The Coast News INLAND EDITION
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 6, N0. 19
SEPT. 17, 2021
On homeless, city seeking regional ties
CSUSM gets $6M grant for student vets
By Tigist Layne
ESCONDIDO — As the City of Escondido, and San Diego County as a whole, is seeing an increase of homeless individuals on the street, likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Escondido is increasing its homeless outreach efforts and seeking collaboration with other cities. According to the 2020 We All Count (Point-inTime) report, Escondido’s homeless population is 447 individuals, an increase from 350 in 2019. The annual point-intime count, a one-night event that usually occurs in January, was not taken this year because of concerns of spreading the coronavirus. Countywide, in a Homeless Crisis Response System report from 2020, the Regional Task Force on the Homeless found the number of first-time homeless people in the county increased from 2,326 in 2019 to 4,152 in 2020, a 79% jump. The previous year saw a 6% decrease from 2018. “More individuals and households received services than ever before. A total of 38,023 people received some form of housing and services from the homeless system that spans services such as homelessness prevention through permanent supportive housing,” the report said. “This is in contrast to the 7,658 people that were counted during the annual Point-in-Time count on a single night in January 2020, which only counts those living on the streets or in shelters.” Greg Anglea, CEO if Interfaith, which is headquartered in Escondido, told The Coast News that they are in the process of doubling their homeless outreach team and setting up a hotline for community members to use when TURN TO HOMELESS ON 7
By Tigist Layne
A CLASSIC CAR WEEKEND IN VISTA After a year off due to COVID-19, nearly 350 American Classic vehicles lined the streets of downtown Vista, drawing thousands of people on Labor Day weekend for the 31st Rod Run. More on Page 15. Courtesy photo
SAN MARCOS — California State University at San Marcos (CSUSM) recently received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense that will help student veterans discover careers in sustainable energy. The university had previously received a Veterans to Energy Careers (VTEC) grant in the amount of $3 million from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 2018, when the program was established at CSUSM. The original grant of $3 million required VTEC to place at least 30 student veterans into internships at any given time. Under the terms of the new grant, which began Aug. 1, that reach has increased to 50 internships. Established in 2012, VTEC has been helping veterans transition into sustainable careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). To address the shortage in the STEM workforce, VTEC established a workforce development program, funded by the Office of Naval Research, that provides paid internships, mentorship and TURN TO CSUSM ON 17
Escondido Creek Conservancy earns national accreditation By Tigist Layne
ESCONDIDO — The Escondido Creek Conservancy recently achieved national recognition by being accredited by the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). The conservancy is one of only two in San Diego County to have this accreditation from the LTA, which oversees land conservation nonprofits. Escondido Creek Conservancy now joins a network of over 450 accredited land trusts across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust. According to Ann Van Leer, the conservancy’s executive director, the organization went through a rigorous process to achieve
OVER THE PAST 30 years, Escondido Creek Conservancy has helped protect over 7,000 acres of wildlife habitat and currently manages 3,000 acres of wildlands in North County. Photo by Richard Murphy
this standard. “It was quite an onerous process, but really it's exciting because it's like a
gift to the future as we're setting our organization up for success, not just this year, but five years from
now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now, because it is sort of raising the bar on how we do work and how we
take care of our land,” Van Leer said. The Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission began awarding this accreditation seal back in 2008 to organizations that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public’s trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. “We are a stronger organization for having gone through the rigorous accreditation program. Our strength means special places–such as the LeoMar, Keithley, and Sardina preserves — will be protected forever, making the region an even greater place for us and our children,” said Rita Petrekova, director of the conservancy’s finance TURN TO CONSERVANCE ON 15