March 2014
On the Internet at www.MissionTimesCourier.com
Volume XX – Number 3
County Water Authority calls for voluntary conservation efforts Drought Watch Drought conditions here not acute yet; conservation efforts have helped By Doug Curlee Editor
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he San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors has voted to activate the Water Shortage and Drought Response plan, bringing into play Level One of the Model Drought
Response Ordinance. Level One calls for increased voluntary conservation, asking residents, businesses, hotels and restaurants to be much more careful of using water unnecessarily. (To see the response plan, go to www.sdcwa.org/ drought-response) See WATER page 15
(Increased voluntary conservation)
Drought Alert
(Up to 20% mandatory conservation)
Drought Critical
(Up to 40% mandatory conservation)
Drought Emergency
(More than 40% mandatory conservation)
KEVIN FAULCONER EASILY WINS ELECTION AS SAN DIEGO MAYOR
Photo by Sam Hodgson
By Doug Curlee Editor
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oderate Republican Keven Faulconer, a two-term City Councilmember, will become San Diego’s 37th Mayor after an unexpectedly easy special election win over fellow Councilmember David Alvarez. Faulconer will fill out the remaining three years of former Mayor Bob Filner’s term. Filner resigned in disgrace
after less than a year at the helm, dogged by sexual harrassment allegations that he ultimately pleaded guilty to. Prior to that election, public opinion polls generally concluded the two candidates were in a dead heat heading into election day. The pollsters have admitted they didn’t see this coming at all, but more than a few people did. A number of people, this reporter included, were standing at Election Central election night when the first computer tally of
mail and absentee ballots was released. Faulconer came out of those ballots with a 13-point advantage57 per cent to 43 per cent. Several of us had the same reaction. “This thing is over.” It was. What happened? Why did the Alvarez campaign fail so completely, and the Faulconer campaign succeed so brilliantly? See MAYOR page 15
Is meth still a problem? Yes and no... By Doug Curlee Editor
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an Diego County health, law enforcement and political officials want to remind everyone that while heroin is currently grabbing headlines, it’s methamphetamine that’s still a problem in San Diego county. There’s good news and bad news to report on that front, as we saw at a news conference at the County Administration Center
recently. The Methamphetamine Strike Force released the numbers from the past five years, and they would seem to shows that San Diego County is no longer the meth capitol of America, as has been the case in the past. That is not to say that meth is no longer a problem, because it definitely is. County Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob, who led the effort to create the Strike Force back in 1996, says the numSee METH page 16
MTS to privatize, downsize bus Route 14 By Jeremy Ogul Mission Times Courier
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aced with substantial opposition to a proposal to eliminate the struggling bus Route 14, the Metropolitan Transit System board on Feb. 20 decided instead to compromise. Beginning this summer, MTS will hire a private contractor to operate Route 14, which connects Grantville and Lake Murray Boulevard via Allied Gardens, Del Cerro and the College Area. Trips with the fewest riders, at the beginning and end of the day, will be eliminated. The changes should reduce the annual operating subsidy Route 14 requires, from an estimated $645,000 this year to $245,000 next year, according to Denis Desmond, MTS planning manager. If the route’s financial performance further deteriorates in the following 12 months, MTS staff will recommend that the route be discontinued, Desmond said. Route 14 has struggled to supSee BUS ROUTE page 20
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LOCAL News
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Patrick Henry Girls’Tennis Sets League and School Records By Karen Ronney Tennis Coach, Author, Educator
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winning tradition is an honor and a responsibility for five Patrick Henry High athletes, who inherited a varsity tennis program filled with great expectations. They accepted the challenge with confidence and helped the Lady Patriots win their sixth consecutive undefeated Eastern League season. The Patriots have set a school and league mark logging an impressive 72-0 record since 2008. Seniors Victoria Robertson, Lindsay Brown and Kalee Dehamer led the way along with sophomore Alex Loucks and freshman Julia Ronney, who each earned First-Team All-Eastern League honors en route to helping the Patriots to their 12-0 league record and 14-1 overall for the 2013-2014 season. Robertson (23-0), Brown (30-0) and Ronney (24-0) together have compiled a 77-0 singles record in their No. 1, 2 and 3 positions respectively. Loucks and DeHamer were the top Patriot doubles duo with a 25-6 record. The pair were finalists in the Eastern League Doubles Championships. “This is an impressive body of work from these players over a long period of time,” said Patrick Henry Coach Jay Gelbart. “Their success is not by chance. These girls worked very hard to be great on the court and that is something to be proud of.” Robertson ended her high school career at Patrick Henry with credits including the 2012 CIF Singles Championships, the 2012 and 2013 Eastern League singles titles, First-Team All-CIF and two-time All-Eastern League Honors. She signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Utah in the fall. Brown, a four-year varsity player, was the 2011 Eastern League Singles Champion and earned AllCIF and four-time All-Eastern League Honors. Ronney, a USTA Junior Team Tennis 14s National Champion, made a huge difference with her undefeated season
Lindsay Brown
Victoria Robertson
“These girls worked very hard to be great on the court and that is something to be proud of.” -Jay Gelbart
and All-Eastern League Honors. Dehamer and Loucks played outstanding tennis en route to their 2 place finish overall earning AllLeague honors. Talented Lady Patriots who reached the quarterfinals of the league tournament include the doubles teams of Courtney Gilbert and Jessica Sweis (15-8) and Stasia Khinish and Kate Kiley (17-9.).Alex Kelly and Hailey Broderick (14-8) were outstanding in league play. Since 2008, Patrick Henry players have received a total of 30 all-league honors, six doubles and four singles championships, five
CIF Team quarterfinal finishes and one semifinal finish. In addition to the current five honorees, former Lady Patriot stars who received all-league status and competed in CIF includes Sara Gelbart, Ashley Hayashi-Osorno, Alexis Ronney, Shelby Harris, Anna Roberts, Jordan Wolz, Emily Osga, Hannah Mykel, Brooke Ronney, Hanah Ratican, Nicole Deeb, Juliette Dively, Maddy Kleine and Sarah Glanz. This year, the Patrick Henry junior varsity enjoyed a successful season with a 9-3 record led by Michelle Nguyen, Dena Sweis, Ann Tran, Quyhn Uong, Caitlynd Contrars-Olafson, Sweis, Lauren Haneke-Hopps, Lillian Gaughn, Jenny Brown, Giorgia Scelzo and Devynn Glanz. “The team has worked hard and improved with each match,” said Patriot Junior Varsity Coach Cheryl Gilbert. “Our plan was to prepare the girls not only for this year, but for varsity competition in the future. We definitely succeeded.”
LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Sandi Masori is NOT full of hot air... But her artistic balloons usually are By Doug Curlee Editor
“We’re pretty much the balloon décor artists for the Nordstrom and NiemanMarcus crowd.” -Sandi Masori
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he San Carlos wife and mother was a first grade teacher not so long ago. A trip to Japan, a trip to Israel (where she just happened to find a husband, some art and décor training, and eventually a new calling) has all combined to make Sandi perhaps the premier balloon entertainment and décor practitioner in Southern California. It really sells the story short to call Sandi a balloon artist- that conjures up images of people decorating the corner bar for St. Patrick’s Day, or someone’s birthday. What Sandi does with hot air balloons, and helium balloons when she can get helium, is more of a major undertaking. “People don’t realize just what all is involved in some of the decors we do. We’re talking about knowing colors, design, engineering..the whole gamut of what’s required to build a large, and lasting display. What we do is build sculptures out of balloons. We can do whole rooms and halls, whole houses whole areas for events of all types” Masori says. What Masori does is so far past hanging balloons from the wall or the chandelier that you have to see it to believe it. Her website at balloon utopia.com contains a slide show that gives a great overall view of some of what Sandi has done and can do. She’s clear about one thing. If you’re thinking of having her put some balloons in the back yard trees for the kids’ birthday, you’ll
what exactly you want to see, and what will need to be done to make that happen. Sandi is so effervescent about her work, and has so much fun doing it, that she’s attracted attention from not only corporate types who want balloon décor tied in with their businesses and product lines, but attention from the media as well. Not every balloon décor expert pops up on the “Today” show in New York Top: Designer and consultant Sandi Masori on City, but Sandi did. the Today Show She spent an all-tooMiddle: Character parodies that took 90 hours short time on air each to complete with Hoda Kotb and Kathy Lee Gifford, Bottom: Football helmet entrance showing what she does and how she be better off calling someone who does it. charges less than she does. She says she’d like to meet with “We’re pretty much the balloon Ellen DeGeneres, who she is told décor artists for the Nordstrom doesn’t care much for balloons. and Nieman-Marcus crowd. We Sandi says she thinks she could don’t work cheap, but we make change Ellen’s mind. every effort to see that you get As enthusiastic as Sandi is what you wanted and paid for, about her craft, don’t bet against and that you’re happy with it.” her. If you hire Sandi, you can plan Yes, I had to ask: “Do you blow on a visit or two from her to see up those balloons yourself?” No, the venue you want decorated, she has machines to do it.
Paid advertising courtesy of Dan Smith Re/Max Lic. 01346593
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LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
School dads battle it out - again
San Carlos Preschool “A Great Place To Grow” Summer & Fall enrollment coming soon for ages 2.5 - 5 yrs. www.sancarlospreschool.com
619-464-4335
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By Lindsay Gadsby for the Mission Times Courier
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reen Elementary’s Gecko Dads Corp (GDC) and Dailard Elementary’s Dads Assisting Dailard Students (DADS) met for the second time this school year to bring the community together through sport, this time in a best-of-three kickball tournament. DADS won the illustrious sporting event two games to zero. A few home runs by Dailard coupled with many defensive and running errors by Green added up to a Dolphin win and a Gecko loss. GDC said there were some refereeing challenges in the second game that prevented them tying it up 1:1 and going to the elimination game three, but they were not sore losers. Other than those who were sore the next day, that is. “There were a few injuries and icepacks this time around,” said GDC’s Josh Billauer. In the previous match up, GDC outdodged DADS in a raucous dodgeball game in front of several hundreds fans. GDC won the trophy for the school and DADS will man the BBQ at Green’s endof-the-year campout. “Luckily for us, there was no wager placed on the kickball game, so the only thing we lost was our pride and the trophy,” said Josh Billauer. Though there are murmurs that GDC should provide a bagel breakfast at the next event, given the kickball score. The dad groups and their families enjoy these friendly competitions and are seeing the benefit on and off the field. “The relationship between the
two schools continues to grow. When I am around the community, I’m running into dads from both schools and the talk is always about what the next game is going to be. It’s very exciting and I hope that we continue to get more families involved,” said Dailard’s Eric Bresnick. KUSI news covered the game, and DADS and GDC hope the idea is gaining momentum. “We would like to see dad groups formed for all the elementary schools in our cluster. These kids will wind up at middle school or high school together. It would be great if they know each other beforehand to ease the transition,” agreed both Bresnick and Billauer.
