California Edison announced SONGS would close permanently.

Since then, our organization has pivoted to rally the community and pressure the utility and government officials to deal with the radioactive waste produced by nearly 50 years of operations.

The spent nuclear fuel, 3.6 million pounds of it, is stranded 100 feet from the ocean.

SONGS is halfway through an eight-year, $4.5 billion decommissioning program that calls for the waste to stay behind after the last of the plant is demolished and hauled away.

While the federal government is promising action, no one knows how long the radioactive material will remain at the water’s edge.

We’ll keep the pressure on, just like we did in 2013.

Learn more at samuellawrencefoundation.org.

Bart Ziegler is president of the Samuel Lawrence Foundation.

Letter to the Editor

Recently you published a story about a tragic loss of life in an e-bike accident.

I have had many close friends seriously injured by similar accidents, and I think it is time that we change the regulations surrounding e-bikes.

Recently, I saw a pro-

posed plan that would require all minors who drive their bikes to school to attend mandatory training before school starts.

That would significantly decrease child-related e-bike accidents. It is important that we put harsher regulations on these vehicles as they are essentially mo-

Since then, other splitting proposals have attempted to carve the state into seven parts, or three, or cut it in two along vertical north-south lines that would separate coastal counties from those a little bit inland.

But until recently, all such plans called for large new states — smaller than California, but nothing like Wyoming or Alaska, whose areas are large, but support populations of 700,000 or less.

Now, though, some folks in two counties that feel neglected want out. Last fall, voters in San Bernardino County — with the largest acreage of any American county — voted by a 50.6% majority to study separating from California to form a one-county state. Half a year later, that study has yet to begin in earnest.

More recently, a separatist movement has arisen in El Dorado County, best known for containing part of the gorgeous Lake Tahoe. The El Dorado portion includes what many consider Lake Tahoe’s prettiest area, Emerald Bay, and its rocky Fannette Island, whose permanent population has never exceeded one. That was a sometime 19th century English sea captain who built his own tomb and chapel on the peaked islet he considered a paradise.

El Dorado County’s population is somewhat larger than that at 193,000, but South Lake Tahoe remains its biggest city, with 21,350 residents. The county seat of Placerville has half as many folks, while other towns like Grizzly Flats, Pollock Pines and Camino are far smaller.

lives in El Dorado County.”

Her sentiment echoed feelings in many Northern California counties, some of whose people have tried for decades to create a new 21-county State of Jefferson, which would putatively include everything from the Oregon state line south to the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay areas.

The state capitol would be in Redding, largest city in the area and the Shasta County seat.

Statehood activists in those counties long sought to ally with rural Oregon counties to make a somewhat larger state.

But rural Oregon now appears more bent on trying the “Greater Idaho” concept, seeking to move the Idaho state line west to take in virtually all of Oregon east of the Cascade mountain range. Because that, like Jefferson, would probably take a statewide yes vote, it’s highly unlikely, but still a fun fantasy for a lot of folks.

That’s also pretty much the situation in both San Bernardino and El Dorado counties, which lack many resources needed to sustain a state.

Such realism, though, never dents enthusiasm for independence. That’s how it is in El Dorado, where statehood supporter Sharon Durst, 84, believes the county could appeal directly to Congress to separate it from California, even though some western parts of the county are effectively rural bedroom suburbs of the state capital of Sacramento.

“We think we have grounds to stand on (with) the fact that El Dorado was actually a county before California was a state,” she wrote in an online essay. “It is impossible to believe that the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence would be of a mind to hold a people hostage of an oppressive state any more than an oppressive king.”

torcycles that are accessible without a driver’s license.

I also think that cities should start hosting more frequent e-bike education classes, especially in SoCal where e-bike’s are so prevalent.

Wesley Bodensteiner Carlsbad

But that doesn’t matter to some residents of the county, who now support statehood for their large, mostly mountainous and wooded county.

“We all know that our problem is representation,” complained one statehood supporter. “We don’t have a voice. We don’t have one representative in state or federal government that

Much of that could also have been said by Jefferson advocates and those behind all the other 40-odd state splitting plans that have been proposed for California.

So chances are El Dorado and San Bernardino county enthusiasts won’t get any further than their predecessors.

But these days, few things are absolutely certain.

older children, and two dog parks.

According to plans, the rolling plaza will be open to “wheels of all kinds,” including skateboards, scooters and roller skaters. A skate park specialist will also come on board to guide the final design.

Project construction is roughly planned for next spring. The next step, a spokesperson said, is for the city to share the project’s mitigated negative declaration, expected sometime this month.

The public will have 30 days to review and comment on the environmental review document. It will be posted on the City of San Marcos website’s planning page.

After that, the project team is aiming to have plans ready for review by the San Marcos Planning Commission by the fall. If approved by the commission, the project would then go to the San Marcos City Council.

Existing businesses

As project plans move forward, a small handful of existing businesses within the planned project area are continuing to operate These include Old California Mining Company, The 55 Yardline Sports Bar and Grill, IHOP and Ascend Coffee, formerly known as Old California Coffee Company.

The proposed project area does not include the two buildings on the northeast end of the property

or those east of the main restaurant center, including Fish House Vera Cruz, Buffalo Wild Wings, or Cocina Del Charro.

While some are planning to move to new locations, others are planning to close for good in the coming months.

Old California Mining Company will move to a new location at Creekside Marketplace ideally in the next four or five months, owner Nick Ceko said, and be renamed simply as Mining Company. The business has called Restaurant Row home for the past 26 years.

Ceko said they were

hoping to be in the new location by this time but that obtaining all the necessary permits has slowed things down. He was able to secure the new property at 579 Grand Ave, formerly Phil’s BBQ, last fall.

“We got ahead of it and we were able to secure that spot, but it’s taken us a lot longer than we expected,” Ceko said. “It’s been quite an adventure. We’ve kind of persevered through, at the point where we’re gonna start construction hopefully soon.”

Jim Hadly, owner of 55 Yardline, said his business would sadly be closing for

Actor Alan Arkin dies in San Marcos

By City News Service

SAN MARCOS — Actor Alan Arkin, who won an Academy Award for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006 and received four Oscar nominations during his

MOTHER

CONTINUED FROM 5

contact would be permitted if a family, juvenile, or probate judge issues a custody or visitation order allowing such contact.

Deputy District Attorney Stephanie De Jesus, who requested that bail remain set at $500,000, alleged Ortiz had a blood-alcohol-level of 0.14% two hours after the crash.

De Jesus alleged Ortiz did not have a valid driver’s license at the time and that the six children were riding in the car “unsecured, without seatbelts.”

It remains unclear what prompted the children to enter the freeway.

De Jesus stated in court that Ortiz didn't make “any effort to stop the children from exiting the vehicle or to get the children out of the freeway.”

