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December 2023 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 12

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Written by Ray Shay I was recently sipping a cup of hot black coffee as I gazed out the tall cathedral-like windows of Heathrow International Airport in London, England. As the cold Thanksgiving Eve rain pelted the soiled windows, I tried to guess which of the countless airplanes would move next.

I then saw the reflection of my oldest son Troy on the same cold windows as he stood to my left. Troy and I were not talking; we were simply in each other’s presence—something I treasure. I then glanced at my watch to confirm it was Thanksgiving Eve. I found myself staring at that ill-tempered second hand as it hesitated briefly as each second passed and then leaped forward as it marched mercilessly around the dial of my watch…

See Time and Cinnamon Rolls on page 2

This information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. This image is not to scale and is only for reference purposes.

Call Ray Shay!

Direct : 858-449-4970

2022

*All information in this publication is believed to be accurate but not guaranteed, if your home is currently listed with another REALTOR this is not a solicitation

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| VOLUME2023 9 December 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media December, | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 12

BROKERS CORNER RAY SHAY BROKER ASSOCIATE I OWNER Powered by DRE 01946504

Time and Cinnamon Rolls

Fleeting time is something I often think about, especially with the holidays approaching. My mom and dad have long since passed, but I miss them dearly. They both encouraged all seven of their childern to live our lives to the fullest and never look back. I still wish I could talk with them just one more time, or introduce them to their three incredible grandsons they never met.

wearing their two-piece leather outfits would nod at their partner and grunt approvingly when their children were wellfed and sound asleep by the crackling fire under their woolly mammoth skins.

As I recall, we were walking towards the tube to get on the Piccadilly Line (what a great name). We passed a small London bakery, where I saw cinnamon rolls in the window with My perspective on time was likely formed when I was barely no white icing. I told Troy and Ryan, “Your grandma Shay used to make those when we were kids! She called them 21, and I wore a tan San Diego Police Uniform with a gold badge attached to my chest. I believe anyone who has worked sticky buns!” They both said they looked great and wished they could try them. in emergency services or cared for the seriously ill has a different perspective on time. Seeing up close in real-life situaTroy unexpectedly snapped me out of my melancholy mood tions that tomorrow is never guaranteed changes a person. and sunk my imaginary boat by saying, “We need to head to the plane, Dad.” As Troy and I walked through the crowded It can turn you jaded or London airport, sticky buns were on my mind. have the opposite effect and make you appreciate each I recalled my skinny elbows leaning on the yellow linoleum day. I find myself in the latter. kitchen table with the chrome silver legs as my mom, wearAs silly as it sounds, every ing her horn-rimmed glasses, would roll out the dough. The day my feet hit the ground, best part was when she let me help spread the cinnamon and I still smile and whisper to raisins around, and sometimes even let me use the thread she myself quietly, “You beat the took off her sewing machine to cut the 1” to 1”½ sticky bun odds again!” pucks.

My three sons know I treasure them because regardless of When they came out of the oven, our mom would flip over how old they have been, we hug and I tell them I love them the freshly baked buns on the cutting board in our small Althe moment I see them. Troy has embraced the idea of makbuquerque, New Mexico home. My four brothers, two sisters, ing the most of each day and has repeatedly told me. “Dad, and I would compete to see who would get the first and could life is not a dress rehearsal.” eat the most.

For the longest time, Troy tried to convince me to play As I placed my bags in the overmusic on some AP and to meditate for “only” twenty minhead compartment above my seat utes. That never worked for me. I am too ADHD. When I in the airplane, I was happy. it did try once, I fell asleep. The thought of meditating is not solved the problem I was ponderin my wheelhouse. ing over the last few days: what to give each of the 22,000 homes this I have learned to take a moment to count my blessings. I Community Hub ® paper is delivsimply look at my watch, take a deep breath, and then imagered to each month. ine that I am untying the rope to the dock, letting my small wooden boat drift into the slow-moving river current, where Special thanks to my brother John, who found our mom’s I can explore memories that are special to me. I can see the handwritten recipe and transcribed it. To my older sister rope plunge into the cool, clear water and straighten as the river current pulls the rope, as the boat slowly takes me away. Patty, I still love you, but you and Tony dodged helping me by saying, “Oh yeah, Mom’s sticky buns were great!” Your response was hilarious!

As I sat in the airport lounge, looking at Troy, I allowed my mind to drift. I thought of the previous evening when I As our plane arced over the Atlantic Ocean en route to San walked with Troy, Ryan, and his girlfriend Betsy on the frigid Christmas-lit streets of London, England. It is my happy place Diego, I found Troy blissfully sleeping in his seat across the aisle behind me after he had finished dinner. The passenger to to be with my kids. As luck would have it, my second son his right who was reading a book, glanced at me as I touched Raymond called to check on me. It was like hitting a trifecta in the last race in Del Mar, except I did not have a beer in my Troy on his head. I did not look back at her, but I knew what hand. My heart soared with Raymond’s what she was thinking, “Did I just hear someone grunt?” voice as my three sons suddenly surOur team of extraordinary people, Randy Koch, Nancy rounded me.

Crawford, Troy Shay, Tu Nguyen, Theresa Whitty, Tina Wu, and I wish you and your family the best of the holiday season.

There may be something primal in We hope friends and family surround you and you treasure knowing each of your children is safe each moment. and happy. I feel the same way when my sons sleep, especially after watching Sincerely, them eat a solid meal. I would wager that even cavemen or cave mothers LOCALNEWS NEWS| |LocalUmbrellaNews.com www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com LOCAL

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8 | ISSUE9 12 | December, 2023 A Publication of Local UmbrellaVOLUME Media VOLUME | December 2023 |

“STICKY BUNS” RECIPE

Special thanks to my six siblings, who helped recreate one of our mom’s favorite recipes. The amount of sugar, cinnamon and liquid used in the “sticky buns” is adjustable to your individual taste. Practice is the secret. They are easy to make, and we all recall how much making them as a family was an adventure we will never forget. Enjoy !

INGREDIENTS:

and roll it out on a lightly floured cutting board or the counter. If you don’t have a rolling pin, just use a bottle of wine.

2 packages of active dry yeast Brown sugar White sugar 1 ½ teaspoon salt

Sprinkle sugar, raisins, and cinnamon on the dough. Here you can adjust the sweetness.

6 ½ cups flour 2 cups warm water ¼ cup Crisco vegetable shortening 1 slightly beaten egg

Drizzle about ½ stick of melted butter over the dough.

Raisans Ground cinnamon One stick of butter

Place two cups very warm water in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface and stir until fully dissolved.

Add 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup Crisco vegetable shortening into the mixing bowl. Some of the vegetable shortening may still be visible.

Mix in one lightly beaten egg and half of the flour.

Add the rest of the flour and knead the dough for at least 2 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and place it in a warm area.

Wait about 90 minutes, punch down the dough, cover again, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Do your best to roll the dough into a long tight cylinder.

Slide thin twine, thread, or unwaxed dental floss under the dough and pull the string in opposite directions to cut about 1’ to 1 ½” pucks.

Place the pucks of dough onto a bed of dark brown sugar on the base of the pan.

Let the sticky buns sit and rise for about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

After removing from the oven, be careful with the hot pan and melted brown sugar as you turn the pan upside down onto a cutting board.

Congratulations, you made our Mom’s amazing “sticky buns!” If you want to take a photograph of It is OK to keep the dough in the refrigerator over- your children enjoying them, feel free to email the picture to info@shayrealtors.com, and we will pubnight for breakfast sticky buns. lish as many as possible in January’s edition of our Community Hub ® Paper

HOW TO PREPARE THE STICKY BUNS: Split the dough in half. Take one half of the dough

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Happy Holidays! ENJOY !

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| VOLUME 9 WINTER 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media

Splendor at the Lafayette Hotel in North Park

A Second Round of New Venues Are On Tap Within the Historic Property

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

Just when you thought renovations at the 77-year-old Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard hit their peak this summer, along comes a second wave of themed venues scheduled to open inside the 139-room property in the coming months.

The hotel in July unveiled a dramatic $31 million redo by its newest owner, CH Projects.

The locally based hospitality group, known for creating Instagram-worthy establishments such as Born & Raised in Little Italy, Polite Provisions in North Park, Raised by Wolves in UTC, and several others, has outpaced itself at The Lafayette in terms of high design and budget.

Phase one of the project resulted in complete upgrades to the rooms as well as five new venues for eating and drinking on the property.

Each venue is distinguished by separate designs showing off impressive details.

Where We’ve Been Indulging Beginner’s Diner within the hotel captures a 1940s era, when tall milkshakes and hearty American grub ruled the day. The restaurant is open 24/7, and customers are greeted by a roomy lunch bar trimmed in shiny chrome, plus ample booths marked by old-style lamp posts.

The diner exceeds its culinary promise with gourmet twists in some cases, such as meatloaf made with Wagyu beef and breakfast hash using duck confit. Other noteworthy dishes include a mondo chicken schnitzel sandwich, a Reuben stacked with house-roasted pastrami, and crinkle-cut “disco fries” served with commendable veal gravy.

Sitting just outside the diner is The Lobby Bar, a circular construct that took over the hotel’s former conservatory area. The stunning glass dome overhead remains intact, thus adding an elegant feel to the wrought-iron lamps and detailed woodwork appointing the bar.

Consider this ground zero for enjoying classic cocktails and hobnobbing with San Diego’s movers and shakers.

A stone’s throw away in the back of the hotel is the more-intimate outdoor Pool Bar, which looks out to the property’s original now-retiled swimming pool. The pool is open to the public via single-day or weekend passes that can be booked online (www.lafayettehotelsd.com).

Check the site for current prices.

