PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 28, N0. 29
July 18, 2014
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Tri-City lawsuit .com alleges conflicts of interest over building By Aaron Burgin
POWERING THROUGH
The 33rd annual Carlsbad Triathlon saw almost 1,000 racers, including two U.S. Olympians swim, bike and run along the city’s coastline. More photos on page A17. Photo by Tony Cagala
Residents to city: ‘Be aspirational’ with open space By Ellen Wright
CARLSBAD — The city’s General Plan is being updated for the first time since 1994 and open space in Carlsbad has concerned some residents, causing the Council to hold a special meeting on Tuesday. The Council received a presentation on the city’s open space policies and how they relate to both the General Plan and the Growth Management Plan. Presenters also aimed to clarify information about open space that has been brought up by Preserve Calavera, an organization that hopes to preserve open space in Carlsbad. One of the main talking points was about the “40 per-
cent” open space law. An argument in favor of Proposition E in 1986 signed by four members of city council stated that 40 percent of the city will remain as open space, but the 40 percent was never a requirement, since it didn’t appear in the initiative, said David de Cordova, principal planner for the Community and Economic Development Department. President of Preserve Calavera, Dianne Nygaard said while the 40 percent was never in the plans, it was a promise heard time and again. “It’s been repeated through the years and is part of the reason people chose to move to Carlsbad,”
Nygaard told the Council. De Cordova said by 2035 the city will fall just short of having 40 percent of open space. The 40 percent estimate was conceived because about 25 percent of the city cannot physically be developed due to steep slopes, wetlands and other constraints combined with the 15 percent of new developments that must be set aside as stated in the Growth Management Plan. Residents asked the city to be aspirational when it comes to planning for open space. “The 37.7 percent that we have leaves us short by 570 acres, which is the equivalent of 17 Alga Norte parks.
Tuesday,August 19th 5:30pm-8:30pm
30+ Restaurants Offering Food Tastes 17 Stores Hosting Beer & Wine Tastes Live Music at 5 Locations
And the 39 percent we will have is still going to leave us significantly short,” said Paige DeCino, of Carlsbad. Steve Jantz, associate engineer for the Parks and Recreation Department, points out that 81 percent of residents agree that Carlsbad protects and enhances the open space and the natural environment, according to the Annual Residence Satisfaction survey the city administers. De Cordova added that the amount of Carlsbad’s preserved acreage is nearly double that of neighboring cities. During the informational meeting residents also TURN TO OPEN SPACE ON A19
25th Annual
OCEANSIDE — Tri-City Healthcare District’s former CEO and board chairwoman had illegal conflicts of interest when they pushed for the district to enter into an agreement with a Carlsbad insurance underwriter to build a medical office building on the hospital’s campus, the hospital alleges in a lawsuit filed this month. The accusations are spelled out in the 149-page suit filed on July 3 by the district, which is seeking to void the pact between the hospital district and Medical Acquisition Co., (MAC), which the district said has left it with an unfinished project and a deal that has been to the district’s detriment. Yet, Larry Anderson, the former CEO, board chairwoman Rosemarie Reno and an attorney with MAC each categorically deny the accusations the district made in the lawsuit. “Everything that they have accused me of is completely false,” Anderson said. “I am really getting tired of being accused of things that are totally false, and I have been dealing with this for nine months, and clearly have more to deal with for the foreseeable future, but the accusations are false and in time everyone will see this.” The complex development agreement called for MAC to lease district land for 50 years and build a 60,000-square-foot complex. The hospital would then lease almost half the space
THE
for $75,000 a month and preVISTA pay $7.5 million in up-front NEWS use the rest rent. MAC would of the space to house doctors from a side company it set up for spinal surgeries in TriCity’s operation rooms, as well as other services. As of today, the office building sits vacant on the southern edge of the campus. The lawsuit says that Anderson pushed the lease arrangement even though it RANCHO had a clause that virtually SFNEWS guaranteed him employment for eight years and while MAC owner and founder Charles Perez had bought him various gifts, including a home-security system, guns and other gratuities. The original agreement had a poison-pill clause that would have forced the hospital to pay MAC $18 million if the board were to fire Anderson or his executive team. Even though the hospital board later voted to remove the language, the lawsuit says the conflict still existed at the time the deal was being negotiated. The district terminated Anderson in October 2013, and in November of that year outlined several causes for his termination, including that he misled the district about its financial condition, pressured the former hospital financial officer to misstate financial reserves, conducted an inappropriate investigation of Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, spent district money for online image enhancement services and
.com
.com
TURN TO TRI-CITY ON A19
Advance Tickets $35 Day of Event $45
Available July 18 Online & at E101 Office More info: www.encinitas101.com Pr�ented by