The children’s father, Miguel Aguilar, has told local news outlets that he does not believe Ortiz instructed the children to get out of the car.

During the arraignment, Ortiz wept throughout and stated, “I would never do anything to hurt my babies.”

celebrated career died at his San Marcos home at age 89, his family announced June 30.

“Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and

a man,” sons Adam and Anthony said in a statement. Most recently, Arkin starred in the Netflix comedy series “The Kominsky Method,” earning two Emmy nominations for his work.

good on Aug.18. While he looked at various potential properties where they could relocate, he said the cost to build any of them out as a restaurant would have been too expensive.

“Finally, my wife and I and my business partner, we sat down and said ‘No, we’re gonna close,’” Hadly said. “We’ve been 18 years there, so it’s frustrating.”

Ascend Coffee owner Erin Harper said the business is continuing to operate at their current location on a month-to-month basis, but they are currently in talks about a new lease in San Marcos. They also shared

plans earlier this year to expand to a Vista location.

“Our goal is to open a second location and continue to operate out of Restaurant Row for as long as we are able,” Harper said. “We are hoping we still have another year in our home store.”

Landon’s East Meets West, a global fusion restaurant previously located in the same center, closed its doors in March. Thai restaurant King & I of San Marcos did not respond to calls from The Coast News.

Other project plans

In an effort to preserve

Restaurant Row’s history, Lennar said the new project will incorporate some of its mission-style design elements, such as aged stucco, Mexican tiles and clay tile roofs. Certain original materials will also be repurposed.

Lennar said the 202 planned units will be separated into three main developments. The Green Court Townhomes will be located near the planned park with 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom options, and the Motor Court Townhomes in the center of the site will feature 2- and 3-bedroom units.

At the south end of the site along West San Marcos Boulevard, the Row Town and Town Over Commercial homes will provide 3-bedroom units located above ground-level commercial retail.

When it comes to parking, developers are relying mostly on shared parking agreements with businesses surrounding the project site, according to plans. The project itself will also provide between 70 and 85 public parking spaces onsite, along with around 400 private spaces for residents.

The design also features three public outdoor spaces along with the new park, as well as green landscaping and pedestrian connections throughout the site. Information about the Restaurant Row project is available at smrestaurantrow.com.

Design materials shared at past workshops are available on the website’s Outreach page.

$3,000

A RENDERING shows pickleball courts at a planned public park in the Restaurant Row project. Courtesy graphic/Lennar Homes

Summer fun in our BACKYARD

hit the road

Think about it: Visitors to our area spend thousands of dollars to travel here and stay, so check out why they are coming to Southern California and what they are seeing in our own backyard:

What happens after-hours at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla? It’s Oceans at Night, a monthly, adults-only events that feature interactive experiences that represent the biofluorescent and bioacoustic activity that takes place in the ocean at night.

Guests enjoy live music, a glow-lounge with larger-than-life-sized games, food and drink from The French Gourmet, and colorful coastal sunsets from the aquarium’s expansive deck.

“Oceans at Night… creates a very different type of aquarium experience than during the day,” says Executive Director Harry Helling.

Because of its popularity, Oceans at Night has expanded onto Blue Beach — a

4,500-square-foot floor mural depicting the bathymetry (or map of the depth) of the underwater canyons off La Jolla Shores.

For all ages: small-group tours that take you up close and personal and behind the scenes with seahorses and octopuses. Learn about breeding programs and caretaking of sea life.

And don’t miss the Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit, a collection of cuter-than-ever, 12-inchhigh birds, each with its own name and personality.

A San Diego institution, Belmont Park on Mission Beach, is gearing up for its centennial celebration in 2025 with lots of changes and updates. Visitors will see new and improved rides, new murals by local artists, an expanded arcade and a new escape-room adventure.

“For 98 years Belmont Park has been a place travelers come to visit and locals come to gather,” says General Manager Steve Thomas. “We want to continue to be that place.”

There was a time when whale-watching season ran from December to March, when enthusiasts followed the gray whale migration from Alaskan waters to the warm lagoons off the Baja Coast. Changes in climate,

water temperature and food supplies have brought new varieties of whales to the San Diego and Orange county coasts.

“We have seen blue whales (weighing up to 200

tons),” says Donna Kalez of Oceanside Adventures, which offers multiple cruises each week. “But the biggest story now is the huge amount of fin whales (second in size only to blue whales) that we

are seeing.”

There often are dozens to hundreds of dolphins cruising and jumping alongside the whale-watching boats.

From now until Oct. 29, you won’t find a giant, interactive, people-sized Venus flytrap anywhere but the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas. Enter if you dare. The exhibit, Savage Gardens, takes visitors to the “bizarre and captivating world of carnivorous plants,” staged in the 8,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed Dickinson Family Education Conservatory.

Take a break from the sun and explore the Oceanside Museum of Art, featuring three exhibits through the summer: “Art for the People:

WPA-Era Paintings from the Dijkstra Collection,” in which Depression-era artists have chronicled life in this country from the stock market crash of 1929 to World War II; “Janet Taylor Pickett: Light, Color, and Desire,” whose paintings and sculptures explore “Blackness, identity and history”; and “Connie Jenkins: Intertidal,” which showcases the work of Jenkins, who made multiple visits to the Channel Islands over 13 years and documented what she saw with her camera. She took some of her tidepool photos and translated them into exquisite paintings that look like photographs.

For more, visit www. facebook.com/elouise.ondash.

OCEANSIDE ADVENTURES’ whale watching cruises get up close and personal with fin whales, which are populating the waters off of North County. Fin whales are second in size to blue whales, can grow to almost 90 feet and are a protected species. Photo by Mark Newman

BELMONT PARK on Mission Beach is gearing up for its 100th anniversary with new games and rides. The iconic Giant Dipper roller coaster is still a visitor favorite. Courtesy photo

July 7

SUMMER JAZZ SERIES

Take in the sultry, sophisticated sounds of jazz, sway to the seductive rhythms of Bossa Nova, and lose yourself to the upbeat vibes of Latin Jazz. Special guest Gilbert Castellanos. 4 to 10 p.m. July 7 at Amaya at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand del Mar Ct, San Diego.

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK

Enjoy arts, jewelry, pottery, crafts, live music and more from local artists. Free parking is available at the Oceanside Civic Center next to the Library. 4 to 8 p.m. July 7 at Artists Alley Oceanside, Pier View Way, Oceanside.

DSB

Since 2009, DSB’s high-energy stage production and accurate recreations of Journey classics have made DSB the #1 Journey tribute show in the world. $18, 9 p.m. at Belly Up, 160 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach.

OUTDOOR SHABBAT

Offering new ways for the community to learn about the environment. 5 to 7 p.m. July 7 at Coastal Roots Farm, 441 Saxony Rd, Encinitas.