Quixote is the other restaurant that opened this summer. It replaced the longstanding Red Fox Steakhouse, which has since moved across the street. The transformed vibe is decidedly Gothic, which was achieved with materials and design elements reclaimed from an old decommissioned Catholic church in Mexico. Expect an Oaxacan-inspired menu flaunting dishes such as crab-corn donuts, whole grilled fish, chili-garlic shrimp tacos, and more.

The fifth venue that arose from phase one is The Gutter, a stylish cocktail bar and game room that pays homage to American industrialist Henry Frick. The millionaire’s mansion housed a personal bowling alley, hence The Gutter offers two alleys that allows bar patrons to test their bowling skills for $49.99 per game.

Chicken schnitzel at Beginner’s Diner (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Bowling lanes at The Gutter (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Step back in time at Beginner’s Diner. (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Classic king room (By Kimberly Motos)

Quixote restaurant (By Arlene Ibarra)

New life awaits inside the Lafayette Hotel. (Courtesy photo)

Rendering of the upcoming new spa (Courtesy image)

elegance. The restaurant aims to capture 20th-Century fine dining from some of Europe’s fanciest hotels that were pioneered by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz and acclaimed French chef Auguste Escoffier.

Starched table linens, roving cocktail carts, and prime rib cut tableside are expected. The arrival of Le Horse will mark the property’s seventh new food-and-drink establishment inside the hotel.

Up and Coming The final phase of Lafayette’s remodel will usher in a couple more restaurants and a brand new spa, which hasn’t yet been named. But it will supposedly feature Roman or Turkish-style elements and artistic accents. A rep for the hotel said it’s due to open “sometime in 2024.”

In late January, look for the opening of Lulu’s Jungle Room. The venue will take on a vintage supper-club atmosphere complete with a shell-shaped stage for live jazz performances.

This is where the old Mississippi Room stood inside the hotel back in its original glory days.

And it is where Bob Hope performed many LOCAL NEWS | www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com

Lafayette Hotel Info The Lobby Bar (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

years ago. (Note: Hope was among the first overnight guests at the hotel when it opened in 1946.)

Lulu’s menu has yet to be finalized, but it will offer a chef ’s table and rum-focused drinks.

Then by the middle of next year, Le Horse will deliver a finale of upscale European /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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The Lafayette Hotel is located at 2223 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park. It sits on 2.5 acres of urban grounds.

Room, bar and dining reservations can be made online at www.lafayettehotelsd.com or by calling 619-296-2101.

Parking is valet-only, although street parking throughout the neighborhood can usually be found. Valet parking rates are $38 per night, and $15 for daytime visits.

Check-in time for rooms is 4 p.m. Check-out is 11 a.m., although exceptions are made.

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A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 9 | WINTER 2023 |

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Trinity Theatre Company opens in Mission Valley Artist Director invites aspiring actors to follow their dream

By Vince Meehan All photos by Vince Meehan

The acting bug has come to Mission Valley in the form of the Trinity Theatre Company, a local grass-roots theater group that has been operating in San Diego since 2012. The theater not only serves as an entertainment venue, but more importantly as a school for aspiring actors to learn the craft and cut some chops.

Sean Boyd is the Artist Director and CEO at Trinity Theatre Company (TTC) and runs the group with his brother Connor who serves as the Associate Artistic Director. Both brothers got into acting at a very early age and fell in love with the craft. “I started doing youth theater at age 10 with my brother over at the Salvation Army Joan Kroc Center, and just knew right there, this is it!” Boyd said. “This is the environment I need to be in – a quirky little kid like myself, having those quirky little people around me I think was exactly perfect; and that bug never wore off!”

The theater is located on the west end of the Westfield Mission Valley shopping center near the Outback Steakhouse and Target. The shopping center was built over 60 years ago, so it comes with abstract old-school ideas such as ample parking and easy access. This makes the TTC one of the most convenient theaters to attend. Not only that, but there are numerous places to grab a bite before or after the show.

This makes for a win/win situation for both the theater and the mall.

Boyd feels blessed to have been in the right place at the right time in securing this unorthodox locale for a theater, but he also has a “why not?” mantra that has served him his entire life. “Luckily, we use a PO box right here and every time we were walking by and saw an empty venue we said ‘Why not? Why not that space?’ And everybody complains about parking in San Diego, well, we’ve got the best parking in San Diego! We just moved into this space on May 22nd, and started programing on June 14th. So it was a pretty fast turnaround in terms of getting the space ready to go for our youngest campers. And truly it’s been a nice synergistic opportunity, I think all the companies around us are happy to have us, we’re happy to be around them, the gelato shop right in front of us is just delighted to serve gelato during the intermission break so it works well with them! Trinity Theater started back in 2012 – while I was still a senior in high school – and for a long time we would work with our communities to find venues that we could use as performance space. We performed with Community Actors Theater in City Heights, the Swedenborg Hall in University Heights, and the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in East Village Downtown; so we’ve been all over the map!

The venue includes a stage that is 32 feet wide by 10 feet deep. It also features 62 seats, which will be mounted on risers for optimal viewing. TTC operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and includes education as a big part of its mission statement. It operates as a theater school for the community as much as a performance venue. “Our mission is to unify friends, famiLOCAL NEWS | www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com

Sean Boyd mans the soundboard at the theater.

Brothers Sean and Connor at the concession stand.

Trinity Theatre Company Artistic Director Sean Boyd.

The stage is where the magic happens!

ly and the community using theater and arts education as our facilitator,” Boyd added. “And we believe that anyone who has an interest and a passion for the arts should be able to participate regardless of past experience, so we’ve been very fortunate to merge the talents of the seasoned professional with the aspiring newcomer.”

Boyd is Irish, and seeing as how he and his brother and father were so instrumental in getting the company off the ground, they decided to adopt the Celtic Trinity Knot design as their logo. The trinity idea refers to the three pillars they aim to bring together through their programming: friends, family, and community. This is a big part of their mission statement, as well as focusing on both youth and amateur theater fans that are looking for a way to break into the theater scene. Boyd says he makes it a point to reach out to under-represented areas of San Diego to find students that might slip through the cracks otherwise.

“We really think about the geographic barriers as a big piece and so a lot of our programs push out into different communities and areas.

We’re very fortunate to have partnerships with the South Bay Union School District, the Escondido Union School District, we’ve worked with San Diego Unified with the Level Up program through the San Diego Foundation so we can go directly into the schools and provide students with the access right there without needing to drive to Mission Valley here. We also try to provide financially accessible opportunities so we

do offer a number of programs for adults free of charge – our Living Room Readers Theater is one of our favorites – it allows artists to show up on Sunday with no reservation required. We’ll put all of our characters into a hat for a random show that we’ve picked usually that day. So as artists arrive we say ‘Read this, this is your character for today and good luck to ya!’ And that’s always a fun experience.”

TTC is currently putting together a production of Charlotte’s Web, which will be ready to open on December 14. This promises to be a very popular play with unique costumes and sets, and the turnout is expected to be very robust.

Community participation is highly encouraged by Boyd in many different aspects. “So we’re a 501(c)(3) organization and we rely heavily on contributions so that we can continue to provide these free programs that give right back to the community,” Boyd noted.

As with any non-profit, the need for donations is often matched with the need for volunteers who are key to making the program work.

Trinity is now seeking dedicated volunteers to help with administration, front of house, lobby decorations, set builds, strikes, and more. Anybody interested can reach out to connor@trinityttc.org to learn more about getting involved.

Boyd’s answer to anyone who is interested in theater is to stop on by and talk to him. “Come!

Come! And even if you’re thinking maybe this isn’t for you, try it! Try it! And we’ll tell you that you should be here!”

For info go to: www.TrinityTTC.org

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20, I set up antake online • Seek a therapist to assist with a license you on the 7 |9ISSUE 1 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella 68 | VOLUME | VOLUME WINTER Media emotional aspects of the ng form and hotline the ibility and risk as an ownpublic website where attack.

Beware of Unscrupulous Life Insurance Agents ERASE HATE SAN DIEGO er.

Over the past several years, I have can report a suspected the names of the • Sexual orientation names, addresses and telephone warned the public of scammers• Learn Does the contractortrying have • Gender numbers. to get their hands on your This month San Diego County • Disability • Write down as many facts money using a wide variety of me they witnessed in police officers and prosecutors is participating in the statewide • Victim’s association with any about the incident as you can methods. Butof one type of scammer ess card? Does the name United Against Hate Week camabove group remember. who does tremendous damage is go County.

The tool was working the and keep in ego paign, an anti-hate In 2020, Ion set up an online case • Seek a therapist to assist with a faceless strangerawareness who con- efon you are dealing not with fort you to call for Internet, local civic reporting form and hotline the emotional aspects of the tacts on the byaction text to stop the hate and biases that on our public website where attack. n response to reports touch with them. message, or phone call. This threat pose a dangerous threat to the anyone can report a suspected • Learn the names of the with a friendly, often familhe name associatedcomes with safety and civility of neighborhate crime they witnessed in police officers and prosecutors iar, face. It’s your friendly, neighrelated incidents aimed • Get copies of police reports hoods, towns, and cities.

UnforSan Diego County.

The tool was working on the case and keep in borhood life insurance agent. nse number? tunately, hate crimes have inpartly in response to reports touch with them.

While the majority of life insurcreased across our nation, state, check of hate-related them incidents aimedfor• Get copies of police reports Asian community across and accuracy. ance agents are ethical and upand region.

By learning about at the Asian community across and check them for accuracy.

Check the personnelstanding, list there are unscrupulous, hate crimes and how to stand the nation in the wake of the • Attend necessary court hearunethical agents who pose a serious on in the wake of the • Attend necessary court hearion against them and report them, COVID-19 pandemic.

