Mission Times Courier - January 2013

Allied Gardens January 1, 2013

• Del Cerro • Grantville • College • Northern La Mesa • Rolando • San Carlos • Fletcher Hills On the Internet at www.MissionTimesCourier.com

Volume XX – Number 13

INSIDE

Prevent Burglaries by Taking Proactive Measures

THIS ISSUE

On a Roll Ahi Sushi opens its third location along Fletcher Parkway.

Page 11

Del Cerro Resident Inducted into Air & Space Hall of Fame Through the Pipes San Diego County Water Authority offers a look into its multimillion-dollar project.

Page 14

By Dave Schwab Among those gathered to salute aviation and space legends at the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s “Class of 2012” International Air &

Space Hall of Fame induction ceremony Nov. 17 was local aviation pioneer Brig. Gen. Robert L. “Bob” Cardenas.

A Del Cerro resident since 1973, the 92-year-old

Cardenas was a special guest at the 49th Hall of Fame Induction. Museum inductees are selected for their historic contributions to aviation, space or aerospace innovation.

See General page 7

Girl Scouts Spread Holiday Cheer

By Josie Balkowski The Girl Scouts of Mission Trails are at it again – spreading good will and holiday cheer, that is!

In Mission Trails even the smallest scout knows she can make a difference in her See Scouts page 20

Samson Returns San Diego Opera kicks off its 48th International Season with a biblical drama.

Page 15 NEWS TIPS (619) 283-9747 X-121 Editor@MissionTimesCourier.com

ADVERTISE WITH US (619) 283-9747 X-128 Sales@MissionTimesCourier.com

Taking a Bite Out of Pit Bull Panic Experts argue nurture over nature regarding dog behavior

By Jeremy Ogul Several pit bull attacks this year have some members of the public, including the media, wondering whether the breed is too dangerous to own.

In June, an 8-month-old Lemon Grove boy died after the family dog bit him on the head. The boy lived in an apartment with his mother, her roommate and three dogs, all reported to be pit bulls. The child’s mother, a 27-year-old woman who declined to give her name,

told U-T San Diego that the dogs “loved him from the beginning” and were always friendly and well-behaved.

The tragedy in Lemon Grove happened just six months after a Paradise Hills woman succumbed to the injuries she sustained after her neighbor’s dog bit her in her own backyard. Emako Mendoza, 75, was in her own backyard in Paradise Hills when the two dogs got into her See Pit Bull page 18

By Dave Schwab When it comes to burglaries, residents, particularly seniors who may be easier targets because of frail health or diminished capacities, need to take preventative action, such as investing in security measures.

Installing door and window locks, improving fencing and adding motionsensor lighting can dissuade would-be burglars to search elsewhere for a mark.

There are also a number of simple common-sense things people can do to guard their homes against intrusion.

Sometimes it doesn’t involve more than merely becoming more aware or adopting safer behavior patterns, such as keeping doors and windows locked.

Because criminals typically seek the path of least resistance in committing crimes of opportunity, the objective of homeowners in guarding against them is to do everything possible to harden their dwellings as targets, make them as difficult as possible to break into so they’ll be avoided.

The first thing seniors and other homeowners should do in attempting to prevent residential burglaries is to keep lines of communication with local police open.

“If you’re a (crime) victim, let us know,” said Lt. Paul Rorrison of the San Diego Police Department. “If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it.

If you see something that isn’t right, call us.”

SDPD community relations officer Alan Alvarez cautioned homeowners to be wary of door-to-door solicitors. “Don’t answer the door,” he said, adding criminals often employ runaways or homeless youth to case homes and neighborhoods to see which residences have valuables or easy access.

Rorrison and Alvarez, who both advise local residents on how to avoid burglaries, said it’s important for crime victims to document the day and time of a crime incident and get See Burglaries page 22

Page 2

LOCAL News

Friends of Lake Murray

By Barbara Cleves Anderson

We often form groups of friends that we meet at Lake Murray. Some friends become very close to us.

There is a small contingency of people that meet at a bench most afternoons.

The bench is next to the lake road. You have probably seen them. Some sit, some stand. Walkers, runners and bikers sometimes stop to chat with this group. The pals talk about everything and probably everybody. On the afternoon of Nov. 28 Ed Heidig joined his friends, made a joke and as he was laughing, he lost consciousness.

CPR was administered, but it was too late.

Ed was in the Navy and after flight training was assigned to the U.S. Public Health Service as an epidemiologist. As a scientist in that field he taught at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, worked for the Utilities Department at the aqua culture pad in Mission Valley and did all kinds of volunteer work including vector control with Don Bruders at the lake. Ed also was a member of Oasis, a senior organization. He had breakfast regularly at San Carlos’ The Trails restaurant. All of these people had high regard for him and feel sorrow at his passing.

Ed was married to his attractive wife, Diana, for 38 years. The Heidigs have a son, Craig, who is married and has a child. Ed and Diana moved to San Diego about 30 years ago, Diana said. We think I

must have met them running at the lake about that time. Diana and Ed ran sort of together. Diana was always a little bit behind Ed. She said that he just ran faster. He would sometimes walk with friends.

Ed was in good physical shape. He was muscular but slim. I saw Ed and group at the lake two days before he died. If I didn’t see him for a while the first thing he asked me was if I remember when we periodically ran together. I do remember.

Ed was enthusiastic, interested in everyone he met, he was curious about everything especially complex issues, and he was a tease. We never fail to remember the twinkle in Ed’s eyes. What a combination. People feel that Ed enhanced their days and they will probably talk incessantly of their escapades and thoughts of him…especially those who warm the Lake Murray bench. The gift he left for Diana, friends and family is the gift of memories that they made with him.

That treasure can be called upon at will. That is how it should be.

Ed’s dear friends would like to commemorate his life with a picnic table at Lake Murray. If anyone would like to contribute to the cause they can send a check to: Don Bruders at 3952 Gayle St., San Diego, CA 92115. Any left over funds will go to the Oasis Organization and the Our Lady of Grace Pantry.

Those groups were speSee Lake Murray page 6

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Del Cerro Action Council

By Jay Wilson, President, DCAC Scott Sherman took the oath of office as our new councilmember for District 7 Dec. 3. Jonathan Staab is now our council representative for the entire Navajo community. Jonathan lives in Rolando and is very familiar with the Navajo community.

Fortunately for us, Barrett Tetlow, Councilmember Sherman’s chief of staff, is also familiar with the Navajo community. I have met with Jonathan and taken him on a tour of Navajo community. If you have a city-related comment or concern, and would like to contact Councilmember Sherman or Jonathan, the email address is JStaab@ sandiego.gov. You might want to sign up for Councilmember Sherman’s District 7 e-News Update. To do so, go to the city’s website at sandiego. gov, click on City Council, and scroll down to District 7.

The next meeting of the Del Cerro Action Council (DCAC) is Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m., at Temple Emanu-El. The new principal of Patrick Henry, Listy Gillingham, has accepted an invitation to be our speaker. This will be a very good opportunity to meet the principal and be brought up to date on the state of the high school. I have also asked Police Sgt. Dean Thomas to

attend to give us a police update on Del Cerro and the surrounding communities.

Staab from Councilmember Sherman’s office will be attending as well. The DCAC meeting agenda will be posted on the delcerroactioncouncil. org website Jan. 20.

All DCAC updates are now being posted directly to our website: delcerroactioncouncil. org. Take a moment to sign up to receive the DCAC e-News updates. Your email address is secure and will be kept confidential. Through our website, you can also contact the DCAC and/or post comments. Scroll down the right-hand side of the page to just below Email Subscriptions. Enter your email address on this secure site and you will be notified whenever there is a new post to the site.

You can of course post a comment and/or contact the DCAC through the site as well.

Michael McSweeney and I recently met with Angelina Allen, the new area manager for the Park and Recreation Department for the Navajo and Tierrasanta communities, and Paul Jacob, a civil engineer with the city’s Park and Recreation Department, to determine what the city would do and what the DCAC could do to improve the area around the Princess del Cerro Playground. The city is already

working on a plan to repair the raised sidewalk and the depressed ADA ramps into the playground area. The DCAC will take the lead in repairing the area where the bricks are in front of the playground.

We will also be working with the Park and Recreation Department Arborist to determine how best to install root barriers around the two large ficus trees between the street and the playground. There are also plans to add a couple more benches and a picnic table. If you are interested in donating a bench or picnic table, please contact the DCAC via our webpage.

Beginning with the January meeting, the Navajo Community Planners, Inc. will be meeting at the Zion Avenue Community Church in Allied Gardens located at 4880 Zion Ave. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. The NCPI website is navajoplanners.org. Because of federal holidays, NCPI will meet the fourth Mondays in January and February.

Happy New Year to all! ♦

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 3

College Area Community Council

By Doug Case, President, CACC The City of San Diego is developing a Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP) to guide the planning and implementation of pedestrian improvement projects. The PMP will help the City enhance neighborhood quality and mobility options by facilitating pedestrian improvement projects. The PMP will identify and prioritize improvement projects based on technical analysis and community input as well as improve the City’s ability to receive grant funding for project implementation.

On Dec. 5, an open house was held at the College Rolando Library to present the consultant’s preliminary recommendations for several communities, including the College Area, and to get community input. Six improvement areas in the College Area with corresponding potential improvements, were identified through community meetings, walk audits, and an online survey:

West El Cajon Boulevard Corridor – Conduct a comprehensive mobility study.

Crosswalk improvements, restriping and curb extensions at El Cajon/56th Street and El Cajon/58th Street.

East El Cajon Boulevard Corridor – Conduct a comprehensive mobility study.

Countdown pedestrian timers, pedestrian lead timing changes and curb extensions at El Cajon/67th Street and El Cajon/73rd Street.

69th Street / El Cajon Boulevard – Install flashing crosswalk, construct curb extensions, and extend sidewalks and construct median extensions along 69th Street.

Hardy Elementary School – Install ADA compliant curb ramps on the north side of Montezuma Road/54th Street and the inbound school driveway. Repaint crosswalks in the area with highly reflective paint and install yellow highly reflective signs.

Montezuma Place – Decrease vehicle-pedestrian conflicts through buffers,

reduced crossing distances and restricted turning movements.

Montezuma Road at College Avenue and at Rockford Drive – Restrict turning movements and install enhanced crossing.

Install countdown pedestrian timers and ADA accessibility features at College Avenue.

Evaluate measures to reconfigure pedestrian crossing at Rockford Drive.

Community members who did not attend the open house can still provide additional input, no later than Jan. 9, to Dawn Wilson, RBF Consulting, (760) 6036246, dwilson@rbf.com. You can also contact the City Project Manager, Maureen Gardiner, at (619) 236-7065, mgardiner@sandiego.gov. ♦

San Carlos Area Council

By John F. Pilch, President, SCAC The San Carlos Area Council (SCAC) is pleased to begin 2013 with our newly-elected mayor, Bob Filner, as our guest speaker on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. at the San Carlos Branch Library, 7265 Jackson Dr. Mayor Filner’s scheduler confirmed that he will be at our meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Mayor Filner will discuss his plans for the City of San Diego for the coming year and respond to questions from the audience.

Since seating is limited, please plan to arrive early. As usual, the meeting is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

Until then, the SCAC officers and directors wish each of you a Happy New Year in 2013 and hope you had a Happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah.

Councilmember Scott Sherman has hired a representative to handle San Carlos and the Navajo Area. He is Jonathan Staab and can be reached at (619) 236-6677. He’s a resident of Rolando and is eager to assist D-7 residents with issues, per my discussion with him at a recent meeting. His email is JStaab@sandiego.gov.

We still do not have any leads about the vandalism to the “Welcome to San Carlos” monument on the

Navajo Road median. We continue to work with the SDPD on this issue and the City to get repairs underway and completed sometime soon.

As you are probably aware, especially if you travel on Jackson Drive, from Mission Gorge Road to Lake Shore Drive, the SDCWA Pipeline #4 Relining project is in full swing. After hearing some traffic control suggestions from residents, we passed them along to Craig Balben at SDCWA. He advised that he and the project manager will be working with the city’s Traffic Department for possible implementation of additional signage in the areas of Golfcrest and Hyde Park. Please be patient as this work

progresses and slow down in the construction zones.

Although this is an inconvenience, please note that the re-lining extends the life of the pipeline that brings untreated water to the Alvarado Filtration Plant and treated water to your home.

If you have not seen the traffic pattern in the area, it has been changed See SCAC page 19

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

15 New Year’s Resolutions for Pet Parents

By Sari Reis

One of the hallmarks of beginning a New Year is the making of New Year’s Resolutions. Here are some for you to consider in regards to your “furry kids.”

1) If you have a dog, resolve to take him for a nice long walk at least once every day.