KAREN'S DINER

Karen’s Diner is on tour taking the world by storm. $47, 12 a.m. at Isabella Artisan Pizzeria & Craft Beer Garden, 4705 Clairemont Dr, San Diego.

KPBS KIDS: DINO TRAIN

Take a trip back in time! Discover the age of the dinosaurs and the amazing creatures who lived with them with Dino Train. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 7 at San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, 320 N Broadway, Escondido.

CONCERTS IN THE PARK

Watch Band Overboard with its smooth grooves, four-part harmony vocals, killer guitar solos and overall lush, full sound that will take you back to the late '70s/early '80s. 6 p.m. at Stagecoach Community Park, 3420 Camino de los Coches, Carlsbad.

July 8

SNAKES & MORE SNAKES

Batiquitos Lagoon will host a presentation titled, “Snakes and More Snakes.” Bruce Ireland and his snake wrangling crew will be back to share their latest stories and rescues. 10 a.m. at Batiquitos Lagoon, 7380 Gabbiano Ln, Carlsbad.

NERD COMEDY NIGHT

Come out to Nerd Comedy Night every Saturday at 8pm in Carlsbad. $15-$20, 8 to 9:15 p.m. July 8 at New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State St, Carlsbad.

GENEALOGY CLASS

A one-day beginning and refresher genealogy class sponsored by North

San Diego Genealogical Society. Admission is free and reservations are required. To reserve your spot, email education1@nsdcgs.org. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8 at Nina Cole Library, 1250 Carlsbad Village Dr, Carlsbad.

O’SIDE HISTORY WALK

The 1.5-mile history walk tour is free (donations

accepted) and open to all. No registration is required. 9 to 11 a.m. July 8 at Oceanside City Hall Chambers, 300 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside.

ART EXHIBIT OPENING

Artists Dwight Hwang and Oriana Poindexter are proud to present “Impressions in Light & Shadow,” an exhibition featuring new gyotaku and photo-based prints. This month-long exhibition highlights the unique beauty and majesty of the giant kelp forest ecosystems off Southern California’s coastline. The reception is free and open to the public with an Eventbrite RSVP. Light appetizers provided by Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub; wine by Zio Baffa Organic Italian Wines; cocktails by Drink Kove. 5 to 8 p.m. July 8 at Perspectives Space, 555 2nd St, Encinitas.

July 9

ANNUAL PAWMICON

Pets and owners alike can dress up in superhero and pop culture cosplay attire for the free, 11th annual PAWmicon event. 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 9 at AleSmith Brewing Company, 9900 Alesmith Ct, San Diego.

RED HEADED STRANGERS

What started as a “ri-

diculously fun” side project playing Willie Nelson songs turned into a very busy band playing the “Classic Country Song Book” around Southern California. $12, 8 p.m. at Belly Up, 160 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach.

JAZZ EVENSONG

Jazz in the heart of the Village, free and open to the public. 4 to 5:30 p.m. July 9 at St. Michael’s-by-theSea Episcopal Church, 2775 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad.

HORSE RIDING LESSONS

The American Saddlebred Horse Association and Cherry Stables are inviting local children between the ages of 6 and 12 to learn how to ride horses for free. 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 9 at Cherry Stables, 1679 Sunset Dr, Vista.

ART EXHIBIT/RECEPTION

Stop in monthly, as the entire gallery changes out with new art for the enjoyment of the public. Something for everyone. 3 to 5 p.m. July 9 at North Coastal Art Gallery - COAL, 300 Carlsbad Village Dr, Carlsbad.

FOSTER ADOPTION EVENT

Scenthound, the premier

TURN TO EVENTS ON 18

RAIN, WIND, AND FIRE...

“The three menaces to any chimney, fireplace, or stove.”

Every year there are over twenty thousand chimney / fireplace related house fires in the US alone. Losses to homes as a result of chimney fires, leaks, and wind damage exceeds one hundred million dollars annually in the US.

CHIMNEY SWEEPS, INC., one of San Diego’s leading chimney repair and maintenance companies, is here to protect you and your home from losses due to structural damage and chimney fires.

Family owned and operated and having been in business for over 30 years, Chimney Sweeps Inc. is a fully licensed and insured chimney contracting company (License # 976438) and they are certified with the National Fireplace Institute and have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

CHIMNEY

For a limited time, readers of this paper will receive a special discount on our full chimney cleaning and safety inspection package with special attention to chimney water intrusion points in preparation for the rainy season.

SWEEPS, INC SERVING SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOR OVER 30 YEARS

ORIANA POINDEXTER, above, and Dwight Hwang present a monthlong art exhibition highlighting SoCal’s giant kelp ecosystems, opening July 8 in Encinitas. Photo by Heidi Zumbrun

Local ‘Santa,’ TERI partner for fundraiser

By Laura Place SAN MARCOS — A North County man known for giving back to the community through his Santa Claus alter ego is partnering with TERI Common Grounds Cafe and Coffee Bar in San Marcos on a breakfast fundraiser benefiting those with special needs as well as families in need.

The “Christmas in July” Summer Breakfast Fundraiser will take place July 15 from 9 a.m. to noon at the cafe, featuring a buffet style breakfast, a raffle and entertainment including games, face painting, cotton candy and visits with miniature horses.

Proceeds will go toward adults with special needs, the client base served by TERI Campus of Life, which oversees the cafe, as well as families in need during the upcoming winter holidays.

Sean Garcia, the man behind Seanta Clause — a play on Sean and Santa — has been offering his services as Old Saint Nick for free throughout the community for eight years. More recently, Garcia has found creative ways to give back to families in need around the holidays, in addition to his job as a mechanic.

“From Thanksgiving to Christmas, I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I might have a Santa thing to do in the evening, then I also have other appearances and stuff I do during the weekend,” he said.

Last December, Garcia connected with TERI as the Santa for its Christmas brunch. Both he and the organization were interested in partnering again, so they planned a joint fundraiser in the summer where proceeds will be split between their two causes.

“He’s pretty much doing most of the work, we’re just giving him the venue,” said TERI spokesperson Lina Cardenas. “Sean Garcia is a local influencer, and he has quite the following … we’re hoping by partnering with him, we’ll double

wins patio match

Eppig’s Bierhalle led the way in the now popular brewery corner of Vista. The brewery keeps it simple and, like its beer, focuses on quality. Carlsbad Brewing Company is next to the trampoline park, which could make for the best birthday party of your life.

our attendance.”

The event will be Garcia’s second breakfast fundraiser. He held his first at Applebee’s in December, and used the proceeds to provide Christmas dinner, gifts and clothes to 11 families.

By having this fundraiser in July — where he’ll be dressed in a summertime version of his Santa attire — Garcia hopes to get a head start on gathering funds to help families during the 2023 holidays, with plans for another fundraising event closer to Christmas.

