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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR DURING THE TIME OF A PANDEMIC The San Diego Unified School District announced the selection of three teachers of the year – Kelly Ann Young, Paula Richardson, and Deirdre Fabian.

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Kelly Ann Young

SDUSD Teacher Of The Year

YOUR REAL ESTATE EXPERT IN CORONADO Ken Pecus Realtor®

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Photos by John Durant

THE HOBBIT HOUSE CHANGES HANDS

By Vince Meehan

If you’ve lived in San Diego for a decent length of time, then chances are that you may have heard about a unique home that exists up in our foothills on the way to Julian. In fact, you may have even seen pictures of the unusual building that many have labeled “The Hobbit Home.”

This is due to the unorthodox design, which resembles the home of the hobbit from the Lord of the Rings movies. The home is one of several in located in the art colony of James and Anne Hubbell who have lived in the grounds since 1982. It is now part of their non-profit called The Ilan-Lael Foundation whose mission statement includes sponsoring various public art projects, lectures, seminars and exhibitions in San Diego as well as Tijuana. But now it is time for the couple to move on and leave their compound to the care of their son Drew.

Kensignton resident Drew Hubbell is now taking over the property, which offers open house tours to the public in the spring by appointment only. The mini-community still serves as an art colony as well as an education and nature center. The architectural styles of the buildings are influenced by the adobe structures of New Mexico, where Drew’s father lived when he was younger. Each building incorporates intricate details including mosaic murals, soaring arches, stained glass windows and a balance of natural materials from seashells to gemstones. The property is located on 10 acres near the small town of Santa Ysabel, famously home to Dudley’s Bakery. which is a very popular stop on the way up or back down from Julian. We asked Drew about his new chapter in life being in charge of the Hubbell Art Compound.

Are you looking forward to taking over the art compound?

After the Cedar fire in 2003 the buildings were given to the Ilan Lael Foundation, so they are now running the day-to-day operations of the property.

What is your current career and will you be able to continue it?

I run a small architectural firm Hubbell & Hubbell Architects which I will continue to run.

What does the art colony mean to you?

Art colony is a community of artists living in the same area. A community of artists has grown up around the Ilan Lael property.

What are some fond family memories of the compound?

Some of my favorite memories are walking home with my three brothers from school. Picking fresh apples, fishing in the ponds or climbing trees around the property.

What did the compound mean to your mom and dad?

They designed & built the 13 different strucLOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

Photos by John Durant

tures on the property over the last 65 years so it is really their life’s work. They really miss living there.

Do you plan on doing anything different with the compound?

Yes the Foundation is opening up the property so more people can experience the Magic of the place.

Do you plan on living at the compound?

No, I will not live there, but plan to visit along with other member of the Hubbell Family. We do have a full time artist in residence/caretaker on site.

What can people expect to see on the open house tour?

The open house tour is an opportunity to explore James and Anne’s historically-designated homes, art studios, and galleries as well as the buildings and gardens that support the Foundation’s public interactions. The walking tour takes about an hour and a half and is docent-led which provides context to the art and family story that is grounded at the site.

When are the dates that people can tour the compound?

Our spring tours run through the months of May and June, every other weekend with morning and afternoon sessions on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays. An autumn tour season also takes place in late September through early November, however the dates have not yet been released.

How do people sign up for the tour, and what is the cost?

Sign ups for tours can be done through our website, ilanlaelfoundation.org/product/spring/LocalUmbrellaMedia

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open-house-2022/ or by phone at 760-765-3427.

The cost is $200 per car for two guests. Additional persons can be added for $75 a piece, up to 5 persons per car. Every ticket includes a tour, a thank you gift, and an annual membership to the Ilan-Lael Foundation. Tours are limited to 10 cars per tour group to ensure small and safe interactions.

Are their any plans to partner with any foundations to expand the scope of the compound?