The onings, whether you are subpoethreat to consumers, particularly icense for additional qualwe can make everyone safer. line reporting tool, email and naed, including arraignment, to seniors. Fraudulent life agents For those who don’t already number are available for bail review and sentencing.

-19 pandemic.

The onings, whether you are subpoetarget seniors because many seniors phone know, prosecuting and preventreporting of any type of suspect• If possible, make a statement mployees. Is the address of have accumulated wealth over ing hate crimes is a priority ed hate crime. in court to the judge about decades of working and saving -orting tool, email and naed, including arraignment, for me as District Attorney.

In We know that people often threats, direct or indirect, and money they plan to use for their restruction business local? recent years, we’ve tripled the don’t report hate crimes bepossible fears. tirement, or to pass on to their benumber are available for number ofLife hateagents crimes prose-to bail review and sentencing. cause of fear or shame, and we The public can find the DA’s loved heirs. looking cutions, sending an unwaverwanted to provide a direct aveonline reporting form by If there is a discrepancy bemake a quick buck scam the public ing message that hate crimes nue to encourage victims or witsearching for hate crimes at in a variety of ways, including • butIf possible, make a statement ng of any type of suspectwill not be tolerated.

Last year nesses to hate crimes to report. www.SanDiegoDA.com.

The not limited to the following: he business card, invoice, alone, we prosecuted 30 hate People can and should continue Hate Crimes email address is Misrepresentation of terms crime. in court to the judge about crimes cases, up from 21 in to report hate crimes to their hatecrimes@sdcda.org and the Premium theft and the CSLB’s webpage, 2020. local police departments and phone number is 619-515-8805.

Twisting/Churning We recognize the distincSheriff ’s Department.

This adForgery/identity theft threats, direct or indirect, and now that number people often tive fear and stress suffered by ditional reporting mechanism Ponzi schemes business listed victims of hate crimes, includwill act as a safety net and help The magnitude of the problem port hate crimes bepossible fears. ing the potential for reprisal, ensure reports are reviewed and eport posed by bad actor life insurance CSLB page to confirm all escalation of violence, and the shared by law enforcement. agents is better understood when far-reaching negative conse-The If public you have been a victim of find the DA’s one realizes that life insurance polifare fear or shame, and we can quences that hate crimes have hate crime, here are tips on Diego who have been victimized cies include not only the common- to minimize the risk of being known to each other. on our community. to do: by life insurance agents or forly-understood policies with a death what scammed by unethical life insurto provide a direct reporting Aavehate incident an online act, • If agents. you are seriously injured, form mer agents.by The Life and Annuity benefit, but also theiscountless ance A con artist will frequently which is bias-motivated, but call 911 or get to the hospital Consumer Protection Program annuity policies that are offered by Contact the California Departdoes notwitrise to the as level of immediately. provides funding for insurance companies a searching low-risk ment of Insurance to check an encourage victims or for hate crimes atthe investigaa hate crime.

For example, • Whether or not you are in- for tion and prosecution of unethical investment that provides an inagent’s insurance license history me similar to a reputable if someone uses racial slur jured, report the crime. life insurance agents. The San come stream to thea policyholder. previous complaints or discipline, o hate crimes to report. www.SanDiegoDA.com.

The against another it probably • To help yourself, it is importDiego District Attorney’s Office The financial risk posed by Never give your premium to the ction firm and sometimes isn’t a hate crime, ratheragents a hate ant to Mail do atitleast some of the com- has prosecuted many cases under unscrupulous life insurance agent. to the insurance incident.

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Former agents often have retain to copies all censed isdoes foran act lists thatofisclients understandably even minor physical In addition, we have seized and lengthy they hatecrimes@sdcda.org have accu- document relevant documents, applications, rt hate crimes to their and the upsetting, and an act motivated injuries. sold defendants’ properties and mulated over the years of working in policies, etc. ployee of the reputable to have atheminimum by industry. hate or bias that isunscrupuarequired crime.

•Consider Take pictures of anya policy physical returned well over $1 million to the Sometimes not buying Aagents hate crime against an injuries orpitched damages to property, olice departments lous and phone is 619-515-8805. victims as restitution. solicit is previous insurance day it number was to you by the individual or private property that is even police already did so.

AsAsyour District I’m $25,000 surety bond. your DistrictAttorney, Attorney, I’m clients for risky investments agent.ifTake time to evaluate it. substantially motivated by bias • If the crime is vandalism, let committed to increasing commucommitted to increasing commuthat are not offered by an established Be suspicious of any “private” or s Department. adagainst the victim’s: the policeinvestment see and photograph nication nicationand andaccessibility accessibilitybetween between company, nor regulated “special” opportunity contractors Check references.This Ininsurance San • Legitimate the damage before you clean the DA’s Office the DA’s Officeand andthe thepublic. publicI in and not insured. that’s not produced by an estab• Race/ethnicity/nationality and/or repair. company. hope these consumer and Ipublic lou reporting mechanism order to keep you safe. hope these Anyone considering investing lished insurance • Religion • If possible, get witnesses’ safety tips have been helpful. can also check the San should not ask for more than a consumer and public safety tips in life insurance products should Thankfully, there is a resource have been helpful. remember the suggestions below available to consumers in San as a safety netfilings and help uperior Court for 10% deposit upfront. reports are reviewed and l and criminal cases.

Although thisamay seemDay! like Clean Windows Feel Like New by lawindividual enforcement.

If the has no quite a bit of effort up front, it have been a that victim of presence, then is also will save you time, money and me, on le redhere flag.are Is ittips a new heartache. Victims of unscrupuy,do: joint venture or new lilous contractors rarely recoup areask seriously injured, fuso, how much experi- their financial losses from the get to the e or contractor hashospital with your criminals and always wish they ately. had spent more time researching ther orget nota you are in-of Always minimum their contractor. eport the job. crime. ds for any If the quote These crimes are not rare in Calelp to yourself, is importSeniors ood be true,itask why. ifornia, the CSLB Military even& maintains a o at the least some of be the do Will contractor “Most Wanted” list. If you suspect gng: alone or have employees? you have been the victim of conaare doctor to treat andto see struction fraud or an unlicensed employees check

By District Attorney Summer Stephan

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Santa Is Ready To Visit San Diego

And He’s will be excited to be here.

In the midst of this festive Christmas season, we had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the beloved Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the dynamic duo behind the magic of Christmas.

With their twinkling eyes and warm smiles, Santa and Mrs. Claus shared insights into their enchanting world and delivered a heartwarming message to the children of San Diego. As they prepare for the most magical night of the year, Santa and Mrs. Claus take a moment to reflect on the joy they bring to families around the world.

Local Umbrella Media (LUM) Santa, Mrs. Claus, it’s a real treat to speak with you both! How do you prepare for the busiest night of the year?

Santa: Ho ho ho! It’s always a joy to spread the Christmas spirit. Mrs. Claus and I start our preparations months in advance. We double-check the naughty and nice lists, ensure the reindeer are in top shape, and, of course, make sure the toy workshop is bustling with activity.

Mrs. Claus: Absolutely! And I must say, the elves have been working tirelessly to make this year extra special for the children of San Diego.

We›ve got some surprises up our sleeves!

LUM: Speaking of surprises, any hints about this year’s must-have toys?

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Santa: Ah, that›s a secret! But I can guarantee there will be something for everyone. We›ve been keeping a close eye on the wishes of the children in San Diego, and the elves have been working their magic to make their dreams come true.

LUM: Mrs. Claus, as the unsung hero behind the scenes, what role do you play in making Christmas magical?

Mrs. Claus: Well, my role is multi-faceted. I ensure that Santa is well-fed with cookies and milk, even though he’ll get more along the way.

I oversee the elves to make sure the toys are just right and spread joy with my own touch of magic. Plus, I offer a listening ear to anyone who needs it.

LUM: Now, Santa, what message do you have for the children of San Diego this Christmas?

Santa: To all the children of San Diego, I want you to know that you are loved.

Christmas is a time of joy, kindness, and togetherness. Always be good to one another, cherish your family and friends, and always believe in the magic of the season. Mrs. Claus and I are looking forward to visiting your homes and spreading the magic of Christmas!

LUM: Any final thoughts before the big night?

Mrs. Claus: Just remember, the true magic of /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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Christmas lies in your hearts. Keep spreading love and joy, and may your holidays be filled with laughter and warmth.

LUM: Can you tell us what is your favorite thing about San Diego?

Santa: Well San Diego is a very exciting place to visit and for me, like many people out there, it has to be the weather. As we start out from the North Pole, we work our way west from the International Dateline, and most of the places we stop at are snowy and cold, sort of like the North Pole, which of course is where we live. By the time we get to San Diego, it’s much warmer and the skies are clear, something to really look forward to after that long night in the sleigh. In fact, every now and then, Mrs. Claus and I slip down here for a short vacation, I think it’s our favorite place to visit and we really love it at the Hotel Del Coronado.

As Santa and Mrs. Claus prepare to embark on their sleigh ride, their infectious spirit of generosity and love spreads across our county awaiting their arrival, promising to make this Christmas in San Diego truly special. The enchantment of the Christmas season lives on in the hearts of those who believe and can last throughout the year. The magic of Santa and Mrs. Claus always brings heartfelt smiles of joy to children of all ages, all you have to do is believe. From all of us here at Local Umbrella Media, A Very Merry Christmas to you all.

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| VOLUME 9 WINTER 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media

Tierrasanta Local Heroes: Firehouse Station #39

In the town of Tierrasanta where Camp Elliot once stood, a very important staple of the community lies.