“My hope is that by the time it’s all said and done, we can help more than 11 [families],” Garcia said.

Through his public Facebook group “Seanta Clause and Friends,” Garcia has also organized fun giveaways of new toys, electronics, household items and other goods, all of which are donated by residents and local businesses.

During these giveaways, Garcia will bring a gift in his Santa costume to random locations throughout Escondido and post a photo with a clue about where to find him. The first person to show up gets the gift.

These “Where’s Seanta?” giveaways took off like wildfire, he said.

Many of Garcia’s appearances as Seanta Clause also involve his wife, Valerie, as Mrs. Clause and a handful of friends as his elves.

“We love doing this. There’s nothing better than seeing the look on not just kids’, but people’s faces during the holiday when they win something, or just get to see Santa and Mrs. Clause. That just makes it all worth it,” he said.

Tickets for the July 15 fundraiser are available for $15 at terricommongroundscafe.com/ events. Attendees can also purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, a custom pair of Seanta Clause Vans shoes, and more.

As a reminder, breweries are scored on a 100-point scale with a max of 20 points per category. See the scoring details in our North County Brewery Patio-Off challenge launch column.

Eppig Brewing

The original patio has a fire pit and plenty of comfortable seating for small groups. A bonus picnic table area off the right of the entry appears to be pandemic inspired and ideal for the big family looking to all sit together.

In the bonus area, they’ve gone beyond merely blocking off part of the parking lot by adding carpeted flooring and keeping it clean. I admire and head for the main space with my Fest bier. They have an EV-charger out front, which would be a nice amenity if I owned an electric car.

The dog and I find cozy lounge chairs to make our home base. We can feel the heat from the fire pit over here. The patio is more extensive than I remember from previous visits, but the service is as excellent as ever. The patio is simple — tables and chairs under string lights — but comfortable and, dare I say, classy.

There isn’t any food at the moment, but the Bierhalle has a relatively consistent schedule of food trucks on the weekends. The hours are limited during the week. They are closed entirely on Mondays and not open until 4 p.m. from Tuesday-Thursday.

That impacts people like me who like drinking during the day and keep odd business hours, but probably not the majority.

Accommodation: 15

Atmosphere: 15

Offerings: 14

Service: 19

Wildcard: 15

Total: 78

Takeaway: It is a simple, well-done and well-maintained space. You can tell someone cares about the customer experience of visiting Eppig Brewing. No bells and whistles are needed to make for an enjoyable visit.

Carlsbad Brewing

Carlsbad Brewing Com-

pany is at the back of a large warehouse behind an indoor trampoline park. From the number of adults walking over in socks and e-bikes parked out front, I’m guessing CBC is a haven for parents.

They have an expansive beer list beyond their own beer. During my visit, they featured Russian River Brewing. They also serve food and offer table service—a rarity these days. Our service was excellent. We had parmesan fries and pretzel balls. They both went great with our beers.

All of which we enjoyed on one of two patios that faced out toward the parking lot. The patios feel a bit like afterthoughts. They are small rectangular fenced-in platforms with a table and a few stools at the rail. If you want to drink your beer outside, they got you covered as long as it isn’t that busy.

Accommodation: 11

Atmosphere: 11

Offerings: 17

Service: 18

Wildcard: 12

Total: 70

Takeaway: The inside is enormous and filled with cool things. The outside is functional if you want to sit outside, but that is not the appeal of Carlsbad Brewing Company.

ROUND 1 WINNER: Eppig Brewing’s Beach Beer is out, and nothing screams

summer on the patio in SoCal like talking about the beach without actually going.

Did I miss an excellent brewery patio? Send a message to @CheersNorthCounty on Facebook or Instagram, or e-mail me at ryan@coastnewsgroup. com.

GRAB YOUR dog and have a beer at Eppig Brewing’s outdoor patio space in Vista, seemingly designed with the customer’s experience in mind. Photo by Ryan Woldt

SEAN GARCIA and his wife, Valerie, make appearances in North County as Seanta Clause and Mrs. Clause throughout the holiday season. Courtesy photo/Sean Garcia

Who’s NEWS?

Business news and special achievements for North San Diego County. Send information via email to community@ coastnewsgroup.com.

COLLEGE GRADUATES

The following students graduated from their respective colleges: Rocco Polanco and Sarah Michelsen of Carlsbad and Keona Lee of Oceanside from Emerson College in Boston; Alexandra Friedman of Encinitas from the University of Mississippi; and Ella Chambers of Solana Beach, Connor Hughes and Preston Buscher of Carlsbad, and Emily Springfield and Sarah Alfaro of Oceanside from Miami University in Ohio.

PRESIDENT’S LIST

Weihua Huang of Carlsbad made the spring president’s list at Dean College in Massachusetts.

DEAN’S LIST

The following students made the spring dean’s list at their respective colleges: Catie Anne Pentlarge of Oceanside and Lucas Rowden of Solana Beach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Joshua Bourgeot of Encinitas and Nicholas Gardner of San Marcos at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York; and Grady Birk and Rachel Medina, both of Carlsbad, at Castleton University in Vermont.

HONOR ROLL

The following students made honor roll at Oregon State University: Jessica L. Bruns and Sarah Sanders of Bonsall; James Adelhelm, Ashley J. Brewer, Elizabeth C. Hatton, Qwen A. Landis, Sara Mone, Matthew J. Sanchez and Reese L. Severson of Carlsbad; Eva G. Erickson and Jesse K. Yu of Del Mar; Tea M. Canty, Katherine T. Corcoran, Kai D. Holsten, Miranda L. Larroque, Sophia I. Petraglia, Sydney C. Templin and Sophie B. Williams of Encinitas; Shilah Beamish, Hunter Conroy, Madeline G. Engblom, Victor R. Galstyan, Andrew S. Greenwood, Margot K. Trogden and Makena K. Westermeyer of Escondido; Erin M. Chumbley and Jasmine D. Taylor of Fallbrook; Ian M. Clark, Jenna L. Le, Kyrstin McQuiddy-Datanagan, Jonathan P. Miller and Gabrielle Schlumpberger of Oceanside; Gregory A. Curtis, Owen T. Duvall, Sophia A. Gaudino, Madison V. Paolini and William Stone of San Marcos; and Lezlie M. Martinez and Brianna D. Noble of Vista.

CAMP CLEANUP

Late last year, San Diego County applied for

THINK GREEN

state funding in collaboration with the cities of San Diego and Santee and the California Department of Transportation to help resolve encampments and find housing for the unsheltered. The county received nearly $17 million.

DISCOVER PASS

Escondido Public Library’s new Discover & Go program offers free individual and family day passes to San Diego’s biggest attractions including the San Diego Zoo, Museum of Us and San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum.