2) If your dog is left alone all day while you are at work, consider getting a dog walker to come by and get him out for some exercise, human interaction, some sniffing and a chance to go potty.

3) If you have a very social dog that interacts well with other dogs but has lots of energy to burn, consider a doggy daycare a few days a week.

4) If you have a pet that is carrying some extra pounds, resolve to help him/her take it off. Be sure to discuss this with your veterinarian to make sure that you are cutting down on calories and not nutrients. Reducing the treats is the easiest way to slim down an overweight pet.

5) If your pet hasn’t been to the vet for a while, resolve to take him/her in for a wellness check. So many problems

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can be headed off by early detection. Make sure the veterinarian checks your animal’s teeth and if they need to be professionally cleaned, resolve to get it done.

6) If your pet hasn’t been professionally groomed for a while, consider a professional wash and cut. This is important for long-haired cats as well as dogs. They can get matted which is unhealthy and makes them very uncomfortable.

7) If your pet’s nails are not being trimmed regularly, resolve to do it or have it done professionally on a routine basis.

8) If you have not been treating your pet monthly with flea prevention, resolve to do it this year. San Diego can be a very bad place for unprotected furry animals when it comes to fleas.

9) If your dog could use some manners, resolve to get into some training classes.

This is not just for puppies but any dogs. You can teach an old dog new tricks.

10) If you have been considering participating in a pet therapy program, resolve to enroll your dog in a Canine

Good Citizen program.

11) If you have a fenced in yard that needs repair to keep the dog safe, resolve to fix it and then consider a doggy door to give your pet outdoor access during the day.

12) If you have a kitty, resolve to spend more time playing with it. Kitties need exercise too and most love to play and interact with their humans.

13) If you have a dog or cat with a major behavior issue, resolve to bring in a professional trainer or behaviorist to help you work though the issues.

14) If you have some extra time in your schedule, resolve to volunteer a few hours routinely at a local shelter, or to help work with animal advocacy groups.

15) Lastly, resolve to spoil your furry kids as much as possible with your love, time and attention. They will give it back in spades and you will all have a wonderful year. ♦ Sari Reis is a humane education specialist and the owner of Mission Valley Pet Sitting Services. For more information you can contact her at (760) 644-0289 or www. missionvalleypetsitting.com.

Pet of the Month

Gunner is a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier. He was adopted about less than three years ago from a rescue. “He is the sweetest dog and we are so happy to have him in our family,” said his adoptive mom, Carol Yubeta, a San Carlos resident.

Do you think your pet deserves top billing?

Submit your photos and a brief description to gen@ missiontimescourier.com.

David Ogul

They call it the daily Minyan, a group of 10 or more observant – and some not-so-observant – Jews who gather every morning in the chapel at Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Carlos to wrap Tefillin, read a set of Psalms and connect with God. It is in many ways a motley crew comprising young and old, a group of personalities as diverse as the views they espouse.

Right-wing Republican and left-wing Democrats.

Holocaust survivors and Vietnam War veterans.

Those who come for the spiritual journey and those who come for company and conversation.

One constant, however, has been Sidney Michael Weinberg, a 93-year-old native New Yorker admired not only for his expertise on ritual and knowledge of Torah, but for his sharp wit, along with his skill in buying groceries for the breakfast following services.

And his friendship.

When Sid Weinberg died of natural causes on Nov. 30, a part of the daily Minyan died with him, too.

Because at Tifereth Israel, Sid was as much a part of the morning Shacharit as anyone. He was the conductor who made sure services went on without a glitch.

“He used to open the doors to the Minyan every day at 6 a.m.,” Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal said at a memorial service. “I told him not even God was awake at that hour!” Sid also updated the Yahrzeit

The Inspiration That was Sid Weinberg

board in the chapel that track when prayers are to be said for those who have died, he gave out aliyot during Shabbat services, helped set up and clean up the daily after-Minyan breakfast and often served as a resource for the rabbi when Rosenthal found himself stumped over a certain protocol.

“He also donated generously to the synagogue,” Rosenthal said.

Said Tifereth Israel president Seth Krosner: “Sid was devoted to the constant attention to what the synagogue needed.” In fact, Sid lived next door to the Tommy Drive shul, and he often took responsibility for locking the up at night and checking the property after all had gone home.

Every synagogue, and indeed every church and mosque, has its own Sid Weinbergs: deeply spiritual congregants who care more for others than for themselves, people who understand that if you want your place of worship to offer everything you are seeking, then you’d better be willing to put in the time to help make that happen.

At Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church near San Diego State University, for example, a group of parishioners make sure there is an ample supply of coffee and doughnuts for the regular after-Mass breakfast.

Sid, however, was known beyond Tifereth Israel Synagogue. He was an icon in the community.

He spent 15 years volunteering with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department as an RSVP officer after moving to the area, doing everything from checking on elderly residents living by themselves See Ogul page 5

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Letter from the Editor

By Genevieve A. Suzuki

If you’re reading this, as NASA assured us, the world has not come to an end. That’s a good thing, too, because we have an awful lot to fix before we ride off into that golden sunset in the sky.

As I write this letter to you, my heart is still hurting. On Dec. 14, 2012, a stranger walked into a Connecticut classroom and changed all of our lives for the worse, taking 20 children and six adults from us. When I woke in the middle of the night, in front of my lit Christmas tree, I wondered if – and hoped – I had just dreamt the whole terrible event.

I can’t imagine what the victims’ families went through that night.

The event that day changed me, as I hope it has changed many of us.

It woke the responsible parent who has been lounging in the background, allowing others to lead society as they see fit.

You see, even though I did not lose a child on Dec. 14, those parents’ loss still reverberated through my soul, as it did for most of our country. As President Barack Obama said during the

service for the victims Dec. 16, “It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself, that this job of keeping our children safe and teaching them well is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community and the help of a nation. And in that way we come to realize that we bear responsibility for every child, because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours, that we’re all parents, that they are all our children.”

After establishing our first task as caring for our children, Obama asked whether we can truly say we’re meeting that obligation as a nation. “Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm,” he asked.

No, we can’t claim that we’re doing all we can to protect our kids. This is not the world I want my daughter to grow up in, nor am I the parent I want her to emulate. But the good news is there is still time for me to change and to help effect change, as there is still time for all of us to work toward a world of which we can be proud.

Although commentators have discussed several variables that may have caused the Sandy Hook tragedy, one of the undeniable ones is that a disturbed young man had access to several assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns.

As an attorney, I understand the Second Amendment, and as a U.S. citizen, I am familiar with the argument for the right to bear arms. As a child of domestic violence, however, I understand that guns, particularly assault

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weapons, have no place in our homes.

While my father never owned an assault weapon, he did own a handgun.

During a heated argument between my parents toward the end of their marriage, he took out his gun and pointed at himself and my mom, who sat on the bed crying. He asked her whether she wanted him to shoot himself and wondered aloud whether he should shoot her as well.

He was so out of his mind he didn’t realize his 10-year-old was watching from the doorway.

When he threw the gun onto the bed, I raced up to it, grabbed it, shoved it under my shirt and ran to a neighbor’s apartment. I later learned the gun had been loaded. Fortunately, there was no accident that day, nor did my father carry out his threat to pull the trigger on my mom or himself.

Sadly, that’s not the case in many instances, and it certainly wasn’t the case in Newtown that fateful Friday.

While gun proponents argue they have a right to bear arms, as a friend of mine said, we also have a right to have our children and see them grow. And when balancing the rights, parents come out on top.

Your right to own an assault weapon should not trump my child’s right to live, laugh and play.

And so, as we step into a new year, let’s resolve to get involved in the formation of a new world, one that places our children first and doesn’t cling to the old one-size-fits-all guns-for-everyone ideal.

Who knows, maybe the Mayan calendar was right.

Maybe the world as we knew it on Dec. 14 has ended and a new era of responsibility for our children and our community has begun. ♦

Adventure Girls

Girls and adults interested in wilderness adventures are invited to the San Diego Girl Scouts Backpacking Open House Jan. 17 at Adventure 16 in Mission Valley at 7 p.m. Non-members are welcome. Find out how you can improve your outdoor skills, meet other adventurous teens and enjoy a pathway into the woods through Girl Scouts. Backpack trainers and trip leaders will be on hand to give an overview of the hiking and backpacking program.

You do not need to be a Girl Scout to attend. We encourage any interested girls, sixth grade and up, and their families to come and check out our hiking and backpacking programs.

Adventure 16 is located at 4620 Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92120. ♦ For more information, please contact Gabby Coburn at (619) 610-0816 or via email at gcoburn@ sdgirlscouts.org.

Ogul, from page 4 to reporting suspicious activity while cruising through neighborhoods in unincorporated parts of the county. And he was a regular at the Denny’s restaurant off Navajo Road, where the waitresses knew what to serve him before he even settled into his seat.

Tifereth Israel will continue to not only survive, but to thrive despite Sid’s absence. Others are now monitoring the Yahrzeit board, making the coffee, buying groceries, greeting the toddlers as they waddle into the synagogue’s preschool, opening the shul in the morning and locking the doors at night.

But for several weeks inside the small synagogue chapel, a lone Talit – or traditional Jewish prayer shawl – lay draped across the chair in which Sid sat during services.

The chair remains empty. ♦

Page 6

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

San Diego River Master Plan Moves Forward

By Dave Schwab

Lake Murray, from page 2 cial to Ed. Our thoughts, prayers, and love go to Diana and family.

(In October Jeff Swiney happened to take a photo of some of the group, which is printed in this column.

Ed is on the left, Doug Dyck, Cecelia Johnson, Walker with dog Coco, and Bob Diamond.)

One afternoon while walking near the ball fields at Lake Murray. I saw some boys practicing baseball. I stopped to watch these kids throwing the ball with gusto. I stood for a while seeing pairs throwing back and forth.

I asked a coach the ages of the team members. He said that they were eight and ten year olds. These guys were throwing and catching like they have been playing for a long time. However, eight or ten years aren’t that long.

They were good.

There was one boy that “accidently” threw over his partner’s head. Then the other player “accidently” threw the ball back over the head of his partner. I asked if they did that on purpose and they just grinned at me. It was good to see the fun they were having.

These kids are really good and I couldn’t stop watching for a while. Maybe I will come back in the spring and watch a game.

Maybe you have noticed the new outhouses next to the lake road. They are ADA (American Disabled

Act) accessible to people who are in wheelchairs or disabled in some way and need more room to navigate. As I write this they need more work to stabilize them. Since the necessary plots are on a slope, they are not ADA accessible.

They will be. There have been complaints to lake staff, but they need time to make pads for the toilets.

The lake staff along with the Reservoir Keeper and her Assistant Reservoir Keeper work very hard to accommodate us. Another complaint is the toilets need to be pumped out more. With more and more people using the facilities they are hard to keep clean and revenue is not there for pumping more than one time a week. Thankfully, most people know how hard they work.

The Friends of Lake Murray didn’t meet in December because of the holidays but our next meeting will be on Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. We meet on the corner of Wandermere Drive and Park Ridge Boulevard at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. It is across the street from Patrick Henry High School. Our speaker will be one of our favorites, Nigella Hillgarth, Executive Director of Scripps Oceanography. Her subject will be “Coastal Wildlife.” Nigella may talk a bit about her most recent trip to the Galapagos Islands. ♦

Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) voted 9 in favor, two opposed with one abstention to amend the Navajo Community Plan to pave the way for ultimate approval of the San Diego River Master Plan.

The torch of group leadership was also passed at the advisory group’s December meeting, as chair Allen Jones stepped down from his post, resigning from the group and handing the gavel over to vice chair Anthony Wagner.

“I am leaving my employer and I do not live in Navajo, so the bylaws say I am ineligible to serve on the board,” said Jones, who is joining San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s office as a deputy chief of staff on policy issues. “I regret not being able to serve out the remainder of my term.”

Wagner will fill in as interim chair until group elections in March and election of group officers in April.

The December meeting also marked the last time the group will meet at Temple Emanu-El on Capri Drive. Starting with the group’s next meeting in January 2013, NCPI will meet at Zion Avenue Community Church, 4880 Zion Ave., starting at 7 p.m.

Jonathan Staab, representative for elected District 7 City Councilman Scott Sherman, attended the meeting and introduced himself.

A resident of Rolando, Staab said he was a sniper in the Army for five years and served two years in Iraq before returning to school at San Diego State University, where he said he “got involved in political work on three campaigns and now city hall.”

Staab said Sherman is on several committees, including Natural Resources and Audit. He added the councilman’s new website will be up and operating in about another week.

Robin Shifflet with the City of San Diego’s planning division in the Department of Development Services and Todd Mead of Civita’s engineering firm out

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of Denver, presented a slideshow before asking NCPI planners for a vote endorsing changes to the Navajo Community Plan, which would allow final approval of the long-term, visionary San Diego River Master Plan to continue to move forward.

