PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 23, NO. 40
Hometown hero hosts beach expo
THISWEEK
The Rob Machado Surf Experience and Green Expo was held at Cardiff State Beach on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27. The Cardiff 101 Chamber of Commerce and Rob Machado teamed up to host the event, which included a surf competition and a green expo featuring environmentally friendly exhibits such as biodegradable surf wax. Left, Carlsbad resident Wade Koniakowsky paints a surfboard to be auctioned for charity. Below right, Cardiff resident and surf legend Rob Machado. Below left, The Moonlight Beach Ukulele Strummers performed on Saturday afternoon, spreading the Hawaiian spirit! See more photos from the event on Page A20.
TRIPPING OUT
Two court bailiffs set off on a 1,000-mile kayaking expedition that will take them to Cabo San Lucas and raise funds to B3 help fight cancer
LOVING THE LIMA An unusual new festival celebrates an unlikely hero — the lima A7 bean
INSIDE
Photos by Daniel Knighton
TWO SECTIONS, 48 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B19 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B22 Consumer Reports . . . B11 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B22 Doorman Diaries . . . . . B3 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . A11 Henry’s Health Tips . . . . B5 Hot Off the Block . . . . A10 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A21 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pendleton News . . . . . A18 Pet of the Week . . . . . . A17 Sea Notes . . . . . . . . . . A13 Second Opinion . . . . . . A12 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . B4 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
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.com OCT. 2, 2009
Debate sparked by new fire map By Wehtahnah Tucker
ENCINITAS — City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Sept.23 that identifies high fire hazard zone areas and includes them in a final map.Some residents questioned the intent of the final map and the consequences it may have on insurance rates and property values. Fire Marshal Bob Scott told the council that some areas were previously mislabeled urban areas and should be labeled high fire areas. Existing homes are not required to make any changes but new developments would be required to meet certain construction standards. Timothy Gendreau, a homeowner in the Sage TURN TO MAP ON A16
Council OKs valets for parking at Plaza By Bianca Kaplanek
Principal faces charges of stealing school funds By Randy Kalp
OCEANSIDE — An elementary school principal accused of stealing nearly $50,000 from the Oceanside Unified School District pleaded not guilty to multiple grand theft charges Sept. 22. Paulette Dastrup Thompson, 59, is charged with nine counts of grand theft and one count of using someone else’s personal identification in connection to thefts over a four-year period from the district and Parent Teacher Organization. If convicted, Thompson faces up to nine years in
prison. Currently, she remains free on bond. At her arraignment hearing Sept. 22 in downtown San Diego Superior Court, Judge David Szumowski set a readiness conference for Nov. 3 and a preliminary hearing for Dec. 1. Steve Lombard, a spokesman for Oceanside Unified School District, said representatives from the PTO at Reynolds Elementary School came across discrepancies in their books that they had concerns about. After the school district reviewed the information,
Lombard said they felt the questions and concerns were strong enough to warrant an investigation. At that point, Lombard said the school district, as part of its policy, handed over the case to an outside investigator, who also found some issues with the financial records. Finally, the case was given to the Oceanside Police Department and then the district attorney’s office, he said. Lombard said Thompson has been with the district since 1989. He said she started as a teacher and worked her way up. Before moving
into her recent role as principal at Reynolds Elementary, Lombard said Thompson had also been a principal at San Luis Rey Elementary. She was placed on paid administrative leave in February, Lombard said. However, once the criminal charges were filed, her status changed to unpaid leave. Lombard said his records showed Thompson was criminally charged Aug. 31. A decision regarding Thompson’s future employment with Oceanside Unified School District has not been made yet, Lombard said.
DEL MAR — Parking at Del Mar Plaza, especially on peak summer nights, should get easier with City Council’s unanimous decision at the Sept. 21 meeting to allow the use of valets to satisfy an increased parking requirement. In July, Council members approved a request to expand restaurant service at the site, resulting in a need for 58 additional spaces. They deferred a vote on the use of valet parking to meet that requirement until more information was available and the public had a chance to weigh in. Existing restaurants currently use approximately TURN TO VALET ON A15