NEW ENCINITAS MAP

RadMaps is now accepting support for its 2023/2024 community map. Encinitas businesses and individuals can be featured on the hand-drawn poster-sized map by calling JT Pulford at 760-8222332 or visiting RadMaps. com.

hate Steven Singer!’ — a gem of an idea

As my wedding anniversary approaches, I’m reminded of days long ago when I’d read personal ads like “SWF, loves long walks on the beach.”

Yet one ad that drew gobs of interest read, “Hunchback dwarf, bad breath, surly attitude.”

Being different, it instantly captured attention. The guy placing the ad met many beautiful women with his unique approach.

Wedding anniversaries also make one think of jewelers. Last week, driving into New York City from Newark Airport, I noticed the simple black billboard screaming, “I hate Steven Singer!”

Why would someone hate Mr. Singer so much that they’ll announce it with a billboard and website?

A Philadelphia jeweler, Mr. Singer supposedly had a customer who bought his wife a ring for their 20th anniversary. The wife loved the ring, and their celebration resulted in an unplanned third child.

Nine months after the jewelry purchase, the couple came by the store to show off their new baby. The man complained about late feedings and changing diapers, loudly announcing, “I hate Steven Singer.”

Thus, a marketing campaign was born!

Most personal ads

shout, “I’m nice!” so they don’t feel threatening. Most jewelry advertising focuses on shiny baubles and images of loving couples.

The hunchbacked dwarf and the angry husband are great stories, and they may even be true. Regardless of their veracity, such tales ignite people’s curiosity, encouraging them to learn more.

They’re gimmicks… and they work.

Obviously, neither account I’m sharing fits the traditional mold. Indeed, had either been conventional, most folks wouldn’t have given them a second thought.

However, because they were so unusual, they captured attention from their respective audience…which was exactly the idea.

Regardless of the business you’re in, you may also

be able to do something out of the ordinary to grab attention and increase sales.

Examine what you’re selling and to whom you’re selling it. Then carefully research what your competition is doing, find the common patterns…and do just the opposite.

Announcing your presence in ways that are loud and brash may not be your normal style. But shaking things up with such a strategy could be just what you need to expand your presence in the marketplace. You’ll immediately stand out from the crowd, get people buzzing about you and sell a lot more.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Get a free brand analysis at marketbuilding.com.

During peak wildfire season, when dangerous weather conditions occur, we may call a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as a last resort. Because there’s nothing more important to us than keeping you safe. Once the weather improves, we’ll work quickly and safely to restore power to affected communities. Learn more about PSPS at sdge.com/psps.

‘I

ask mr. marketing rob weinberg

Maya’s Cookies adds to North City flavor in San Marcos

Maya’s Cookies is America’s #1 black-owned Vegan cookie company. Recently they brought their iconic brand to San Marcos, locating in the North City Development at 250 North City Drive #8. Founder and CEO Maya Madsen shares some details about her business and offers great insights as an entrepreneur.

What services and/or specialty products do you provide?

FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

TCMC’s Behavioral Health Team available to help you enjoy better mental health

By Sarah Jayyousi, MSW, LPCC, LCSW, Operations Manager Tri-City Medical Center Outpatient Behavioral Health Services

Each day, Tri-City’s behavioral health providers work hard to help our community members lead happier and more fulfilling lives through better mental health.

Although we see progress in prevailing attitudes toward mental health treatment, the fight against the stigma related to mental illness in our culture is real and ongoing. Therefore, people need to be encouraged to seek help when needed and prioritize their mental health in order to achieve balance and wellness.

Millions of individuals live with mental health problems in the United States and it’s important for all of us to raise awareness and advocate for policies that support mental wellness. Our shared experience

with COVID-19 and the unparalleled stressors that have resulted over the past few years brought about increased levels of anxiety across all age groups, especially with children and young adults. By becoming more aware, we can help to support our loved ones with mental illness. Additionally, each one of us can commit to supporting our own mental health by taking care of ourselves, talking about mental health and seeking professional help if needed.

Many people are unaware that anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders. Common symptoms of anxiety include worrying, difficulties concentrating, reduced sleep, feeling restless or irritable, and having tense muscles. Some may experience panic attacks, fear of going outside and/or fear of encountering social situations. Symptoms of anxiety can even be accompanied

said they favor getting ahead of the issue and exploring solutions now.

by physiological sensations, such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating and more. Others can be distressed by obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors akin to excessive washing, repetitive checking or extremely rigid rituals.

If you experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, paranoia, suicidal thoughts (or other mental health issues) that impact your daily functioning or ability to enjoy life, please know that these symptoms are treatable and you can achieve recovery.

There are many treatment options that help with mental health recovery. These may include seeing a psychiatrist, meeting with a therapist, attending a support group or enrolling in an intensive outpatient program. If symptoms are severe or someone is experiencing a crisis, including suicidal thoughts, they

proved a $5.7 million CIP budget for 46 new and ongoing projects.

can obtain services from outpatient crisis stabilization units, crisis centers, residential treatment programs, emergency rooms or inpatient treatment options. It is important to know that help is available in a variety of ways and that each person’s mental health needs are unique.

Tri-City Medical Center can assist with referring you to community resources. Our goal is to match services with the unique needs of the individual. We also have an evidence-based and recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program that helps individuals with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and other mental health issues.

You can reach Outpatient Behavioral Health Services by calling 760. 940.5050. We are here for you and are committed to supporting the wide range of mental health needs in the community.

“We’re trying to move forward as fast as possible,” he said.

We provide freshbaked, gourmet vegan cookies in a variety of flavors, ranging from the classics to unique and out of the box creations.

What sets you apart from others in your industry?

As a vegan with a sweet tooth, I had not been able to find that perfectly delicious, soft-baked gourmet vegan cookie, so I took matters into my own hands and spent years crafting my perfect plant-based cookie recipe.

What question are you asked most frequently by customers?

People always ask what our most popular flavors are or what my personal favorite is - I refuse to pick a favorite (it’s like picking a favorite child!) but our Chocolate Chip S’mores has been a best-seller for years.

What is your favorite business success story?

behind the Maya’s Cookies mission and I joined the San Marcos Chamber as a way to continue to build community and make connections as a business owner new to the city. I hope to evolve and grow along with the city and the Chamber, while giving back to the local organizations and groups that make San Marcos so special.

pared to a 1.3% expenditure increase over the coming years, which will help to close the current budget gap. Based on current financial predictions, the city expects the gap between revenue and expenditures to close in 2028.

However, expenditures are expected to grow over revenues once again beginning that same year, when the city pursues a new fire station and park facilities.

To prepare, Griffin said the city would be exploring ways to raise revenues. As a landlord, this could include new ways of managing its commercial and office rentals at Creekside Market Place and the San Marcos Civic Center.