The pair gave their presentation then fielded questions from board members prior to their vote.

NCPI is just one of more than a dozen community and other relevant stakeholder groups Shifflet and Mead are appearing before attempting to secure their endorsement of the river park master plan which ultimately will seek conceptual approval from the San Diego City Council likely in early 2013.

Noting the river park master plan dates back at least 10 years, Mead said, “This has been a really exciting and challenging process for us to try and find what this river can mean to the city.”

Narrating the slideshow presentation, Mead said the river master plan seeks a “synergy of water, wildlife and people offering some flexibility and some balance.”

Adding the San Diego River hold environmental, social, cultural and economic significance, Mead said it also has the potential for “a whole series of benefits,” such as enhanced recreation including biking and hiking trails as well as development of a host of possible outdoor-oriented retail and restaurant space utilizing patios.

“It could be a front-door contributor to (increasing) property values,” Mead said.

Among other things, the San Diego River Master Plan seeks to: Restore and maintain a healthy river system.

Unify fragmentary landscape and habitat Create a connecting continuum with of unique river-themed places and experiences Reveal the river’s historical value via creation of a visitor center.

Mead said the master plan seeks to integrate the river with canyons along its long and meandering path.

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eral questions, and a few comments, to offer about the river master plan.

Dan Smith of Grantville expressed concern, and displeasure, that the master plan makes no attempt to address significant flooding problems within the Navajo Plan area which have existed for some time.

“It’s a big problem,” said Smith of recurring, seasonal flooding. “I don’t have any faith that you’re going to be able to keep it (river) clean.”

“It’s not a flood channel master plan,” answered Shifflet. “We were never charged with fixing the flooding of the river, most of which – two-thirds – is privately owned.” “[The master plan] is about making a park and the goal is to find some places for people and habitat,” agreed Mead.

NCPI board member Matt Adams pointed out new environmental regulations will require future storm runoff within the master plan area to be intercepted and kept from polluting the river.

“My concern is you never mentioned police in your list of community organizations to be contacted,” said planner Marilyn Reed of Allied Gardens. “There are issues, like safety and homelessness, to be dealt with down by the river.

Shifflet and Mead said the police department is part of the city’s “team” working on the master plan project, and added they’ve had input all along the way during a series of public workshops on the project which has brought it to where it is now.

Interim chair Wagner said the points about flooding were well taken, but added that does not fall within the purview of river master plan or those representing it. He said he would place an item on the NCPI agenda on flooding problems in January or February.

“I’m generally in favor of this concept,” said Adams, prior to the group’s vote to amend the Navajo Community Plan and approve the river park conceptual master plan.

“It’s an important step.

But I’m concerned how some landowners could be affected by this.”

The group also voted to send a “strongly worded” letter to both city staff and Councilman Sherman’s office urging that flooding issues – and their economic ramifications – need to be addressed in the Navajo planning area. ♦

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

General, from page 1 The Class of 2012 included James McDivitt, Russell “Rusty” Schweickart and David Scott from Apollo 9; Barron Hilton, “The Patron Saint of Sport Aviation”; Ray Wagner, renowned aviation historian; and Bob Hoover, “the best stick and rudder man who ever lived,” according to famed aviator Jimmy Doolittle.

Cardenas was reunited at the Nov. 14 milestone museum event with aviation icon Chuck Yeager, the first human to break the sound barrier. Cardenas was the command pilot of the B-29 that launched Yeager on his historic flight Oct. 14, 1947.

Later Cardenas talked with La Mesa Courier about that record-setting mission and his storied career as an aviator, which almost never got off the ground.

There were a lot of variables and “a lot of unknowns,” said Cardenas about breaking the speed of sound.

He said the effort leading up to it was literally death-defying.

“If you ever go around Edwards Air Force Base, copy the names of all the streets, with the exception of Yeager Boulevard, all the rest of the names are the names of all the test pilots that were killed before we had computers,” Cardenas said.

Of the team effort surrounding Yeager’s historic flight, Cardenas noted, “It was a job that had to be done. But we were aware that we were really getting into the unknown.

We’d never flown at the speed of sound before.

Undoubtedly, we were going to have some stability and control problems.”

Noting overcoming heat energy in and of itself was a major challenge, Cardenas said it was also feared there could be a hypersonic wave that “might vaporize your plane.”

Cardenas said he asked his engineering colleague Jack Ridley on the Yeager team what he thought about that danger, and Ridley replied,

“That’s an unknown. All we have to do is break the speed of sound.”

As it turned out, “there was no barrier – it was an aerodynamic problem,” said Cardenas about achieving Mach 1.

Cardenas immigrated with his family to San Diego’s Little Italy from Yucatan, Mexico in 1925 when he was 5 years old. He said his family line can be traced back to Spain and the Moors who ruled the country for 400 years.

Cardenas recalls Little Italy in the ‘20s being an ethnic stew of Russians, Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese.

“All my playmates were different nationalities,” he said, adding, in those days, people worked in one of three places: Consolidated Aircraft Company, the U.S. Navy, or fishing or canning tuna.

Cardenas remembers being sent home from Washington Grammar School with a letter saying no student would graduate “until he or she can read, write and speak English.”

“Nobody complained,” said Cardenas, who added the action was taken, in part, to promote a common language to prevent youth gangs from forming along ethnic lines.

At 14, he began working as a fisherman’s helper on a tuna boat. He said it wasn’t romantic.

“You didn’t use a pole,” Cardenas said. “Your job, when that tuna hit the deck, was to chop the head off and throw the fish into ice.”

Cardenas said he could always tell whether the fisherman was right-handed or left-handed because “the hook would come flying back and the hook sometimes would clip the ear. If his right ear was chewed up, he was right-handed. If his left ear was chewed up, he was left-handed. And if he wasn’t chewed up at all – he hadn’t been fishing.”

There were no spotter aircraft or sonar to find fish back then, said Cardenas noting workers trusted the instincts and experience of boat captains who put up the money to go out on week-long fishing expedi-

Page 7

tions. After returning, they sold their catch divvying up the proceeds in “shares” amongst crew.

Boat captains, said Cardenas, were bankrolled by a Point Loma financier known as Papa Rusconi, who would give them the $5,000 it cost to re-equip their ship for a subsequent expedition.

“I don’t know if he (Rusconi) was the godfather, but he certainly ran things,” said Cardenas.

Cardenas said the old adage about things being “safer in the old days” was absolutely true.

“We never locked our doors or windows,” he said. “There was no crime. Justice was taken care of very quietly, very softly. Everybody lived in harmony and peace.”

Cardenas was a combat pilot in World War II and Vietnam. He was shot down over Germany and ultimately repatriated back to the United States with the help of the French resistance.

Today, model historic airplanes he started building as a teen line the shelves of his study, along with photographs and other memorabilia from his long and distinguished aviation career.

American military honors bestowed upon Cardenas include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Presidential Citation.

Cardenas got his first “taste” of aviation working as a high school student with pilots, helping them fly their gliders from Torrey Pines cliffs in La Jolla. It was an auspicious start to what turned out to be a distinguished career as a war aviator and test pilot.

Cardenas said he couldn’t have accomplished what he did in aviation without first learning invaluable lessons gleaned from non-

motorized flight.

Said the brigadier general: “I tell guys, even if they want to be astronauts, anytime you’re in an airplane that has an engine, sooner or later, sometime in your life, the engine’s going to quit. And when it does, what are you? You’re a glider pilot.”

And there are two things glider pilots don’t know, said Cardenas. One is where you’re going to land. The other is where you’re going to stop.

“Even when I was flying 30,000 feet over North Vietnam in an F-105, I knew which way the wind was blowing down on the ground,” said Cardenas.

“The reason being you want to land into the wind to have minimum ground speed.”

Due to high marks in

school (he skipped a grade) Cardenas was eligible to attend college (a rarity then) for two years. It turned out to be a lifechanging circumstance.

After joining the military before World War II, Cardenas was ordered to join a unit in the Philippines. But he added he only made it as far as Hawaii. While there, an officer urged him in 1939 to go instead to flight school because he qualified with two years of higher education.

“Does that mean I have to fly?” asked Cardenas. “Well, yes,” the officer told him, noting he shouldn’t be afraid since he’d had prior aviation experience, what with being pushed off cliffs in planes without engines (gliders).

See General page 18

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Benjamin Branch Friends of the Library

By Anne Lee

As this year rapidly comes to a close, members of the Benjamin Branch Friends of the Library (FOL) amid the hustle and bustle of the season are planning for activities for 2013. Even though there have been many successful events completed in 2012, there are many more being considered for the New Year.

Essay Contest As all the area private and public schools have been informed, the 16th Annual Writing for Literacy Essay Contest for students in the 4th, 8th and 10th

grades is presently in progress. Completed essays should have been submitted

by Dec. 21. Hopefully, student writers were able to meet this deadline. Winners from each school choosing to participate will be announced in January. For more information, call Katherine Johnson at (619) 533-3971.

Book Sales To be able to financially support special events at the library, the Friends regularly hold used book sales. Tentative dates for 2013 are Jan. 26, April 27, July 27 and Oct. 26. All sales

are held from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Current members of Benjamin Branch FOL will be invited to shop Jan. 25 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Avoid the rush; join FOL now!

Oasis Classes Three free classes have been tentatively scheduled at the library for 2013. The first class will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Community Room. The topic is entitled “Laughter Yoga” and will be presented by Michael Coleman, a certified Laughter Yoga leader and teacher. (Everyone can do it). No special clothing or yoga mat are required – who knew? As everyone can use a little laughter now, please call Oasis at (619) 5740674 or the library at (619) 533-3970 to reserve a seat.

Additional classes are set for Feb. 12 and March 12.

News to Use * At the last meeting, new chapter officers were elected. They are: Joan Curry, president; Susie Gretler, vicepresident; Arminda Orozco, secretary; and Shelia Padgett, treasurer. * Our next FOL meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. in the Community Room. * New members are always welcome! ♦

San Diego REPertory Theatre Honors and Celebrates Black History Month in 2013

In honor of Black History Month in February 2013, San Diego REP presents productions which celebrate individuals and monumental moments that made an impact in the African American community and the United States. Each production focuses on a specific time period in history and productions will run for 10 weeks between January to March.

The first production is Clybourne Park, a comedy about race, class and real estate in America, written by Bruce Norris and directed by Sam Woodhouse, co-founder and artistic director, San Diego REPertory Theatre. “Clybourne Park is the kind of provocative theatre that we love to do at San Diego REP,” said Woodhouse. “It’s audacious and a touch politically incorrect, fully

engaged in the American debate about property and civil rights and very, very funny in surprising and astonishing ways.”

The winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, and the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park has jokes flying amidst hidden agendas. Act one of Clybourne Park is set in 1959 in one of the most famous fictional houses in 20th century drama: the dream home of the Younger family in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, where a white couple ignites controversy when they sell their bungalow to the area’s first black family. Act two takes place in the same house, but fifty years later with the situation reversed. Gentrification is coming, and it is a white couple who want to buy and demolish the house posing a threat to the balance of the now all black neighborhood. Clybourne Park previews start Jan. 12. Opening night is Jan. 18 on the Lyceum Stage. Performances run through Feb. 10 and tickets are $33 to $52.

Student tickets are $18.

Discounts are available for seniors/military/students with I.D. ♦

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 9

Supercross Stars Align in East County

By Becky Suffridge

Local San Diegans’ affinity for sand, dirt, and all things desert runs deep.

Every year, by late fall, Friday commuters headed east on the 8 begin sharing the interstate with caravans of motor homes, jeeps, and heavy-duty trucks, hauling toy trailers filled with buggies, ATV’s and motorcycles.

The year’s local desert season was kick-started with a motocross superstar showcase hosted at Sycuan Casino Nov. 27.

Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart, arguably the top two motocross riders in the world, were on hand to help celebrate their newly formed Dodge/ Sycuan Casino/Suzuki RCH Racing team. Both will have active roles on the team – Carmichael will oversee rider development, and motorcycle research and testing, and Hart (who happens to be married to singer P!nk) will manage the business and marketing side of the partnership.

Adding to the legendary lineup of motocross stars was freestyle and offroad racing legend Twitch Stenberg. Twitch, a Spring Valley native, continues to take the sport to new extremes. Second only to NASCAR, motocross is one of the top motor sports

in the world. The free community event was an opportunity for motocross loving locals to see their favorite celebrities up close and personal.

The relationship between motocross and Sycuan is no surprise, given San Diego’s affinity for the sport. Sycuan marketing manager Mike Tabor summed it all up by stating simply, “Motocross and East County go hand

in hand.” With a mission to give back to the community, Sycuan is helping to support the future of motocross through its sponsorship of one of the world’s most elite Supercross riding teams.