Fire Station #39. Opened in June 1976 after Tierrasanta was established as one of San Diego’s first planned communities (in the late 1960s to early 1970s). Station #39 is said to be one of the smallest Fire Stations in San Diego.

Fire Captain McLaughlin, husband and father of 2, calls the station “a home away from home”.

It operates 24 hours, 7 days a week hence why they are also called “Fire Houses”. The crew holds many responsibilities in preparation to respond to any and all emergencies in the community. The Captain’s duties, oversees daily responsibilities, manage administrative tasks such as scheduling, keeping timecards, logging incoming and outgoing calls, and making sure every firefighter is up to date on their required training. Daily morning meetings overview recent past and present events making plans for the new day. Afterwards a daily run and physical training is essential.

Engineers drive the fire engine, check the fire engines daily making sure all mechanics are functioning properly at every given moment.

During the day, firefighters handle day-to-day “house” chores cleaning the station including bathrooms, floors, kitchen, windows. Crew must be “response ready” at all times. Cooking is vital to the station’s success as you can imagine feeding a crew breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it may need to be done fast at times when emergency calls. “Got to learn how to cook pretty good”, said new to the team EMT Jesse Cordova, who admitted he knew “not much”. “You need to learn to make 3-5 meals within a small budget for lunch and dinner”, stated paramedic Richie Giesen, who joked that “you’ll get very honest feedback” about the quality of your meals so they better be edible. On a more serious note, Fire Captain McLaughlin stated the importance of “stop at any time because you could get a call at any time, and come back to a meal that isn’t totally ruined”, although he did acknowledge that it can happen at times.

Given its wonderful location directly next to Tierrasanta’s cherished Library, Fire Station #39 is a vital part of the Tierrasanta Community.

“We’re the only station within close range of thousands of homes and businesses, so when anything happens in this area, we are the ones to respond fast”, Captain McLaughlin explains.

McLaughlin pointed out that the next closest stations are near Montgomery Field and Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley, making it necessary for crews of other divisions to support Station #39 if ever the need arose.

As we know, Station #39 has had to deal with their fair share of significant fires, including wildfires, house fires and more. Cal Coast Credit Union was burned down last year, and more recently, Captain McLaughlin and his crew had to deal with a vehicle running into a home, as well as an accident on CA-52 on a windy night when significant winds blew fire towards Tierrasanta.

It’s not just putting out fires that makes Fire station #39 heroic. For example, complicated matters in an accident referenced above, the driver in the accident was also going through cardiac arrest at the time, requiring emergency medical assistance from the fire crew.

Fire station #39’s hard work and selfless acts for the community don’t go unnoticed. Far from it, Captain McLaughlin points out how many in the Tierrasanta Community show their deep appreciation of what they do and show it. McLaughlin describes the support the firefighters receive from the community as “almost unrivaled”. The support they receive is very wide-ranging, from gifts to an open invitation at community events.

McLaughlin and his crew elaborated on a local business owner who goes by “TK” having the station’s front yard “totally re-done”, raising “a bunch of money” for the station, and even getting them a new smoker! Glenn, employee at the local Smart and Final is another that shows loyal support. “Glenn goes out of his way to LOCAL NEWS | www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com

Firefighter Mason Hill, and Captain Will McLaughlin

know us. He and his wife bring us donuts on the 1st Sunday of every month!”, McLaughlin elaborates.

The Hall family from Boy Scouts of America have provided a Christmas Eve dinner for the station every year for the past 23 years, and one Thanksgiving added 22 pies, joking that they still might have some in the freezer.

The military is also extremely grateful for the firefighters’ service to the community. Driver and engineer Eli Majors, a self-described “army brat” from a military family himself, stated “The military is very supportive and very thankful for what we do. As an army brat myself, our crew is very sympathetic and understanding of what the kids of military families have to go through sometimes”. The crew was even gifted a challenge coin of Medal of Honor recipient Robert J. Modrezewski. “Not every day do you get to know a Medal of Honor recipient on a first-name basis. Pretty cool”, remarked Majors.

The presence of the crew is welcomed, and celebrated at various local events throughout the year. The crew noted that the Tierrasanta Town Council reserved spots for them at the eight nights during the summer where there were “Concerts at the Park” at the Community Center.

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both ways. Recognizing the importance of staying engaged with the youth in the region, the crew offers school and group tours, which they explain can be scheduled either by invitation to the school (as well as groups such as local Boy and Girl Scout Troops). Neighborhood families also regularly bring their children and grandchildren for tours of the station.

The Department’s Cadet program offers local youth, beginning at age 18 (or 16 with parental approval) to 21, the opportunity to learn things such as how to put on & clean equipment, perform drills such as throwing ladders & tying ropes, and generally learning about the daily life of a firefighter and how things work at the station on a typical day. The crew cites the reasoning for this program as a way to get the youth involved, as youth can get their EMT in this process and it can provide a pathway to becoming a firefighter.

Providing crucial services with selfless dedication and genuine appreciation for the community has made the crew of Firehouse Station #39 a vital part of the Tierrasanta neighborhood. With mutual appreciation for each other, Firehouse Station #39 and the Tierrasanta community have benefited each other greatly from this long time friendship.

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A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 9 | WINTER 2023 |

Santa Is Coming! Santa Is Coming!

Stocking Stuffers and Safety Tips For The Holidays.

By Bob Morey With Spliff the Elf

Happy Holidays to all you big kids out there.

I’m Spliff, Santa’s go-to elf (wink wink…you know what I mean). My friend Bob has graciously offered to help write this to ensure your Christmas goes as smoothly as planned. Now that we are into our Christmas season, I’m here to give you some ideas for stocking stuffers and some tips so little Johnny or Karen don’t get into something they shouldn’t.

Let’s start with your stockings. Usually, most folks hang their stockings across the mantle if they have a fireplace or are just strung along the wall. Now, if you’re considering giving or receiving any cannabis or CBD products, you’re going to want to hang those stockings a little higher up so the kiddies can’t reach them. This is also like a code to your friends in the know that those kinds of gifts are cool and appreciated. It’s like the code when you were in college when you hung a sock on the doorknob of your dorm room door to let your roommate know you had a ‘special’ guest over and needed a little privacy for a while.

Once Santa gets in your house, it’s pretty common for him to find a glass of milk and some munchies on a table near the tree. While Santa is always good for a glass of egg nog or milk, please…please hold off on the cookies and brownies – especially if you have hopped them up a little <wink>. Wrap those goodies up, put a bow on them (maybe a green one), and save them for your like-minded friends.

Besides, Santa is sort of on a diet, and the reindeer will appreciate not having to pull around the extra weight. And don’t forget, little Johnny or Karen might sneak out to see if Santa has come yet, and we would hate for them to snag them, like they would mack on Santa’s snacks – right?

The same applies for leaving Santa a toke or two, while Santa really enjoys kicking back and getting mellow while watching the college bowl games and NFL playoffs after Christmas (His favorite is the Holiday Bowl; he believes it was created to honor him and the Christmas season).

The real reason is Santa can’t spark up while flying in the sleigh, and besides, he needs to get all the presents out to the right homes before daybreak, and that would be super hard if he got high, and then we come back to the munchies y’all leave out. Oh…insider tip: vape pens are best when flying in an open sleigh.

In the past, some of you have left reindeer bags out for the guys pulling the sleigh (sort of like the doggie snacks some places have when you bring your poochies out – and – yes, Rudolph always seems to get the biggest bags). I get it. Some of you have fur babies, and you give them Scooby Snacks. Save the reindeer bag for your furry ones, and – here’s another tip: give the furriers a snack or two before everyone comes over so they can be a little chilled too, like while y’all are having a drink or two. Also, Rudolph and the team have a lot of flying to do, taking off and landing on slippery snow-covered roofs all night takes a lot of skill, and they need to stay sharp.

Last month, I was told y’all were given some holiday recipes which can be used again for Christmas. Just remember to take some care and tell your guests what they are eating so no one overdoes it. Faceplanting is never fun, and you don’t want to wake up to pictures on social media with a face that has been drawn all over it.

Now that we have covered some essential safety tips, you should have a good feel for all the do’s and don’ts (and remember, if it feels like a bad idea, it probably means it is – But – that doesn’t always mean it won’t be fun!). From all of us here at the North Pole and my friends at Local Umbrella Media – May You All Have A Very Merry Christmas - and Santa will see you soon.

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December, | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 12 | VOLUME2023 9 December 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media

Fish 101 Leucadia TINA AFTER DARK

T

here’s a charming little restaurant in Leucadia that never fails to evoke nostalgia for the good old days.

I used to walk past it day and night, accompanied by my faithful dog, Tofu. Our routine included a pre-lunch stroll, observing the crew leisurely park along Coast Highway 101 before they prepare to open their restaurant for the day. Tofu would come to a halt right in front of the door, eagerly sniffing for any remnants from the night before. Hours later, during the bustling dinner period with a line of patrons eagerly awaiting their orders, Tofu would approach, hopeful for a friendly pat from anyone willing to spare a moment. Our bedtime walk was another highlight, with Tofu pausing, anticipating a plate to lick or, on especially good days, an extra piece of fish.

Fish 101 in Leucadia epitomizes local and sustainable seafood in the heart of downtown Leucadia. While it may deviate from the typical fast-casual eatery pricing model, where you order at the counter and receive a number, that’s precisely its charm. The restaurant, popular among both locals and tourists, features outdoor seating in front and a substantial number of tables inside.

The line out the door, especially during the Happy Hour, is a clear sign that you’re at the best place in North County to find locally sourced, sustainably caught fish at a great price. Owned by surfers-divers-fishermen, John Park and Ray Lowe, the vibe is SoCal at its best, with a laid-back staff serving fresh-shucked oysters, hearty clam chowder, and fish sandwiches grilled to perfection. A chalkboard menu showcases the day’s catch.