We regularly partner with Julian-based community groups like the Volcan Mountain Foundation and the Julian School District. We were recently invited to join the Watershed Explorers Program, a partnership of five environmental and cultural non-profits that give underserved students access to the San Dieguito watershed from Volcan Mountain to the San Dieguito lagoon. To this well-regarded STEM program, Ilan-Lael is adding the “A” for arts, turning STEM to STEAM and giving students a chance to learn about the art and culture inspired by the natural watershed.

What are the future plans for the Ilan-Lael Foundation in regards to art projects in San Diego and across the border in Tijuana?

We continue with our 28-year-old Pacific Rim Park program with the goal of adding new parks to our seven-park network around the Pacific Rim. https://pacificrimpark.org/. Jim stepped away from his volunteer role leading the construction team at Colonia La Esperanza in the La Mesa area of Tijuana about a decade ago. Christine Brady, the founder and head of the Colegio La Esperanza Schools has taken over this role and continues building and expanding using the style and techniques learned from working with James for many years. All of Jim’s projects in Baja California including the PRP park in La Playa, Colegio La Esperanza, and the Kumeyaay Museum and Rancho La Puerta art installations in Tecate are featured in the exhibition “Lado a Lado (Side by Side) - James Hubbell en Baja California” which showed in Tijuana last summer at the Galleria de la Ciudad in the Centro District. We expect to soon be announcing a San Diego venue for the Lado a Lado exhibit which spotlights James’s gift for recruiting Americans to work on his projects in Baja, creating a tapestry of friendship around art that helped build understanding between the two countries.

This month, we’re gearing up to open James’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles as the Helm’s Bakery District in Culver City. “In Harmony With Nature: The Architectural Design of James Hubbell” features some of his most iconic works including The Sea Ranch Chapel, the Doors of Abu Dhabi, Ilan-Lael, and the Firebird Window of Ecovillage Findhorn. The show opens April 23rd and runs through June 22nd. Details can be found on our website at ilanlaelfoundation.org/ ADVERTISE | Press@LocalUmbrella.com

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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4

The Benito Juarez sports complex in Tijuana has become a shelter for the refugees.

THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES ENTER THE SAN DIEGO REGION AND LOCAL GROUPS ARE HELPING THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES ENTER THE SAN DIEGO REGION AND LOCAL GROUPS ARE HELPING

By Mia Bertelsen

Members of the San Diego and Tijuana region are working day and night to help the huge wave of Ukrainian refugees who are flying into Mexico and crossing into the US at the San Ysidro border crossing. Many have opted for this unusual route to enter the US because Mexico does not require a visa for entry into their country.

The Biden administration announced that it will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians. The majority of Ukrainians have decided to use Mexico as the entry point as they journey to other US cities.

Immigration officers at the border have been

instructed to allow the Ukrainian refugees to cross legally on a case-by-case basis. Previously refugees were denied entry under a pandemic policy known as Title 42. This policy made asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their case was processed and has resulted in extremely long wait times.

A large number of Ukrainians are flying to Tijuana and by passing other land crossings in Texas and Arizona because they believe that the chances of crossing in our region are better.

These are mostly middle class families who can afford to buy the plane ticket from major cities in Europe and fly directly to Cancun or Mexico City and then take another flight to Tijuana.

People on both sides of this war are using the messaging app called Telegram to share valuable information. This app allows them to share information, receive updates on news from different Ukrainian cities and to document the horror

Sonia Lee went to the border to help the refugees just as they cleared customs.

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of the war. Never before has a smart phone been such a key tool to find advice and instructions on how to flee the war to safety.

Groups in Mexico have organized and opened the Benito Juarez sports complex close to the US border where the families can stay.

The gym is packed full of mats with people resting and their luggage. As the Ukrainian families enter the facility, they are given a number that will reserve their space in line on the border. This clever idea was created so that the border wait times on foot are reduced. They only get in line when it is their time. Some families have reported spending up to 48 hours to cross the border on foot.