You can follow Dodge/ Sycuan Casino/Suzuki RCH Racing’s progress throughout the year, starting with their debut at the AMA Supercross event held in Anaheim Jan. 5. ♦

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Patrick Henry Student Twice Honored by Kiwanis Wheelchair Dancers put a new spin on life

By Cynthia Robertson The Wheelchair Dancers Organization always turns heads when its members start dancing. The deejay starts up “Stand by Me,” and suddenly 40 walkers and rollers wow everyone with their wellchoreographed bachata dance.

They took everyone by surprise at their flash mob during the El Cajon Centennial celebration in November.

The association got its start through an award-winning program at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. The dancers now have a new goal of setting the world record of having the most walkers and rollers at a wheelchair dance event.

Most likely, some of the rollers’ wheels will need to be oiled and prepped for the event.

WD-40 just happens to be a sponsor of the attempt in setting the world record.

Beverly Weurding, an elegant lady in her 60s, is the

Photos by Cynthia Robertson

founder of the Wheelchair Dancers Association. Weurding, who was recently named the association’s founder, garnered that sponsorship from WD-40.

“It is our hope that we will attract more businesses and individuals to assist us in raising money to support our programs in 2013,” said Weurding, who has won several awards, including one from the Women’s Leadership

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Institute in 2010 as well as a Personal Achievement Award from Muscular Dystrophy Association last year.

It’s no surprise to anyone who has met Weurding that she also won second-runner-up at the Ms. Senior San Diego Pageant last year. She puts a positive spin on her condition and her face reflects the joy she takes in life.

Seventeen years ago, Weurding was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. A lifelong lover of dance, she dared to dance again – in her wheelchair.

“My quest is to inspire other challenged people and show how wheelchair dancing can make a positive impact on one’s body, mind and spirit. There are no limitations, except the ones we place upon ourselves,” she said.

The organization is one of only two established ballroom and Latin wheelchair dance programs in the entire nation.

Many of the dancers are 50 and over in age, taking a new spin on life. They all intend to participate in a World Record event on Feb. 16, 2013. The

By John Peterson It is indeed a rare occasion when a student is honored twice as the Kiwanis Student of the Month, but when Angelica Winns was selected by her teachers to be the Patrick Henry High School Student of the Month, that is exactly what happened. Angelica was chosen for the honor while she was a student at Hearst Elementary School and now receives the distinction as a student at Patrick Henry.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Angelica will know just why she was chosen. An outstanding student academically, Angelica is able to balance a very busy schedule of extracurricular activities as well. She is an excellent role model and has been a peer mediator for the past two years, mediating disputes among students and counseling students who are struggling in various areas. She is also part of the Student-to-Student group that does presentations to 5th-, 7th-, and 9th-graders throughout the community regarding the addictive nature of tobacco as well as refusal skills that can be used in situations where students are being pressured by their peers.

Angelica is an accomplished dancer who has

competed for over 10 years and has received many awards and titles, two of them being “Regional Miss Petite Dancer” at age 7 and again at 8. She continues to dance for her own pleasure and never misses a chance to perform. She is a varsity cheerleader at football and basketball games, and volunteers with the Cheer Squad at other events such as a Save Our Schools Rally in Balboa Park and the Kiwanis Holiday Party for Underprivileged Children. In addition, Angelica earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwan Do in 2011 and was voted this years’ PHHS Homecoming Queen! Brains and beauty, compassion and charm, enthusiasm and grace made Angelica an outstanding choice for the GAG Kiwanis Patrick Henry High Student of the Month Award.

After she graduates from Patrick Henry, Angelica intends to continue her education at San Diego State or Long Beach State. She wants to major in Criminology and minor in dance. Criminals take warning!

The Kiwanis Club of Grantville-Allied Gardens honors a Student of the Month at their meetings each month. Students from area schools are selected by their teachers for the honor. ♦

See Dancers page 23

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 11

Ahi Sushi Serves Good Sushi for Even Better Prices

By Genevieve A. Suzuki The new Ahi Sushi location along Fletcher Parkway provides a getaway for Grossmont College students and an inexpensive way to treat the family to healthy sushi.

The spot, modernly designed in red and black with lucky Japanese cats around the room, provides a nice alternative for anyone who doesn’t want to leave East County for sushi. So far it seems the public has welcomed the new venue. Since its opening Oct. 29, Ahi Sushi has enjoyed steady business, according to general manager and sushi chef Simon Huynh.

Huynh has worked for more than 20 years with sushi. “I’ve worked everywhere,” he said.

“One of the places I loved to work was in Arizona. The master chef was a Japanese guy. He taught me how to tell the sushi was fresh and about the quality of fish.”

Huynh is passionate about the Japanese delicacy, even though he grew up with Vietnamese food at home.

“Vietnamese is my home food,” he said. “But I went into sushi, because I think fish is more healthy.”

“Most people look for healthy food, especially the younger generation. They know what they’re eating,” said Huynh, who looks 21, but is really 46.

Huynh himself said he stays away from junk food and works all the time. His commitment to healthy eats is evident in his menu selection.

For those who want to avoid carbs, the restaurant’s Protein Roll comprises crab, spicy tuna, albacore, salmon and cucumber wrapped in soy paper. The edamame appetizers are also a delicious treat as they’re marinated in a garlic, ponzu-type sauce.

Another weight-conscious selection is the Paradise Roll, which is cucumber wrapped around ahi, salmon, red snapper and avocado.

The rolls may be good for diet-conscious diners, but they’re also not bad on the pocketbook. What would be $14 elsewhere is just $8.95 at Ahi Sushi. And while the rolls are attractively displayed, the family friendly pricing places most specials under $10.

Born in Vietnam, Huynh came to San Diego when he was 8. Food was always a passion, prompting Huynh to start working in restaurants at 18. “I worked at a lot of restaurants to get experience,” he said.

The enterprising young man worked his way up from dishwasher to sushi chef. After his family took a closer look at his commitment and experience, they decided to support Simon in his venture by investing in the first Ahi Sushi in San Marcos.

He stayed in San Marcos for half a year in 2009 to make sure everything ran smoothly.

The second location in Alpine opened in 2010.

Huynh is more of a doer than a talker. He’d rather show off his talents in the kitchen than brag about them.

Fortunately, his dishes do the talking for him.

“Everybody can make sushi, no problem – but the main thing is experience, good fish and bad fish. The rice has to taste right. It has to be good sushi,” he said.

Among Huynh’s specialty rolls are the Jalapeno Roll (tempura shrimp, cream cheese, crab and cucumber on the inside; spicy crab and jalapeno on the outside) and the Sexy Roll (tempura shrimp, cream cheese and crab on the inside; spicy tuna, tempura shrimp on the outside).

Ahi Sushi also sells standard favorites, such as the California Roll and a crunchy roll made with crab and shrimp tempura.

There’s also the choice of green tea ice cream or mocha ice cream for dessert.

“Low price, good quality, friendly service – that’s the key to success for Ahi Sushi,” said Huynh.

Huynh has a lot of pride in his business. He insists on only the best for his restaurant and, of course, the best he can offer is his family. His two children and a nephew work with him. “In three years, we’ve opened three restaurants. I believe our teamwork, our family work, helped it get there,” he said. ♦ Ahi Sushi is located at 2872 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon.

Restaurant Week Returns to Tempt Taste Buds San Diego Restaurant Week, slated for Jan. 13-18, brings the city’s vibrant food scene to life for one week of delicious dining, showcasing the freshest ingredients, most flavorful dishes and tastiest culinary gems that San Diego has to offer. Diners can choose from more than 180 eateries for three-course dinner prix-fixe menus for just $20, $30 or $40 per person, depending on the restaurant.

Several restaurants have made lunch an option as well, giving daytime diners the opportunity to feast on two-course lunch prixfixe menus for just $10, $15 or $20 per person.

Participating in San Diego Restaurant Week is easy – there are no passes to buy, no coupons to carry and no cards to punch, only a quick call to the restaurant of your choice to make reservations

to dine out between Jan. 13-18. This past September, more than 140,000 people participated in the event and even more are expected in January, so reservations are strongly recommended to make sure you are able to sample your favorite flavors.

San Diego Restaurant Week has also gone high tech with its new app, making it easier than ever to try that chichi restaurant on your list. Now you can get the details on your favorite participating restaurants, compare menus and make reservations from your iPhone or Android. ♦ For more information, to view a complete list of participating locations in San Diego Restaurant Week or to sign up to win 52 Weeks of Dining, please visit SanDiegoRestaurantWeek. com or call (619) 233-5008.

Page 12

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Mission Trails Regional Park

By Jay Wilson, MTRP Executive Director Through Jan. 11, enjoy the artistry of Gerry and Claire Tietje. Gerry is an award-winning photographer and artist, and a volunteer in the Visitor Center. Their joint exhibition is titled “Kamera and Kiln.” Claire’s ceramic art features Japanese Sumi-e brush painting, whimsical Tree Gems, and a collaborative project titled “Out Your Window in San Diego County.” The latter contains image transfers of more than 200 local birds Gerry photographed throughout San Diego. Gerry’s artwork features landscape, flower, and bird photographs. Jan. 12 through Feb. 8, seven artists will exhibit seven different mediums.

Monthly concerts continue with the Zene Strings

(“music” in Hungarian) Jan. 20, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Visitor Center Theater. This will be an eclectic program of classical, contemporary, and popular tunes, and is sure to be a hit for all who attend.

The event is free, but donations are appreciated and a reception follows.

For children between the ages of 5 and 12, Nora’s Children’s Art Classes continue each Saturday in January from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Visitor Center classrooms. Each class is $15, including materials, and there is a different topic each week. See our website for topics and registration form.

Linda Hawley’s “Nature Adventures” continues with two sessions in January.

One held on the 21, 22, 23 or 24 titled “Woodrat & Other Oak Occupants.” the session on the 29, 30, or 31 features Kumeyaay Life Before 1769.

Check our website for more information: mtrp.org. Go to Nature Study at the top of the page and click on “Nature Adventures!” from the dropdown menu.

Tom Thompson is a good friend and a volunteer in the Visitor Center and a Trail Guide. I asked Tom to write about one of his favorite trails: It begins at the Jackson

Overflow Parking Lot. Park at the lot or arrive there from the Visitor Center Loop Trail.

The first stage takes you down to the San Diego River.

Cross the 40-foot rock “dam.”

In the spring, there are tons of very colorful flowers. Once across, hike about a mile steeply up to the base of a 75-foot blue tower. Then take the first right and another steep trail takes you down into a valley where there are two picnic table under some large oak trees. If you want privacy for your picnic, you’ve found it.

Now go to your right up on a ridge that ends in a set of 360+ steps; they are fairly steep, but doable. Once you are at the top of the steps continue to the summit of South Fortuna Mountain.

From that point hike down to the “saddle,” the low point between North and South Fortuna. From the saddle you take a left and climb down into the same valley. Once in the valley, you hike about a mile to a trail on your left [the top trail on the sign there says “Rock Garden Trail”]. Take that trail about a mile back to

the picnic tables.

From the tables you should take the trail you came down an hour ago back up to the blue tower. From the tower, take the trail back to the river, cross the river, and hike back up to the parking lot. If your car isn’t there, take the trail back to the Visitor Center lot. I’m an active older adult, and this trail takes me about 2 ½ hours. From January to June, the flowers are spectacular.

Every day is an adventure at Mission Trails Regional Park. ♦

St. Therese Academy Welcome 2013 and a New Year!

Last month, academy students in several grades brought the spirit of Christmas to life by involving themselves in a number of local service projects. The San Diego Food Bank benefited from a very successful food drive sponsored by the seventh and eighth grade classes, who collected items and then volunteered their time at the food bank to sort and bag items. The fifth-graders collected socks and snacks for needy youth in San Diego which were delivered to local homeless shelters. The eighth-graders did their part to heighten the spirits of residents of the Little Flower Haven in La Mesa by lending their young voices to cheery Christmas

caroling. The personal gain from projects such as these is immeasurable to the spiritual growth of not only our own children but to those of whom they serve, so many thanks and blessing to all the parents and teachers who assisted in making all these endeavors so rich! ♦ Save The Date for Our Annual Dinner Dance/ Auction: March 16. This year’s theme is “PROM Forever Young,” and whether you attended your prom the first time around (or not), get ready to doll up and do it up right this time! Pick your decade and come join us for a night of nostalgic fun! For ticket information or to make a donation to this great fun-filled event, please contact Teresa at Teresa.

Wilkinson@CH2M.com.

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 13

39th Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program

The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department will host the 39th Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program through Jan. 23. This year’s program will offer 16 drop-off locations, available to city residents only, as well as curbside pickup for those customers with curbside yard waste collection.

