November 2013
On the Internet at www.MissionTimesCourier.com
Volume XIX – Number 11
FINAL MAYORAL UPDATE BEFORE ELECTION By Jeremy Ogul Mission Times Courier
T
he differences between the mayoral candidates have begun to emerge in the final weeks before the Nov. 19 election to elect a mayor to replace Bob Filner.
The candidates have finally began to transcend the clichéd messaging of “moving forward” and “bringing people together” that have dominated their campaigns so far. Mike Aguirre, who has practically no chance of winning the election, took advantage of his
opportunity in the spotlight at an Oct. 14 debate hosted by KPBS to constantly bring the message back to the issue of city employee pensions and the burden those pensions put on the city. “This election is about more than money and power,” Aguirre said. “Morally it matters who See ELECTION page 12
Mission Trails battle heats up Mission Trails users irate over Wildlife Agencies’ closure ideas
By Doug Curlee Editor
R
eaction has been swift and negative to the apparent demands from federal and state wildlife agencies that access to Mission Trails Regional Park be severely curtailed, and in some cases completely blocked. According to a letter from both the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, trails that have been created since the 1985 Master Development plan for the park must be blocked off, closed and returned to natural habitat. Many of the people involved in the initial creation and subsequent development of the park are outraged at what they feel is governmental overreach in what should be a local and regional matter. Former San Diego City Councilmember Judy McCarty summed up the reaction of many of the park stakeholders. “It makes my blood boil!”, McCarty said. “Public access to
Vaccination controversy Too many kids in kindergarten are not being vaccinated – Why? By Jeremy Ogul Mission Times Courier
M public parks is my motto. Their motto is command and control. It’s not a preserve, it’s a park. We ran and won a campaign on that point. I hope the City will fight for our regional park. It would have the support of the people, that’s for sure.” All this came to light as the city
embarked on the needed master plan update required by law. The wildlife agencies claim that unauthorized trail construction over and above those trails authorized back in 1985 are endangering a whole list of See TRAILS page 11
Water war lawsuit goes to trial A Superior Court judge in San Francisco may end up deciding how much you’re going to pay for water far into the foreseeable future. By Doug Curlee Editor
D
ecember 17th is the scheduled date for the beginning of a court trial before Judge Curtis Karnow. There will be no jury involved. The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) has filed two lawsuits against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, alleging
the MWD (Metropolitan Water District) has illegally jacked up the rates it charges San Diego for the water it sells us. Metropolitan is the umbrella agency that delivers water from both the State Water Project and the Colorado River to 26 water agencies in five Southern California counties.
There are a number of facets to the overall picture here, and they’ll become apparent as coverage of this issue continues. In a nutshell, though, here’s what SDCWA says this is all about. Metropolitan was more than a See LAWSUIT page 17
any San Diego children lack the proper protection against diseases such as whooping cough and measles, even after years of public outreach to convince skeptical parents that there is no link between childhood vaccinations and autism spectrum disorders. The most recent available data shows that almost every school in San Diego has children who are behind on their shots, but two schools in San Carlos and Del Cerro have among the highest rates of kindergarteners who not fully immunized against some of the worst infectious diseases for children. At Dailard Elementary in San Carlos, only 60 out of 99 kindergarten students were fully immunized at the start of the school year in 2012, according to data from the California Department of Health. At St. Therese Academy in Del Cerro, fewer than half of 33 kindergarteners had completed their immunizations by the start of the 2012 school year. That proportion put St. Therese Academy among the top 20 schools in San Diego County with the highest rates of students who were not fully immunized. The principals of St. Therese Academy and Dailard See VACCINATION page 16