City Council members

“I think this is the first time we’ve had to use our excess reserves to balance the budget, and so I’m all in favor of addressing it early and not having multiple years of having a situation like that,” said Councilmember Sharon Jenkins.

While the city moved $1.9 million into the infrastructure fund last year, this year’s budget does not allow further transfers. Staff said the fund has sufficient money for project needs over the coming years.

Capital projects

San Marcos operates under a 5-year, $238 million capital improvement project (CIP) program through 2026. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the city council ap-

Most CIP funding comes from the half-cent TransNet tax and the gas tax.

Completing the multiyear San Marcos Creek project is one of the most anticipated capital improvements this year. Crews are closing out the $100 million project with approaches between the road and the newly-constructed Via Vera Cruz bridge, work on the habitat and creek channel under the bridge, the sound wall on Discovery Street, and construction of the new Paseo de Arroyo park.

Griffin said the city is facing some delays related to work from SDG&E, which will push off a ribbon-cutting for the project into early fall.

Other active projects include upgrades to San Marcos Fire Station 3, including an interior remodel, storage improvements and mechanical upgrades. A $2 million state grant partially funds the $3.2 million project.

The city will also realize the $2.5 million replacement of the Olive Street bridge, the construction of the $2 million Bradley Park Pump Track, and planning and design work for the interchange project at Woodland Parkway and Highway 78.

“We appreciate staff paring down our wish list. It’s like Christmas and you get that Sears catalog when you’re a kid … and you go shoot, I don’t get everything that I want,” said Mayor Rebecca Jones.

Our business really transformed in June of 2020. Our progression as a business was halted by the pandemic but thanks to a viral tweet from actress Kerry Washington naming Maya’s Cookies as a Blackowned business to support, we were inundated with thousands of orders overnight. I did not have the ingredients, equipment or space to handle the high volume of sales and it took several weeks to catch up. We overcame that crazy boom and it helped us build Maya’s Cookies into what you see today and allowed us to expand into new communities, like San Marcos!

What motivated you to join The San Marcos Chamber?

Community engagement is a main motivator

What's your best piece of business advice? Find a mentor! There are so many details that go into owning/operating a business and it’s okay to admit that we don’t know everything. Having a mentor to provide guidance, support or even just lend an understanding ear is incredibly helpful and reassuring as an entrepreneur.

To learn more about Maya and Maya’s Cookies listen to the latest episode of the San Marcos Business & Community Podcast. https://san-marcos-chamber-podcast.simplecast. com/episodes/mayas-cookies.

Business website: www.mayascookies.com/

Business Instagram handle: @mayascookiessandiego

Business Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mayascookiessandiego

MAYA MADSEN, founder and CEO of Maya’s Cookies. Courtesy photo

TRI-CITY MEDICAL CENTER’S Behavioral Health Services Team is committed to meeting North County’s mental health needs. Courtesy photo

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FROM KING FEATURES WEEKLY SERVICE, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803

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SALOME’S STARS #12345_20230703

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EDITORS: These horoscopes are for use the week of JULY 10, 2023

1. TELEVISION: What is the name of Samantha’s mother in the “Bewitched” comedy series?

2. MOVIES: What is the name of the shark-hunting boat in the lm “Jaws”?

3. SCIENCE: What is the most lethal consumed plant in the world?

4. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a female goat called?

5. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who served as vice president in Abraham Lincoln’s rst term as president?

6. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of alcohol is traditionally used in a drink called a sidecar?

7. LITERATURE: What city is the primary setting for Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”?

8. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system was the rst to be explored by a space probe launched from Earth?

9. MUSIC: In what year did MTV launch?

10. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the famous St. Basil’s Cathedral located?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19)

Keep a lid on your temper, despite any attempts made by someone who might be trying to goad the Sheep into flaring up. Staying cool helps put your adversary into a deep freeze.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) All you Ferdinands and Fernandas need to take time to smell the flowers. You’ve worked hard. Now, stop and indulge yourself with the vacation you so richly deserve.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20)

There’s good news for single Geminis who feel incomplete without someone special in their lives. A peek at Cupid’s checklist reveals that a Scorpio or Virgo will soon be knocking on your door.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22)

Don’t fret if things at work might be going too slowly for you. Everything’s on track. Meanwhile, gather your family and friends for a lovely summer outing.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You might feel you’re being virtuous dedicating all this time to your project. But a little time off for summer fun with loved ones will help you relax and refill your energy reservoir.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your emotions might mislead you, but not your instincts. Do what you know to be right, even if you’d rather make other choices. Time will show that you chose well.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) This could be a good time to reevaluate some of the business decisions you’ve made during the past several months. A new advisor offers some much-needed counsel.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A personal challenge involving someone close to you needs precisely the kind of courage and honesty you can bring to the situation. Go to it — and good luck.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Continue to build your self-confidence by taking additional steps to assert your rights. Cheer up. The process gets easier with each clear-cut victory.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Despite your keen Capricornean sense of what’s right and what’s not, you still need facts to back up suspicions about a co-worker. Bide your time. The truth will come out.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A relationship you hope to save might seem too far gone to be rescued. But continue working with your partner to try to mend the misunderstanding.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You need to keep your emotional side in check and let your logical self sort out the problem that threatens a longtime association. Expect some hidden truths to be revealed.

BORN THIS WEEK: You can be extravagant, and you can be frugal, almost at the same time. But whatever you do and whenever you do it, you do it with style and gusto.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Bill Walton and Stellar Solar are thriving in a post-net-metering world

impressive portfolio of commercial clients, including Cedars Sinai Hospital, the Salk Institute, US Foods and the US military and federal government, among others.

As California implements historic changes to its solar net metering rules, the renewable energy landscape is shifting quickly.

But according to Stellar Solar CEO Kent Harle, his firm is ready to make the most of these seismic changes and has solutions in place to make it a seamless transition.

“We’ve been riding this ‘solar coaster’ market for nearly 25 years now,” Harle explains, “And our customers have taught us what we needed to know to stay nimble and resilient as renewable energy markets continue to mature and evolve,” he says. “We don’t plan to survive – we plan to thrive. And deploying solar plus batteries for self-consumption is now our primary message.”

Serving Southern California from its Oceanside headquarters, Stellar Solar has seen its share of energy policy revisions and market volatility over its history. But somehow, it has managed to grow from a small “virtual” office to a staff of over 150 professionals and a track record of more than 15,000 residential solar installations in San Diego and Orange Counties, plus a recent expansion to Michigan with other states to follow and an

To hear Harle and his fellow founding partners Brian Grems and Michael Powers tell it, their customer-centric focus and attention to detail has long dictated the strategic direction of the company.

“Clearly what customers have always been looking for is more control over their energy future – what it costs and where it comes from,” asserts the company’s Director of Operations, Brian Grems. “And customers also want to be less dependent on the electric utility, especially with power outages increasing due to fires and factors like climate change,” Grems explains.