“Recycling Christmas trees is an important way for San Diegans to help the environment and extend the life of the Miramar Landfill,” said Chris Gonaver, director of the Environmental Services Department. “Historically, yard clippings and other organic materials, such as Christmas trees, comprise more than 20 percent of the material buried in the landfill. By recycling trees, residents help reduce the amount of material in the landfill and give holiday trees a second life as compost, mulch

or wood chips.”

Only “clean trees” are accepted at city recycling locations. Before depositing trees, residents must remove all tree stands, lights, ornaments, tinsel, and nonrecyclable materials.

Trees from commercial tree lots or fundraising projects are not accepted at the drop-off locations. Instead, these trees can be dropped off until Jan. 23 at the Miramar Greenery after paying the appropriate fee at the entrance to the landfill.

Residents participating in the Christmas Tree Recycling Program should drop off clean trees during daylight hours. Please do not illegally dump any other items at the drop-off locations.

In addition to clean trees, flocked trees (fake snow) are also accepted. All trees will be recycled into high quality mulch and compost. City residents can self-load mulch and up to two cubic yards of compost for free at the Miramar Greenery throughout the year.

Customers with automated greenery containers must cut up their clean trees to ensure they will fit easily inside their greenery container.

Curbside yard waste recycling customers who are unable to cut their trees for manual collection or who cannot fit the tree into the green automated

container, should recycle their tree at any of the city’s convenient drop-off locations.

Curbside recycling program customers should remove all non-recyclable materials before placing trees inside the automated bin or at the curb next to yard waste collection containers.

The following are a few of the City’s drop-off locations for the 39th Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program: Mission Bay: SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway San Diego State University: Parking Lot D off Alvarado Road Tierrasanta: De Portola Middle School, 11010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

The Miramar Greenery is located inside the Miramar Landfill, at 5180 Convoy St., just north of Highway 52.

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and most holidays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The landfill will be closed on New Year’s Day. Additional information about the residential drop-off site locations is available by calling Environmental Services Department Customer Service at (858) 694-7000. For information on mulch and compost produced at the Miramar Greenery, call the Miramar Landfill at (858) 492-6100. ♦

Page 14

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Through the Pipeline on Jackson Drive

By Jeremy Ogul It’s anything but business as usual along Jackson Drive south of Mission Gorge Road this winter as the San Diego County Water Authority works on a water delivery pipeline project beneath the San Carlos neighborhood.

Traffic has been rerouted, lanes restriped, entire parts of the road have been dug up and heavy machinery has taken up residence on the street just beyond backyard fences.

The Water Authority is in the midst of the $21.2-million Mission Trails to Lake Murray Pipeline Relining Project, which includes retrofitting a 3.5-mile section of pipe with a new steel lining that should extend the lifespan of the existing pipe by 75 years.

The existing pipes were installed in the mid-1970s, according to construction manager Brent Fountain.

“It was expected to last 50

years, but due to soil conditions or mishandling during installation, the external coating cracked and allowed rust to form,” Fountain said.

Corrosion caused a pipeline failure in October 2008 that spilled more than 3 million gallons of water in a remote area of Mission Trails Regional Park near the San Diego River. No homes or businesses were affected, but the incident galvanized Water Authority officials to do whatever they could to prevent

a similar failure elsewhere along the pipeline.

The specific pipeline now under construction, Pipeline 4, is one of several water pipelines that run between State Route 52 and Lake Murray. Officials have rerouted water delivery through the other area pipelines, allowing Pipeline 4 to be temporarily shut down.

Construction workers have a tight deadline, however, because the return of warm weather in the spring will drive up demand for water to irrigate lawns and fill swimming pools, Fountain said.

Construction workers have opened up a handful of “portals” through which they can enter the pipeline and insert new materials. Each portal is an excavated pit between 12 and 18 feet deep, 25 feet wide and 60 feet long.

A crane lowers one steel segment at a time into the portal. Each segment is 69 inches long and weighs

about eight tons. An electric-powered cart then lifts the liner segment and transports it through the pipeline, which has a diameter of six feet. Workers then weld the segment into place and line the interior

of the steel with mortar.

They can complete 750 to 1,000 feet of relining every 14 days, according to environmental documents.

This section of the project is expected to be completed by next summer. ♦

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SanDiegoDesserts.net Jan. 14 & 28 – The Soulfires at Bar Pink. FREE. www.BarPink.com Jan. 2, 9, 16 & 23 – Gilbert Castillanos Jazz Jam at Seven Grand. FREE. SevenGrandBars.com

Classical

Jan. 1 – Salute to Vienna at Copley Symphony Hall. $20-$85. www.

SanDiegoSymphony.com Jan. 8 – Viviane & Nicole Hagner play Schubert at The Auditorium of TSRI. $30. www.

SanDiegoSymphony.com Jan. 11-13 – Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto at Copley

Symphony Hall. $20 - $96. www.SanDiegoSymphony.com Jan. 15 – Beethoven And Mozart: A Camera Lucida Concert and Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, UCSD. $25. www.

SanDiegoSymphony.com Jan. 18-19 – Brian Stokes Mitchell: A City Lights Concert at Copley Symphony Hall, $20 - $85. www.

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Alternative

New Year’s Eve – Little Hurricane, Get Back Loretta, Blackout Party and more at The Lafayette Hotel presented by The Casbah. Prices vary. www.CasbahMusic.com New Year’s Eve – Three Chord Justice at Riviera Supper Club. FREE. RivieraSupperClub.com Jan. 24 – Old Tiger and The Midnight Pine at Soda Bar. $5. www.SodaBarMusic.com

Pop

Jan. 4, 11, 18 and 15 – Nathan Weldon Performing at San Diego Desserts. FREE. www.SanDiegoDesserts.net Jan. 5 – Jamar Rogers, Western Scene, and The Young Romans at The Griffin. $10. TheGriffinSD.com Jan. 10 – Red Wanting Blue and The Darrows at The Griffin. $10. TheGriffinSD.com

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 15

San Diego Opera’s 2013 Season Start Your New Year in Nature at MTRP! Continues with Samson and Delilah

Clifton Forbis will reprise the role of Samson when SAMSON AND DELILAH opens Feb. 16 with Nadia Krasteva as Delilah.

Photos by Ken Howard, 2007.

San Diego Opera’s 48th International Season continues Feb. 16 with Camille Saint-Saëns’ biblical drama Samson and Delilah. Last seen in San Diego in 2007, the North County Times called this production of Samson and Delilah “…one of the most memorable San Diego Opera productions in the past decade [with] stunning and gargantuan sets, vivid lighting, gorgeous costumes, an erotic ballet and a seeming cast of thousands...”

These performances mark the important Company debut of Bulgarian mezzosoprano Nadia Krasteva as Delilah. Returning to reprise his signature role from the 2007 production is American tenor Clifton Forbis as Samson. Also making Company debuts are Icelandic baritone Tómas Tómasson as the High Priest of Dagon and American bass Gregory Reinhart as the Old Hebrew. Returning to round out the cast is Russian bass Mikhail Svetlov as Abimelech, American tenor Greg Fedderly as the Philistine’s Messenger, American tenor Doug Jones as the First Philistine and American bass-baritone Scott Sikon as the Second Philistine. San Diego Opera’s resident conductor Karen Keltner conducts the opera and director Lesley Koenig returns to stage the drama.

Performed in French with English translations above the stage, Samson and

Delilah was last performed

by San Diego Opera in 2007.

Based on the biblical tale, the opera tells the story of the Hebrew warrior Samson as he rallies the Israelites to revolt against the Philistines who have enslaved them. At the urging of the High Priest of Dagon, Delilah seduces Samson and cuts of his hair, the source of Samson’s superhuman strength. Captured by the Philistines, Samson calls down the might of God in a climatic and tragic ending.

The sets and costumes of Samson and Delilah are owned by San Francisco Opera. The sets were designed by Douglas Schmidt and the costumes were designed by Carrie Robbins. The lighting designer is Gary Marder.

The choreographer is Kenneth von Heidecke.

Samson and Delilah was composed by Camille Saint-Saëns with libretto

by Ferdinand Lemaire and is based on Judges 14-16 from the Bible. Samson and Delilah had its world premiere at the Hoftheatre in Weimar, Germany Dec. 2, 1877. These performances will mark only the second time this opera has been performed with the Company with the other performances occurring in 2007. ♦ Samson and Delilah will have a live radio broadcast Feb. 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. on KPBS radio, 89.5 FM (97.7 FM Calexico) and online at www.kpbs.org.

By Audrey F. Baker Trail Guide With holiday hustle and bustle behind you, it’s time to meet those New Year resolutions. Personal goals of exercise, learning something new, reducing stress, and enjoying San Diego can be simply and enjoyably met.

Frequent visits throughout 2013 to Mission Trails Regional Park will allow you enjoy nature’s calendar as she transition through the seasons.

Winter rains bring new growth, witnessed by sprouting flowers and lush landscapes. We have several offerings that will enhance your skills as a naturalist.

Whether your activities take you to remote areas of the park or a short walk from the Visitor Center, these explorations will enliven the soul, open new perspectives and create lasting memories.

Our trail guide-led walks are an opportunity to commune with nature, enjoy chance encounters with multiple bird species, wildlife and other natural wonders. Unique landscapes and habitats enliven local history and support abundant plant and animal life. The walks are free, interesting, fact-filled and geared to all ages and interests.

Morning walks are offered every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. You’ll start from the Visitor and Interpretive Center, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos. The walk beginning from the Kumeyaay Lake Campground Entry Station, Two Father Junipero Serra Trail, at the San CarlosSantee border, gives a different perspective of the park and its diverse habitats. These walks are offered from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, and take in historic Old Mission Dam. Wildlife Tracking is an 8:30-to-10:30 a.m. adven-

ture teaching classic techniques used by both trackers of Olde California and modern enthusiasts.

Tracking team members aid you in identification and interpretation of animal signs, and give insights into critter habits. On Saturday, January 5, meet in front of the Visitor Center.

January’s Discovery Table presents “Animal Tracks!”

A visit to our science table in the Visitor Center lobby on Saturday, Jan. 12, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. will improve your powers of observation on the trail by identifying animal tracks.

Try your skill at matching MTRP wildlife to the imprints they leave behind!

Star Party Sites is an opportunity to view the nighttime sky with MTRP’s Star Gazer George Varga as he scopes on Pleiades (Seven Sisters), Double Cluster in Perseus, Andromeda Galaxy (M1) high overhead, and the Orion Nebula. We will meet at the far end of the Kumeyaay Campground Day Use Parking Lot, Two Father Junipero Serra Trail, Santee from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 12.

Bird Canyon and Grasslands with Resident Birder Jeanne Raimond

is a chance to explore two different habitats, sweeping grasslands and chiseled Spring Canyon, to identify birds and observe their behavior. See you Jan. 19, at the Equestrian Staging lot off Highway 52 and Mast Boulevard for this 8 to 10 a.m. event.

Birding Basics presented by MTRP Resident Birder Winona Sollock is a 90-minute class that teaches five simple techniques to identify birds “at a glance” and offers tips on field guide use. Bringing one is optional.

Class meets inside the Visitor Center on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m.

Family Discovery Walk is our active and essential outdoor experience for parents and their children. Bring “the Fam,” delve into the world of nature, and enjoy quality time exploring the trail to the Kumeyaay grinding rocks site. We’ll gather inside the Visitor Center.

See you from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27.

Meanwhile, come on out and enjoy the park! ♦ Visit www.mtrp.org for more information and our events calendar, or call (619) 668-3281.

Special walks can be arranged for any club, group, business or school by contacting Ranger Heidi Gutknecht at (619) 6683279 or at hgutknecht@mtrp.org.

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

GreenScaping Fashion Valley Wall Fashion Valley holiday shoppers may not mind waiting around the mall this season, thanks to the installation of a cutting-edge “living wall” on the northeast corner of the center across from The Cheesecake Factory and adjacent to True Food Kitchen.

The wall, planted with 4,000 individual plants in 250 modules, is the first of its kind at a San Diego County retail property. Among the varieties planted are spider plants, lemon button fern and ribbon fern, Heuchera, Mondo grass, and Moses in a boat. It is 16 feet tall and 50 feet wide, a total coverage of 800 square feet, and weighs 13,500 pounds fully irrigated.

Living walls or green walls are structures that

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allow plant materials to grow on a building, but have the added benefit of allowing them to grow on vertical spaces indoors or outdoors. Both types of walls grow in “found space,” using far less space than typical gardens. Living walls can be planted with a wide variety of plants.

The Fashion Valley wall was installed by Jim Mumford, GRP, CLP of GreenScaped Buildings of San Diego. Mumford is known as San Diego’s “green roof guy” and a green building pioneer.