Fish plates like mahi-mahi with flash-fried Brussels sprouts and Baja fish tacos with killer salsas are fantastic options. They offer wine on tap, their own microbrew, and a second location in Cardiff. My usual order is the Fish Bowl which comes with white or brown rice with black beans, kale and their special ponzu sauce.

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Don’t be surprised to see pro-surfers and skateboarders enjoying a cold one here. Fish 101 sponsors some of the biggest names in action sports. Reservations aren’t accepted, and securing a table during peak dinner hours can be a challenge.

As a former local, I once had the knack for snagging a couple of counter spots by the cash register/bartender. Unfortunately, those coveted counter seats are no longer available after the pandemic, and now my favorite spot is wherever I can secure a table.

Situated on the Pacific Coast Highway just north of Encinitas in downtown Leucadia, Fish 101 delivers exceptional dishes in a laid-back setting that perfectly complements its Southern California beach-town locale.

While it might lean towards the higher end for a fast-casual establishment, the cost remains reasonable considering the quality and sourcing of the ingredients.

When I seek a more relaxed dining experience in the area, Fish 101 always stands as a solid choice. Although I may not live down the street anymore and my loyal companion Tofu is no longer with me, Fish 101 in Leucadia has a special spot in my heart and still remains on the top of my list when I am in North County.

Tina Wu

Broker Associate® CalDRE #02070656

Direct: (760) 473-8649

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A Publication of Local UmbrellaVOLUME Media VOLUME | December 2023 | 8 | ISSUE9 12 | December, 2023

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Top Travel Tips for Holidays

TRAVEL WITH TROY

T

he holidays are officially here AKA the season of giving, so I thought it was only fair to give you my all-time favorite tips to make your travel experience that much sweeter.

1- Book a direct flight vs. a stopover — especially if there isn’t a significant price difference. From bad weather delays to technical issues, you will thank yourself later.

2- Don’t have what I call “traveler’s remorse,” where you make a decision to save money but neglect the realities of that decision. Learn from my mistakes. For example, when I didn’t spend the extra few bucks for the hotel that’s centrally located, or when I chose the low-cost carrier (Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, etc) vs. a full-service airline (Alaska, American, Delta, etc) I usually end up kicking myself after the fact. I ended up spending more money on buying a new airline ticket since I couldn’t switch it when needed, and realized that a cheaper hotel took away valuable time commuting to the city.

3- “Packing cubes have changed my life.” This is coming from my father who doesn’t say that lightly. Not only do they keep you incredibly organized so you can fit more clothes, but they also translate to less baggage fees!

4- This may sound contradictory since I am a travel advisor, but remember to do your own research on the destination you’re thinking of traveling to. You know yourself better than anyone, and someone’s favorite destination may not be your cup of tea.

5- Bring extra of your Tylenol, Advil, and any other sorts of medicine that you may need. Not feeling well at 9 PM when all the stores are closed can make for a restless night.

to dictate your timing. For example, I know July and August are amazing months for summer vacations in popular destinations like Italy, but it’s very expensive and tends to be over crowded. Think early September, May, or June, when you can still enjoy the beautiful beaches without the mayhem or expensive lodging.

8- Make reservations ahead of time. As someone who prefers to be spontaneous, I’ve learned that booking restaurants, especially in popular destinations, can allow for a smoother trip. For a long time I have resisted this advice, but spending an hour trying to find a good restaurant that will seat us during peak dinner time can cause unnecessary stress and loss of time enjoying the sights and the people you are with.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones! I hope it’s filled with lots of joy and most importantly delicious food! Happy traveling my friends.

6- You’ve heard me say it before, and I’ll say it again: Use Google Flights to make all your bookings. They’re simply the best when comparing airline prices and they take you directly to the airline to book. If you have a choice, even if it’s a little more expensive, book directly with the airline vs third party companies (such as Expedia). If you need to change anything (like adding a checked bag), it’s so much easier and usually cheaper when booking directly through the airline.

7- Be flexible when you’re traveling. Unless you’re headed to a wedding or specific event, allow the prices of flights and hotels www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

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December, | VOLUME2023 9 December | VOLUME 2023 8 | ISSUE A Publication 12 of Local Umbrella Media

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VOLUME 8 | ISSUE912| December | December, 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 2023 |

YOUR 92127 COMMUNITY EXPERTSTM San Die ego, CA 9212 27 7 - Rancho Bernardo S ingle-F amily Homes This week the median list price for San Diego, CA 92127 - Rancho Bernardo is $3,237,000 with the market action index hovering around 48. This is an increase over last month's market action index of 47.

Inventory has increased to 30.

Real-Time Market Profile Median List Price

$3,237,000

Median Price of New Listings

$3,364,000

Per Square Foot

$802

Average Days on Market

75

Median Days on Market

49

Price Decreased

43%

Price Increased

0%

Strong Seller's Market

Relisted

10%

While the Market Action Index shows some strengthening in the last few weeks, prices have not seemed to move from their plateau. Should the upward trend in sales relative to inventory continue, expect prices to resume an upward climb in tandem with the MAI.

Inventory

30

Median Rent

$4,000

Market Action

48

Market Action Index This answers “How’s the Market?” by comparing rate of sales versus inventory.

Buyer's Market

50

60

90

da To

M

on

10

Seller's Market

70 80

Last

20

30

40

0

100

y

th

48

Strong Seller's Market

Median List Price $4.0M

$3.0M

$2.0M

$1.0M Dec 2018

Jul 2019

Jan 2020

Jul 2020

Jan 2021

Jul 2021

7-Day Average

Jan 2022

Aug 2022

Feb 2023

Aug 2023

90-Day Average

Market Segments Each segment below represents approximately 25% of the market ordered by price.

Median Price

Sq. Ft.

Lot Size

Beds

Bath

Age

New

Absorbed

DOM

$8,378,000

7,282

1 - 2.5 acres

5

6.5

15

1

0

14

$4,195,000

4,669

1 - 2.5 acres

5

5

14

0

1

49

$2,787,450

3,946

0.25 - 0.5 acre

4

4

19

0

0

101

$1,524,000

2,151

4,500 - 6,500 sqft

3

2.8

19

1

3

31

Call Today For your FREE Home Market Valuation Ray Shay REALTOR®

BROKER ASSOCIATE CALDRE#01354548 Ray@ShayRealtors.com Ray.ShayRealtors.com

DIRECT 858.449.4970 /LocalUmbrellaMedia /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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OFFICE 858.449.7355

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December, | VOLUME2023 9 December | VOLUME 2023 8 | ISSUE A Publication 12 of Local Umbrella Media

T

“RE~DESIGN IT!” WITH NANCY!”

is the season to decorate our homes for the holidays!

with different colors as seasons change. Any colorful flowering plant will do!

Let’s begin with the most important, and sometimes forgotten, front entry. First impressions are important and so is your front door.

If you really want to make your front entry stand out ~ go big and bold! Get some trees, faux or real, and place them around your door. Add lights and berry branches, bows and bells or make it sparkle with gold and silver!

So put out the welcome mat and spruce it up for the holidays and throughout the year!

A fresh doormat is always a good start. no need for the mat to say anything if you want to keep it year-round or change it with the seasons, but always keep it fresh!

If you have double doors, get a small area rug for good coverage. Add a fun umbrella bucket during the winter.

In the summer, add aplant to the top of the bucket easy! and for the holidays add a decorated tree!

You can keep it simple with a tree shaped rosemary tree and add a bow or ornaments or add some bling for some glitz and glam!

Existing pots and plants can be brightened up for the holidays by adding small colorful plants to your potted plant. I usually add red kalanchoe plants to my hanging plants.

If you have potted trees already and want to keep your decorating simple just add a large bow around the pot for that instant holiday flair. Add a wreath and garland around the doorway and let the holidays begin!

Whether it’s christmas or hanukkah or the holiday of your choice, it’s always nice to have a welcoming front entry. your family will enjoy it and so will your neighbors I hope these tips helped you “re~design it!”

If you have a busy schedule or life is just too hectic this year, give me a call and i will help brighten the holidays for you!

Nancy Crawford

Realtor CalDRE #0241919

Direct: (858) 775-8963

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A Publication of Local UmbrellaVOLUME Media VOLUME | December 2023 | 8 | ISSUE9 12 | December, 2023

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Wait to get a peek inside this gorgeous Santaluz Estate Home! Stay tuned!

The stunning interior of this home is being transformed!

We can't wait to show you the inside in 2024!

Single level estate home located in the exclusive guard gated community of Santaluz. Situated on just under 1.5acres with 5,413 sqft of spacious interior, the home was custom designed to incorporate seamless indoor/outdoor living. Enjoy sweeping southwest facing views over the golf course and to the ocean in all the main living areas. Interior features 5bdrms/4 full & 2 half baths including an attached casita with a full bath and separate entrance which can be used as an office or a guest room. Chef’s kitchen with Wolf double range/oven, SubZero fridge & expansive solid wood island for gathering & entertaining. Designer touches, exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful wood details can be found throughout this one of a kind masterpiece!

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A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 9 | WELCOME TO SUMMER 2023! | | VOLUME 9 December 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media

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The Revolution of Ketamine: Luma Health & Wellness Breaking Barriers in Mental Health

By Hannah Olson

Luma Health & Wellness, which recently opened its doors in June in Solana Beach, is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art ketamine treatment for a variety of mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and much more.

The clinic prides itself on its team of highly skilled professionals who offer compassionate care in a serene environment, prioritizing patient comfort throughout the treatment process.

