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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
On the Internet at www.MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.com
Volume XIX – Number 12
NEW .AYOR PROMISES
KIWANIS CHRISTMAS TREE LOT
Holiday Happenings ‘T is t he se a son t o m a ke m e rr y w it h frie nds a nd fa m ilie s a round Sa n Die go. Pa ge 1 5
POWER TO THE PEOPLE Mayor-elect Bob Filner is honored by a local Girl Scout troop.
Mayor-elect Bob Filner promises to bring a more inclusive, grass-roots mindset to City Hall.
Cheesy Goodness Sa n Ca rlos re st a ura nt N ic olosi’s m a ke s for a gre at fe a st for t he fa m ily a ny t im e of t he ye a r.
By Dave Schwab “We’re going to have different and new people at the tables of power, economically and politically,” he said. “We’re going to have people from poor neighborhoods, people of color, people representing education and the environment and the arts – people who have not played a role.” Noting “one group” of people has been leading the city of San Diego for the last 50 years, Filner said, “We’re going to change that. Whether it’s jobs, or affordable housing or transportation, there are going to be different people deciding things in the interest of the populace, not a few special interests.” Filner said he intends to have the political base dispersed more around town than concentrated downtown as in the past, adding that decisions in his administration will be made “in the interests of the whole city, not just [real estate mogul] Doug Manchester.”
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U.S. Representative – 50th District Republican Duncan D. Hunter (67.92 See ELECTIONS page 19
See KIWANIS page 18
ELECTION 2012 WRAP-UP Rum Yum Sw e e t e n your holida y pa rt y w it h our quick pick sugge st ions for gift s a nd re fre shm e nt s. Pa ge 1 4
By John Peterson The Grantville-Allied Gardens Kiwanis Club Christmas tree sales lot is open for business, with a great selection of freshly cut trees from the lush green forests of Oregon. This year is the GAG Kiwanis Club’s 25th year of selling trees as a fundraiser of its many community and youth services projects. Proceeds from the sales are returned to the community while Kiwanians volunteer their time and energy to run the tree lot. This year the club is asking for the community’s help in a new way. There will be a toy barrel on site to receive donations of toys for two of our projects. For more than 20 years GAG Kiwanis Club has provided toys for the Toy Box in the Oncology unit at Kaiser Hospital. The box is called the Kaiser Cancer Kids Toy Box and has a large Key, which is given to all of the children who have undergone a medical procedure at the hospital to open the box and choose any toy that they want. The club is also asking for the community to donate toys for the
See FILNER page 7
Democrats Win Election 2012 President Barack Obama is still the head of state, but this year’s general election changed several things for the State of California and the City of San Diego. For instance, for the first time in two decades, a Democrat is mayor of America’s Finest City. Nevertheless, with the mayoral race being a nail-biter until the very end, many races were decided by single-digit percentage points. The following races specifically regard the Mission Times Courier community.
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San Diego City Mayor After a very close race between Democrat Bob Filner and Republican Carl DeMaio, Filner emerged the victor. For more on Filner’s plans for San Diego, see Mission Times Courier writer Dave Scwab’s interview with the mayor-elect, and for an after-election interview with Carl DeMaio, see Vince Meehan’s story on page 2.
PHHS PRINCIPAL PREPARED TO GO THE DISTANCE
Press Club Honors Mission Times Courier a nd it s sist e r public at ions ga rne re d a w a rds for exc e lle nc e in journa lism . Pa ge 2 NEWSTIPS (619) 283-9747 X-121 Editor@MissionTimesCourier.com
ADVERTISEWITHUS (619) 283-9747 X-128 Sales@MissionTimesCourier.com
By David Ogul Anyone doubting the determination of Patrick Henry High School’s new principal need look no further than last spring when Elizabeth “Listy” Gillingham was training for the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. Three months before Gillingham was set to join 101 other runners who would have completed a 15th straight Rock ‘n’ Roll since its inception, the then-principal at De Portola Middle School in Tierrasanta broke her leg in a freak volleyball accident.
Gillingham finished the race, walking the entire 26.2 miles in a little more than 6 hours, 32 minutes. “I’m a doer,” she said in a recent interview. “I like to get things done.” Indeed. While she was at De Portola, the middle school consistently surpassed state and federal education goals and was named a national “school to watch” three times. Now she’s settling in at Patrick Henry, a campus not far from her San Carlos home. “She is a very, very strong principal,” said David Lorden, San Diego Unified School District’s area superintendent for the Patrick Henry, Serra See PRINCIPAL page 23