That’s one of the reasons the company started using electric vehicles nine years ago and embraced battery storage technology five years ago, long before its customers started asking for them. This strategy resulted in the company scoring the highest battery attachment rate with solar installations in the region, along with a reputation as battery storage experts.

“Years ago, we saw energy consumers being replaced by the ‘prosumer’ -- a home or business that is sometimes a provider and sometimes a consumer of electricity,” Powers says. “And that has helped guide our prod-

uct offerings.”

“We don’t have any crystal ball,” continues Harle. “But our goal has been to continue to build on our company's strengths to make sure our customers have what they need, so they can harvest the maximum value of the solar electricity they produce, store and use.”

Most recently, this has Stellar Solar working with customers to help them "electrify their lives," which includes planning to electrify transportation, cooking, heating and cooling and so on.

And to help get that message out, they enlist-

Tri-City removes interim tag, names Ma president and CEO

By

Staff

OCEANSIDE — After a nationwide search, TriCity Healthcare District announced on June 29 the appointment of Dr. Gene Ma to the permanent role of president and chief executive officer of the organization.

Ma has served in the interim president and CEO position since March 2023 following the retirement of longtime CEO Steve Dietlin.

“I am pleased to announce that the board of directors selected Dr. Ma for this incredibly important role,” said Tracy Younger, the new chairperson of TCHD’s seven-member publicly elected board of directors.

“Board members were impressed with Dr. Ma’s longtime commitment to Tri-City, as well as his achievements over the past several months of interim leadership, both of which weighed heavily on our decision.”

Ma is an emergency department physician at TriCity for over 20 years and a 10-time honoree as one of San Diego Top Doctors in Emergency Medicine.

Prior to his time as interim president and CEO, Ma served in numerous administrative roles within

Tri-City, including as chief medical officer from 2019 to 2023, and as chief of staff of the medical center’s independent medical staff, a role which he held from 2015 to 2017.

From 2012 to 2022, Ma also served as CEO of WorkPartners, overseeing the turnaround of what would become the region’s dominant occupational health practice.

“It is absolutely the honor of my career to be chosen to serve as president and CEO of this amazing medical center, and to continue to work side-by-side with the

dedicated members of the Tri-City Family,” Ma said.

“I am so appreciative of every one of our partners, both within the hospital and in our community, and look forward to working with them to continue to advance our mission.”

Ma earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of California, Irvine, and attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.

He then completed his internship at Stanford Medical Center, followed by a residency in emergency medicine at UC San Diego Medical Center.

He joined Tri-City Emergency Medical Group in July 2000, subsequently becoming its executive director and managing partner.

The Tri-City board of directors also announced changes to their leadership. Younger, a health care business owner who lives in Carlsbad and represents Zone 6, has stepped into the chairperson position.

Rocky Chavez, an Oceanside resident and retired US Marine Corps colonel, stepped down from the chairperson role, a position he has held since 2022.

ed the stellar star power of a long-time solar advocate with an equally innovative track record: ESPN/ Pac-12 broadcaster, Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA All-Time Team member, and San Diego-native, Bill Walton.

Walton says that from the start, he was impressed by Stellar Solar’s reputation for quality. “When I learned that over 60% of their business comes from word-ofmouth customer referrals, I knew immediately this was the perfect team for me,” Walton says.

Now in its third year, Walton’s partnership with

Stellar Solar has been a win-win for both parties.

“I’m honored, privileged, and fortunate to be teamed up with as knowledgeable and forward-thinking a solar company as there is in Southern California,” Walton states emphatically.

In partnering with Stellar Solar, Walton is not just talking – he’s walking the walk. By recently adding battery storage to his sizeable home solar energy system, he can now share his own personal experience on how the combination of solar and battery storage can practically eliminate the negative impact of NEM

3.0 and actually maximizes homeowner ROI.

Harle explains the shift in strategy this way: "Up to now, we were helping homeowners maximize value by selling excess energy back to the utility at close to retail rates. But under the new NEM 3.0 rules, ‘exported’ solar power loses up to 75% of its value when delivered to the utility. So now, we're focused on helping homeowners maximize their returns by off-setting peak and off-peak rates, when the sun doesn’t shine, through a combination of solar and battery storage.

Why would anyone sell their excess energy back to the utility at $.05/kWh when they can offset $.81/ kWh peak rates?

We want customers to see solar energy and storage as any other type of investment they would make: you want to buy when prices are low and sell when prices are high,” Harle explains. “We’re giving customers the tools they need to maximize their investments and help control their energy future,” he says.

“I heard somewhere that customers don’t actually buy products or services,” Harle concludes. “What they buy is solutions to problems. And we think home solar plus battery storage represents a powerful package for homeowners looking for ways to manage their home energy problems, now and for many years to come.”

DR. GENE MA has been affiliated with Tri-City since 2000.

Courtesy photo

And San Diego homeowners can do the same

STELLAR SOLAR has seen its share of energy policy revisions and market volatility over its history. Courtesy photo

EVENTS

CONTINUED FROM 10

national membership-based dog grooming franchise, is teaming up with Rancho Coastal Humane Society for their first Foster Adoption Event. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 9 at Scenthound – Carmel Valley, 3840 Valley Centre Dr, San Diego.

July 10

‘YOGA PSYCHOLOGY Seminar on how the Self-Realization process can be found in each aspect of our lives. $30, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 10 at Bamboo Garden Wellness Center, 162 Rancho Santa Fe Rd S, Encinitas.

EARLY BIRD CAMP FEES

Early reservation rates are available for Chabad of Oceanside/ Vista’s Camp Gan Israel. $375, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 10-21 at Chabad Jewish Center Oceanside/Vista, 1930 Sunset Dr, Vista.

July 11

VONDA SHEPARD

Watch one of the most dynamic shows you’ll ever see, featuring Vonda’s original material from her 15 albums. $25, 8 p.m. at Belly Up, 160 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach.

GENEALOGY CLASS

The Learning from Members Class, sponsored by North San Diego County Genealogical Society, will feature Ann Montgomery’s presentation, “What if I Can’t Go to Salt Lake City Family History Library?”10 to 11:30 a.m. July 11 at Faraday Center, Faraday Ave, Carlsbad.

CARE FOOD/MARKET

This is a campus-wide collaboration with the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego to provide access to free produce and dry goods. Students need their Spartan Pass or SURF ID number. 1 to 2 p.m. July 11 at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Dr, Oceanside.

Our Top 3 benefits of Summer Music Camps

Summer is just starting, and for most of us, we may look back on our endless, carefree summer days of childhood with fondness and joy.

However, now that you are a parent, you may have mixed feelings about this season. How will we manage childcare?