Photos by Michelle Cox
LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Navajo Canyon Republican Women Planning a Busy Spring By Judy McCarty Public Relations NCRWF’s February 11th meeting day was also election day for the new Mayor of San Diego. As members and guests took a lunch-hour respite from campaign activities to listen to guest speaker 760 radio show host Mike Slater, their hopes were for a Kevin Faulconer victory at the end of the day. The club’s regular meeting schedule continues with their March 11 meeting at The Brigantine with more candidates sharing their thoughts on the issues of the day. Check-in time is 10:30 am for the 11 am meeting; a full-course luncheon is served at noon, followed by the speaker. Cost is $20 and reservations are required. Please RSVP to NCRWF99@gmail.com or call Kit at 619-286-2835. Being able to discuss politics with like-minded women is a treat for Republican women and creates a special camaraderie for NCRWF members. Opportunities to socialize on a casual, fun-filled basis helps make that happen. A “Meet and Greet” social hour is planned for new and old members to get acquainted will take place Saturday, February 22, at 2:30 pm in the home of Phyllis Hinshaw, and a Bunco party is planned for spring. We wel-
come all Republican women to these events. RSVP to ncrwf99@ gmail.com for either of these events. Volunteering on campaigns is the easiest way to meet other Republican women and there are several opportunities to share your time on worthwhile endeavors. Contact waskahwhelan@aol.com (with NCRWF in the subject line) to get times and places. The club is also raising money to purchase a “Track Chair” for a disabled veteran. *** Our satellite club, Downtown Republican Women, will welcome Kirk Jorgensen, Republican candidate for Congress in the 52nd District. Captain Jorgensen is a former Marine who works now as a technology and management consultant. Most recently he has consulted for the US Navy Seals. The meeting will take place Thursday, March 20, at 5:30 pm at The Athens Market, at First and F streets downtown. Cost is $15. The restaurant’s regular hors d’oeuvres buffet will be served along with a no-host bar. RSVP to dmcrsd@gmail.com. Downtown Republican Women meet every third Thursday of the month and all Republicans are welcome.
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COUNCIL NEWS
Del Cerro Action Council By Jay Wilson President Congratulations to Kevin Faulconer, who was elected our next mayor on February 11. He has committed to putting an emphasis on local communities, fire, and police. I hope we can all look forward to his commitments coming to fruition. At the quarterly meeting of the Del Cerro Action Council, Adam McElroy, our Police Community Relations Officer for Eastern Division, provided an update on Del Cerro and our surrounding communities. There were three residential burglaries, all due to unlocked windows, and two stolen vehicles. The most activity continues to be at the motels on Adobe Falls Road off Waring Road; 15 arrests were made for a variety of criminal activities. Officer McElroy went on to again stress the benefit of having a viable Neighborhood Watch program and how easy it is to establish one. Contact Officer McElroy at AMcElroy@ pd.sandiego.gov and he will
assist you. SDdelcerro.nextdoor.com continues to grow and is helping nearly 300 Del Cerro residents keep in touch, find resources, and provide alerts. We may even find Officer McElroy commenting on the Del Cerro Nextdoor website…. probably under a pseudonym, but providing good information. Ryley Webb, our Council Representative for Councilmember Scott Sherman, referenced the biggest Navajo Community project now underway in the Navajo Area—grass fields and parks renovation— which began at the end of January at the Lake Murray Community Park and is continuing. As you read the front page of last month’s issue of this paper, know that Councilmember Sherman allocated $50,000 to provide much needed renovation to six grass parks/ fields: both fields at our own Princess del Cerro Park, three fields at the Allied Gardens Rec Center/Lewis Middle School, San Carlos Rec Center, and Lake Murray Community Park, which was the first field to be renovated. The entire project will concluded in August. Ryley also fielded questions about burnedout street lights, abandoned
There were three residential burglaries, all due to unlocked windows, and two stolen vehicles.
See DEL CERRO page 19
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
College Area Community Council and Planning Board By Rhea Kuhlman President At our February meeting, we heard from Tommy Messinger of the Alliance for African Assistance, which has offices in the College Area, around 59th and El Cajon Blvd. The mission of the Alliance is to assist refugees, immigrants, the economically challenged, and underserved to become self-sufficient, productive members of their communities. For over 20 years, this nonprofit organization has worked to provide assistance here in the United States and abroad, to refugees, internally displaced persons, immigrants, those seeking asylum, victims of torture and war, distressed women and children and others suffering from economical hardship. Such assistance includes preparing host families; securing safe and affordable housing, help with rent and transportation, health screenings, enrolling children in school, English language classes and translation services, and job assistance and training. Although originally focused on African refugees, today this help is not limited to Africans immigrants. The Alliance has
The two five-story towers would be very much out of scale with the surrounding single story architecture. successfully resettled more than 8,000 refugees in San Diego from Somalia, Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ethiopia, Liberia, Eritrea, Vietnam, Iran, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Russia. For information on how you can support the Alliance and its mission, please visit its website, www.alliance-for-africa.org . In other business, acting as the College Area Community Council, the board voted to send a letter to RQUID, Rolandans for Quality Infill Development, supporting the legal process that has been initiated to examine
whether Boulevard 63, the large multi-unit residential development at 63rd and El Cajon Blvd. was properly approved by the City and built by the developer, Carmel properties. Acting as the College Area Community Planning Board, we voted unanimously to send a letter to the City stating our concerns regarding a five-story, 102 unit student housing project proposed for the west side of College Avenue, just south of Montezuma Road. Among other issues, the two five-story towers would be very much out of scale with the surrounding single story architecture which prevails on the west side of College. Additionally, the project would not provide adequate parking for the 368 + residents who would live in the proposed development, which is primarily composed of 4-bedroom units. Because of the seriousness of these concerns and others, the See COLLEGE AREA page 23
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COUNCIL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
COMING SOON!
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By Anthony Wagner President This month I’d like to pivot and write about some of our community-oriented groups that have a long track record of bolstering community pride and stewardship within our neighborhood just like the Allied Gardens Community Council. In June of 2009, the Friends of the Benjamin Library, located right here in the heart of Allied Gardens, helped the Benjamin Library celebrate its 44th anniversary. In 2015, the Library will celebrate its 50th Anniversary and the Friends are already plan-
San Carlos Area Council News By Mickey Zeichick President Our next San Carlos Area Council (SCAC) meeting will be Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 6 PM in the San Carlos Branch Library, 7265 Jackson Dr. Our speaker will be Bob Yamada, San Diego County Water Authority’s Water Resources Manager. His topic will be the Seawater-Desalination Plant. As you know our region is in the midst (no pun intended) of a severe drought and this continues to be a threat to our way of life. Without water there is no life! Can we make water??? SCAC, Mission Trails Regional Park, and Councilman Scott Sherman’s office continues to be perplexed by the problems for the residents who live near and around our wonderful Cowles Mountain. It is not enough to remind and post signs to be mindful that there are babies, school-aged kids, adults and the older-adults who are trying to enjoy the peace and tranquility in their own home. If you think you have a
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GET YOUR FREE BUYER & SELLER GUIDE NOW! ning the celebration. The Friends are a wonderful group that has volunteered countless hours and financial resources to fostering literacy and love of books. Their collective membership funds summer reading programs and activities for children and adults at Benjamin Library. This year, two student participants were awarded laptop computers after submitting solution to this problem, please contact me, we will meet and explore your ideas, but know that there are some real challenges e.g. the City Charter, zoning, ingress/ egress issues to name but a few. Perhaps we can put together a town-hall-type meeting to let everyone air their concerns and discuss solutions. Your thoughts??? Historic tid-bits of San Carlos. Did you know our San Carlos was not named for a saint named Carlos or even Charles. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune (October 9, 2005, Section I, page 17), our San Carlos was named for the guy who developed the subdivision, one Carlos Tavares. The article further noted that Carlos’ wife, Claire, lent her name to Clairemont. Tavares apparently had a fondness for nature themes, an unexpected thing in a developer: many residential streets in Clairemont are named Mount something, and many residential streets here in San Carlos are named Lake something (or something Lake). San Carlos Branch Library
award-winning essays in the Student Essay Contest sponsored by the San Diego Public Library, the San Diego Unified School District and the Friends of the San Diego Public Library. Local sandwich giant, Jersey Mikes recently sponsored a very successful week-long fundraiser with all proceeds benefiting the library. All of this happened See ALLIED GARDENS page 18
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have a fabulous FaceBook site! The San Carlos Library is unlike the Library I frequented growing up in Los Angeles. THIS Library is filled with not only books and kids’ story times, but activities, promotions and meetings that occur all throughout the year. Our San Carlos Branch Library celebrated its 40th Anniversary in style! We moved to San Carlos in 1975 and of course the library was here. It didn’t seem “new” because it had the familiar look, feel and established activities that we knew we wanted for our kids. But it has grown now there is something for every age. The reading and study areas are used throughout the library hours. But we have outgrown See SAN CARLOS page 10
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MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
Walk In The Park S
pring blooms are slowly making their colorful debut in the park. Several varieties of wildflowers have already begun to show their colorful and distinctive blooms. Wild Cucumbers are climbing Laurel Sumac and showing off their curly vines and striking white blooms. You can see many wildflowers along Father Juniper Serra Trail. There are Indian Paintbrush, with bright red brush-like flowers, and Fiesta flowers showing both purple and white blooms. Look closely for red and yellow mischievous Monkey Flowers close to the Visitor Center. The first orange strands of “Witches Hair” or Dodder, a true parasite, can also be found lying on top of other plant (hosts), like California Buckwheat, close to the edge of the trail. Take some time and take note of what you see, and with a little more rain wildflowers will greet you everywhere. If interesting creatures are your fancy, keep an eye out for the tarantula hawks. They may appear intimidating, but are generally mild-mannered toward humans. Don’t attempt to pick up or molest a tarantula hawk as the sting is extraordinarily painful! While neither a tarantula nor a hawk, it is a spider wasp which hunts tarantulas as food for its larvae. The more familiar species are up to two inches long, with blue-black bodies and bright, rust-colored wings, making them among the largest of wasps. The coloring on their wings warns potential predators that they are dangerous. Their long legs have hooked claws for grappling with their victims. The stinger of a female tarantula hawk can be up to 7 mm (1/3-in) long, and the sting is considered the second most painful insect sting in the world. The tarantula hawk is relatively docile and rarely stings without provocation. However, the sting, particularly is among the most painful of any insect, though the intense pain only lasts about three minutes. Because of their extremely large stingers, very few animals are able to eat them; one of the few animals that can is the roadrun-
Tarantula Hawk feeding on flowers
If interesting creatures are your fancy, keep an eye out for the tarantula hawks. ner. Many predatory animals avoid these wasps and many different insects mimic them, including various other wasps and bees, as well as moths, flies, and beetles. A variety of tarantula hawks species can be found almost anywhere in San Diego County. Their only requirements are flowers for the adults to feed at, and tarantulas for the young to feed on. Thank you to Volunteer David Cooksy for contributing the tarantula hawk information. Music, Art, And, Education Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m., the Caprice Strings Trio returns to perform at the Visitor Center where they will beautifully meld the string sounds of violin, viola, and cello into a trio ensemble. Caprice has performed widely over the past 20 years with an extensive repertoire that embraces baroque, classical, and contemporary works-from Bach to Mozart to Gershwin and The Beatles. “Lumen, Shadows, and Chroma” is the art exhibition on display through March 28. It
features the award-winning photographs of Dana Levine, Eileen Mandell, and Dana Parnes. The artists will hold a public reception in the Visitor Center Gallery on Sunday, March 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. Nora’s Art Classes for Children ages 5 to 12 continue on Saturdays at 2 p.m. Upcoming topics for this 90-minute class are: March. 15: Mission Trails, Gray Fox/Oil Pastel/Paper, March 8: Georgia’s BIG Flowers/Aqua Crayons/Canvas Boards, March 15: Celtic Illuminated Letters/ Ink/Watercolor, March 22: Birds of Paradise of New Guinea/Chalk Pastel/Paper, March 29: Charlie Brown Transfer/Mixed Medium. Classes are $20 per student whic includes all art supplies, and the children take home their art. The topic for Linda Hawley’s “Nature Adventures!” for children 3 and up on March 18 is “Wondrous Woodrat & Other Oak Occupants!.” Class is from 9:30 to 11:30. The cost is $10 per child and adults are free. Factual information is introduced about San Diego’s wild animals using songs, puppets, real pelts, replicated skulls, scats, tracks, and taxidermy specimens. The lesson is followed by an easy trail walk and a return to the classroom, where children make a related, take -home craft. Lessons about the Kumeyaay people and the flora of MTRP are included. Go to mtrp.org, and look below “More News” for more information and registration form for both children’s programs. Like us on facebook and sign up for our free e-newsletter on our homepage at mtrp.org.
MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
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March Madness at Mission Trails Regional Park By Audrey F. Baker Trail Guide
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ig-eared Woodrats brave 1-1/2” cactus needles and display acrobatic agility to feast on Prickly Pear. Bees elude menacing Northern Mockingbirds to troll Blue Elderberry’s first flowerings. Like commercial aviators in a holding pattern, butterflies and wasps encircle Golden Yarrow while Telegraph Weed effuses its strong smell to signal availability. The excited antics of the March Hare (Black-tailed Jackrabbit) and Greater Roadrunner’s dash (that outpaces human capability) embody Spring activity. Resting undisturbed in the branches of a Coast Live Oak is the stealthy Common Gray Fox. A recitation of Aesop Fable? No! March Madness at MTRP. Our MTRP Trail Guide walks are an opportunity to learn more about natural Southern California, with its unique landscapes, habitats, local history, plant and animal life. The walks are free, interesting, fact-filled, and geared to all ages and interests. Grab sturdy shoes, that comfortable hat, water bottle and sunscreen and hit the trail! Morning walks are offered eve Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. You’ll start from the park’s 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 Carlos-Santee border, gives a different perspective of the park and its diverse habitats. These walks are offered from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, and take in historic Old Mission Dam.
Our MTRP Trail Guide walks are an opportunity to learn more about natural Southern California, with its unique landscapes, habitats, local history, plant and animal life. Wildlife Tracking reveals the secret lives of animals and brings insight into their survival techniques and habits. Tracking Team members assist in identifying and interpreting tracks, scat and habitats. Join us on Saturday, March 1 in front of the Visitor Center, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos, at 8:30 a.m. for a two-hour tracking adventure. Discovery Table: Bird Nests invites you to get a close-up look at “avian architecture.” Learn how various shapes, sizes and nest designs make the perfect home. Try your skill at matching the right egg to its nest and get feathered friends facts from Trail Guides. See you in the Visitor Center lobby from 10:00 a.m.1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 between 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Star Party Marvels come into focus under a first-quarter moon with the Orion Nebula
Visit the NEW Dorcas E. Utter
Butterfly Pavilion at The Water Conservation Garden
Opens March 22
Native butterflies and the plants they love. Feeding station and interpretive displays. Ideas for creating your own butterfly garden.
Butterfly Festival April 5, 2014 9am to 3pm 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West El Cajon, CA • 92019 • 619-660-0614 www.TheGarden.org • 9am to 4pm Daily
More Beauty. Less Water.
and Jupiter to the west. Join MTRP resident star gazer George Varga and also examine clusters in Auriga, Gemini, and Canis major. (Rain or cloudy conditions cancel.) We view from 6:00-9:00 p.m. on March 8 at the far end of the Kumeyaay Day Use Parking Lot, Mission Trails Regional Park, Two Father Junipero Serra Trail, Santee. Bird Lake Murray with MTRP Resident Birder Jeanne Raimond for a multi-habit birding adventure along Lake Murray’s scenic shores. Search for migratory and resident water birds and their land-lovin’ cousins. Jeanne recommends binoculars and bird book. Meet you on Saturday, March 15, 8:00 a.m. at the east side of the lake in the parking lot off Kiowa Drive, La Mesa for a two-hour adventure. Murray Walk and Talk is an informative stroll with your MTRP Trail Guide amid Lake
Murray’s thriving environments. The day’s topic, Wild Flowers of the Lake and Other Delights, will reveal some of nature’s secrets! Meet us at the boat docks, Lake Murray, 5540 Kiowa Drive, La Mesa on Tuesday, March 18 at 9:00 a.m. for the 90-minute amble. Family Discovery Walk connects your little ones with nature through discovering outdoor wonders, joys and beauty as a family experience. This interactive outing focuses on childhood enrichment and fun! We meet inside the Visitor Center. See you Sunday, March 23, 3:00-4:30 p.m. Birding Basics helps you identify birds “at a glance!” MTRP Bird Guide Winona Sollock’s class explains the five simple ways and gives tips on field guide use. Bring your bird book if you’d like. Class meets on March 29 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. inside the Visitor Center, Mission
Trails Regional Park, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos. 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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LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
San Carlos Friends of the Library By Sue Hotz Publicity Chair
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op O’ the Morning to You! The rainbow ends at the San Carlos Branch Library and our 40th Anniversary is still in full swing. To all who attended the FunRaiser at the Souplantation— Thank You! If you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to check out the “Yarn Bombing” of the Library and our new sign on the corner of Golfcrest & Jackson. Inside the library, meet Gideon who stands watch over the mystery book section. Last fall, mystery book store owner Phyllis Brown retired. Our Book Sale chair extraordinaire, Ron McFee, answered her call for the Friends to pick up her donation of 2267 mystery books. Our acquisition of Gideon and his 25 outfits became part of the deal; he dressed as Santa in December, was in a tuxedo for the January GALA—perhaps he’ll be a March leprechaun and find a pot of gold
at the end of our rainbow! The SCFOL new & renewal membership campaign continues. Our thanks to those who have already responded. Life Memberships continue for an indefinite time at ½ price---only $250 per person. Join/renew on line at sancarlosfriendsofthelibrary.org or pick up a membership envelope at the library.
YOUTH: Need help getting your child to focus? Did you know that the breath and balance work of YOGA both calms and stimulates a child’s mind preparing them for better learning? Children’s Yoga meets Tuesdays from 3:00-4:00. The community is invited on March 19 @ 6:00, to hear the 11 local winners of the city-wide “Annual Writing for Literacy” contest read their essays. Four of these student essays will be entered city-wide where they have the opportunity to win computers and other prizes. This year, Gage, Green, Benchley-Weinberger and Dailard Elementary and PHHS
schools submitted 227 essays which were read by judges Flora Hogans, Patricia Woodall, and Chairperson Barbara Woodall. WOW! Each month, YSL-Mr. Eric, chooses a Thursday afternoon at 3:30 for a special youth program. March 13 @ 3:30, meet in front of the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center for a film and tour. Other activities continue as scheduled. ADULTS: March 26 @ 3:00-5:00: “Are You Covered.” C o v e r e d California is California’s program to help implement the new Affordable Care Act of 2010. Learn the details. March 31 is your last day to purchase a health plan without $ penalty. OASIS: March 21 @ 2:00: “Aging in Place: Extending a Senior’s Time at Home.” March 4-April 3: Artist Alexandra Cauldwell displays her beautiful oils in the Community Room. March 13 @
12:30: Librarian’s Book Club is reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. May 10: next Craft Fair--keep on crafting. March 1 & April 5: next Used Book Sales. Thank you for your patronage. And we’ll see you at the library.
San Carlos, from page 7 our space and I certainly, along with the SCAC, look forward to having a new library. To that purpose the SCAC has generously donated $500. A library is not made up of only books, so in our “new” library we look forward to having more reading areas, more computers, a larger community room or rooms. But it takes money and one of the ways you can help is by donating and/or buying used books during the monthly book sales held by the Friends of the San Carlos Library. It’s with sadness that we share the news of the death of Kitty Mones on January 23, 2014. Kitty was a Director Emeritus of the SCAC and a terrific person, who cared deeply about our community, as did her husband Jack, who pre-deceased her. Kitty also was a member of the Navajo Community Planners for several terms as a representative of the San Carlos community and was active in various charitable organizations. The family is requesting that anyone wishing to make a contribution in Kitty’s name that the contributions be made to the San Carlos Area Council in her honor. All money received will be donated to the Friends of the San Carlos Library and work with the Friends to honor Kitty and all the Directors that have worked hard for the SCAC. It is my wish that in the new library there would be an area called “SCAC” where we can learn and continue to be a part of this com-
munity life and the bigger San Diego and California community life. Where meetings are held, students study, patrons gather to read or chat and/or have a latte. If you wish to make a donation, please make your check payable to the San Carlos Area Council or SCAC at P.O. Box 19246, San Diego, CA 92159-0246. Please mention Kitty Mones in the Memo line on your check. We will present these donations to the Friends at a future date. Pershing Middle School 50th Birthday. I attended the Special Assembly Presentation and Birthday Party on February 3rd, as did Councilman Scott Sherman’s office and SDUSD and alumni dignitaries. It was fun to hear Bob Stratton (one of the first students to go through the doors of Pershing Junior High 50 years ago) chide his fellow classmate and long-time good friend Alan Fedder about life at Pershing way back then. Incidentally, Mr. Fedder is the librarian at Pershing – talk about loyalty! Pershing received an award from the San Diego Unified School District because they are part of the “800” Club. The “800” represented that Pershing has an 850 Academic Performance Index (API). The API was created in California in 1999 as a means of determining whether or not schools were making improvement in student achievement. Not only is the faculty and staff outstanding but there a lot of college-bound students. WTG Pershing!