Meghan Adele McCann, MSN, RN, co-founder, and CEO of the clinic said of their mission, “We hope to heal and relieve suffering in our small corner of the world.” With her heart for service and healing and her extensive experience in healthcare, McCann personally administers ketamine while providing patients with a sense of safety and guidance throughout their treatments.

Dr. Troy Kurz, MD, MS, the other co-founder and Medical Director of Luma Health & Wellness, joins McCann as a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology for patients of all ages. Dr. Kurz holds certification in ketamine treatment from the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, allowing him to administer in-office ketamine treatment. Together, they lead the way in advancing mental health care in the San Diego area, offering this groundbreaking treatment option.

Dr. Troy Kurz & Meghan Adele

Comfortable and Relaxing Treatment

The Effectiveness and Safety of Ketamine Therapy While initially used primarily as an anesthetic agent, recent research has unveiled ketamine’s potential in mental health treatment for a vast array of conditions. Studies have indicated that ketamine infusions can effectively treat depression in 60-80% of individuals, with some experiencing relief for months. Unlike traditional antidepressants, ketamine works through a unique mechanism by targeting glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain. This mechanism stimulates the production of a growth factor that aids in the restoration of damaged neurons, leading to improved mood and potential nerve cell regeneration that offers more lasting relief from symptoms and that can ultimately improve the patient’s quality of life.

“There’s great evidence for ketamine’s ability to stop suicidal thoughts instantly,” Dr. Kurz said of the treatments, “whereas other treatments can take four to six weeks to decrease those thoughts.” In addition, “more people go into full remission from depression with ketamine treatments than other medications.” This means many individuals suffering from various mental health conditions and mood disorders are able to manage their symptoms without the use of daily medication.

Regarding concerns about addiction, ketamine has a proven safety record in humans, having been utilized as an anesthetic and in trauma management for many years. While recreational misuse of ketamine at higher doses has occurred, there is less propensity for addiction. Moreover, ketamine therapy is administered under medical supervision at subanesthetic doses, ensuring the safety of patients during treatment.

Life-Changing Healing If you or someone you know is grappling with a mood disorder, do not hesitate to contact Luma Health & Wellness. Their empathetic care and innovative treatment options can make a significant difference in enhancing your mental health and overall well-being. Treatments can be provided with a referral, in conjunction with counseling, or on their own, upon a psychiatric screening and with support from the team at the clinic.

“Not only does it save peoples’ lives, but it changes their lives,” McCann says of the difference she has seen through her work with ketamine. “The healing of the patients we see causes a beautiful cascade of healing for others in their lives too . . . If you are need of that help, we are here for you.”

Pretreatment Consultation

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in for a bright surprise.

A Little Sparkle Here, A Little you’re “The best deals are in our estate case,” said Stephanie.

“There’s a wide selection, with really cool, unique and There ... quality pieces from all over the world. I make sure each Stephanie made good use of their pandemic down-time, though, to give the store a glittering makeover. “I did a lot.

The store was a little dated (it had been there for many years under the same family ownership) so I completely repainted the inside. The store location was once a fake flower shop, so everything in the back was painted green.”

She installed a chandelier in the center which makes a great store centerpiece to reflect the brilliance of the diamonds and gemstones. Stephanie continued, “There was a lot of clutter and extra inventory.” Cleaning out the clutter gave her extra room. “I made a little seating area with a little table, installed pretty, mirrored wall décor, and eliminated the central sales area electric pole to open the space even more.” Time well spent.

Through her vendor connections, she learned that more than sixty family-owned and small community jewelry stores in California closed, in just the first year of the pandemic. This was her dream, and she wasn’t going to give up easily.

piece is restored to ‘new’ condition—they’re polished, deep cleaned, and stones replaced, or the piece expertly repaired.”

That isn’t even the best part ... “I literally figure out what it is worth at full retail, then sell it for half. It’s like buying a brand-new piece for half the price.” And there’s just some-

Wrapping Up the Season

“I’m grateful to be here,” says Stephanie. “I’m so thankful for my customers, and because of them, I get to keep doing what I love, my passion, that I’ve been doing for the past sixteen years. There is no doubt, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have such loyal customers.”

But Stephanie and Time Wise likely wouldn’t have such loyal customers without her artful dedication to designing one-of-a-kind pieces and serving her community with pride.

While jewelry is the obvious focus in the store, you can also stop in to say hello. “Recently,” said Stephanie, “a customer came in and brought me flowers, ‘just because’.”

At-A-Glance Time Wise Jewelers Stephanie Langlois https://www.timewisejewelers.com/about/

thing seasonally nostalgic about vintage jewelry.

From a simple watch battery to custom designing a personal and unique item, the mission of Time Wise as your local, go-to jewelry store, is to give each customer extraordinary service and an unbeatable experience.

Besides the standard affordable sale cases of jewelry, Stephanie is thanking the Clairemont community with a Holiday special of 25-50% off all items, store wide. “The

Sincerely, ie and all at Time Wise Jewelers

858-560-5503 5643 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111 (Von’s shopping center) TimeWiseSanDiego@gmail.com Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm

5643 Balboa Ave., San Diego, CA 921 (858) 560-5503 timewise@pacbell.net

Thank You

The entire team at Time Wise Jewelers wo to thank our community for coming o support us at our 40th Anniversary s

If you missed the sale, know that we have t service and low prices everyday so come and

Holiday Cheer with a Twinkle

Sincerely, Stephanie and all at Time Wise Jewelers

Stephanie’s looking forward to greeting first-time shoppers and thanking her loyal customers, during a Holiday Season filled with glittering good cheer.

“We have a new case of jewelry that features $500 and under pieces,” to make glittery gifting even more affordable. “There’s a nice mix of pendants, rings and earrings, for great stocking stuffers.”

But if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, take a gander at their top selling estate jewelry. If you’re thinking it’s just a tray of grandma’s tarnished old rings, LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com LOCAL NEWS | www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com

store is fully stocked and we’re ready for the holidays. Get acquainted with us by getting a free jewelry cleaning and inspection while you shop!”

‘Tis the Season to make a trip to Time Wise Jewelers.

See what’s new, what’s old, what’s on sale, and what Stephanie can do for you in a beautiful custom gift.

For the Pure Pleasure of It

Stephanie thrived in jewelry sales as a seventeen-year-old starting out in the business and learned the ropes on her way up to an assistant manager.

Okay, got that part down. Then she found herself in a small watch and jewelry repair shop. “That’s where I learned more of both—jewelry and watches—and the back end of the business in repairs and maintenance,” said Stephanie.

It was when she stepped into a position at Time Wise Jewelers that she excelled. She worked her way up for eight-plus years, “... learning ever more about both jewelry and watches, and much more on the repair end,” Stephanie recalled. Now, with a well-rounded and comprehensive background, she still does “... a lot of clock and watch repair, and small jewelry repairs.”

It’s the jewelry designing, however, that she truly loves. “I like working with the customers, figuring out what they want. Designs and tastes are so different.”

She enjoys the mystery of conception-to-completion and helps the customer create one-of-a-kind pieces to express their personality, or their sentiment for another.

As she described a particularly interesting and unique request, I was struck by the customer’s depth of feeling.

“I made a ring for this gentleman,” Stephanie began, “to give to his wife for their 20th anniversary. It had a lot of meaning—from the design to how many stones used—everything was very symbolic of something. It was very personal; he didn’t let me in on all the details. It was all so mysterious. That ring was like two years in the making. He bought stones as he went, because it did have quite a few diamonds in it. I kind of went on this journey with him, finding stones, putting them together, designing the style. To this day his wife still comes in for its deep cleaning, and tells us how much she loves it, and gets compliments on it all the time.”

Sometimes though, you simply must have a piece of jewelry that makes your own statement. “Another woman we did a ring for a couple months ago,” said Stephanie, “brought in a bunch of her grandmother’s jewelry and we took certain stones out of it and came up with a really cool, asymmetrical design to make it her own style.” A great compromise expressing her personality, while still honoring the sentiment of her grandmother.

Of course, for several decades now, Jewelry hasn’t been coveted just by women. There is a fair share of guys who have come to enjoy its many facets for themselves, from a little sparkle to big bling. And nothing feels better than real gold.

7 17

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When we ask our members why they give, the answers are pretty simple.

“I believe in your mission.”

“I personally need what you’re offering.”

“Oasis literally saved my life during a difficult time.”

“I love knowing my donations are helping people in my own community.”

“I have come to know amazing people who share my interests and love of learning.”

“Seniors are primary targets of scams - Oasis teaches technology to keep me safe and confident.”

The reasons for giving come from core convictions.

The benefits come when we take those convictions to heart and act on them.

During this season of giving, we encourage you to consider your core convictions and put your heart into your year-end giving.

• • •

Do you have aging parents who could benefit from involvement in mental, physical and social activities?

Do you know friends or neighbors who struggle with social isolation?

Do you need a place to stimulate your mind, strengthen your body, and enjoy time with people who share your interests?

If these convictions resonate, we encourage you to act: • Become an Oasis member (it’s free!)

• Tell family and friends about our programs • Make a tax deductible gift; it’s an investment in you!

• Give a gift of healthy longevity to the most important seniors in your life - gift certificates are available for the Holidays!

San Diego Oasis We are changing the way people think about aging.

Learn | Donate | Join Scan the QR code Visit our website: SanDiegoOasis.org Call: (619) 881-6262 (La Mesa) or (858) 240-2880 (Rancho Bernardo)

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A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 9 | WINTER 2023 |

Is It Really 2024 Already?

