PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com
SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 34, N0. 27
JULY 3, 2020
SAN Escondido MARCOS City -NEWS Manager . to retire set
com
By Tigist Layne
ESCONDIDO — Escondido City Manager Jeffrey Epp willTHE officially retire on July 11 after 35 VISTA years of serving EsconNEWS dido’s city government, but he will stay on temporarily to help the city transition to a new city manager. Epp has served as both city manager and city attorney of Escondido and is eligible for retirement this summer.RANCHO However,SFNEWS Epp has agreed to stay on as a retired annuitant, citing unprecedent- EPP ed times due to an ongoing pandemic and recent increased social unrest in the community. “With COVID-19 still being a big problem nationwide, as well as the recent protests, it seemed wise to wait,” Epp said. “I just want stability for the city, and I want to do what I can to help create a smooth transition.” The City Council unanimously approved the decision at its June 24 meeting, agreeing that Epp’s temporary position will go into effect on July 12. “It’s very bittersweet,” Epp said. “Although I look forward to doing something different and hopefully something exciting, the years I’ve spent serving the city have been outstanding and extremely fulfilling, and we’ve done a lot of cool things during my time here.”
.com
.com
Protests drive alternatives to forefront of local policing debate By Jordan P. Ingram
REGION — A popular rallying cry at Black Lives Matter protests — “Defund the police” — has sparked a fusillade of policing reform proposals in San Diego County, ranging from citizen oversight committees and divestment to outright abolition of modern law enforcement. As thousands of protesters have voiced their frustrations in the streets and at virtual city council meetings over the past few weeks, leaders are feeling a push to reform local police departments and redirect portions of city budgets away from law enforcement and toward community outreach programs and alternative crisis intervention
A WORKER at CAHOOTS, a crisis intervention program in Eugene, Oregon. The program has received national attention for its work with law enforcement. Courtesy photo
methods. The Escondido City Council received almost 400 public comments at its June 10 budget meeting, opposing the city’s $45.6
million police department budget. Members of Showing up For Racial Justice have organized skate-ins for youngsters against racism
We’re More than Just Great Pizza. DINE IN, PICKUP or DELIVERY
Enjoy our $4.98 food & drink specials at
BEACHCRAFT BAR
inside Leucadia Pizza, 1 block from Moonlight Beach
WE ARE
OPEN FOR DINE-IN
ENCINITAS • 760-942-2222 • CARLSBAD • 760-434-2222 Call us direct or place your order on line | www.leucadiapizza.com
and called repeatedly into Vista City Council meetings demanding police reform. And in some cases, the pressure campaigns have worked. Approximately one week after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, 15 law enforcement agencies countywide, including San Diego, Carlsbad, Escondido and Oceanside police departments, banned the carotid restraint. While Floyd’s death was not the result of a carotid restraint, the Minneapolis police officer, now facing second-degree murder charges, had pressed and held his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly nine
minutes, cutting off his ability to breathe. Michael Gennaco, a former Chief Attorney of the Office of Independent Review for Los Angeles County and founding principal of OIR Group, said more has been accomplished in San Diego County in the last 30 days than during the past decade. During his career as a federal prosecutor, Gennaco conducted reviews of officer-involved shootings, systems of accountability, complaint processes, useof-force incidents and other systems within Southern California police agencies. “It’s remarkable the Sheriff’s Department and TURN TO POLICE REFORM ON A13