Pershing Middle School has started rehearsing for the production of “ Annie” which can be seen March 11, 12, and 13. For more information call the school at 619-465-3234. Candidates’ forum for the DA’s office: A contact to all three candidates running for the DA’s office (Robert Brewer, Bonnie Dumanis, and Terri Wyatt) has been made for a Candidates Forum to be held on April 24, 2014. More information to follow or go to our FaceBook page. SCAC Elections in May: We are looking for Directors to help guide our Council, if you are interested please contact me. If you would like your name added to the SCAC Interested Party e-mail list please contact John Pilch at jfpilch@hotmail. com with a copy to me. Your privacy will be respected and neither your name nor e-mail address will be shared with anyone or used for any purpose other than SCAC business. Messages are sent “Bcc” to prevent you from being spammed. If you have an issue you wish us to consider; a question about the community; who our next speaker will be; need a meeting reminder; copy of the agenda or ... please contact me or go to our FaceBook page. My contact information is: 619-461-6032 and e-mail is: mrzeichick@gmail. com -- I will get back with you. Be kind to yourself and others...... Mickey
DINING & DRINK
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
RB Sushi Serves Up Japanese Food for All Tastes RB Sushi 5943 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115 619-265-9400 www.rbsushi.com
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t first glance, RB Sushi seems to be another run-of-the-mill sushi joint offering unique and wacky rolls aimed at the college crowd. But a closer look reveals they have much more than sushi. Rice bowls, ramen and, of course, sushi fill the menu, making it a popular spot for the college crowd as well as residents living in the area looking for Japanese food. While other sushi places tend to have spotty results for nigiri (regular sushi), RB Sushi’s offerings are consistent. Albacore, salmon belly, hamachi and sea urchin are fresh with flavors of the fish shining through. If you prefer specialty rolls, a wide variety will keep your interest with names like “Baked Lobster” (crabmeat and avocado filling topped with lobster and baked; $12.50) and “Da Bomb” (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber topped with baked crab, scallop and jalapeños; $13.50). Other rolls like “Kryptonite,” “Heart Attack” and “Oh No!” invites thrill seekers looking for their next big sushi high. The commonality among these rolls is sauces loaded with multiple spicy components. For nigiri traditionalists, check out the “Havana Pearl” ($13.95). The nori (seaweed wrap) is
replaced by cucumber and soy paper and there’s no rice in sight. Instead, the chef rolls up fresh salmon, tuna, yellowtail and avocado, slices it up and tops it with masago (roe eggs). A briny seaweed salad is served alongside the rolls. It’s the next best thing to unfussy sushi as you can get. If you can eat through several nigiri and more than one roll, the best deal is their all-you-can-eat option. Most of the menu items are available with no time limits. But it’s best to pace your eating and make sure you have the stom-
ach capacity to eat everything ordered; uneaten leftover items incur extra charges. Another added bonus to the all-you-caneat-format is the chance to check out their hot food items. Agedashi tofu, gyoza, shrimp tempura and fried rice are just a few of the hot dishes worth tasting. Unlike buffets, everything is freshly made when ordered. Lunch is $20.95 per person every day until 3 p.m., or $24.95 for the dinner crowd. RB Sushi accepts both reservations and walk-ins. Besides College Area, the restaurant can be found in Rancho Bernardo and Hillcrest. Darlene Horn is a San Diegobased food blogger and has been penning her opinions on food for nine years at MyBurningKitchen. com. She’s the author of the semiautobiographical, food-centric comic, The Girl with the Donut Tattoo, drawn by her husband and artist, Paul Horn.
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LIBRARY News
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
LOOKING FOR A FEW (THOUSAND) SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS By Doug Curlee Editor
Science and engineering festival aimed at children interested
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ver wonder how to fix a broken heart? Want to see what a human cell REALLY looks like? Is all that stuff on “CSI” really the way they do it? Ever wonder what all’s hidden out there at Mission Trails Regional Park? There’s a great way for your children- and you- to find out that stuff and a whole lot more coming to town in mid-March. A week-long science and engineering recruiting effort will come to San Diego on March 17th through the 22nd, and the people and companies sponsoring it make no bones about the reasons why. The continued growth of San Diego as a biotech and research center is in no small part dependent on making sure there are enough young people entering the disciplines that keep those companies working and growing. Biocom is one of the largest regional life sciences associations in the world, representing more than 550 companies in southern California alone. The goal of the association, and of the Festival of Science and Engineering, is to grow the life sciences and engineering education opportunities on an ongoing basis. To do that, Biocom gets involved in most aspects of developing and delivering innovative products that improve health and quality of life. That reads like a lift from a press release,
at Petco Park on Saturday, March 22nd. Planners call it a “mind-blowing” day of hands-on science, technology, engineering and math exhibits and activities for budding K-12 science lovers and their families. All the activities, no matter where, share one of everyone’s favorite words: Free. To see the overall list of events, check at: sdsciencefestival.com. Three in particular attracted our attention, being set in our general publication area. The biggest is the Science and Engineering Sampler at San Diego State University on Satrurday, March 15th, from 9:00 a.m., to 2:00 p.m.
and much of it is, but it’s still a clear statement of what Biocom is all about. The association partners with colleges and universities like UCSD and San Diego State. The Festival is a joint operation of the Biocom Institute, UCSD and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. There is a week-long schedule of events planned for all over San Diego, with the culmination being a day-long Expo Day
The College of Sciences and the College of Engineering will open their doors all over the campus to showcase interactive exhibits such as: CSI meets CSU, telescopes, planetarium showings, laser demonstrations, electron microscope facility, making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, and much more. The best way to check that out is to go to the website: http://sci. sdsu.edu/sampler. The same day, budding
College-Rolando Branch Library
ecologists, biologists and entomologists might want to meet up with the San Diego River Park Foundation at noon, for a three hour tour of the San Diego River’s bug and insect population, and a look at the river’s health. You’ll be collecting bugs, counting them, and talking with experts about the health of rivers now and in the future. They’ll meet at noon in the west parking lot at the Mission Valley YMCA, 5505 Friars Road, the entrance to the Mission Valley Preserve Garden. To RSVP, or get more information, contact Shelsea Ochoa at shelsea@sandiegoriver.com, or call (619) 297-7380. And, close to our hearts here at the newspaper is Exploring the wonders of Mission Trails Regional Park. Sunday, March 16th is the day for this event, running from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 P.M. It will feature Interactive Display tables staffed by Park volunteers, telescopes on the terrace for viewing sun spots and sun prominences provide by the San Diego Astronomy Association. There will be animal displays, and talks about the importance of protecting the plant and animal life that abounds in the park. If you want to go out and see it firsthand, there will be a 90-minute guided nature walk leaving the Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m. Show up early, and bring your walking shoes and whatever else you need for a walk. The Visitor Center is at One Junipero Serra Trail, just off Mission Gorge Road. For more information, or to RSVPO for the nature walk, contact Jay Wilson at: jwilson@mtrp.org., or call (619) 405-0177.
PETS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Declawing Cats: Not a Surgery to be Taken Lightly By Sari Reis Owner of Mission Valley Pet Sitting www.missionvalleypetsitting.com
The pain associated with the declawing procedure can be excruciating and can last for several weeks, even years.
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ats are digitigrade, which means they walk on their toes. They use their claws and toes for balance, stretching, exercising and defense. When declawing is performed, it alters the cat’s ability to walk, use the litter box, stretch, and defend itself. Declawing changes the way a cat’s foot meets the ground and, as a result, can cause lifetime pain in the shoulders, back, legs and paws. Declawing has been referred to as “inhumane and unnecessary mutilation”. The pain associated with this procedure can be excruciating and doesn’t wane quickly. Sometimes it can last for several weeks and even years. For this reason, declawing cats has been banned in 27 countries around the world. Turner and Bateson state, “The operative removal of the claws, as is sometimes practiced to protect furniture and curtains, is an act of abuse and should be forbidden by law in all, not just a few countries.” So is it ever justified? Some veterinarians say that if the claw is damaged beyond repair or has a tumor, removing it is defensible. That makes sense. Others have stated that if the cat’s owner is immunosup-
pressed due to illness, then declawing is a reasonable precautionary measure. To that end, the Humane Society of the United States said this, “Declawing is not recommended by infectious disease specialists. The risk from scratches for these people is less than those from bites, cat litter, or fleas carried by the cat”. And if pain were not a significant enough reason not to perform declawing, statistics from studies have proven that between 50% - 80% of these procedures result in complications including: radial nerve damage, bleeding, bone chips that may prevent proper healing, painful regrowth of a deformed claw, and lameness. Many pet owners have also stated that the procedure changed the personality of their cat, making him more aggressive, fearful, and less playful. So what are the humane alternatives to destructive scratching? Training is one. If you get a kitten, you can train them early on to use a scratching post. Having scratching posts around your home gives the kitty the opportunity to scratch without damaging your furnishings. Cat trees also offer an alternative to scratching furniture and provide amusement and enrichment for the kitty. You can also try vinyl nails which can be applied right over your cat’s claws. They are made by “Soft Paws” and can be purchased online. Another option is to cover the furniture you want to protect with aluminum foil, plastic, or two-sided tape. Declawing is not just a manicure. It is a very grave operation. It is comparable to amputating the top knuckle of each of your fingers. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights stated,” Declawing generally is unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is strictly to provide convenience for people”. Sari Reis is a Certified Humane Education Specialist and the owner of Mission Valley Pet Sitting Services. For more information you can contact her at 760644-0289 or www. missionvalleypetsitting.com.
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LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Fifth-graders get head start on the world of money Some students are so devoted to their work that the volunteers have to persuade them to take breaks.
Biztown, a lifelike economic simulation for fifth-graders, features storefronts from well-known brands.
By Madeline McCurry-Schmidt for the Mission Times Courier
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t’s a chilly February morning, and the city is waking up. Construction workers put on their helmets, bankers fire up their computers, and doctors make their rounds. This city operates much like any other— except all its residents are in fifth grade. With the help of local businesses and foundations, Junior Achievement San Diego has transformed a Grantville office building into an indoor main street. Each school year, more than 14,000 fifth grade students visit JA BizTown to learn about careers and practice skills in money management. This particular morning, the residents of JA BizTown have come from Lakeside’s Riverview Elementary. At JA BizTown’s City and County Administration Building, Ryan Molleman, the student elected mayor for the day, is preparing for his big speech. “I will make sure everyone’s having a good time and doing the right thing,” says Molleman. All day long, Molleman will keep an eye on the city’s budget.
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Junior Achievement San Diego has transformed a Grantville office building into an indoor main street. He is excited to be mayor of JA BizTown, but he also sees how these skills will help him in the real world. “They will probably help me a lot, from knowing how to do a check and how the economy flows,” Molleman said. Katie Easton, JA BizTown education manager, described the in-class curriculum that students go through to prepare for JA BizTown. The students learn how to balance a check book, pay off a loan, interview for a job and even calculate the operating costs of a business. When the students get to JA BizTown, they jump into roles like doctor, banker and even newspaper reporter. Each shop
front is sponsored by a real company that operates in San Diego, such as Kaiser Permanente, Mission Federal Credit Union and U-T San Diego. Some students will spend the day providing services to the other businesses. For example, students “working” for Cox Communications will install phones for the other student businesses. Some students are in charge of keeping their employees happy. At the U-T San Diego shop front, CEO Claire Bakke will spend part of her day signing payroll checks. “You have to keep in mind how much money you have in the bank,” says Bakke. This interactive program would not have been possible without a recent $55,800 grant from the San Diego Women’s Foundation. The group was interested in finding ways to help students overcome poverty, said Tracy Johnson, executive director of the foundation. The program at JA BizTown seemed like a good match. There is no cost to students, and 50 percent of students who visit come from schools with free and reduced lunch programs. Johnson hopes the professional and financial skills taught at
at the NBC 7 studio are gearing up for a big broadcast. The anchorwoman, Audrey Tucker, and the station director, Russell Bradbury, are coming up with a way for her to signal that an on-camera interview is over. “Can you wink?” Bradbury asks. Tucker tries, but it just looks like a funny blink. They decide she will just stare at the camera before the segment fades to black. It is the first time the team has worked with video cameras. Like many of the students that day, Gunnar Borjeson, the NBC 7 camera operator, has used the Biztown lessons in real life. Just the week before, Borjeson helped his mom fill out a deposit slip at the bank. Sandra Leu, a fifth grade teacher from Riverview Elementary, is visiting JA BizTown for the first time. She says the program helped her cover economics, business, writing and math in the classroom. Plus, JA BizTown is a Riverview
JA BizTown will help students manage their money and prepare for the job market. “They put the skills you see in the community to work,” said Johnson. Of course, with grown-up responsibilities come some distinctly grown-up problems. Easton said students acting as CEOs sometimes try to fire their employees, and the student police officers try to ticket the adult volunteers just for walking too fast. Then there was the time students at one business wanted to file a noise complaint against a construction company next door. The students in the construction company were building a bench, and the noise was driving customers away. The CEO of the nearby business wrote a complaint and took it to the mayor. Fifth-grader Ryan Molleman serves as mayor for the The mayor day at Biztown. decided to seek legal counsel—all on his own, Easton tradition. “The students are thrilled,” emphasized. The business Leu said. “They look forward to owners and the mayor visited the student-run Procopio office it the entire year.” Junior Achievement plans to and drafted an official complaint, open a “Finance Park” business which the mayor signed. program for high school students “They really take it seriously,” starting in fall 2015. They also said Easton. She said some students are so offer classroom curricula for devoted to their work that the elementary, middle school and adult volunteers have to per- high school students. To learn more about JA suade them to take breaks. “They get so stressed,” said Biztown, visit jasandiego.org. Easton. “This is part of the pro- To learn more about the San cess—learning how to manage Diego Women’s Foundation, go to sdwomensfoundation.org. time and your workload.” Back at JA BizTown, students
LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Mayor, from page 1 and endorsing him right from the start. That was something Alvarez, who was closely linked to Filner in the early going, could never do.
