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VOLUME 27 NUMBER 46
Nov. 17, 2011
SB schools Board eyes open space parkland dedication chief is Del Mar Mesa planners urged to participate in canyon lands public review process retiring Solana Beach School District Superintendent Leslie Fausset is retiring after nearly 40 years in the education field and six years leading the district. The board has Leslie Fausset hired Richard Whitmore from WestEd to assist with the transition and conduct a superintendent search. The Solana Beach School District includes schools in Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe and Solana Beach. Fausset said they plan to interview in early December and her departure date is totally dependent on the timing of the new superintendent’s availability. In Fausset’s long career in education, she has done everything from teaching first grade in the Poway Unified School District to serving as the chief deputy superintendent for policy and programs for the California Department of Education. She joined SBSD as a superintendent in 2005. Moving from her superintendent post at San Diego Unified School District, she has said it felt like coming home, as she has been a Solana Beach resident for more than 30 years and her two children went to Solana Beach schools. — Karen Billing
BY SUZANNE EVANS Hundreds of canyons all over the city are prime for dedication as parkland open space, Eric Bowlby, executive director of the nonprofit San Diego Canyonlands organization, told the Del Mar Mesa planning board Nov. 10. Bowlby urged
the board to participate in a countywide canyon lands public review process and add their choice of Del Mar Mesa lands to be dedicated as open space. “Adhering to its community plan, the city can preserve canyon lands by dedicating them as open
space,” Bowlby said. Funding is through the San Diego Foundation, run by Canyonlands and state grants. Canyonlands organization in San Diego includes planning professionals, landscape architects and other urban planning visionaries
Net gains for Torrey Pines, Canyon Crest
committed to blending the county’s natural open spaces with the urban environment. Among the organization’s goals are canyon access, restoration, preservation, and providing “ecologically sensitive
See PARKLAND, Page 6
County fair ‘deficiencies’ discussed BY JOE TASH A state report released earlier this month identified what it called eight management “deficiencies” in the operation of the San Diego County Fair, including improper payouts to employees for accumulated leave time and failure to adequately document free meals, fair and concert tickets given to fair board members. The report was issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s audit office, regarding the operations of the 22nd District Agriculture Association, which runs the state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds. The report looked at fairgrounds operations during 2008 and 2009.
(Above) Torrey Pines defeated Rancho Bernardo 3-0 (2513, 25-13, 25-11) in a Division I playoff game on Nov. 10. Savannah Rennie guards the net for TPHS. (Right) Canyon Crest Academy extended its winning streak to eight games as the Ravens defeated Point Loma 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-22) in a Division III playoff game on Nov. 11. CCA’s Katie McAllister hits in CCA’s win over Point Loma in the Division III quarterfinals. Photos/Anna Scipione
See FAIR, Page 6
Ag. board looking to mitigate effects of longer fair run BY CLAIRE HARLIN EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET Del Mar city officials are exploring mitigation measures with the 22nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) board in response to the board’s recent decision to add two more days to the fair run. The Del Mar City Council reported Nov. 14 on a re-
cent meeting with the five newly-appointed DAA board members to discuss ways to mitigate impacts on traffic and businesses. The City of Solana Beach is also involved in the conversation. The council reported that the Ag. board has agreed to push for a shuttle running back and forth between com-
munities and the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Another mitigation measure Del Mar officials said the board agreed to involves improving public transportation routes to and from the fair, as well as promotions to get people to use mass transit rather than driving. The council pointed out that there is a clear deadline
in sight — the next fair season — so the process has already started and is moving quickly. Interim City Manager Mark Ochenduszko has a meeting with the fair officials this week in regard to the shuttle. Deputy Mayor Carl Hilliard said the shuttle idea has been brought up in the past, but did not come to fruition
because the City of Solana Beach pulled out of the project after finding another sponsor. “Because of that it came to a stop,” said Hilliard. Mayor Don Mosier said he senses that there is a “willingness to have funding come from the fairgrounds.”
JOHN R. LEFFERDINK
619-813-8222
www.johnlefferdink.com
ANGELA MEAKINS-BERGMAN
LISA KELLEY
CONNIE SUNDSTROM
VERONICA MOORE
858-405-9270
858-880-5242
858-334-8114
619-250-5076