The Ukrainian families, often with children, have been travelling for days and weeks through multiple countries. Aside from being physically exhausted, they are traumatized and have had little time to process the horrors they

Kristen Van Aken, Sandrina Lee and Nick Lim pose in front of the donations delivered to the local shelters housing Ukrainian refugees.

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Happiness abounds as the Ukrainian families enjoy our local beaches.

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Daniel Gandara poses with the Ukrainian children he hosted.

have lived through. They are very apthrough an insane ordeal. Many of preciative for the help being offered on them are from the absolute worst parts both sides of the border. They come of Ukraine. To see them reunited with with heavy clothes and jackets and are families has been one of the greatest not used to this warm weather. joys.”

Some of the refugees are living in Amy Martinez, a resident of Chula a makeshift refugee camp in Tijuana Vista, has her children enrolled in the with little or no services close to the Calvary School. She wrote a post on border. Tents and other tarps offer Facebook about how happy her chilthem shade and a place to rest on dren were to meet the Ukrainian chilthe ground. Mexican residents and dren on the playground. “My daughchurches have been mobilizing and ter got to play kickball today at school helping them. They offer them food with a Ukrainian refugee at recess with and drinks and some families are even her class,” she wrote. “She told me that offering them temporary housing in they used Google translator to commutheir own homes. Mexican hotels are nicate with her and she was laughing also full with the refugees. Volunteers and having a good time. How crazy in the camp are using an app to give the world works. So far away from the families a number in line so they turmoil, but close enough to make an can cross the border in an orderly impact.” fashion.

Visit their website at: www.calvaDaniel Gandara is a pastor at churchrysd.com for more details and to learn es G3:16 Tijuana and G3:16 San Diabout their current efforts to help. ego and hosted a Ukrainian family in Local Umbrella Media interviewed his own home. He took them to the a Ukrainian family who stayed in a beach which they enjoyed immensely.

Chula Vista shelter for a few nights as The pictures in this article are from his they waited for their plane tickets to hosting experience. Gandara created a go to Florida where a family member PayPal pool to help them buy tickets lives. Oleksiy and Ludmila and their to continue their journey.

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees enter the San Diego region and local groups three children from Ostroh in western “A Ukrainian family of five arrived are helping Ukraine had been traveling for four to Tijuana and they just crossed the days to reach San Diego. They took a that the US isn’t like Europe with their effiborder to the US,” wrote Gandara. train to Poland and then flew to Berlin, Paris, cient public transportation. The refugees are “They don’t have the means to get to their Mexico City and last Tijuana. They waited 48 crossing at all hours of the day and the volunfamily in Tacoma Washington. They are hours on foot at the border before they arteers have been driving day and night to make rived here. They had grateful smiles on their waiting for organizations to help them out, sure everyone has transportation. but still none have helped them. We hosted faces and to see the end of this long journey.

Churches from throughout the United States them for a couple of days in Tijuana. They Social media is exploding with people askare sending vans to pick up families and help used to live in Russia, next to the border with ing for help. Sandrina Lee of Scripps Ranch them settle in their region. Vans from Seattle, reached out to the Facebook group The Moms Ukraine. When the war started, Russia gave Portland, Sacramento and more are going up them 24 hours to flee the country. They took of Poway and a WhatsApp group called Singaand down the I-5 to transport families. whatever they could with them and fled the poreans in San Diego, and asked for assistance The Calvary Church San Diego had a huge country. It took them nearly a month to to gather donations for the groups housing operation at their church located on East arrive to the US border with Mexico.” https:// refugees in Chula Vista. The response was Palomar Street in Chula Vista. Recently they www.paypal.com/pools/c/8IRrcYZgyF immediate and they were able to fill three cars passed their operations to resettlement agenGandara has been actively helping the refufull of essential items like bedding, diapers, cies including Jewish Family Services and gees in Tijuana. He and his church members food, toiletries and more.

