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NOV. 16, 2012
MiraCosta, San Dieguito bonds still too close to call
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VOL. 26, NO. 44
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By Jared Whitlock
The Sugarman family (from left to right) Sissy, 11, Elizabeth, Shawn, and “Bubba,” 14, kneel with some of the Heritage turkeys they have naturally raised. Their hope is to be able to raise awareness about local, sustainably-raised animals and food. Photos by Rachel Stine
Family raises turkeys and awareness By Rachel Stine
ENCINITAS — S tanding against the backdrop of their small backyard farm, the Sugarman family, complete with neat button-up shirts and spotless blue jeans, looks like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. But make no mistake, this family is on a mission. Hoping to best the genetically engineered, commercial Butterballs, the family of four has spent months raising 15 turkeys as naturally as possible to raise awareness about local, sustainably raised animals and food. Elizabeth and Sha wn along with their tw o kids, Samuel “Bubba,” 14, and Sissy, 11, invested considerable time and money to raise a specific strain of natur ally bred turkeys, known at Heritage turkeys. The Sugarmans have now
COAST CITIES — School officials are playing the waiting game. A definitive answer on whether the MiraCosta and San Dieguito bonds passed might not be coming f or another week or so. The $497 million MiraCosta bond, Proposition EE, and the $449 million San Dieguito bond, Proposition AA, are currently trailing in the polls. As of Wednesday night, the MiraCosta bond has a 54.10 percent approval, short of the 55 per cent required. The San Dieguito bond is faring slightly better with 54.9 percent. However, there are still 160,000 countywide provisional and mail ballots that need to be counted, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. “We’re working to process the ballots, ” said
Deborah Seiler, registrar of Voters, adding that it’ s unknown how many of the remaining ballots are from North County. Seiler said that election results must be certified and released by Dec. 4, and there’s a slight c hance it could be that long until the outcome of the bonds is known with certainty. The number of residents voting by mail in this election nearly doubled fr om 2008. But Seiler said the increased volume hasn’t necessarily added to the processing time compared to previous elections. The MiraCosta bond would fund renovations and new buildings thr oughout MiraCosta’s three campuses. Supporters of the bond say that’s necessary because there aren’t enough facilities TURN TO BONDS ON A18
One of the Sugarmans’ toms poses for the camera. The family’s largest turkey weighed 27 pounds.
sold their birds to friends and neighbors for Thanksgiving, hoping to help educate their buyers about where their food comes from. “I think it’ s hard for everyone to look at their food,” said Elizabeth. “But we
have to be conscious of what we’re consuming.” Heritage turkeys live outdoors, mate naturally, and have a slower growth rate than commercial turkeys, according TURN TO TURKEYS ON A18
The view from outside the San Dieguito Union School District’s Encinitas office. An election nail biter, the San Dieguito bond is at 54.9 percent, just below the 55 percent it needs. MiraCosta and Del Mar also have school bonds close to passing. Photo by Jared Whitlock