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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
.com VOL. 9, NO. 24
THE RANCH’S BEST SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS
DEC. 13, 2013
Engineer earns department honor By Tony Cagala
RANCHO SANTA FE — It’s all lights and noise and you’re just hoping that drivers do move out of the way. That’s a little of what it’s like to be driving a fire engine en route to whatever emergency beckons, explained Engineer Nick Brandow of the RSFFPD (Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District). “It’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. As an engineer, not only is it Brandow’s duty to get the firefighters out to any emergency scene and operate the apparatus once there, but also to be the right hand man to the station’s captain, often serving as the liaison between the captain and the other firefighters. The sense of responsibility he has towards the work, and his leadership qualities have earned him this year’s David B. Dewey Award. “He’s been here for 10 years and he’s already demonstrated that he’s going to do very well. We’re very proud of him,” said Capt. Dale Mosby, who oversees Brandow and the other firefighters at Fire Station No. 3 in Fairbanks Ranch. Mosby knows the meaning of the award, having won it last year. “It carries on the tradi-
Engineer Nick Brandow is this year’s recipient of the David B. Dewey Award. Brandow has been a firefighter with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District since 2004. Photo by Tony Cagala
tion of being a good employee,” Mosby said. The David B. Dewey Award was first given out in 1985, explained Karlena Rannals, administrative manager for the RSFFPD. Dewey, a Rancho Santa Fe resident, served as a board member to the fire district for
25 years, Rannals said. He passed away in 1984. In honor of his service to the board, Rannals explained that a group of Dewey’s friends that he used to go hiking with in the Ranch area got together and pulled some money. “And they created this firefighter of the year award,”
she said. The award, which recognizes firefighters’ sense of duty, leadership and commitment to the fire district, is voted on by the firefighters of RSFFPD. When Brandow heard his name announced during the annual awards dinner, he said he was blown away. “I reacted pretty slowly because I was taken aback that they called my name,” he said. “I definitely didn’t jump out of my seat. “I was like, ‘Did I just hear that right? Did they just call my name?’ I think for anyone in the organization, it’s one of the coolest awards that you can get because it’s voted on by your fellow firefighters. So, to be able to be seen in that light, to be voted for firefighter of the year, it’s a great honor,” he added. He was quick to point out the great staff of the fire district as well, from the managers to the administrative staff and prevention and suppression personnel. “It’s a great department to work for,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with the department. I think we’ve worked really hard to build the relationship we have with the community; we have great TURN TO ENGINEER ON A16
Plan could save cities money on elections By Bianca Kaplanek
COAST CITIES — A proposal by county Supervisor Dave Roberts that could save some cities perhaps $100,000 on special elections won’t currently benefit his hometown of Solana Beach, which will pay about $200,000 for a February vote on rules to govern Fletcher Cove Community Center. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at its Dec. 3 meeting to ask state lawmakers to allow mail ballots only for certain elections in general law cities. “Two of the five communities in my district — Encinitas and Solana Beach — each had issues where I felt they didn’t have the options they should have to make a decision,” Roberts said. “What I want to do is give them an option.”
DIVING INTO IT Barbara Allen’s passion for scuba diving has recently earned her an induction into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. B1
“It just begs the fact that The county’s 2014 legislative program, which provides there needs to be some policy direction for San changes in state laws,” Diego’s advocacy efforts in Chairman Greg Cox said.“It is Sacramento, already included counterintuitive to think there’s a need to a recommendahave the pretion to allow mailestablished votballot special elecing locations and tions in general all the tremenlaw cities for dous costs that go California Senate with that. and Assembly “Under state seats, something law we have to currently precludhave one precinct ed by state law. for no more than The suggesevery 1,000 vottion came in ers even though response to a DAVE ROBERTS the vast majorirecent special election to fill a seat vacated ty of people now are voting by when former state Sen. Juan absentee ballots,” Cox added. Vargas was elected to the U.S. “And to have the requirement to still maintain that same House of Representatives. In one precinct, only one standard is absolutely ludivoter showed up at a polling crous.” Roberts said he spent a station that was open from 7 couple of hours going through a.m. to 8 p.m.
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the legislative program. It prompted him to recall an Encinitas special election in June for Proposition A. That measure, which passed, requires voter approval for major amendments to city planning policies and imposes a citywide height limit. In that election, which cost the city approximately $300,000, only 3,330 of the 12,888 ballots were cast at a polling station. The rest, or about 75 percent, were cast by mail as absentee ballots, according to the county Registrar of Voters. In Solana Beach, a citizens initiative known as Proposition B will be presented to voters Feb. 11 to determine a use policy for the renovated Fletcher Cove Community Center on Pacific Avenue. Because Solana Beach, like Encinitas, is a general law city, a mail-only election is not allowed, and Roberts’ proposal comes too late at this point to be an option. “The state would have to change the law, and that would take time even if there is a will to modify the state election law,” City Manager David Ott said. Roberts said Geoff Patnoe, director of the counTURN TO PLAN ON A16
Dan Gibbs, CEO of Home Town Farms LLC stands at the site in Vista where a new retail store and greenhouse will sell and grow local organic fruits and vegetables. Gibbs is turning to accredited investors to get the new venture off the ground. Photo by Tony Cagala
FARMING OUT INVESTORS
How new SEC rules are helping one retail farming business to sprout By Tony Cagala
VISTA — On the 4.6acre dirt lot where Dan Gibbs is standing, there’s not much to look at save for weeds, a lone shrub and a couple of squirrels scurrying into holes in the ground. But Gibbs can see clearly the growing potential (literally) of the lot on East Vista Way. “The driveway will be right here,” he said, gesturing near where he stands. “We’ll have a 2,100 square foot retail store, and then a 53,000 square foot greenhouse behind it.” By next spring he plans to begin planting and in the summer open the very first Home Town Farms in the heart of the city, which will give people a chance to buy locallygrown, vine ripened and organic food at non-organic, everyday pricing. Gibbs, the 50-year-old CEO of Home Town Farms, estimates that he and his business partner Mike Castro will be able to produce around half-a-million pounds of vegetables and berries per year, using a technique called urban vertical growing. He described the technique as a “high-efficiency growing system,” that’s used on millions of acres all over the world. It’s a technique that’s been around for about 50 years, he said, but what
they’re doing is scaling down how it’s being used worldwide specifically to fit within the urban city environment. “There’s no more economical way to grow vegetables and berries than this model,” he said. “So I think once people find out that this is doable, most vegetable and berry production is going to come into the city; and outside the city farming is going to be your field crops, your tree crops.” Not only is their growing model something that may soon gain attention, but also how Gibbs is getting the Home Town Farms business venture off the ground. Gibbs is, in part, advertising for investors. He’s started running ads in various publications, including the Rancho Santa Fe News (a sister publication to The Coast News). In 2012, President Obama and Congress passed the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act. With that, the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) adopted new rules to allow private or public businesses to advertise for accredited investors, in what’s become known as Rule 506(c) Advertising for accredited investors can be done anywhere from print to the Internet, social media, radio and TV broadcasts, according to the SEC. Gibbs is relying solely on accredited investors for Home Town Farms. Because of the expense of starting a new venture like this (it’s costing about a $1 million per acre to start this kind of farm, he said), turning to the smaller crowdfunding methods as say a kickstarter or indiegogo webTURN TO FARMING ON A16