By Bob Morey

I

t seems like just a couple of months ago I was writing about ringing in 2023, and it’s just sinking in how fast this year has passed by. As I reflect over the last year on all the great shows I saw, I feel humbled by the staggering amount of talent up on our stages and the performers who came through here. It is often forgotten that San Diego has become a worldclass city when it comes to the performing arts. Our city can boast about having world-class Symphony, Theatre, and Ballet Companies. We grow a great amount of talent here in our fair town, but we have also become a destination for performers from not just across our country, but from around the world.

Yes, we are truly blessed and have much to be proud of. And rightly so, but it’s the dedication and growth over the decades of our performing arts companies and their supporters that we should be grateful and thankful too.

While it’s still the Christmas season for the next couple of weeks, before we break out the campaign and start ringing in 2024, let me quickly recap what we can still see to close out a very strong and entertaining 2023 season.

The Old Globe has a pair of family fun shows, Running through December 30th is Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and through the 24th is Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show!

Down the hill in Old Town, The Cygnet has A Christmas Carol, you can bring the family and sing along with them through December 30th as well.

Across the bay, The Lamb’s Players are singing through the holidays with Respectfully Christmas, another family-friendly show that ends on December 24th.

screening of Disney’s timeless holiday classic with GRAMMY®-winning composer Danny Elfman’s musical score performed live to the film. The film is rated “PG” and parents should gauge if it is appropriate for their younger children.

Now that you’re all caught up until the Big Ball Drop, here is a look at what we’ll ring into.

The North Coast Rep is wasting no time and kicks off the new year on January 10th with Intimate Apparel, Written By Two-time Pulitzer Prizewinning dramatist Lynn Nottage and Directed by Jasmine Bracey. This is a powerful tale with an array of characters whose intertwining relationships are told with humor, heartbreak, and resiliency. In this deeply affecting story, we are taken into the world of a lonely, talented Black seamstress, living in a Manhattan boardinghouse in 1905 but dreaming of a more fulfilling life. Intimate Apparel runs through February 4.

Broadway SD brings us the Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz, adapted from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The highly anticipated Broadway revival of The Wiz returns “home” to stages across America in an all-new Pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. Enjoy the epic grooves of such beloved, timeless hits as “Ease on Down the Road,” which became the show’s break-out single, and the bona fide classic “Home” in this spectacular revival. You can get on down the road to the Civic Center from January 9th through the 14th.

The North Coast Rep is pounding out a lot of fun with 2 Pianos 4 Hands, which is back by popular demand! Jefferson McDonald and Matthew McGloin, take us on a musical comedic journey about their would-be careers as concert pianists.

The talented duo trade stories about piano lessons, pushy parents, and eccentric teachers while playing everything from Bach to Billy Joel. The ivories get tickled from December 15th through the 31st.

The San Diego Symphony moves back indoors to the Jacobs Music Center On January 13th and 14th as Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, whose style is lauded as “pristine, lyrical and intelligent” performs Mozart’s sublime Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor. Rising star conductor Tianyi Lu takes the podium for this program, which opens with Anna Clyne’s propulsive This Midnight Hour, inspired by the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez and Charles Baudelaire. Written when the composer was just 22 years of age, Aus Italien brings this mid-winter program to a close with Richard Strauss’ vivid depiction of the culture, landscape, and sunshine of Italy. On the 26th and 27th, Music Director Rafael Payare takes the podium to lead two timeless masterworks by Mozart and Bruckner, composed more than one century apart.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 29, a charming piece written during his time in Vienna, has delighted audiences since its premiere. The second half of the program features Bruckner’s transcendent Symphony No. 7, considered by many to be among the composer’s preeminent masterworks.

The San Diego Symphony is back at The Shell with a pair of shows, one traditional, and one different. First up is the family-friendly Noel Noel, from December 15th through the 17th. Next up on December 23rd is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert, featuring a

As you can see, January is a fairly quiet month after a very busy December. But don’t fret, by the time we get to February, the stages around town will be packed and running at full throttle. From all of us here at Local Umbrella Media A very happy holidays and new year to you all.

The singing continues at The San Diego Musical Theatre with another family-friendly show with Forever Plaid - Plaid Tidings, the tidings ends on December 24th as well.

The tradition continues at The City Ballet of San Diego as they bring San Diego’s favorite seasonal classic ballet The Nutcracker back to The Center for the Performing Arts for 4 performances from December 21st through the 23rd.

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Pacific Records Fest / 20 Years of Great Music!

DECEMBER 2023

BY BART MENDOZA © MUSICSCENESD // MUSICSCENESD.COM

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On January 7 Point Loma-based label, Pacific Records, celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a special live showcase at the Music Box. The multimedia event will feature a mix of videos, guest emcees and live performances from Shane Hall, Skyler Lutes, Manual Scan, The Moonjacks, Kela Sako, Sandollar, Seawall Prophet, Slack Key Ohana, The Spice Pistols, Jonny Tarr, Sean Witkin, izzy delan and The Tourmaliners. Notably the concert has an early run time of 4 – 9 p.m. and is an all-ages event.

How does label founder and CEO Brian Witkin feel about the label making it 20 years? “It’s been a journey for sure,” he said good naturedly. “I feel lucky I’ve been able to do what I love for so long and I’ve learned lots of lessons over the last twenty years. I’m proud of where we are as a company, but we still have a long way to go!”

Pacific Records has scored numerous successes, ranging from providing the entertainment at the Stella Artois Lounge in Pechanga Arena to scoring #1 Spotify albums for Lindsay Perry, Shane Hall, and Slack Key Ohana, in addition to San Diego Music Awards for the latter, as well as Jonny Tarr and The Tourmaliners. A single released

by Rebecca Jade with Jason Mraz, “Bad Wolves,” won the 2021 SDMA for “Song of the Year.” “Anytime one of our artists receives an award it feels great because it validates what we are doing as a brand. It helps with credibility as well,” Witkin said.

The label has also been able to place its music on television and in films.

“We’ve had a lot of great sync placements over the years with studios like Marvel, Netflix, Fox, and other national cable networks,” Witkin remarked.

“Sandollar had an important placement on the Netflix series, Outer Banks, that helped launch them as a band and the Moonjacks were recently placed on Welcome to Flatch.” His favorite Pacific Records screen-related moment to date?

“Watching O-Town perform our single “Off” on CBS-TV’s The Late Late Show with James Corden was a standout for me too. The feeling of hearing our music on television never gets old!”

Witkin points out that Pacific Records is a group effort. “We have a team that helps in various aspects. Pretty much all of us are also musicians/creators. For example, Patricio Pickslay runs the studio side of our business, while Martin Guigui is based in LA and helps us with our A&R and special projects. Mike Dobrovic is our CFO, he’s on the East Coast. My dad, Joe Witkin, is our tech guy and has helped us set up the sound system inside the Stella Artois Lounge.

Drake Williams helps run the venue at the lounge, and also helps run the dayto-day operations. Andrew Scholnick is our publicist and Natasha Gemine is our in-house graphics designer. And a special shoutout to Chris Hobson, who is an engineer/producer I’ve worked with for well over a decade.”

Do artists signed to Pacific Records have to be from San Diego? “How we discover artists depends,” Witkin said.

“We get a lot of submissions every day.

However, we always prefer a referral from an artist we already work with.

Also, the bands we work with do not have to be from San Diego. In fact,

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many of our artists are from around the country.” Does the label have a preferred format? “Streaming revenue is at the top for us, however, vinyl is making a huge comeback and vinyl is definitely the format I prefer.”

Sandollar’s album, Under the Water, took home the 2023 San Diego Music Award for “Best World Music Album, as well as headlining this year’s Ocean Beach Street Fair. “Pacific Records is a huge supporter of the local San Diego music scene and all things San Diego,” noted the bands drummer Henry Ortiz.

“Through Brian and Pacific Records we’ve had the opportunity to perform at several quintessential San Diego events like The Farmers Open at Torrey Pines, the Del Mar Racetrack, the VIP lounge at Pechanga Arena, and The Caddyhack Celebrity Golf Tournament where [former Padres pitcher] Trevor Hoffman poured us all a beer and the legendary surfer, Rob Machado, cheered us on. Awesome.”

Bassist Sppike Mike Muellenberg of the Spice Pistols concurs. “Pacific Records has the ability to help artists reach a wider range of listeners. That’s really the name of the game as an artist. And

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with Pacific’s success in helping artists find placement in films and movies it opens the door for more possibilities.”

Meanwhile, for guitarist Deven Berryhill of The Tourmaliners, past experience counted. “We wanted to be a part of a broader musical team here in San Diego,” he said. “Certain members of our band had already worked on other projects released on Pacific Records and had a good experience. We also liked that many of the artists on Pacific were more beach or ocean-oriented sounds. We thought that our take on instrumental surf music would fit well in their catalog.” Their album, Surfidia, took home the 2023 San Diego Music Award for “Best Rock Album.”

Witkin and company are already looking forward to the next twenty years of making music, with 2024 jam packed with new releases. “We’re going to have a busy year! We have multiple albums, singles and videos lined up already from a lot of our artists including The Moonjacks, Seth Loveless, Sandollar, Slack Key ‘Ohana, The Tourmaliners, Kela Sako, Shane Hall, and izzy delan, to start.”

For his part Witkin is happy with the label’s positive impact on the community at large and the artists in particular.

“Well, I’m proud of what we release as a label,” he said. “Being a musician, I always put the music first. I suppose it’s a feat to still be in existence for so long.

The business has changed so much since we started, and we’ve had to do a lot of adapting over the years.”