There are any number of reasons, and guesses.
Youth vs. Age? Kevin Faulconer is 47 years old, with two City Council terms behind him. David Alvarez is 33 years old, and has not quite finished his first term in office. Faulconer was able to project himself as the wiser, experienced candidate with a track record. Alvarez had to project himself as the young “outsider”, attacking the downtown business establishment. That may have backfired, because as a Council member, he’s had to deal with the downtown establishment for most of four years.
NOT get out the vote?
point out a number of instances where he reached across the aisle, and across party lines, to effect decisions that augured well for the City as a whole. Faulconer made much of the idea that he would continue to work both sides. Alvarez might well have done the same thing, because he has worked across party lines in the past, but chose not to do so. Instead, he cast his campaign as Bob Filner hangover? one for the neighborhoods alone, Like it or not, the Democratic leaving the impression that they party in San Diego still has were his sole concern. They are to deal with the debris of the not, but it seemed to play that Filner nightmare, and that’s way to the voters. not going away as quickly as they had hoped. The organized Jerry Sanders Redux? labor that poured millions into Kevin Faulconer is NOT Jerry Alvarez’ campaign is the same Sanders Reincarnated, but organized labor that got Filner he’s the closest thing available. elected, and that well-publicized Sanders was by all accounts, or at fact is believed to have turned off least most of them, a good Mayor a number of independent, unde- who helped bring the City out of cided voters who might otherwise the financial black hole left us have marked Alvarez’ name. by previous administrations.
Faulconer played roles in helping
Reach across the aisle? Sanders do that, and he was wise Kevin Faulconer was able to
enough to get Sanders signed on
The Alvarez campaign was expecting to benefit from the kind of get-out-the-vote effort that organized labor is justifiably proud of being able to produce. Combined with the edge registered Democrats now have over Republicans in San Diego, many observers thought that would easily carry Alvarez to victory. In fact, that plan failed miserably. There is no better proof of that than the fact that Alvarez’ home Council District Eight only turned out 29 per cent of the registered voters there. Citywide, turnout was 43 per cent. David Alvarez is no doubt a political force to be reckoned with in the future. No one will be surprised if he is indeed Mayor of San Diego someday in the not-too-distant future. People definitely know him now. He has good name identification from this campaign, and will no doubt win reelection in District Eight. Alvarez did not have that widespread name identification in the special election. That fact may have been a major contributor to his crushing loss.
Water, from page 1 At this point, the Authority is not calling for any sort of mandatory measures to be implemented locally, because our water supply for this year is in pretty good shape. That said, board chairman Thomas Wornham says we need to be thinking ahead. “The extraordinarily dry conditions and water supply issues facing our state mean it’s time for each of us to go above and beyond our normal water-saving measures. If everyone answers the call, we can stretch our region’s supplies and do our part to help the rest of the state.” Our region has done a very good job in the past at conserving voluntarily, decreasing our total water usage by 150,000 acre feet over the past 6 years. (an acre-foot is roughly 326,000gallons; enough for two families of four for a year.) The Authority’s water storage in Southern California is in good shape, and there is a lot of water in other reservoirs father away that belongs to San Diego through a complicated series of trades, swaps, and outright water purchases over the years. It’s possible that some of that stored water may have to be diverted to the drought-parched Central Valley, in order to keep farmers there growing the foods that much of the nation depends upon. There is a range of such steps currently being considered in Sacramento and Washington to help local agencies who are, frankly, running out of water. San Diego’s water supply, if managed carefully, should see
us through this year, because the Colorado River’s snowpack is at about 100 per cent of normal. “Thanks to investments (like the deal for Colorado River water with Imperial Irrigation District) and commitment by residents, businesses and our agricultural communities, the San Diego region has been a statewide leader in conservation for the past two decades, and that has really prepared us to weather the current drought”, says Wornham. There is little doubt now that the current 3-month span of December, January and February will go down as the driest span since records started being kept way back in the 1850’s. Many are hoping for another “March Miracle” like 1991, when rains fell for days, and alleviated what might have been a severe drought that year. Whether that happens or not, there will need to be some serious thinking about California’s water delivery system. There have been calls for that to happen
for decades, but virtually nothing, comparatively speaking, has been done to actually improve the system. Current ideas range from Governor Brown’s desire to build two large tunnels, at an estimated cost of 25 billion dollars, underneath the old and extremely fragile San Joaquin Delta to ship Northern California water south, to lesser bond issues that would attack parts of the problem. Those ideas have been, and will continue to be, tied up in ongoing ecological and political battles. Meanwhile, many are casting eyes ahead to 2015, and they don’t like what they see. If there is no relief from the drought, or very little relief, the stored water supplies we now depend on may be gone. If that happens, Southern California will truly learn just what the word “drought” really means. It will not be an enjoyable experience.
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LOCAL NEWS San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council News
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
By John Pilch Chairperson
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elated Happy New Year from the Officers and members of the San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council (SC/LM). We began the New Year with a brand new floor in the gym at the rec center. The contractor sanded the floor down to bare wood, sealed it, painted new lines for basketball and volleyball and put on two finishing coats. A photo of the center logo accompanies this article. This was the first time the entire process was done since 2000 and it looks great. The cost of this project was paid for by the recreation council, from fees charged for a variety of programs and permits. By the way, the black and red lines were selected for visibility reasons, and only after much discussion. Stop by to view the new floor and see what your recreation center has to offer. There are programs for all age groups. More info is available on the City website, www.sandiego.gov and click on Park and Recreation, then on San Carlos Recreation Center or pick up a copy of the Winter & Spring 2014 Program at the center. There has been a great deal of activity at Lake Murray Community Park recently and more to come. This park was the first on the list of the Navajo Parks Renovation Plan, which is being funded by our District Seven Councilmember Scott
Sherman. The $50,419 for the six fields/parks came from budget savings in his office. The renovation process includes threshing, aerating re-seeding, fertilizing and top dressing of the grass areas, which will be fenced off for about eight weeks to allow the grass to establish roots. We were elated to discover that the city crew renovated the entire Lake Murray Park rather than just the front area. Therefore, we ask that everyone please stay off the newly-seeded areas and use the walkways to get to and from the playground or use the outer edges in the rear area to access the playground from that parking lot. Your help and the recent rains will allow us to have a great-looking park when the fencing is removed by March 30th. Next on the list is Princess Del Cerro Park. The Forward Field area east of the Rec Center will be renovated in
July. Please remember to thank Councilmember Sherman for his efforts on our behalf. His e-mail address is scottsherman@sandiego.gov or you can call his office at 619-236-6677. We are also pleased to report that the Right of Entry Permit has been finalized for a contractor to plant nine trees along the perimeter of the new Lake Murray Playground. This project is being funded by the Lake Murray Park Project (LMPP) Committee, with monies remaining from their fundraising efforts for the playground. The trees were specially selected to provide shade on the field sides of the play equipment, to allow for “cooler” use of that area of the park. Hopefully, the trees will be installed by the time you read this article in March. We are also working toward getting another shade structure installed where the picnic table is located on the
main concrete walkway. At the Rec Center, the Spring Carnival, formerly known as the Easter Egg Roll, is scheduled for Saturday, April 19th from 10 AM to 1 PM. We’ll have egg hunts, air jumpers (inflatables), live music and a DJ and much more. More details are in the Winter & Spring 2014 Program available at the Rec Center and online. Best of all, it’s a free event. Finally, we pleased to announce that a new monument sign has been approved to replace the existing monument at the corner of Lake Adlon and Lake Badin in the front park area. A media event is planned when the new monument/sign is in place. Drought tolerant plants will be placed in a growing area at the base of the monument to dress it up. That’s it for now. The San Carlos Recreation Center is located at 6445 Lake Badin Avenue, 92119. Center Director Kristy Wells and her staff can be reached at 619-527-3443, with any questions you might have. The San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council meets the third Wednesday of odd-numbered months at 6:30 PM in the San Carlos Room at the Center. The public is invited to attend. We have dedicated time on the Agenda for comments from the public about items not on the agenda that evening. In accord with the Brown Act, the Agenda is posted at the Center 72 hours prior to the meeting.