The wall was designed

by Rocco Campanozzi, Mission Landscape Architects, in collaboration with Mumford.

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pleasing green attribute for our shopper’s enjoyment,” said Robert Doherty, mall manager. “We hope this natural wall will introduce an organic beautifying aspect to the property and will potentially start meaningful conversations to create awareness among our patrons about sustainability.”

Mumford planted the individual wall modules at his San Diego-based GreenScaped Buildings facility in April. They were allowed to grow horizontally for four months before being transported to the Fashion Valley location and installed vertically into place with the plants and especially the roots well established.

Mumford is a recognized pioneer in developing living

walls, which are exploding in popularity both for commercial and residential properties. Mumford has been growing green walls as part of his living laboratory at GreenScaped Buildings for several years, perfecting various methods and products that contribute to low impact development, sustainability and restorative buildings. In addition to the aesthetic benefits of his green roof and walls, they produce increases in biodiversity, cooling buildings and reducing of the urban heat island effect, carbon sequestration, cleaning the air of particulates and adding oxygen.

“Living walls have exploded onto the scene and have become more popular far more quickly than I thought possible,”

said Mumford. “Green roofs were our first step and while they are wonderful, they are not practical for everyone. Green walls can be built for a fraction of the cost in many more places.”

“New irrigation techniques and new tools allow us to build larger walls safely at a viable cost, creating found space for gardens in the middle of an urban environment,” said Mumford. “I’m excited to have Fashion Valley leading the way and generating awareness of sustainability issues with this project at their property. What a terrific way to greet shoppers, and provide them something beautiful to enhance their shopping experience.” ♦ For additional information, visit www. greenscapedbuildings.com.

Find Boone!

Our publisher has a rather shy English bulldog named Boone. He’s hiding somewhere in this very newspaper. If you find Boone, go to ScoopSanDiego.com, click on the I Found Boone! icon and enter to win a $25 Visa gift card. Last issue Boone was hiding on page 4 in the Eye On Community binoculars. Oh snap!

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 17

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR REGIONAL ACADEMIC DECATHLON The San Diego County Office of Education is seeking adult volunteers to help with the San Diego County Academic Decathlon on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Olympian High School in Chula Vista. The Academic Decathlon enables academically oriented students to enjoy the same sense of competition as athletes.

The decathlon’s San Diego Region includes high schools from Sweetwater High School District, San Diego Unified School District, Fallbrook High, and two private schools, St. Augustine and Academy of Our Lady of Peace.

Nicole Shina, San Diego County’s Academic Decathlon coordinator says, “This year we anticipate nearly 130 high school students will compete in this regional competition.”

The decathlon, created by Robert Peterson in Orange County in 1968, is a competitive event modeled after the Olympics to stimulate academic achievement and honor “athletes of mind.” The competition provides students the chance to join in an educational forum, which fosters respect for knowledge, cooperation and self-esteem.

The Academic Decathlon is San Diego County’s longest-running academic competition. Both team and individual awards are given

in 10 events: seven written tests in music, art, language and literature, mathematics, economics, and science; and Super Quiz (Social Science); and three communications tests—an interview, an essay, and prepared and impromptu speeches. The final Decathlon event is the Super Quiz, a College-Bowltype competition.

Volunteers are needed for proctoring written tests and

Mission Publishing

judging the students speeches.

No previous experience necessary. Volunteers need only be objective. A thorough explanation of volunteer duties and written guidelines will be provided at the orientation session prior to the start of the competition. ♦ If interested in volunteering, call Nicole Shina at (858) 292-3850 or sign up online at www.sdcoe.net/ad.

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Established 1995, circulation: 30,000. Published 12 times in 2012 and delivered to more than 24,500 homes and businesses in the communities of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Fletcher Hills, Grantville, San Carlos, Northern La Mesa, Rolando & the College Area by Mission Publishing Group, LLC. An additional 5,500 copies are distributed to more than 130 businesses and community centers in the communities.

Classified ads and articles must be submitted by mail, e-mail or dropped off at our business address, Postal Annex at 6549 Mission Gorge Road, PMB #199, San Diego, CA 92120. (Vons Center) Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisements or material submitted which are deemed to be objectionable. Publisher’s liability for errors: The Mission Times Courier assumes no financial liability for errors nor for omission of copy and upon request will furnish a letter of correction to the advertiser.

The Publisher, Mission Publishing Group, LLC., shall not be liable for any error in published advertising unless an advertiser proof is requested in writing 12 days prior to publication date and clearly marked for corrections. If the error is not corrected by the Publisher, the liability, if any, shall not exceed the space occupied for the error. Further, the Publisher shall not be liable for any omission of an advertisement ordered to be published. On written request, Publisher shall reschedule and run the omitted advertisement

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at the advertiser’s cost. All claims for adjustment must be made in writing within 30 days of the date of publication. In no case shall the Publisher be liable for any general, special or consequential damages.

Equal Housing Opportunity: Real estate advertising in the Mission Times Courier is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” The Mission Times Courier will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. This is to notify Mission Times Courier readers that all dwellings advertised in the Mission Times Courier are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or TTY at 1-800-927-9275.

News and information printed in the Mission Times Courier is obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but accuracy on information sent to the paper cannot be guaranteed. Articles and opinions of writers or letters to the editor that are submitted for publication to the Mission Times Courier are the views of the writers and should not be considered the views of the publisher. Content of paid advertisements is solely the responsibility of the advertiser. © 1995-2012, all rights reserved.

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

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Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

General, from page 7

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“What I fly is safe,” Cardenas replied. “It doesn’t have propellers and fuel tanks and everything that can blow out.”

“Sign these [change of orders] papers,” the officer said.

Cardenas tells audiences to this day, more than 70 years later, that those orders diverting him to flight school, rather than letting him continue on to the Philippines, irrevocably altered his life.

“I tell people I got where I got because I had good grades along the way,” he said. “If I hadn’t, you know where I would be? I’d be dead dying a horrible death on the Bataan death march [with the unit to which he’d been assigned].”

That coincidence has led Cardenas to these inescapable conclusions about life.

“First, there’s no free lunch,” he said. “Secondly, there is no such thing as luck. What there is are opportunities that come along. Watch those opportunities as they come. Don’t be scared to grab them. Wring them dry.” ♦

yard through a gap in the fence. Doctors amputated Mendoza’s leg and conducted eight surgeries before she died on Dec. 24, 2011.

In the latter case, the dogs’ owners, Alba and Carla Cornelio, were arrested and will be prosecuted on manslaughter charges.

In response to these deaths, as well as numerous other reports of bites and attacks that were not fatal, many local residents are calling for legislation that would ban or euthanize dogs of the pit bull breed.

“The difference between a poodle snapping and a pit bull snapping are two different things,” wrote Eric Causley in a comment on an article about the Mendoza attack on utsandiego.com. “A poodle growls and snaps, may draw blood. The pit bull snaps and doesn’t stop till it’s ripped apart a person or another dog. Their strength and ruthlessness once they snap is what makes them dangerous.”

Animal experts, however, caution that singling out pit bulls for punishment would be a misinformed, ineffective approach toward keeping San Diegans safe. Dan DeSousa, deputy director of the Department of Animal Services for the County of San Diego, pointed out that larger dogs will typically be able to cause more serious injuries, whether the dog is a pit bull or something else, such as a German Shepherd or Rottweiler.

A total of 2,856 dog bites were reported to the Department of Animal Services between July 2011 and June 2012. Of that number, 400 were attributed to pit bulls, 211 were attributed to German Shepherds, 195 were attributed to Labrador Retrievers and 171 to Chihuahuas.

DeSousa said those numbers should be kept in perspective.

“Any such numbers must be viewed with the understanding that we simply do not know how many dogs there are in our community,” DeSousa said.

“Therefore, we cannot say that one breed bites more often than another as we do not know the percentage of each dog in the community.”

Though we hear most often about pit bull attacks in the news, this may be due to media bias, according to DeSousa.

28

$25 an hour.

“While we respond to dog bites on a daily basis, the only ones that the media ever expresses an interest in covering are those from pit bulls,” he said. “This bias tends to skew the public’s perception that only pit bulls bite.”

The National Canine Research Council points out that it is difficult to determine a dog’s breed without having direct knowledge of the dog’s genetic origins.

“Very often people disagree as to what the breed is in a mixed-breed dog, and most often they’re not naming the breed that is identified in the DNA,” said Victoria Voith, a veterinary researcher at the Western University of Health Sciences, in a recorded interview distributed by the NCRC. Regardless of a dog’s breed, proper training and socialization is critical to ensuring that a dog is comfortable and wellbehaved around humans and other animals.

Jessica Wheatcraft, a certified professional dog trainer with Whole Dog Training in San Diego, said the aggressive dogs she has worked with almost always share the same environmental, rather than genetic, characteristics.

“A lot of those dogs did not receive any socialization as puppies,” Wheatcraft said.

“They did not have a good start. They may have been abandoned, or they have a lot of health issues that weren’t addressed. A lot of times there’s some sort of neglect.”

Backyard breeders, whether they’re breeding pit bulls or Chihuahuas, often don’t understand how the early social experiences in a puppy’s life can impact its temperament later in life, Wheatcraft said. A puppy that has been kept in a garage for the first three months of its life will likely respond with fear and aggression if it is suddenly introduced to a new environment like a dog park or children, she said.

Wheatcraft said families adopting a dog of unknown origin should take time to get to know the individual dog and its temperament before accepting it and bringing it home, rather than simply relying on the stated breed or the appearance of the dog.

“I have seen tons of pit bulls that have fantastic dog skills, and I’ve seen golden retrievers that have real aggression issues,” Wheatcraft said. ♦

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 19

SCAC, from page 1

catch us online at: www.MissionTimesCourier.com

to a single lane near the 20-foot-by-60-foot portals in Jackson Drive. The left turn pocket into the Keil’s/ CVS shopping center will be unavailable during construction. Patrons of the center will have to enter on Navajo Road or travel down Jackson to Golfcrest and make a U-turn to return to the main entrance on Jackson Drive.

In addition, you cannot make a left turn from westbound Jackson Drive to Golfcrest Drive, due to the location of the portal just east of that intersection. Craig advised that the work should be completed by mid-summer 2013. For more information, you can view the project on the SDCWA project web page at www.sdcwa.org/ mission-trails-lake-murray-pipeline-relining.

The Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) met Dec. 17 with the San Diego River Master Plan as the main action item on the agenda. It was approved by a 9-2-1 vote. The proposed increase in the speed limit from 25 to 30 mph on Cowles Mtn. Boulevard from Navajo Road to Blue Lake Drive was not on the agenda as we requested. Consequently, after hearing from local residents and SCAC directors, we advised Traffic Engineering that the community was not in favor of the increased speed limit.

This was based on the area being purely residential and the fear by residents that the increase to 30 mph would lead to drivers going even faster. The fact that

radar officers are in short supply was another factor in this decision. Perhaps it will be heard at the next NCPI meeting on Monday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at Temple Emanu-el in Del Cerro and that request will be made.

The San Carlos Community Garden is growing, literally and figuratively. This ambitious project, headed by a group of San Carlos residents, is located adjacent to Springall Academy on Boulder Lake Avenue at Lake Adlon. Stop by any Saturday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. for a tour, or better yet, to volunteer your time. Community garden plots/raised boxes are now being sold to the public. If you’re interested in raising vegetables in this garden, please visit their website at www.sancarloscommunitygarden. com for details.

If you would like to receive information about speakers, meeting reminders and agendas and other local news, please send an e-mail message to jfpilch@ hotmail.com and request that your name be added to the SCAC Interested Party e-mail list. Rest assured that your privacy will be respected and neither your name nor your e-mail address will be shared with anyone. Messages are sent “BCC” to prevent you from being spammed.

Finally, if you have an issue you wish us to consider or just have a question about the community, please contact me at (619) 462-1408 or by email at jfpilch@hotmail.com.

Thank you. ♦

Best Housing Market in 6 Years: Avoid These Three Mistakes When Selling Your Home San Diego - When you decide to sell your home, setting your asking price is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

Depending on how a buyer is made aware of your home, price is often the first thing he or she sees, and many homes are discarded by prospective buyers as not being in the appropriate price range before they’re even given a chance of showing.

Your asking price is often your home’s “first impression”, and if you want to realize the most money you can for your home, it’s imperative that you make a good first impression.

This is not as easy as it sounds, and pricing strategy should not be taken lightly. Pricing too high can be as costly to a homeseller as pricing too low. Taking a look at what homes in your neighborhood have sold for is only a small part of the process, and on it’s own is not nearly enough to help you make the best decision. A recently study, which compiles 10 years of industry research, has resulted in a new special report entitled “Homesellers: How to Get the Price You Want (and Need)”. This report will help you understand pricing strategy from three different angles. When taken together, this information will help you price your home to not only sell, but sell for the price you want.