What are his hopes for Pacific Records? “Well, to keep creating and releasing music while growing as a company,” he said. “I can’t think of a more fun way to have spent the past two decades.” https://pacificrecords.com

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Eric Sage / Tennis Like A Rockstar San Diego based singer and guitarist Eric Sage has established himself as a topflight musician over the last several decades. It’s been a truly amazing career that’s seen him release a string of acclaimed solo albums of his original music, tour nationwide as a member of Ian Mitchell’s Bay City Rollers and establish several popular tribute shows; Young Guns (country rock) and Eric Sage’s Ultimate Rock Show (classic rock), as well as fronting performances in Bon Jovi and Keith Urban tributes. He’s even done a bit of acting. The early voice of Young Sprout of Green Giant commercial fame?

Eric Sage. His most visible role to date?

Likely as the music store salesman who famously stops Mike Myers from playing “Stairway to Heaven” in iconic film, Waynes World (1992). It’s been amazing career. And it all began with tennis.

Sage started as a young tennis pro in Toronto, Canada and is now going full circle with his new television program and YouTube series, Tennis Like A Rockstar.

“My music journey is unique,” Sage said good naturedly. “I started playing tennis at the age of five and became a highly ranked junior. After playing tennis at San Diego State University, I then turned pro and traveled the globe where I achieved a world ranking as a touring tennis professional.” A severe car accident at the age of 23 caused a change of plans. “After 2 years of grueling physical therapy, I was not able to get back to pro level,” Sage said.

“This ended 18 years of work and my career as a professional tennis player.” He soon decided to head to Los Angeles and uses his skills to teach tennis.

“While in LA I landed roles in hit films like Wayne’s World and did a lot of commercials. I also went on to become the “Tennis Teacher To The Stars”. I coached many celebrities including George Clooney, and Alec Baldwin, as well as famous rock stars, NFL owners, world-ranked juniors, and adults. I also taught physically and mentally disabled children and kids of all ages. However, I always had a dream to be a professional singer, pianist, and composer.” When the experts in their respective fields told him it was too late for him to succeed

in music, he decided “This is my life, and no one can tell me what I’m able to accomplish until I am done trying.”

Ultimately, I spent the next twelve years teaching tennis eight hours a day while studying music five hours deep into every night. After reaching a professional level as a musician, I have been blessed to be performing ever since.”

What’s the philosophy behind Tennis Like A Rockstar? “It’s the title of my TV show and YouTube series, as well as the name of my new book, but it’s also a concept,” Sage commented. “After the car accident that ended my tennis career, it was a transformational time. While teaching, I developed the 1 Through 10 Tennis System to help my students of all levels. I then wrote a book called, Tennis Like A Rockstar. It’s not only for tennis players but is also a self-help book about going after one’s individual dreams. So, even though I was a tennis pro, now I am a professional singer and musician. I believe humans can achieve great things and master more than just one thing in a lifetime. In my case, sports and the arts. The hope is that the show and the book will inspire and motivate the viewer or reader to reach their own goals. I believe that through discipline and intelligent practice, anyone can achieve their aspirations. If I can help inspire people to their dreams, then the

philosophy of Tennis Like A Rockstar is a success.

How much crossover does Sage feel there is between sports and music? “I really believe there is a lot, beginning with the dedication it takes to become a professional at either,” Sage said. “It all starts with discipline, and without that neither is possible. Another area that there are connections, is with the physical aspect of both. We all know that an athlete is very entrenched with the body. However, for me to break through as a singer it was a brilliant opera teacher who was the only instructor that said, “For you to be great, you are going to need to rework and rediscover your entire body alignment.” The reason I was able to develop a three-octave range was that he had me study the Alexander Technique (an intense body alignment discipline), 90-minute sessions of hot yoga (I studied Bikram Yoga), as well as developing a powerful diaphragm

through massive running, training, and breathing drills.” Sage notes one benefit of going from sports to music. “People often ask me if I get nervous before big shows or auditions. To be able to avoid this roadblock I can draw from my years of pro tennis. All the years of training to be calm and to stay in the moment paid off. Once you have played big matches in front of large crowds in a pair of shorts, everything else feels easy!” Both sports and music involve pressure, “but that’s when we feel most alive and connected to our dreams! It would be hard to say which is my favorite, but music touches the soul in a unique way.”

What does Sage enjoy most about Tennis Like A Rockstar? “I get to do two of my favorite passions: tennis and music.

I love teaching and interviewing great athletes and artists. When people tell me that they watched my show and learned a lot about technique, or shot selection, or mental toughness, that is great.” He considers another aspect of the program.

“However, when someone says, “You helped me see what it takes to fight through adversity and reach my dreams,” it is the most rewarding part of the show.”

Look for new episodes of Tennis Like A Rock Star soon. “I truly appreciate everyone that takes the time to watch the series, and all of the very kind comments from the viewers,” Sage said. “I feel very blessed for their support!” https://ericsage.com

Riston Diggs / People of the World Multiple Best Hip Hop / Rap artist SDMA winner (and actor) Riston Diggs releases his latest EP, People of the World, this month. “It’s been a long time coming!” said Diggs. “The album was written by myself and completely produced / engineered by Sly Beats. Meanwhile Oladipo Efunkoya Jr. gets the credit again for executive producing and the cover art for the project was painted by my very talented friend, Brian Meyer.”

What sets this EP apart from his previous releases? “Overall, People of the World makes me feel at peace when I listen to it,” Diggs said.

“Every instrumental that Sly Beats created makes me feel like I’m in a dream of me listening to an album that I didn’t create, but completely applies to my life. Every lyric makes me reflect on my battles with

money, time, and the world we all live in. Unfortunately, some of the same battles we all face daily. I would have to say this album is my attempt at making my reality sound beautiful. It’s also a very short project, five songs in under 10 minutes.”

Diggs has left the choice of the

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EP’s first single to a friend. “DJ Roob from KKSM’s Not So Serious radio show has picked his favorite song from the project, “Soldier” after listening to People of the World a few times,” he said. “He is going to be spinning it on his radio platform, which I am very grateful for. @LocalUmbrellaMedia

Based on his experience & level of expertise I think I’m going to agree to the single being “Soldier” as well, so thanks to DJ Roob for the assist there.”

He notes it’s been a busy 2024.

“The end of this year has been pretty jam packed for me as far as releases,” he said. “I had an album release in September, titled Phantom’s Back produced by Banyon Bachman and Nigel Dean. Then on November 17, my band, The Gravities released a live album in collaboration with The Music Company for their Beachbreak Sessions series recorded at their beautiful studio located in Pacific Beach. There’s a lot of content for my supporters to listen to!” https://music.apple.com/us/album/people-of-the-world-ep/1713269404

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| VOLUME2023 9 December 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media December, | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 12

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A Publication of Local UmbrellaVOLUME Media VOLUME | December 2023 | 8 | ISSUE912 | December, 2023

T

hank you to everyone who has supported the 4S Ranch - Del Sur Community Foundation. For the past 16 years, this foundation, a community affiliate of San Diego Foundation, directly served our 4S Ranch and Del Sur communities.

In addition to building an endowment of $160,000, we generated more than 75 grants totaling $370,000 to non-profits that improved our community. A few of the many ways we helped: • When the 4S Ranch sports park was under construction and there were NO soccer fields for the REC association they asked us for a grant to resod & line the soccer fields at Oak Valley: WE HELPED! • When the 4S Ranch & Del Sur schools asked needed to buy computers, software licensing, vegetable beds, kilns, a media room & band equipment: WE HELPED! • When elderly 4S Ranch and Del Sur residents were in need of a hot meal, we granted MEALS ON WHEELS to assist our community: WE HELPED! • When students were being dropped off at DEL SUR elementary school hours earlier than start time because they did not have transportation, we granted money for bicycles: WE HELPED! • When the Boys and Girls club needed extra funds for enrichment activities, and also during Covid when they acted as a full-time day care from 8am-6pm for families of first responders: WE HELPED! Our final act to the community is to HELP fund the 4S Ranch Library expansion.

The 4S Ranch Library was opened in 2007 with just over 7,000 sq feet and 1 small community room. Despite its size it: • Ranks #1 in SD for circulation per square foot • Ranks #5 overall in circulation out of 33 county libraries • Serves 8 public schools with more than 11,000 students & multiple private schools • Offers many multicultural programs to the community • Provides a designated cool zone in the summertime LOCAL NEWS NEWS || LocalUmbrellaNews.com www.LocalUmbrellaMedia.com LOCAL

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• Offers free internet and computing support to those in need The current library space is MUCH TOO SMALL for the patrons it serves. They have a plan to EXPAND, and they need funding.

To support this effort the 4S Ranch - Del Sur Community Foundation is ceasing our membership model and instead will fund the 4S Ranch Library in PERPETUITY !!!!

The Friends of the 4S Ranch Library will receive 5% of the $160,000 endowment yearly! Ensuring OUR legacy of community support continues, forever.

On Nov 8, we also granted $16,450 to the Friends of the 4S Ranch Library to kick start their expansion fundraising.

OUR hope is that community members who have supported the 4S Ranch - Del Sur Community Foundation for the last 16 years will NOW support the library’s expansion project.

Many thanks to the exiting 4S Ranch - Del Sur Community Foundation Board: Theresa Burke, Deanne Hormovitis, Ray Hower who also chaired our Grants Committee, and Lynn Aguilera. We would like to recognize Grants Committee members Jim Waddell, Tracy Weaver, and Michael Zwick who over the years dedicated many hours vetting grant applications.

Thank you to all past chairs, and board and committee members who devoted hours of service to our community.

Lastly, we would like to graciously thank Ray Shay and Theresa Mok Walker who provided the original vision of a 4S Ranch - Del Sur Community Foundation, one that cared for and enriched our community. Through that vision we made a difference in the past 16 years.

For this we are eternally grateful. @LocalUmbrellaMedia @LocalUmbrellaMedia

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