PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 34, N0. 36
SEPT. 4, 2020
ELECTIONS 2020
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
.com THE VISTA NEWS
. com O’side politics
attract outside donors, groups RANCHO
By Dan Brendel
ENCINITAS RESIDENT Reece Jensen, above, leads his group of runners in the Wounded Warrior Project’s virtual “Carry Forward 5K” at Moonlight Beach on Saturday, Aug. 29. Photo by Caitlin Steinberg
Warriors’ Moonlight 5K By Caitlin Steinberg
ENCINITAS — The Encinitas-based team, led by Reece. C. Jensen, owner of Physical Rehabilitation Network, leads the state of California in fundraising, raising over $9,000 in support of injured veterans and their families. Gathering at Moonlight Beach, a group of veterans, locals and families dressed in patriotic garb brought plenty of American flags, weights and dedication, walking to Beacons Beach and back, stopping to do push-ups along the way. In previous years, the “Carry Forward 5K” has been held in-person at Liberty Station in San Diego, attracting over 1,400 people in 2019. This year, however, the pandemic forced Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) to adjust to a virtual setting, encouraging supporters to create their own routes, follow along on an officially sanctioned app, and share in their own communities. “Today is our celebratory walk,” Jensen said. “These people are my friends, my wife’s friends,
WOUNDED WARRIOR Project supporters participated in the “Carry Forward 5K” at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas on Aug. 29, raising $9,000 for veterans and their families. Photo courtesy of Wounded Warrior Project
my patients… that’s our squad and we’re the #1 fundraiser in California. We’re here to support.” According to WWP, the “Carry Forward 5K” encourages supporters to participate in three manners — Flag, Fitness or Fierce. Participants may carry a flag to show “support and
patriotism”; carry weights to “represent the responsibility veterans carry”; or “carry another person, symbolizing one warrior carrying each other.” Mercedes Noonan, WWP resource development manager, attended Saturday’s event in support of the Encinitas group’s
successful fundraising and enthusiasm for helping wounded veterans. “Not only does WWP host the ‘Carry Forward 5K’ in four major cities including San Diego, but we’re excited to give our folks the opportunity to do something in their local community where they
can host their own virtual walk,” Noonan said. “It’s a movement and I think it brings us together in a way that allows us to feel united right now.” According to Noonan, WWP has shifted both their fundraising events and the manner in which they help veterans themselves. “During this pandemic, there’s been a significant financial burden on some of our warriors,” Noonan said. “At the onset, we were able to provide $11 million in grants to warriors impacted by COVID at home.” In total, WWP was able to donate $11 million to 11,000 veterans in need of financial assistance during the pandemic, and starting in September, will provide an additional $7 million in financial support to military and veteran caregivers as a part of the organization’s Independence Program. “Our mission starts and ends with the warrior journey and that’s what guides us with whatever we do,” Noonan said. “When we shift and change a program around, it’s our warriors we’re keeping in mind.”
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OCEANSIDE — In aggregateSFNEWS since 2014, non-local donors have supplied relatively substantial campaign funds to candidates in Oceanside's city council and mayoral races. Of itemized monetary contributions and loans totaling about $757,000, including candidates funding their own campaign committees, donors with non-Oceanside addresses gave 43%. That’s according to The Coast News’ analysis of seven years of candidates’ campaign finance disclosures, tabulated by the city clerk, current through June 30. Individual donors, whether local or non-local, account for about twothirds. Organizations that aren’t contributor-funded — predominantly businesses, but also the occasional family trust, or the like — account for about one-third. Non-locals might take interest in Oceanside politics for any number of reasons — they work for the city government, they own property or a business in the city or the candidate is a family member or friend. But ultimately elected officials are accountable to the electorate, which consists of resident voters. So, to the extent campaign money says anything about candidates’ priorities and loyalties, The Coast News thinks it newsworthy that such a large proportion flows in from elsewhere. Campaign finance is a hugely complex subject. TURN TO DONATIONS ON A14
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