To hear a brief recorded message about how to order your FREE copy of this report call toll-free 1-800-270-1494 and enter 1016. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get your free special report NOW. Courtesy of Dan Smith Re/Max Lic. 01346593

Page 20

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Community CLASSIFIEDS Business Opportunities

Will your job alone allow you to live the lifestyle you deserve? Create wealth and happiness in a part-time business. Take control of your life. Will train and help support you to success. Call now 858-598-6370. (12/12)

For Rent SENIOR LIVING (62+) IN SAN CARLOS. Quiet, non-smoking community with pool & spa. Studio & 1BR $720-915. 619-461-4111. 7717 Tommy Street (01/13) San Carlos Condo. 2BR, $1375, 1.5BA. Large, 1,100 sf.

Appls, w/d hookups, pakg, club/pool/tennis. Nice area.

619-698-1349 (01/13) For Sale Wood Lathe, Vic Marc 24”. Excellent condition. Chisels and other attachments included. Best offer takes. 619-2869499 (01/13) Walk to SDSU! $445,000. Clean 4BR, 2BR House for sale. No Realtors. 5091 54th St. 92115. 619-286-3939.

(01/13) Auto For Sale. 2002 Cadillac SLS, 93,000 mi, grey w/ black roof. Runs Great. Excellent condition. Nick 619-4644083 (1/13) Brand New Queen Pillowtop Mattress set (still in plastic) Asking $150.00 Please Call or text 760-822-9186 (1/13)

Notices San Carlos Farmers’ Market Every Thursday 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Support Your Local Community and Enjoy Fresh Food and Goodies. Located at Navajo and Boulder Lake. (1/13) The League of women Voters will meet Tuesday, Jan 8, in the College/Rolando library, 6600 Montezuma Rd. at 12:30 pm. Subject: Propositions/Referenda (1/13)

Services Jenna’s Barber Shoppe. Styling for men, women & children. Wheelchair friendly. Old time expert haircuts at affordable prices. Colors & perms. 7424 Jackson Dr.#1A (across from Keil’s in Bank of America lot) Tues-Fri., 8:305:30pm; Sat. 8:30-noon. Walk-ins or By appt., 619-6443669. (12/13) German Setter Tile and Marble. Professional marble/ tilesetter with 28 years experience.

European craftsmanship. Punctual & dependable. License# 872804.

Contact Jens Sedemund: 619-415-6789 or jens@ germansetter.com (12/13) Roy L. Schwarz Tree Service. I.S.A. Certified Arborist.

Dependable service since 1977. 60-foot aerial truck.

WE-6180A. Lic #775662. 619-282-3562. ARoyLTreeSVC. com. (10/13) Gardening Service: Lawns, hedges, weeding, trimming, we do it all! 25 years experience, Allied Gardens resident since 1983. Weekly/bi-weekly service. Licensed/insured.

Free estimates. 619-287-6947 (07/13)

Wallcovering Contractor-Enhance the beauty and value of your home! Removal, prep and installation.

Precise, superior workmanship by Mr. Elisha Blatt, Lic.# 644396. Discounts on wallcoverings available. Free estimates. 619-582-4449 (07/13)

ROOFER, Lic.#863660, Honest & Reliable, repiar termite damage, install skylights, seamless gutters, custom sheet metal. No job too small, free estimates. Call Tim Walford, Ph. #619-992-7508 (5/13) Linda’s Puppy Love, a bonded, licensed, insured pet sitting service offering daily walks, cat care, overnight stays-your home, lots of love. 619-857-3674. www. lindaspuppylove.com (05/13) Pet/Housesitting Services. Est. 1983, Bonded.

Pet-tenders offers feeding, walking, plant care, housesitting-and above all...spoiling...in your own home! www.pet-tenders.com 619-298-3033. (04/13) Locksmith - Discount Deadbolts & Rekeying - security door viewers, patio door locks, simulated alarms, magnetic door stops. Cliff Henderson 619-840-3327 - Lic #LCO4353 - Bonded - Never a trip charge! (4/13) Contractor/Handyman, Most Trades. Licensed, Bonded and Insured. No Job too Small. Call Bill. 619-698-0375, Cell 619-895-7119 (4/13) Quality exterior carpentry.

Decks, Fences, Patio Covers and Termite Repair.

Lic365241. www. aactionbuildersofsandiego.com. Bob 619-275-1493 (4/13) Termite, Fungus & Dryrot Damage, Structural Repair for your home or business. R&G Quality Work, Inc. Ruben Griffin, licensed contractor #922775.

(858)836.2134.

Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation is a client. (3/13) San Carlos Handyman Service: Reliable, affordable, licensed and insured. No job too small. Call Dan @ 619-994-5680. (3/13) Stronger, Safer Seniors wants to be your workout partner. Let us help you be stronger, more energetic and have better balance. We offer fun, personalized workouts in your home. Call Pam Melody, certified personal trainer, at 619-962-7144 for a free consultation (3/13) Flute/Piano Instruction. 32 years experience. Beginner to advanced. Music Education. B.A. Degree. Reasonable rates. Available for teaching in your home or mine. Rick, 619-286-8012. (03/13) Keith Everett Construction and Handyman Service: All phases of home remodeling and repair. Window and door replacement specialist. Repair or build any style of fence, deck, or patio cover. Kitchen and bath remodels. Senior discount, references. No job too small. Lic #878703. Call 619-255-3499. (3/13) Bathtubs & Sinks Refinished like new without removal.

Thirty years experience – same owner. Lic #560438. Call “Cory Tate” Bathtubs & Sinks Refinishing at 619-464-5141.

(2/13) BARGAIN BOYZ REPAIRS/CONSTRUCTIONSpecializing in all home repairs Interior and Exterior. Fixture upgrades and remodeling. Family owned and operated! No job too big or too small! Licensed/Bonded/Insured. License #828251B. Call for a free estimate. Office 619-741-2012 or Toll free 877-412-BOYZ (2699) (02/13) Roofing, licensed, bonded, second generation Allied

Gardens roofer. Over 100 homes in Allied Gardens roofed.

Repairs, all types of roofing. Free estimates. Call 619-2877149. (1/13) Lake Murray Laughter Yoga Club. All welcome. Free.

Fridays 10am-11am. Enter Kiowa St. Meet right of boat dock. Diane 619-462-7233; 619-972-7234 cell (1/13) Let’s give your yard a makeover! Coast Guard Veteran recently returned to native Allied Gardens restarting landscape business along with handyman services. Family man. Knowledgeable , dependable. Todd. 619-286-3679 or 541-261-6422 (01/13) Team of housecleaners.

Reliable, honest and dependable. Simply the best! Call Connie at 619-817-7686 (01/13) hauling,contruction and yard clean-up.demos,light maintenace. call carlos 858 4950548, cellular 619 813-9988,E-mail chiripas1@aol.com (01/13) Healthy Skin by Darlene.com 619-933-7381. Relaxing Dermalogica Facials, Dermalogica product for skin health results, Bio-Therapeutic Microcurrent Rejuvenating Facials, Spray-on Tan, Waxing, Gift Certificates (01/13) Jasmine’s Salon Grand Opening. January 1, 2013.

619-517-1706. 10330 Friars Rd San Dieg, CA 92120.

Grand Opening specials. Booth Rental Available. (1/13) In need of a good and reliable Bookkeeper on a part time job basis . You can work from home or anywhere as the working hours is flexible and easy. It comes with a good pay too. For more information contact Downey at joedowney45@yahoo.com or 805-751-7452 (1/13)

Wanted Attrico Company is looking for part-time employees to give assistance in providing of documents, catalogs and managing corporate correspondence. Job description: Corporate Postman. Wages: $30 per task plus compensation of all costs. Requirements: Candidate must be full legal age, very organized, responsible, have own vehicle and a valid driver’s license. In order to get more information and to apply, please reply back with your short resume. In order to get more information and to apply, please reply back with your short resume. E-mail: greg@ attrico.com (03/13) OLD MILITARY ITEMS WANTED- Cash Paid for medals, patches, uniforms, souvenirs, swords, photos, documents, etc. CALL 619-368-2055 for fair cash offer. (04/13)

Scouts, from page 1 community. So for the month of December, the Mission Trails Service Unit teamed up with Special Delivery, a local organization that delivers nutritious meals to homebound customers three times daily. During the holiday season, Special Delivery customers are given a small live tree. Our local Girl Scouts then crafted tree ornaments to be distributed with each meal.

The month of December also saw Nazareth School Girl Scouts spreading holiday cheer around town.

Troops 3885, 4012, 3779, 3493, and 3133 spent the afternoon Dec. 3 caroling through the halls of Nazareth House Assisted Living Center. The girls distributed gifts and hosted cookies and refreshments for the residents. Three of the Nazareth Troops (3133, 3885, and 3779) also represented San Diego Girl Scouting in the North Park Toyland Parade Dec. 1.

Seventeen Daisy, Brownie and Cadette Scouts marched the sixteen block parade route waving and spreading the Girl Scout spirit.

Whether it’s performing service or participating in community sponsored events, the Girl Scouts of Mission Trails are always on the go trying to better the world around them! ♦

Next Publication Date - Dec. 28 Display Ad Space Deadline - Dec. 11 Article Deadline - Dec. 18 Classified Ad Deadline - Dec. 21

Advertise in the MISSION TIMES COURIER Call 619-283-9747 ext 128

FREE CLASSIFIEDS Free classified ads are available to private parties and to non-profit organizations that do not charge for their services. Only one ad per party or organization will be accepted per issue as a free classified - additional ads must be paid for with submission of the ads. Free classifieds are limited to 25 words or less. Ads of more than 25 words cost 50¢ per additional word; payment must accompany the ad. All free classifieds will run for only one issue even if you indicate on the ad that you want it to run more than one time. All classified ads - free or paid - must be submitted by mail only or hand-delivered to Postal Annex at 6549 Mission Gorge Road, Box 199, San Diego CA 92120. THE LAST DATE PRE-PAID ADS WILL RUN IS PRINTED AFTER EACH AD - IF NO DATE IS GIVEN, THE AD RUNS ONLY ONE ISSUE. The following ad classifications are eligible for free classified ads: FOR SALE, GARAGE SALES, LOST & FOUND, WANTED, FOR RENT, NOTICES and YOUTH SERVICES. However, this does not include WANTED ads for multi-level sales or FOR RENT ads for vacation/rental condos or NOTICES for any profit-making organization.

We do not guarantee that we will run all free classifieds submitted. If you include payment for an ad that normally is considered a free classified, we guarantee that it will be printed in the next available issue, unless it is inappropriate for a family oriented newspaper. We will not call or write to inform you if your classified ad does not qualify as a free classified; we simply receive too many ads to provide that level of service. We do not mail copies of the newspaper for proof of publication.

PAID CLASSIFIEDS - $8/25 words or less BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS including SERVICES, CHILD CARE, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, NOTICES, HELP WANTED, & FOR SALE ads for any profit-making enterprise costs $8 for 25 words or less plus 50¢ per word over 25, payable in advance of publication only. NOTICES ads may NOT be ads normally classified under SERVICES (i.e., business ads) the Editor reserves the right to reject or re-classify any ads sent in under the NOTICES category that should more appropriately be placed elsewhere. PAID ADS may run for any consecutive number of issues, provided that proper payment for the ads is received in advance. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR RENEWAL OF ADS. THE LAST DATE PRE-PAID ADS WILL RUN IS PRINTED AFTER EACH AD. IF NO DATE IS INCLUDED AFTER THE AD, IT RUNS ONLY ONCE. When counting words—a word is a word, regardless of the number of letters. A telephone number is a word. An address PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. CIRCLE THE APPROPRIATE such as “10000 San Diego Mission Road” is 5 words. We do not mail “proofs of publication” for classifieds.

CLASSIFICATION. Make checks payable to “Mission Times Courier.”

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO “MISSION TIMES COURIER”

SPECIAL NOTICE The Mission Times Courier reserves the right to edit or refuse classified ads due to inappropriate content, space considerations, etc. The Mission Times Courier assumes no financial responsibility for errors nor for omission of copy for classified ads. By submission of ad, advertisers agree to indemnify and hold the Mission Times Courier harmless from any claims and expenses arising from the publication of any ad. No personals are accepted. No refunds given or cancellations accepted unless such notice is received by mail 10 days prior to the publication date. MAKE SURE YOU REMIT THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE AD - WE ARE UNABLE TO CONTACT YOU - NOR RUN THE AD - IF THE INCORRECT AMOUNT OF MONEY IS SENT WITH THE AD. We do not mail copies for “proof of publication” - and your cancelled check is your receipt.

