Volume XV, Issue 46
www.solanabeachsun.com
Nov. 10, 2011 Published Weekly
Police say burglary part of a series At least five incidents reported in the area since Oct. 27 ■ Solana Beach to celebrate Veterans Day with public ceremony. Page B9
BY JOE TASH San Diego police believe a home burglary in Carmel Valley on Oct. 29 — in which a resident came home to encounter an armed intruder — was part of a series of at least five residential break-ins in Carmel Valley and Del Mar
Heights, and they are asking the public for information to help them identify suspects. All five of the crimes occurred between Oct. 27 and Nov. 7, said Capt. Lori Luhnow, who heads the San Diego Police Department’s Northwestern Division on El Camino
Real. In three of the cases, residents had left town for several days when their homes were burglarized. In only one case — the Oct. 29 incident in the 5100 block of Seagrove Cove in Carmel Valley — did a victim confront the suspect, Luhnow said.
Holiday Arts and Crafts Boutique
■ Author tests resilience of family ties in sequel novel. Page 8
Sonia Lo and Pam Dalton spent Nov. 5 at the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society’s annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Boutique at La Colonia Community Center. See page B12 for more. PHOTO: JON CLARK
The other four cases occurred in Del Mar Heights: two in the 2100 block of Cordero, one in the 2000 block of Demayo Road and one in the 14000 block of Bahama Cove. All five of the burglaries oc-
SEE BURGLARY, PAGE 6
Burglary suspect
Board votes to keep elephant rides at SD Fair BY JOE TASH Elephant rides will continue to operate at the San Diego County Fair for at least three more years under a split vote by the fair board at its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8, in spite of a request by animal rights groups to ban the popular fairgrounds attraction. The board of directors of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which oversees operations at the state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds, listened to more than two hours of testimony by supporters and opponents of the elephant rides before voting 4-3 to reconsider the issue following the 2014 run of the fair. Board members Adam Day, Russ Penniman, Lisa
Barkett and Frederick Schenk voted to keep the elephant rides for three more years, while directors Tom Chino, David Watson and David Lizerbram voted against the motion. Director Ruben Barrales was absent. The issue arose in June, when a representative of the group Animal Defenders International addressed the board, asking for the elephant rides to be banned from the fair. The group presented a video, which it said was shot undercover at the Riverside County compound of Have Trunk Will Travel, the company that has run the fair’s elephant rides for 27 years. The group said the video showed trainers at Have Trunk Will
SEE ELEPHANT, PAGE 7
DM officials look to include vision for fairgrounds in land use plan BY CLAIRE HARLIN
■ Competitive kickboxer explodes onto professional scene. Page B1
EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET
As it stands, the Del Mar city plan does not pay much attention to the development potential and vision for the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and city officials are looking to change that. The Del Mar City Coun-
cil gave direction to city staff on Nov. 7 in pursuing a Local Coastal Program Amendment (LCPA), as well as changes to the zoning code and community plan that will outline more specific development parameters for the fairgrounds. The issue will return to the coun-
cil on Dec. 12 for further discussion. City planning manager Adam Birnbaum said the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which is the final authority on development projects, is currently using standards for Del Mar set forth in the 1970s. If the
CCC approves an LCPA with more specific guidelines for the fairgrounds, however, those review standards would be used by the CCC. “In other areas of the city there are goals identified,” said Birnbaum. “But in this major part [the fairgrounds] there is no vision
set forth.” Birnbaum said this is probably due to the sentiment years ago that the City had limited influence over the Del Mar Fairgrounds because it is under the control
SEE FAIRGROUNDS, PAGE 6