Catholic Charities which are now in charge of have been walking around the camps and “The response has been incredible,” said their housing. Previously the Calvary church offering words of encouragement, food, water Lee. “My garage was full in a week. People was a busy hub of information and assistance. and more to the refugees. “The objective is are still dropping off things at my house. It that these suffering people can feel God’s love More than 1,500 refugees or guests, as they is so important to get off our behinds and do respectfully called them, passed through. through our actions,” he explained. If you something for these poor people. It is just so Pastor Metzger of Calvary Church wrote to would like to support them, visit https://linktr. sad.” Lee recently started a nonprofit with her ee/g316tj or you can donate to their paypal at: his members in an update to summarize what daughters called A Little Earth for Charity Inc. have done to help, “We are serving on all sides “We are still in the set up stage, but then we https://paypal.me/gandaramx People from all over the world are using the of the border … and then here at Calvary SD. saw that the refugees started arriving at the The biggest danger for displaced persons anywebsite of UkraineTakeShelter.com to allow border,” Lee explained. “I figured this is the where in the world is trafficking. By getting families and refugees to connect and find a best way to start helping!” involved quickly, we have been able to give place to stay. Users find this website to be Her daughter Sonia Lee also went to the people a sense of safety. more efficient than other government chanborder in San Ysidro on the US side to pass “When they get here to Calvary SD they nels to find housing. The website has explodout food, water and other donations to the ed with more than 18,000 hosts signed up and have been traveling for about 1-2 weeks. refugees just as they cleared customs. They They are exhausted and scared. We provide a approximately 800,000 users. signed up to host Ukrainian families in their Groups in the San Diego region are respond- place of peace, a shower, a meal, a simple bed homes with two local groups in Chula Vista. (either here at the church or with our host ing to this influx of refugees. Once they cross Many families are generously offering their families), and help book their tickets to get to guest rooms to help with this unexpected into the US, many have no idea what to do their family or friends who are their sponsors. need. next. This is where the volunteers have been “The people coming across have been essential. Countless Ukrainians are shocked LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4

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“We are Gaga about kindness, and we all should talk about it!”

From Simona Valanciute, President and CEO, San Diego Oasis

“I got you.”

Those are the words we should rememb er from the 2022 Oscar’s, especially when we interact with the seniors in our community.

While the world was distracted by “The Slap,” my heart was touched by Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli’s final award presentation. When Liza, aged 76 and seated in a wheelchair, became confused while sorting through her notes and said, “I don’t understand,” Gaga wtold her gently, “I got it.” As they rolled the Best Picture clips, Gaga bent down to Minnelli and quietly said, “I got you.”

Liza answered, “I know.”

As an expert in the field of aging, it was special to witness the enduring spirit of a senior who wants to be a part of the action no matter her age or condition. We applaud Gaga for showing us how important it is to show tender care, and the Oscar’s for sharing this tribute.

I roni ca l l y, d ur i n g th e Gram my s l a st S un d ay, J o n i Mit chel l a n d Bo n n i e Ra i tt

were sh o wn to geth e r an n o un c i n g o n e o f the aw ard s.

Bo n n i e sh o wed suc h p a-

t i e nce an d k i nd n e s s t o Jon i as t hey re ad t he i r l i n e s on t he t e l e p rom p t e r.

It is so encouraging that people around the world get to witness the specialness of intergenerational care and attention for all ages to see. It’s a tribute that is being felt everywhere as we watch people age, gracefully, and with dignity, helped by those who will walk in their shoes one day.

For more information about how you can be involved at local nonprofit San Diego Oasis and to lend your support, go to www.sandiegooasis.org or contact Jolyn Parker at 858353-0430 or jolyn@sandiegooasis.org . Support our intergenerational programs that build relationships between generations. Donate to www.sandiegooasis.org.

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NEW REPORT CARD GRADES STATES’ MEDICAL CANNABIS PROGRAMS A DC-Based Advocacy Group Rates Access, Price, and Safety of Cannabis Medicine in each State

By Sven Hosford

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is a DC-based non-profit spearheading the effort to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. Executive Director Debbie Churgai said they’ve been working on it for 20 years, always focused on the patient. “Our mission is to ensure safe and legal access to medical cannabis. Educating lawmakers, educating medical professionals, educating the public, ending the stigma, getting more research out – these are all of our missions here,” she said in a recent podcast.

