The Coast News, Dec. 14, 2012

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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

VOL. 26, NO. 48

DEC. 14, 2012

SIDS still Questions linger over largely group’s 501 (c) 3 status unknown to public By Jared Whitlock

By Rachel Stine

SAN DIEGO — For Jeri Wilson, March 1, 1993 started off as a perfectly normal day. She took her baby girl Jenelle Beltz to daycare so that she could go to a job interview and lunc h afterwards with a friend. When Wilson returned to pic k up her daughter, the daycare staff ran out and shouted at her to go to the hospital. Her daughter had stopped breathing in her sleep. The daycare staff, paramedics and hospital staff all tried to r esuscitate the tin y baby to no avail.After 45 minutes of CPR in the emergency room, Beltz was declared dead. “She was a 16-pound, 3month-old baby. And I left for a couple hour s, and I come back and she was gone,” said Wilson. “Basically they didn’t know why she stopped breathing and the y couldn’t resuscitate her, and that was it,” Wilson said of her daughter’s sudden death. After finding no apparent reason for Beltz’s death, medical examiners and la w enforcement could only conclude that she had died fr om SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), which affects babies under the age of one year, and the cause of death often goes unexplained. Today, Wilson works to expand the support available TURN TO SIDS ON A26

ENCINITAS — A group called We Love Encinitas sent out mailers during the campaign season using survey information highlighting citizen satisfaction. The group is now being scrutinized over its 501 (c) 3 status. Earlier this year it wasn’t apparent what group or individual was behind the two mailers that were sent out in October. The mailers contained a contact ad dress, which led to a shopping center and a crude website that showed only the sur vey results. The site has since been revamped to include news and happenings around Encinitas. Last month, it was established that Paul Gaspar, who owns Gaspar Ph ysical Therapy and is the husband to current City Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar, is the CEO and founder of the We Love Encinitas group. Gaspar said that his only goal with the group, which claims to be a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit on its mailers, was to advance positive news about Encinitas and city staff. But all searches into the group’s 501 (c) 3 status have yielded no results. Inquiries made to the Internal Revenue Service turned up no records showing that We Love Encinitas, or We Love Encinitas Comm unity Advocates as they are referred to, has a 501 (c) 3 status. The California Franchise Tax Board also said that the group wasn’t listed as a taxexempt. Further investigation into parties attached to the

“I’m dying over here,” Lauren McChrie, owner of Oskadusa Bead Shop, tells City engineer Mo Sammak and project manager Dan Goldberg. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek

Frustration, anger continue to mount By Bianca Kaplanek

One of the mailers, shown above, that the alleged 501 (c) 3 organization We Love Encinitas sent out during the election season. The group’s status is being questioned. In the mailer, then-Councilwoman Teresa Barth’s image was not included.

group showed that Kristin Gaspar was the agent of process, as listed on documents received from the California Secretary of State’s office dated on Oct. 22. When contacted f or a response she said, “Any information listing me as the registered agent is clearly in error as I have not in the past and do not currently serve in this role. Your future and current questions can onl y be addressed by the We Love Encinitas organization.”

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The long-standing ‘Messiah’ Sing event led by La Jolla Symphony Chorus Director and Leucadia resident David Chase allows members of the publc to sing with B1 the choir.

Arts & Entertainment . A10 Food & Wine . . . . . . . . . A8 Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A24 Marketplace News . . . . A18 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A17

In documents dated Nov. 6, she was no longer listed as the agent of pr ocess, Paul Gaspar was named in place. An agent of process is an individual or corporation designated to accept court papers if the entity is sued, according to the Secretary of State’s website. The documents also list David Meyer, a real estate consultant and land developer in Encinitas as the secreTURN TO MAILERS ON A22

HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 Calendar Section: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com Community News: community@coastnewsgroup.c om Letters to the Editor: letters@coastnewsgroup.com

SOLANA BEACH — When the city broke ground in June on a project to improve Coast Highway 101, the owner of the construction compan y selected for the job said he only makes promises he can keep. “And I promise there will be times when you wish I wasn’t here, like when construction begins,”said Glen Bullock of Dick Miller Inc. “But I’ll try to minimize the frustration and I pr omise you’re going to love me when I leave,” he said. It will be at least six to nine months bef ore the pr oject is complete and the latter statement can be confirmed, but Bullock couldn’t have been more accurate with the first part of his pledge. Frustration has turned to anger and fear as business owners deal with lost revenue, especially during peak holiday shopping time, and the reality that some ma y not be able to survive until the pr oject is finished. Lawsuits and restraining orders have been threatened. A safety inspection was requested. Sue Kelly, who owns Fairbanks Interiors and Something Madd Boutique, said sales ar e down about $2,000 a month since construction started. “Most of our business is from people driving by,” said Christine Tolentino, who works with K elly. “No one is stopping anymore. No one wants to dri ve through dirt. They can’t see the driveway and there’s nowhere to park.”

Rosemarie Houston said sales are down 25 percent at her store, Bon Bon Furniture and Accessories. “I’m dying over here,” said Lauren McChrie, owner of Oskadusa Bead Shop,which has been at its Highw ay 101 location for 21 years. “I’ve seen it bad, even in 2007 when the economy was down,” she said. “But I’ve never seen it lik e this. I’m a destination store and people can’t get to me.” Station Sushi, a 12-year city mainstay that’s normally packed for lunch, served three tables on a r ecent Monday, owner Chung Choi said. Bartenders at Pizza P ort have had to tak e on second jobs, the manager there said, and John Lind, who owns a home furnishings stor e, said he had $58 in sales during a recent 10-day stretch. Merchants have also complained about rude and disrespectful workers, a sloppy jobsite, safety concerns and tr affic problems. Store owners voiced these and other concerns during a Dec. 10 meeting with Bullock, the city engineer and the city’s project manager. Bullock, a retired Marine, said as a small-business owner, he sympathizes with the merchants. “I feel your frustration,” he said.“Tell me what I can do to help you.” For starters, merchants suggested better signage and lighting. Bullock said he can’ t go back and fix what has already TURN TO HIGHWAY 101 ON A26


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The Coast News, Dec. 14, 2012 by Coast News Group - Issuu