Meth, from page 1 bers are somewhat discouraging. “The number of meth deaths reported in 2012 was the second highest since the Strike force began tracking deaths in 1995”, says Jacob. “Make no mistake. Meth is death.” 217 people died of meth-related causes in 2012, a 55 per cent increase over the 140 who died in 2008. Those numbers include people who died directly due to meth overdoses, as well as the less direct causes such as homicide, suicide, and accidents. Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr.Jonathan Lucas says the statistics tend to bely the common perception that meth is a feelgood party drug used by young people to party, stay up to study, and other uses. “In fact, the most c ommon age group for methrelated deaths is 40 to 60,with the prime age being in the 50’s.” The primary meth users are not, as some have suspected, gangbangers and hardened criminals. 60 percent were white, 24 per cent black, 8 per cent Hispanic, and 8 percent classified as others, such as Asians, pacific islanders and native americans. Other interesting numbers are the increase over the years in the percentage of arrestees for crimes that test positive for meth: up from 24 per cent in 2008 to 36 per cent in 2012. Arrests for possession and trafficking are up fully 56 per cent over 2008. If there are bright spots in the picture, they are the facts that juvenile arrestees’ positive meth tests have dropped from 10 per cent all the way down to 4 per cent, and that the seizures and cleanups of large labs have dropped from 5 seizures and 12 cleanups in 2008 to 4 seizures and 7 cleanups in 2012. All of this presents a picture that we might have something of a handle on the meth problem, but that ‘s not necessarily so at all. The problem is that the Mexican cartels have discovered the incredible cash cow that is meth. Customs and Border Protection agents are busting more and more meth traffickers at the international borders, both Mexican and Canadian. The question there is, how much of the trafficked meth are they actually intercepting? County Health and Human Services Director Nick Macchione says the meth makers are always finding more and different means of getting it across the borders. “The latest ploy they’re using is meth in liquid form, which is almost impossible for the dogs to find. It comes across as liquids, and can be easily processed back into street sales form.” While the attack against the super labs- the ones that produce prodigious amounts of meth- has been very successful locally, there are still the smaller labs that can crank out enough meth to make a profit for the meth cooks. At the end of the day, meth is still a problem for two simple reasons, as pointed out by more than one meth addict when interviewed.“it’s really cheap, and it’s pretty easy to get.”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
RUSS PECK KNOWS MUSIC AND MOVIES - AND WHY THEY GO TOGETHER By Jen Van Tieghem Mission Times Courier Music Writer
W
hen you ask someone the standard get-to-know-you question “what do you do?” “Play organ over silent films” is probably not an answer you expect. But if you’re talking to Russ Peck of San Carlos that’s the intriguing response you’ll get. Mission Times Courier of course had some follow-up questions as we were understandably fascinated by this local’s story. Peck grew up in the area attending Hearst Elementary, Lewis Middle, and Patrick Henry High. He says even as a child he decided this was where he wanted to live his life. And luckily for music and film lovers he did just that. We got the chance to find out more about the man behind the organ and the magical marriage of music and cinema that happens several times a year at Copley Symphony Hall. For about four years now Russ Peck has been playing for The Fox Theatre Film Series at Symphony Hall. The series celebrates its location’s history and is named such as it was opened as part of the Fox chain in 1929. The movies they select are come on 35mm film reels as they did originally and are projected using the same equipment and techniques used during the silent film era. The first season of the film series Peck and company put on two events with films from the teens and ‘20s but has expanded now to three shows and could potentially add more. The dates are sprinkled throughout the year with the final date for the 2013-2014 season coming up on April 19. This particular night dubbed “The Kings of Silent Comedy” will feature three short films as opposed to a longer feature. Preparing for these events is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Peck starts by outlining the film and making notes of the timing of action in the film minute-by-minute. From there he begins selecting songs he thinks may work with the movie and piecing together his score. Although there are many steps from start to finish it’s clear the Peck enjoys the process and takes pride in the resulting performances. “We pull from various sources that were available at the time,” Peck said of composing a score that features music contemporary to the time the films were made. Classical music and popular music of the time period, most of the selections are in the public domain. Other times individual songs may be licensed as was the case when screening “My Best Girl” with Mary
Jazz
Classical
Wednesdays – Gilbert Castellanos Jazz Jam at Seven Grand. Free. 9 p.m. SevenGrandBars.com.
Feb. 28 – March 2 – Wagner’s The Ring Without Words at Copley Symphony Hall. $20 - $96 Fri & Sat 8 p.m. Sun 2 p.m. www. SanDiegoSymphony.org
Fridays – Sam Johnson Jazz Group at Cosmos Coffee Cafe. Free. 3 to 5p.m. CosmosCoffeeCafe.com. Saturdays – Jazz with George and Alan at Bistro Sixty. Free. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. www.SanDiegoDesserts.net. Saturdays – Douglas Kvandal with the LiveJazz! Quartet at the Amigo Spot at the Kings Inn. Free. 7 p.m. www.kingsinnsandiego.com.
For about four years now Russ Peck has been playing for The Fox Theatre Film Series at Symphony Hall. musical selections is done to make sure the music and sounds come together smoothly. Because of the use of actual film it is important that Peck does a dry run of the show. Film projectors in the silent film age, he Top: Russ Peck with his theatre organ explained, did not have Bottom: Russ Peck standardized projection speeds so this practice allows Pickford. Peck explained that him the chance to perfect his in one scene Pickford is scene timing with the film. This test putting a record called “Red Hot run occurs just the night before Mama” on a turntable. Since it a scheduled performance. “It is [hectic],” Peck admitted. was that specific tune he went about finding out how he could “My scores… I like to call them use it- eventually paying from ‘elastic.’ I do it the way a lot of his own pocket to be able to play the organists did in the day. This is something an organ can the song. “Starting in the teens there do that an orchestra can’t and were a number of publishers that’s that I can be flexible as the and composers that composed film is running… I can do a lot of music for silent films,” Peck improvisation.” With a well-prepared score added as another resource he utilizes. He explained that these and the seasoned organist ready pieces of music are descriptively for needed spontaneity The Fox named to fit with scenes. For Theatre Film Series attracts example songs with “Hurry ” or large audiences of all ages. “It’s nice to see young people “Passionate” in the title would be used to match the action in [in attendance],” Peck said. “College students are showing the film. Another feature that adds up now! It doesn’t hurt that ‘The to the cinematic experience Artist’ won an Academy Award a are sound effects found on the couple years ago- it reawakened Theatre Pipe Organ that Peck an interest in black and white plays. Sounds from car horns to and silent films.” The current season wraps on telephones ringing can be played from the instrument to coin- April 19 with tickets just $20-30 cide with the action of screen. and the upcoming season is in However this means Peck has the planning stages. For more to break from the music and information on the film series pick back up again. A lot of visit www.sandiegosymphony. careful planning and timing of org.
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Feb. 28 – Circles at Seven Grand. Free. 9 p.m. www. sevengrandbars.com March 14 – Sure Fire Soul Ensemble at Riviera Supper Club. Free. 9 p.m. www. RivieraSupperClub.com March 22 – Gilbert Castellanos presents A Tribute to the Jazz Legends at 98 Bottles. $20 in advance/$25 at the door. 8 p.m. www.98BottlesSD.com
Pop Tuesdays – Suzanne Shea and Bob Wade at Bistro Sixty. Free 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.www.BistroSixtySD. com Call and hold your table 619-287-8186 Wednesdays – Westside Inflection at Riviera Supper Club. Free. 8 p.m. www. RivieraSupperClub.com Thursdays – Greg Shibley at The Westgate Hotel. Free. 6:30pm – 9:30 p.m.. www. westgatehotel.com Fridays – Nathan Welden at Bistro Sixty. Free. 6:30 p.m. www.BistroSixtySD. com March 15 – Sock Monkeys at San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room. Free. 7 p.m. www.SanPasqualWinery. com
March 12 – La Jolla Music Society presents Yo-Yo Ma at Copley Symphony Hall. $35 - $99. 8 p.m. www.ljms.org March 13 – Beethoven’s Choice at Copley Symphony Hall. $20. 7:30 p.m. www. SanDiegoSymphony.org March 16 – Yale Strom and Lou Fanucchi “Klezmer Music” at Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center. Donations welcome. 3 p.m. www.mtrp.org March 21-23 – Mozart, Hadyn, and More at Copley Symphony Hall. $20 – $96. Fri & Sat 8 p.m. Sun 2 p.m. www.SanDiegoSymphony. org
Alternative March 1 – Rist Band at Pal Joey’s. Free. 9 p.m. www.paljoeysonline.com March 8 – Hills Like Elephants, Wild Wild Wets, Boy King, and Jimmy Rueles at the Casbah. $8. 9 p.m. www.casbahmusic.com March 8 – Rock-N-Roll Benefit for Miley Show featuring Okay!Okay!, Neighbors to the North, Western Settings, and The Cobra Las at the ‘Til Two Club. $8. 9 p.m. www.tiltwoclub.com March 21 – The Heavy Guilt at Riviera Super Club. Free. 9 p.m. www.rivierasupperclub.com March 29 – The Midnight Pine at Riviera Supper Club. Free. 9 p.m. www.rivierasupperclub.com Bands, venues, and musiclovers: Please submit listings for this calendar by emailing Jen@ScoopSanDiego.com.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Allied Gardens, from page 7 because of the tenacity and creativity of the volunteers within Friends of the Benjamin Library. If you love literature, enjoy volunteering close to home and want to learn more about what it means to be an active member of Friends of Benjamin Library, call or e-mail Karen Carter at 619229-0739 or karcarter1@gmail. com. Additionally, I wanted to highlight “Get Off Your Rockers” – an organization for active adults 50 and over. Checkout their website at getoffyourrockers.org to learn more about this very special club.
On any given day of the month you will find “Rockers” ages from 50 to 95 (and sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s who) biking, hiking, sailing, golfing, playing tennis, kayaking or walking in groups of 10-20 or more. There’s something for everyone! In between activities the group always finds time to also give back to the community through their charitable contributions and volunteer work. Nothing slows this group down. Should you want to lean even more, please feel free to contact Outreach Coordinator and local
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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., 8:30-5:30pm; Sat. 8:30-noon.
BATHTUBS REFINISHED like new without removal. Bathtubs-Kitchen SinksWashbasins. Fiberglass and Porcelain. Over 25 years in San Carlos. Lic.#560438. 619-464-5141 (01/15) Dan Patterson Handyman/Carpentry: Repair and replacement of plumbing, electrical repair, installation of water heaters, doors, windows, cabinets, flooring, fencing. Pressure washing of driveways, all phases of home repair. And remodel including kitchen and bathroom remodel. No job too small, free estimates. Raised in Allied Gardens, 17 years in construction. Dan Paterson 619-4819978. (12/14) 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 (12/14) Professional Flute/Piano Instruction. 32 years experience. Beginner to advanced. Music Education. B.A. Degree. Reasonable rates. Teaching in your home or mine. Rick, 619-286-8012. (12/14) Roofing Lic# 691295-C39. Veteran Owned, Allied Gardens based. Celebrating 20 years in business. Full roof & repairs. Free Est. Veteran and Senior discounts. 619-8237208. (07/14) 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 (07/14) Linda’s Puppy Love, licensed, insured pet sitting service offering daily walks, cat care, overnight stays-your home, lots of love. 619-857-3674. www.lindaspuppylove.com (07/14) Stronger, Safer Seniors. Personal training for all ages. Personal instruction for beginners to advanced. Workout in your home or outdoors. Certified 17 years. FREE consultation. Email pkmelody@
Grantville resident, Susie Gretler at 619-871-3708. Your heart will thank you. I’m Anthony Wagner, president of Allied Gardens Community Council. We represent the community interests of Allied Gardens and Grantville. Check out our new website atAlliedGardens.org. Feel free to call me at (619) 253-4989 or write me a note at AnthonyJohnWagner@ gmail.com or tweet @ AnthonyWagnerSD.