She reviewed ASA’s new State of the States report, an annual report card on the efficacy of each state’s medical cannabis laws and programs.

“There was plenty of room for improvement in every state,” Churgai said. “States were graded on patient rights, parental rights and protections, employment protections for patients, and pediatric patients and their access to medicine.”

States were also graded on patient access, affordability of the products and other costs, and product safety. “Taxes are a huge issue. Sometimes patients are paying more in taxes than they are for the actual medicine. We totally advocate for no taxes for medical patients.”

We have a plan of what can happen after legalization occurs. We have to have full legalization in order to get health insurance companies to pay for it, get tax breaks, get banks to allow access, things like that. Federal coordination is so

important to get patients everything they need and deserve.”

Visit NaturalAwakeningsSWPA.com to listen to the entire conversation. Find the full report on safeaccessnow. org/sos/.

“There was plenty of room for improvement in every state.”

Churgai described how the grades were assigned.

“It’s a very very lengthy process. We started many many months ago. We added two new sections.

One on affordability and one on social health and equity, which is also a big hot topic these days.”

This includes ensuring there is no list of qualifying conditions. “We believe that a doctor should be able to recommend for anything that they see fit,” she said.

Nationally, the general trend is for growth. “Not only are there more states with programs, but the number of patients in most states increased over last year, even in states with adult-use programs,” Churgai said. “Last year’s report had 4.4 million patients, and this year that number is up to 5.1 million patients.”

Of course, states won’t reach their full potential until after the Federal Government legalizes cannabis. “What’s going to happen AFTER legalization? What will be the government agencies in charge of all these issues?” Churgai asked. “We have draft legislation that talks about how to protect all the state medical programs by making sure every state has a bare minimum of what they are allowing for patients.”

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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4

NEWS BRIEFS California public school enrollment drops below 6 million mark

by Joe Hong | CalMatters

Rendering of the Midway Rising development plan for the Sports Arena site.

For the first time since the start of the century, California has fewer than 6 million students attending public schools.

According to new data released by the California Department of Education, enrollment in public schools continues to drop more quickly than it did before the pandemic, stirring fears of more budget cuts and long-term financial instability for schools.

City staff picks preferred Sports Arena bid A new report released Tuesday reveals that city staff believes Midway Rising, the team led by the housing developer Zephyr, should be given priority

by Scott Lewis | Voice of San Diego

City of San Diego staff has picked its favorite team to redevelop the Sports Arena site and is asking the City Council to cut two of the five bidders out of the running.

A new report released Tuesday reveals that city staff believes Midway Rising, the team led by the housing developer Zephyr, should be given priority. And two other teams, Hometown SD and Midway Village+ should also be examined “In order to have options for the City as we move through further negotiations,” the report states.

This is just the staff recommendation and the City Council could decide on a different route.

The two bids the staff would like to put in the round file include Neighborhood Next led by the ConAm Group. It had the most housing, and more affordable housing than Midway Village+, but the director of real estate assets for the city, Penny Maus, who wrote the report, said the team didn’t have a viable plan to build a new arena.

The three teams to advance, in fact, under Maus’ preferred scenario all pledge to build an entirely new arena. Discover Midway, the team led by Brookfield Properties, had also only pledged to revitalize the existing arena.

City of San Diego wins key federal loan to help upgrade aging storm drain system To address the City of San Diego’s aging storm drain system, the City Council has unanimously approved a low-interest federal loan that paves the way for an investment of up to $733 million in stormwater projects – from pipeline replacements to pump station repairs – over the next five years.

The Council vote allows the city to use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) special loan program for water infrastructure projects to cover 49 percent of up to $733 million in stormwater system upgrades. The city will cover the other half of those costs through other financing methods, such as grants, state loans, Transnet, federal infrastructure act or general fund dollars.