The best answers to these questions can be summed up in three words: SUMMER MUSIC CAMPS!

Not only is summer camp fun, but did you know that there are a wide range of benefits of summer music camps for children?

CONSOLIDATION

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

a new school for fifth grade.

“It’s one thing to say, we’re gonna consolidate Beaumont, but you need to know what will happen next. You have a lot of kids here who have to walk to school. What's gonna happen to these kids?” Virostko said.

Committee members themselves also shared concerns about how little information they were given to make such major decisions and claimed the equity considerations, which were supposed to be baked into the process, were not sufficiently discussed.

California School Employees Association representative Mario Bojorquez, one of the committee members, said they were prohibited from discussing how closures would impact students and told to make their decisions based solely on enrollment levels and the facility conditions.

“I don't believe a single member was pleased with the difficult recommendations we had to make. Some of the reasons they were difficult was the very narrow set of guidelines, constrained time frame and the influence placed on the committee, which led to a predetermined outcome,” Bojorquez said. “I'm asking the board to give the committee more options, an expanded timeline and the option to incorporate impacts on students rather than just on facilities.”

Rancho Minerva PTA President Amanda Remmen, who served as committee chair, said they experienced a “sense of haste and lack of communication” and that they were being pushed toward making a specific decision.

“This committee is a state-mandated requirement, and it felt that way,” Remmen said. “The decision made by the committee felt predetermined beforehand and left little room for thinking of ideas outside of the box.”

Vista Unified COO

Shawn Loescher, who oversaw the committee, said

many of the topics that came up, like redrawing school boundaries, magnet schools and specific details about the number of classrooms needed at each site, will be discussed by other committees moving forward.

“[The committee] are to limit their conversations to property, and that’s difficult because we know whatever recommendations might be made impact people and students, and sometimes we want to know how, which can lead to a lot of theoreticals. ‘How’ would be a next step. This is the first step,” Loescher said.

‘We will lose the trust of our community’

For the middle schools, the committee balanced the deteriorating state of VIDA’s 60-year-old campus with Rancho Minerva’s low enrollment. VIDA is facing up to $59 million in renovation costs compared to $38 million at Rancho Minerva, built in 2006.

VIDA is currently at capacity with around 800 students, while Rancho Minerva’s current enrollment meets around half of its 1,000-student capacity. However, VIDA parents said moving the program would mean losing the pool, innovation labs and other facilities that offer students

Here are our Top 3 Benefits:

1. Personal Growth, Learning, and Development

Music camps are a great way to keep your child learning music and retaining what they learned throughout the year.

2. Positive Role Models

Camps give an opportunity to interact with positive adult role models who are musicians. Forming these role model relationships can help kids develop the confidence, self-esteem, and skills they need

to succeed in school and life.

3. Socializing and Friendship Building

A summer camp program provides a safe environment for children to develop social skills, decision-making skills, and even experience the many different ways to learn music!

Music Camps offers an exciting, inspiring week within a safe, welcoming environment that will help them grow as musicians and individuals.

to Rancho Minerva in a 4-1 vote, with Marrocco opposed.

Marrocco said the board should take more time to consider the impacts on both Rancho Minerva, which has an unduplicated population made up largely of English learners, as well as VIDA before making the decision.

“I understand that consolidations are hard, but to close two schools and displace another school … I’m very opposed to this,” Marrocco said. “We will never pass a bond again, and we will lose the trust of our community.”

Future uses

In their report, committee members recommended how the vacated VIDA and Beaumont sites could be repurposed.

unique opportunities.

“Moving VIDA to the Rancho Minerva campus is not the right thing to do for so many reasons,” said VIDA parent Cindi Bess. “First of all, Rancho Minerva does not have a pool or a theater. This is what brings so many students to VIDA, and without those things, you are cutting the legs off of a well-run school that offers so much for students.”

District leaders said while Beaumont and Monte Vista are both old facilities, the overall restorations needed for Beaumont would total $54 million compared to $27 million at Monte Vista, making it more feasible to maximize it for educational use.

Among Beaumont’s long-documented problems are cracked surfaces and mold as a result of water intrusion from the surrounding sloped hills. District leaders said issues with the foundation and other geotechnical features make these problems difficult and expensive to fix.

“Beaumont is not safe for our children to continue to learn,” said Trustee Rosemary Smithfield, noting that community members have repeatedly raised concerns about the school’s condition.

Carol Boraks, a library media technician at Beau-

mont for the past 11 years, said she understands the school is old and needs repair.

However, Boraks said they have tried to get the district to address these issues for years; just last year, district leaders started and then abandoned plans to fix portions of the campus using Measure LL bond funds.

“It just really hit a nerve for me when they kept using, ‘We’ve known for years now that it’s unsafe' — they keep telling us that. If we kept telling you that, and you heard us, why didn’t you do anything then to make it safer?” Boraks said.

Since many Beaumont students already feed into Rancho Minerva for middle school, several community members, as well as board member Rena Marrocco, supported the idea of combining the two into a K-8 school.

“A lot of us at Beaumont were looking to go to Rancho Minerva. For many of our families, this is a double hit because they’re both going away,” Virostko said.

The board made its decisions in two separate motions — unanimously approving the committee’s recommendations regarding Beaumont and Monte Vista and approving recommendations to move VIDA

Committee members recommended using the vacated VIDA site on Olive Avenue for workforce housing and a community center and using the Beaumont site for parks and recreation, centralized use, or another site for workforce housing.

Kelly also indicated that the district is seriously considering using Beaumont as a temporary relocation site for students at Bobier Elementary when the school undergoes reconstruction.

“If we delay the elementary school decision, it will start to impact our Bobier project, which already has a three-year timeline from now,” Kelly said.

The district now faces many logistical decisions related to the students currently enrolled at Beaumont and Rancho Minerva, including how students at Rancho Minerva and Beaumont will be distributed, ensuring proper transportation, and drawing new boundaries for magnet schools.

“We’re gonna need to talk about boundaries, transportation, programming, do we wanna keep the VIDA pool open for specific kinds of programming … So there’s a lot of things we can be talking about that that are all ‘ifs,’ and more information is required,” said Trustee Cipriano Vargas.

THE VISTA Unified School District decided to close Rancho Minerva Middle School and make the campus the new home of Vista Innovation and Design Academy. Beaumont Elementary also faces closure. Photo by Laura Place

1Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of June 30, 2023. The dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The minimum deposit for this 15-month certificate or IRA certificate is $500. The APY is based on an assumption that principal and dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces earnings and there may be penalties for early withdrawal. Call 1-877-GOLDEN 1 (1-877-465-3361) for current rates.

2Traditional and Roth IRA accounts are insured separately from other accounts. A member’s Roth IRA and Traditional IRA will be added together and insured to the aggregate maximum of $250,000.