sbcglobal.net or call Pam 619-962-7144. Strongersaferseniors.com (06/14) Mobile Screen Service. Window and Door Screens. Repair or Replace. Fast, Courteous and Affordable Service. Call Sunshine Screens. 858-248-6500 (06/14) 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. (04/14) 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! (04/14) Quality exterior carpentry. Decks, Fences, Patio Covers and Termite Repair. Lic365241. www.aactionbuildersofsandiego.com. Bob 619-275-1493 (4/14) Budget Painting. “Quality Painting for Less” Interior/Exterior. Earth friendly products. Pressure Wash. Many references. Clean-Friendly-Efficient. Free Estimates. Call James 619-417-0162 LIC#955395 (04/14) Roofing, licensed, bonded, second generation Allied Gardens roofer. Over 100 homes in Allied Gardens roofed. Repairs, all types of roofing. Free estimates. Call 619-287-7149. (03/14) LOSE WEIGHT & FEEL GREAT!! Turbo 10 Plan. Lose Up to 10 Lbs in 3 Weeks. Free Coaching & Mobile App. FREE SAMPLES. *Money Back Guarantee. 760-652-9002. BeWellNow.Vemma.com (03/14) Hauling, construction and yard clean-up. Demos-lot clearing. Garage clean-upmoving-delivers. Call Carlos 619 813 9988. E-mail chiripas1@aol.com. (03/14) Bridges Over Troubled Water. Cleaning, errands, cooking. Reasonable rates. 443-286-0519 (03/14)
Next Publication Date: Mar. 28 Ad Space Reservation: Mar. 11 Article Deadline: Mar. 14 Classified Deadline: Mar. 21
Dear Mr. Curlee, As a resident of Del Cerro I primarily do most of my mountain biking at mission trails park and for obvious reasons I was one of the riders at the recent protest ride. I just read the latest issue of the mission times courier and was VERY pleased to see that the protest ride made the front cover. Thank you for such good coverage and a perfectly written article. It’s a very good feeling to see the press actually properly represent issues like that and help other people become aware of the problem. Thanks again, Kirk Riley Dear Mr. Curlee, Great work on the Mission Times Courier, in general. I enjoy reading about local news - this is pretty much the only place I get it. Funny, I picked up the latest Mission Times Courier after returning from a mountain bike ride in Mission Trails Regional Park. And I was very interested to see why Mountain Bikers were angry, which you explained well. But I was a little dissapointed that the counterpoint was not elaborated upon. What are these sensitive and endangered species? How sensitive and endangered are they? While I love mountain biking in the park, we also need to steward our park and the biodiversity that lives in it. Figuring out where to draw the lines is the hard part - and a fuller context would have been useful here. -Chris Mission Times Courier welcomes letters to the editor on topics of interest to the community. The rules are simple: no more than 150 words. Letters must be signed with a real name, and either a phone number or an email address for verification. Phone numbers and email addresses will NOT be published. Letters may be edited for space concerns, and not all letters will be used. Keep it clean-no personal attacks of any sort will be published. Send letters by email or snail mail to: doug@missionpublishinggroup.com or P.O. Box 199, 6549 Mission Gorge Road, San Diego 92120.
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COUNCIL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
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Del Cerro, from page 6 vehicles, and undergrounding of utilities. This spring the utility poles in the area most recently undergrounded in Del Cerro will finally be coming down. The easiest way to contact Ryley is to send him an email at RWebb@ sandiego.gov. Johnathan Hardy, the Area Representative for Congresswoman Susan Davis, distributed the latest issue of “The Davis Dispatch” and emphasized that Congresswoman Davis would like to hear from us. Go to susandavisforms.house. gov, click on “News,” and then the “Dispatch Reader Survey” below her photo. To contact Johnathan, call him at (619) 280-
Congresswoman Susan Davis 5353 or email him at Jonathan. Hardy@mail.house.gov. The house located at 5996 College Avenue, corner of College Avenue and Wenrich Drive was brought up at the DCAC meet-
ing. It has been a concern for quite a long time because of the number of garage sales, etc. The good news is that following police intervention, the house has now been sold and its physical appearance should be much improved by the time of the Mission Times Courier publication. A thank you is in order for the officers and detectives with our Eastern Division Police Department and the city’s Code Compliance Department. Monthly work parties continue for Navajo Canyon. They are usually held on the fourth Saturday of the month from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. If you are interested in helping to maintain and
improve Navajo Canyon, contact Ranger Jason Allen at JWAllen@ sandiego.gov. Ranger Allen provides the tools. You provide the brawn, wear closed toed shoes, wear a hat, bring bottled water, and a good pair of gloves. Once you contact Ranger Allen, he will keep you updated via a monthly email confirming the time, date, and location of the work party. With the mayoral election behind us, we are working with the president of the San Carlos Area Council to hold a candidate forum for the San Diego County District Attorney race on Thursday, April 24. We are still working with city staff regarding replacement
of the trees in the Del Cerro Boulevard median between College Avenue and Marne Avenue. Stay tuned. When the protective fence is removed from around the Lake Murray Community Park, which is currently being renovated, work should begin to add nine trees around the perimeter of the playground, along with new pavers donated by residents of the Navajo Community. We are also looking into adding a second shade structure over the uncovered picnic table. Contact the Del Cerro Action Council through our website at delcerroactioncouncil.org.
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Introducing
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LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Bus Routes, from page 1
First Transit is an Ohio-based private transportation company that will operate Route 14 under new management. port itself financially since 2005, when it was launched with service seven days a week from Old Town to the Grossmont trolley station. Since then, MTS has made several cuts to improve performance, including cutting weekend service, cutting night service, shortening the route, and reducing the frequency to once an hour. Despite the savings from the previous cuts, Route 14 is still the most financially inefficient of any of the regular fixed bus routes in the MTS system. It serves an average of 11.5 passengers per hour, whereas the average urban bus route serves 28 passengers per hour. Route 14 requires a subsidy of $8.79 per passenger, whereas the average urban bus route requires a subsidy of only $1.39 per passenger. Despite the relatively low number of passengers, Route 14 meets a critical need for many of those who ride it. La Mesa resident Elaine Root said she relies on Route 14 to get her across Interstate 8 to the 70th Street trolley station. She loads her bike onto the front rack of the bus
no bus, the minibus comes with its own challenges, Magee said. For example, the minibuses can only hold one wheelchair. The wheelchair must be loaded from the back, which requires the bus driver to get out and operate the lift, slowing down the route for everyone, Magee said.
City Heights resident Serena Brown transfers to Route 14 on Zion Avenue in Allied Gardens to get to her job at Waring Road. “It’s my only way to work,” Brown said. “I don’t get to pick and choose where I work. They put me where they need me.” The bus sees the most passengers in the 7 a.m. hour and in the early afternoon. The stops with the most riders are at Baltimore Avenue, the 70th Street trolley station, San Diego State University and the Grantville trolley station. First Transit, the Ohio-based private transportation company that will operate Route 14 under the new arrangement, already operates MTS Access, an on-call bus service for passengers with disabilities. It also operates buses for the North County Transit District. When North County Transit District privatized its bus service through First Transit beginning in 2010, the savings were not as large as expected, according to an April 2012 article in U-T San Diego.
Navajo Community planners, Inc. By Dave Schwab on Lake Murray Boulevard. “It’s very dangerous to ride or walk across [Lake Murray at I-8] and it takes so long to get through the lights,” Root said. “I think the safety thing is a huge impact.” Cherine Magee, who uses a
wheelchair, uses the Route 14 bus to get to the Mission San Diego Trolley station, where she boards the Green Line to her physical therapy sessions at the Mission Valley YMCA. While a minibus is better than
Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) heard about the tragic death of a teen, the possibility of a medical marijuana ordinance passing and changes to City Council policies governing planning groups, as well as getting an update on revision of Grantville’s community plan at its February meeting. The city advisory group held a moment of silence in the memory of Jewelean Margie Pimentel, a Patrick Henry High School freshman who died Feb. 13 after contracting what doctors believe was a meningococcal bacterial infection. “It was a horrific tragedy beyond imagination for the family and our community held a candlelight vigil at Patrick Henry High (on Feb. 24),” said NCPI chair Matt Adams City project manager Brian Schoenfisch passed out handouts of draft planning documents, as well as giving a brief presentation on the ongoing update of Grantville’s community plan. Grantville is the least developed community in the Navajo planning area which also includes Del Cerro, Allied Gardens and San Carlos. Asked what the biggest change was in the revision of Grantville’s community plan, Schoenfisch said, “Right now it has an industrial zone, and it’s moving toward community commercial, which allows mixed use and residential.” Noting the city has made a “large investment in the trolley which runs through the Grantville neighborhood,” Schoenfisch added the purpose of creating trolley infrastructure was to make Grantville “a transit-oriented walking- and bicycle-friendly community.” Schoenfisch asked for input from NCPI planners noting it was their community plan reflecting their vision for how they would
like to see Grantville developed. Chair Adams replied planners would review materials and respond. Ryley Webb of District 7 Councilman Scott Sherman’s office spoke of a new zoning ordinance proposed by the city to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries citywide, which are currently operating illegally. The new ordinance, set for a Feb. 25 City Council vote, would allow legal medical marijuana dispensaries in industrial and similarly zoned areas in the outlying portions of communities. The new proposed ordinance strictly forbids dispensaries being located near “sensitive receptors” including schools, churches and day care centers. Rachel Laing, a consultant representing the Alliance For Responsible Medicinal Access, said the new ordinance’s objective is to have dispensaries “run by regulations and not have a Wild West situation with no regulation.” John Pilch of Allied Gardens spoke out from the audience, disputing the need for dispensaries, claiming there is no proven evidence that marijuana has medicinal benefits. He said marijuana contains numerous chemicals which have been found to be harmful or even carcinogenic. Under the new medical marijuana ordinance, Webb noted that the only community in Navajo where a dispensary could be located would be Grantville. Jeff Reinhardt representing the Evergreen Health Alliance, said from the audience that he was interested in starting a medical marijuana cooperative in the area should the new city dispensary ordinance pass. He added he was available to discuss his plans with Navajo planners. NCPI meets the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at Zion Avenue Community Church, 4880 Zion Ave.
LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
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AREA WORSHIP DIRECTORY Prince of Peace Lutheran 6801 Easton Court, San Diego, CA 92120 Sundays at 9am (619) 583-1436 Paul L. Willweber Zion Avenue Baptist 4880 Zion Ave, San Diego, CA 92120 (619) 582-2033 St. Therese Catholic Church 6016 Camino Rico, San Diego, CA 92120 Sun: 7am, 9am, 11am; Mon: 6:20am, 7:30am; Sat: 5pm (619) 286-4605 William P. Stevenson St. Andrew’s Lutheran 8350 Lake Murray Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91941 Sun: 8am, 9:30am, 11am; Sat: 5pm (619) 464-4211 Andy Taylor St. Dunstan’s Episcopal 6556 Park Ridge Blvd, San Diego, CA 92120 Sun: 8am, 10am; Wed: 10am, Thurs: 7am (619) 460-6442 Kevin Warner San Carlos United Methodist 6554 Cowles Mountain Blvd, San Diego, CA 92119 Sun: 8:15am, 10am (619) 464-4331 Sue Farley Community Church of San Diego 7811 Mission Gorge Rd, San Diego, CA 9210 Sun: 9:30am. 1st Sun is Communion at 9:30am (619) 583-8200 John C. Clements Mission Valley Christian Fellowship 6536 Estrella Ave, San Diego, CA 92120 Sun: 7:45am, 9:30am, 11:15am (619) 683-7729 Leo Giovinetti Tabernacle Church & Kingdom House of Prayer 5310 Prosperity Ln, San Diego, CA 92115 Sun: 6:30pm; Wed: 12pm worship at SDSU (619) 788-3934 Darren Hall Blessed Sacrament Church 4540 El Cerrito Dr, San Diego, CA 92115 Sun: 8am, 10am, 6pm; Sat: 5pm (619) 582-5722 Bruce Orsborn All Peoples Church 4345 54th St, San Diego, CA 92115 Sun: 9am and 11am (619) 286-3251 Robert Herber Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 6767 51st Street, San Diego, CA 92120 (619) 287-3970 Wesley United Methodist 5380 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92115 Sun: Youth worship 11am; Sat: YAY at 7:30pm (619) 326-7202 Dr. Cuong Nguyen Mission Church of the Nazarene 4750 Mission Gorge Pl, San Diego, CA 92120 Sun: 9am and 10:30am (619) 287-3211 Dr. David Runion Salvation Army Kroc Center Church 6611 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 Sundays at 10:30am (619) 287-5762 Bryan Cook
Masjid al-Rribat 7173 Saranac St., San Diego (619) 589-6200 Imam Mohamed Gebaly Temple Emanu-El 6299 Capri Dr., San Diego 92120 Fridays 6:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:30 a.m. (619) 286-2555 Rabbi Devorah Marcus Holy Spirit Anglican Church 6116 Arosta St., San Diego 92115 Sunday, 9:30 a.m. (619) 324-9171 Father David Montzingo Palisades Presbyterian Church 6301 Birchwood St., San Diego 92120 Sunday 9:30 a.m. (619) 582-0852 Rev. Dr. Steve Davis Ascension Lutheran Church 5106 Zion Ave., San Diego 92120 Sundays 9:15 a.m. (619) 582-2636 Pastor Richard Zuber Mission Trails Church-Allied Gardens 6550 51st St., San Diego (Foster Elementary School) Sundays 9:00 a.m. Pastor Kyle Walters Mission Trails Church-San Carlos 6460 Boulder Lake Ave., San Diego (Springall Academy) Sundays 10:30 a.m. Pastor Kyle Walters The Grove Church 4562 Alvarado Cyn. Rd., San Diego 92120 Sundays 9:30 a.m. Pastor John Hoffman Tifereth Israel Synagogue 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd., San Diego 92119 (619) 697-1102 Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal Chabad of East County (Jewish) 8691 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa 91942 jewishec.com (619) 647-7042 Rabbi Rafi Andrusier Del Cerro Baptist Church 5512 Pennsylvania Lane, La Mesa, 91942 Sunday Traditional Service 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service 11:00 a.m.(619) 460-2210 Web Site www.dcbc.org Pastor Dr. Mark S. Milwee Have additions or corrections to our list? Is there a house of worship you would like listed? Please email our editor at doug@missionpublishinggroup.com
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LOCAL News
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
Common Sense Corner By Scott Sherman City Councilmember District 7
process for this plan includes aerating, reseeding and fertilizing each park.
The parks will be fenced off and closed for about eight weeks during this process. Navajo Parks Renovation A breakdown of the anticiPlan pated schedule is below: On January 22nd, I unveiled 2014 Closure Dates the Navajo Parks Renovation Plan (NRPR), which is an effort Lake Murray Park to renovate heavily utilized January 27 to March 27 neighborhood assets in our com- Princess Del Cerro munity. For this announcement February 24 to April 26 city staff and community stake- Skunk Hollow holders joined me at the San April 7 to June 7 Carlos Recreation Center. Allied Gardens (Peanut) For the NRPR, my office dedi- May 5 to July 5 cated $50,419 from the District 7 Community Projects, Programs Lower Lewis Field and Services fund to reno- May 12 to July 12 vate six neighborhood parks, San Carlos Recreation Center which include: Allied Gardens July 1 to August 30 Community Park, Lake Murray Community Park, Lower Lewis A special thank you to Jay Joint Use Field, Princess Del Wilson, President of the Del Cerro Neighborhood Park, San Cerro Action Council, and Terry Carlos Recreation Center Joint Cords, President of the Allied Use Field, and Skunk Hollow. Gardens Recreation Council, for City staff will be performing the their assistance in coordinating work for this project. the renovation schedule with I became concerned about the sports leagues who utilize the conditions of the parks the fields. after hearing from residents Please do not hesitate to that there have been increased contact me if I can ever be of injuries, possibly due to the assistance. You can reach me at deteriorating condition of the (619) 236-6677 or via email at parks. Unfortunately, due to ScottSherman@sandiego.gov. budget restraints, the City has been unable to adequately main- Yours in Service, tain these parks. The renovation Scott Sherman
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Will You Be Our Valentine?
Brownie Troop 3885 made Valentine Cards for local senior citizens. Back row, left to right: Brianna Munoz, Madeline Manriquez, Lauren Becker, Lauren Wegge, Kate Walker and Ava Harris. Front row left to right: Ginny Kerr, Grace Davis, Amelia Pham, Emilia Del Pego, Jenifer Dalessio, Madeline Clark
By Josie Balkowski for the Mission Times Courier
T
his past Valentine’s Day, you may have seen local Girl Scouts selling cookies outside popular community venues – perhaps you even bought a Samoa for your sweetie or a Trefoil for your honey from a cookie entrepreneur who knocked at your door. But did you know that all proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales stay in San Diego to enhance the programming and camp grounds that serve local scouts? If you did, then you probably also know that Operation Thin Mint sends cookies directly to deployed service men and women to provide a taste of comfort from home. But the Girl Scouts of Mission Trails were about more than just cookies during the month of February. They were also busy spreading a different kind of “sweetness” to senior citizens in San Diego. Girl Scouts from kindergarten
through high school handmade a total of 471 Valentine cards and distributed them to seniors in several facilities in the area. This has become a tradition in Mission Trails as a way for scouts to tell our seniors that they are loved and appreciated everyday – but especially on Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, Junior Troop 3493 from Nazareth School spread their own brand of hospitality during their 5th Annual Winter Coat Drive. This year over 1500 winter jackets and sweaters were collected for men, women, and children in San Diego. The Social Action Committee of the San Diego Mission distributed the coats to the needy of San Diego to help them keep warm during the winter months. If you have a daughter in grades K-12 interested in joining the Mission Trails scouting community, registration for next year is just around the corner. Email serviceunitregistrar@gmail.com for more information!
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LOCAL NEWS
MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014
College Area, from page 6 board opted to reverse the usual order in which input to the City is given, and send a letter prior to receiving feedback from the City’s review of the proposed project, so that these concerns can be incorporated into the City’s review. The board heard an update on the College Area’s Volunteer Code Enforcement Program from several of our board members. With this City-sponsored program, trained volunteers are able to document minor code violations visible from the street, and send letters to property owners asking that they voluntarily comply with City code. If the violations are not addressed, the matter is turned over to the City’s Code Enforcement Services Division for further action. The CACPB also voted to support the Saranac-Mohawk neighborhood group in their opposition to a two-story pump station which the City plans to build on City owned land, next to a residence and across from a school, on a residential street. The neighborhood group maintains that the City has not adequately examined alternative sites for the pump station which would be less disruptive to the neighborhood. Finally, we appointed members to our Election Committee in preparation for our March meeting, when elections will be held for new board members. The next meeting of the College Area Community Council and Planning Board will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the College-Rolando Library, 6600 Montezuma Road. If you live or work in the College Area, and are interested in serving on the Board, please go to www.collegearea.org to learn the qualifications for board service, and to submit an application to run for election. Alternatively, you can write to us at info@collegearea.org . The heart of any community organization is the community members who participate in it. Please join us in our efforts to make the College Area a great place to live.
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Craft circles are the coffee klatches of today By Cynthia Robertson for the Mission Times Courier
B
aby boomers remember the days of the kaffee klatches— casual get-togethers to share coffee, snacks and conversation—more precisely gossip. The klatches actually had their start in Germany around 1900. The tradition picked up in America, where women met in each other’s kitchens. Gossip was the word; coffee and pastries the treats. When the Internet offered a social network sort of coffee klatch, some of the benefits of face-to-face conversation disappeared. Nowadays, coffee klatches as baby boomers remember them, are nearly a thing of the past. But a newer, greater kind of coffee klatch has evolved—craft circles. Women bring everything from beadwork to knitting to quilting to crafts circles. The snacks they bring can be a virtual smorgasbord. In crafts circles, women receive and give encouragement on family issues, financial and health tips, and listening ears. Creating something while conversing and munching has become as much or more vital than the original klatch. SDSU area resident Cecile Fleetwood teaches classes at several spots around San Diego. The veteran crafter meets for Bead Night at the La Mesa Michaels Arts and Crafts store and Crafting Class at the College Avenue Senior Center. “We learn new skills, create works of art and even work on service projects,” Fleetwood said. “There’s so much more to do than gossip.” In fact, Fleetwood said that many of her own friendship started with a craft class she has taught. “Students and other teachers make an excellent support system. It’s good to celebrate the differences between us as well as the similarities. I learn a much from my students as I teach them,” she said.
“We learn new skills, create works of art and even work on service projects.” -Cecile Fleetwood One of Fleetwood’s students and friends at the Bead Night is Ruth George, who also heads up the knitting and crochet circle at the San Carlos Library. “We gain self-esteem by being able to teach or help each other,” George said. The SC Branch Library group is still mostly yarn-oriented. George said the range in age was delightful—from a 7-year-old who wanted to learn how to knit to women in their 80s. “Think back to bar or houseraising parties, George said. “While the males were doing the constructions, I bet the women were either cooking or doing ‘hand work’ together. Getting together with others, even in a ‘work’ situation, would be a
treat: working, learning, and eating together.” But eating at the library? In the Community Room where George’s group meets, coffee or other beverages are accepted, as long as they are in a sealable top. When there’s a special event like someone’s birthday, Library Branch Manager Rita Glick gives a nod to a buffet of treats. In fact, Glick likes to drop in herself to the crafts circle, asking for help with her knitting projects or just dropping in to see what everyone is doing. “It’s a great group,” Glick said. As for Fleetwood’s Bead Night group at Michaels Arts and Crafts, snacks are heartily encouraged. The women bring everything from chips and salsa to cookies and mixed nuts to tangerines. Still, the coffee klatch of today is more of a doing activity instead of simply imbibing a cup of joe and exchanging juicy gossip. For these women, exchanging secrets to making a better necklace or sweater or greeting card gives them the boost of energy and encouragement they need. As George explained, crafting is a chance to relax after a stress-
ful day or week at work. “You can meet with friends old and new and work on a shared passion as well as talk about work issues, family news, and current events,” George said. Catch up with today’s version of the coffee klatch at various craft circles around the neighborhood. The San Carlos Library Crafts Circle meets every Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the library. Call the library at 619-527-3430. Fleetwood leads a Bead Night two times a month at the La Mesa Michaels Arts and Crafts. She also heads up a crafting class/circle twice a month at the College Avenue Senior Center. Call Fleetwood at 619-887-1481. The Bouncing Bead store in La Mesa also hosts a beading meet-up once a month. Call the Bouncing Bead at 619-460-2323. The Fusion Glass store also holds a class at their monthly Ladies’ Night Out; that phone number is 619-461-4440. Fleetwood suggested looking into recreation centers, mobile home parks and other libraries for more crafting classes and circles.
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MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.COM — MARCH 2014