EXTRA COPIES If you need extra copies of the Mission Times Courier, they are available at the Benjamin Branch Library, San Carlos Branch Library, College Rolando Library and over 120 business locations throughout our distribution area on the day of publication - while supplies last.

Mail to 6549 Mission Gorge Road #199, San Diego CA 92120.

FOR SALE

CHILD CARE

BUS. OPP. NOTICES

FOR RENT SERVICES

WANTED

LOST & FOUND HELP WANTED

GARAGE SALES

(see restrictions above)

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MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 21

Comes t0

Broadway San Diego

By Vince Meehan

Broadway San Diego is host to a special show at downtown’s Civic Theatre Jan. 4-6. Rain, a tribute to the Beatles, features songs from early Beatlemania days, the Sgt. Pepper era, and the Yoko Ono phase that marked the end of Beatles domination. Mission Valley News talked to Rain founder Mark Lewis and guitarist Joe Bithorn, who stars as George Harrison.

Lewis founded Rain in the late ‘70s before it was a Beatles tribute band. Back then, the band was one of many playing the Hollywood circuit and trying to land a record deal. He said this is what sets this band apart from previous Beatlemaniatype bands. “This band was born organically as a true band of musicians as opposed to players answering a casting call,” said Lewis. “We just

happened to be huge Beatles fans as well.”

Lewis said more Beatles songs would be worked into their set until they were asked to do an exclusively Beatles set at a Los Angeles nightclub. The show was a huge success and turned into a steady gig. Later, they parlayed this success into forming a Broadway act and the rest was history.

Bithorn joined Rain in 1983 when the previous “George Harrison” left the band and needed to be replaced. Old film footage is studied to replicate the Beatles experience. “We play live on stage to recreate the look of the Beatles, but musically, we are creating the sound of the albums in place of live concert,” said Bithorn.

“Playing with today’s technology makes that goal so much easier.”

Recreating that sound,

however, is not all reliant on technology. In fact, the attention to detail can be organically simplistic. “We’ve recreated certain bird noises from the albums by identifying the species of bird, then actually going out into the field to find one and record it,” said Bithorn. “We’ve also done live recordings of string sections to make sure we get the back bow as well as the front bow of cellos. You can’t get that with sound processors.”

Lewis plays keyboards for the band in the orchestra pit offstage during the performances. He also manages and books the act because “somebody had to do it!”

Bithorn said he is very proud and satisfied with the show. “There’s a great feeling on stage playing to so many Beatles fans and seeing them smile. For me, it’s like getting a chance to ride the record!”♦

Marc A. Lewis, D.C.

Chiropractic Physican, Clinic Director 6612-B Mission Gorge Road, San Diego, CA 92120 619-282-8181 FAX - 619-282-8205 www.marcalewisdc.com • chirodoc10@hotmail.com Voted Best Chiropractor in the Neighborhood!

Page 22

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Burglaries, from page 1 an incident number. It’s also good advice to make sure there are visible addresses on the rear and front of homes to help officers locate crime scenes.

Target hardening is the most important thing residents can do to discourage home burglaries, said Rorrison. “Crooks want an easy victim.”

Rorrison added many home burglaries happen during the day when residents aren’t expected to be home.

“If you have double locks, use them,” advised Alvarez about home security. “Padlock side gates and close garage doors locking all doors leading into homes.”

Regarding car theft in vehicles parked outside residences or in garages, Alvarez said, “There is only a piece of glass separating a prowler from the interior of a vehicle. It’s a five-second smash, grab and go. People shouldn’t use their cars as storage lockers, leaving valuables in full view.”

Alvarez talked about what burglary victims should do after the fact.

“Don’t touch anything, especially if there’s a point of entry,” he said.

“If your doors and windows are wide open when you come home, call police to have them check the house first.”

Alvarez added fingerprints are generally taken around points of entry and come out best on smooth

surfaces like glass or metal.

According to federal statistics, the clearance rate of burglary cases solved has remained consistently low, with an average of 14 percent in the United States.

The clearance rate for burglary is lower than that for any other serious offense.

Most burglary investigations – about 65 percent – do not produce any information or evidence about the crime, making burglaries difficult to solve.

Burglary also causes substantial financial loss, since property is rarely recovered, and serious psychological harm to the victims.

Single-family detached houses are often attractive targets – with greater rewards – and more difficult to secure because they have multiple access points.

Burglary does not typically reflect large seasonal variations, however, in the United States, burglary rates are the highest in August and the lowest in February.

Most U.S. residential burglaries – about 60 percent of reported offenses – occur in the daytime.

Research suggests burglars most often strike on weekdays, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – times when even routinely occupied houses may be empty.

Burglars select targets based on a number of key factors including familiarity with the target; convenience of the location; occupancy; visibility; accessibility; vulnerability or security; and potential rewards. ♦

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Saving Water at Balboa Park

By Dave Schwab

Balboa Park is becoming “water wise” and it wants everyone to know it.

Friends of Balboa Park, the non-profit committed to preserving the 1,200acre urban park’s legacy for future generations, has launched the “Roadmap to Water-wise Parkland in Balboa Park: Optimizing Water Use by 2020.”

A major initiative focused on optimizing water management in the park in the heart of San Diego with its 15 museums, the San Diego Zoo, restaurants, gardens and riding and hiking trails, the roadmap creates a national and international water-wise model.

Consisting of a series of proposed projects that will ultimately optimize water usage, the roadmap projects are sequenced into a timeline by whether they are shortterm (20122013), midterm (20142015) or long-term (2016-2020).

Friends’ chairman Jim Hughes said the roadmap creation was spurred by the region’s water crisis and drought conditions as well as a City of San Diego directive that all city parks trim water usage by 15 percent.

“That gave a lot of people indigestion because of the park’s being 100 years old and because it could not sustain such a dramatic cut,” Hughes said. “So we started coming up with a plan to save water.”

Noting water management in such a large park is a “very complex undertaking,” Hughes said it was something which had to be done to safeguard

the short- and long-term health of the second-largest park in the city with the most trees known worldwide for its gardens and landscaping.

The water-wise roadmap covers these areas: • Smartscaping: Optimizing ecological features, e.g., flora, fauna, land terrain/drainage, sun/ shade patterns, soil composition, and the provision of water.

• Documentation: Mapping of existing water infrastructure along with measuring water use through audits and technology.

• Water Delivery: Employing improved irrigation methods; Capturing/

reclaiming water for re-use in irrigation.

• Eco-tourism and Eco-education: Providing passive and active programs for visitors, students, and staff integrated under the umbrella of the “Balboa Park Center for H2O Experience.”

• Program Management: Keeping the initiative integrated, updated, evaluated, and communicated.

Laurie Broedling, program manager for Balboa Park’s water-wise program, said the intent of the roadmap is to “find ways to use water more efficiently.”

“Optimizing water use has a whole bunch of dimensions, such as planting the park in a more sensible way with native and droughttolerant plants where appropriate,” she said.

Broedling said Balboa Park presently has two major problems with water conservation: It uses only potable (drinkable) water, and it employs a sprinkler system that is wasteful because it allows water to evaporate or runoff.

“Acres of water in the park right now are just being dumped into the sewer and water drains,” she said. “We’re implementing state-of-the-art methods for saving water,

using cutting-edge technologies, throughout the park.”

Formulating the roadmap involved assembling experts in water management, sustainability and related skills to build a new conservation model.

This model also required involving key stakeholders who will have primary management responsibility to oversee the execution of the projects including staff from the city’s Park and Recreation Department.

Hughes said seed money in the waterwise project has gone into installing a more-efficient, computer-driven irrigation control system within the park.

“We’re hoping to become a water-wise model that can be adopted anywhere,” said Hughes noting a group of about 30 water experts, including San Diego State University professors, were recruited for the waterconservation project.

“We’ve worked with them to define water issues, do water mapping throughout the park’s irrigation system, which is extensive,” Hughes said.

The roadmap also seeks innovative new ways to conserve water, said Hughes.

“One of the objectives, besides using less is, how do you stretch it further, find ways to reuse water,” asked Hughes, adding “harvesting” water previously wasted from air-conditioning equipment and collecting rainwater runoff from building roofs are two potential reclamation efforts being considered.

The water-wise roadmap will also play a role in the Park’s 2015 centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama – California Exposition, and beyond, leaving an environmentally sustainable legacy for future generations. ♦ For more information or to contribute, please visit www.

FriendsofBalboaPark.org or call (619) 232-2282.

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

Page 23

Dancers, from page 10

Taking a Lesson from Lake Murray Robbery

By Dave Schwab Just how vulnerable seniors can be to residential burglars was driven home Nov. 28 at a residence in the 8400 block of Harwell Drive in the Lake Murray area, where an 80-year-old homeowner was assaulted and robbed by two men.

The unsuspecting resident was taken by surprise when two burglary suspects, one adult and one juvenile, disguised as laborers looking for work, came to his door.

“One of the suspects knocked on the door, using the ruse of asking for work when the homeowner answered the door,” said Lt. Andra Brown, public information officer for the San Diego Police Department.

“The other got into the house through an open side door and confronted and attacked him (homeowner) inside. He was injured severely including a broken jaw, lacerations on his head and numerous bruises and cuts and was hospitalized.”

Though seriously injured, the victimized senior was fortunate in two respects: He wasn’t hurt worse or even killed, and police were able to solve the crime quickly and recover and return all of his stolen valuables, which including jewelry, a camcorder, cash and a watch.

By chance, a passerby saw the alleged crime transpiring about 2 p.m. and placed an emergency call from a payphone at 8800 La Mesa Blvd. to

police, saying he’d just seen two men using a crowbar to break into a dwelling.

Brown said officers responding to the call saw two men fleeing from the home.

“A patrolman with a dog caught up with the two suspects a short distance away and took them into custody with the aid of a man living in the area,” she said.

The burglary suspects were actually taken into custody by police before the burglary victim called to report he’d been attacked, Brown said.

It was a best-case scenario. But, given different circumstances, it could have been much more serious, and should serve as a lesson to residents that they need to be more cautious when answering the door to strangers, who just could turn out to be burglars looking for an easy mark. ♦

dancers have been practicing every chance they get, from classes in La Mesa at Better Life Mobility to special appearances, such as the flash dance at the El Cajon Centennial.

Dance Whisperer studio owner Joe Torres has made it his mission to teach wheelchair dancers everything from bachata to waltz.

“There’s absolutely no huge pressure on them,” he said.

“People will often do their own thing, moving back and forth with each other.”

For a few months, classes were held at the Challenge Center in La Mesa. “This group has got me hooked, lined and sinkered,” joked Bill Bodry, founder of the Challenge Center. Bodry often participates in the wheelchair dance events.

Fellow wheelchair dancer Wanda Chenier said she finds wheelchair dancing as a way to move with grace and fluidity.

Fifteen years ago, Chenier was paralyzed in a car accident.

“Wheelchair dancing has become an environment for rollers and walkers to network in the community,” she said.

Dorothy Howard often partners up as the walker for Chenier in wheelchair dances.

“I love doing this because of the smiles on everyone’s faces,” Howard said.

“I know of one of the wheelchair dancer ladies who started putting on makeup because of these lessons. It’s fun to see the changes in people and how they light up,” said Howard.

One of the other rollers is Shuman, also in her 50s, who has been a paraplegic her entire life. She had always dreamed of being able to dance. A few years ago, she met Weurding and her dance partner at a social club for persons with disabilities. “I felt amazement at watching them dance,” she said.

That day, Shuman gave wheelchair dancing a spin herself. “When I danced for the first time, I remember feeling so excited, so free, and so incredibly happy that I started to cry,” she said.

Since then, Shuman has also won many awards. In 2009, she received one for performing a Waltz Solo Exhibition at San Diego’s DanceSport competition. She also took first place that same year in Rumba, Cha-Cha, Fox Trot and Waltz at the Hawaii

Star Ball Competition.

Sharon Ahlberg danced with Shuman at the flash mob. She and her husband had been taking salsa dance lessons from Torres, who had announced that he needed volunteers to dance with the rollers.

“I love it that so many people have come out today,” Ahlberg said at the flash mob.

Walkers and rollers alike hope that everyone watching the Wheelchair Dance flash hob got the full impact of how a community of individuals, were brought together completely – and unexpectedly – through dancing.

“Words alone cannot express the greatness of wheelchair dancing,” Shuman said.

Better Life Mobility at 8130 Parkway Dr. in La Mesa offers free lessons Monday evenings from 5 to 6 p.m. ♦ Weurding said that there is still a need for dancers to set the record on Feb. 16, 2013. ♦ Call (619) 760-7584 or go to www.wheelchairdancers.org for more information.

Page 24

MissionTimesCourier.com — January 1, 2013

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