Established in 2014, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) is a federal credit program designed to promote improved water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. In January 2021, the EPA selected the City of San Diego’s Stormwater Capital Improvement Program as one of 60 in the nation eligible to apply for the loan and its benefits.

The city plans to utilize the WIFIA program with a first loan installment in May 2022 to fund stormwater projects that satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The city has an estimated 100 projects that may qualify under NEPA standards.

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Photo by Salgu Wissmath for CalMatters

Students in an AP English Literature + Composition class at Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley on March 1, 2022.

Among key takeaways from the newly released data: • Statewide enrollment has dropped by more than 110,000 students to 5,892,240 during the current school year, a 1.8 percent dip from last year but less steep than the 2.6 percent decline during the first year of the pandemic.

• Charter school enrollment also is down for the first time since at least 2014.

• Kindergarten enrollment is up, though nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.

• And 9,000 more students are enrolled in private schools, a 1.7% increase, but that doesn’t explain much of the exodus from public schools.

Richard Barrera, a board trustee at San Diego Unified, the state’s second largest district, said families were moving out of the district, especially those in gentrifying areas, resulting in disproportionate losses for schools in those neighborhoods. Then workers started to lose jobs in 2020, and more families had to relocate.

Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival returns April 25 The 26th annual Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival returns April 25 for a week of virtual events featuring acclaimed authors and poets from around the nation who will read their work, teach their craft, and discuss sources of their inspiration.

“The Literary Arts Festival from Grossmont College’s Creative Writing Program is the leading festival of its kind in the region, and we are proud to bring together so many distinguished writers to discuss their craft and share their work with our students and the entire community,” said festival and Creative Writing Program Co-coordinator Adam Deutsch.

All events are open and free to the public. Biographies of the writers, as well as workshop descriptions, bibliographies and registration links are available at https://tinyurl.com/5n74panb.

SoCalGas awards second $525,000 grant to California Restaurant Foundation SoCalGas, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra, announced a second $525,000 donation to the California Restaurant Foundation’s (CRF) Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Last year, SoCalGas co-founded the fund to help small businesses recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and was also a leading donor, committing $525,000 in 2021. Qualifying restaurants /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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throughout SoCalGas’ service area are encouraged to apply for a $3,000 grant starting April 15. These grants aim to support equipment upgrades, employee retention, and deferred maintenance, allowing small restaurants to recover after nearly two years of incurring debt, losses, and shouldering rising costs.

The Restaurants Care Resilience Fund will award nearly $1.5 million in grants to small businesses in 2022. Last year, 318 restaurants statewide received grants

Suneva Medical’s Silhouette InstaLift wins Best Thread Lift Treatment in Beauty Awards Suneva Medical Inc. a San Diego medical technology company using regenerative medicine to change the standard of care in aesthetic treatments, announced that its Silhouette InstaLift, a non-surgical thread lift, has won the Best Thread Lift Treatment title in NewBeauty’s 2022 Beauty Awards. Silhouette InstaLift uses collagen-stimulating absorbable sutures that offer patients immediate and lasting results with minimal recovery time.

The Silhouette InstaLift procedure takes place in a physician’s office and is done in less than an hour. A patient will walk out with an immediate facial lift thanks to Silhouette Instalift’s unique bi-directional micro-cone technology. Over time patients continue to see results as Silhouette InstaLift boosts natural collagen production, adding volume to the cheeks and mid-face.

Northrop Grumman and AT&T partner to develop a digital battle network Northrop Grumman Corporation and AT&T have entered into a collaboration agreement to research and develop a digital battle network, powered by

Northrop Grumman entered into a collaboration agreement with AT&T to research and develop a digital battle network.

AT&T 5G and Northrop Grumman’s advanced mission systems, to support the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

The collaboration brings together some of the best capabilities in defense and commercial communications to support the DoD’s vision for Joint All Domain Command and Control.

The companies plan to deliver a cost-effective, scalable, open architecture solution that will help the DoD connect distributed sensors, shooters and data from all domains, terrains and forces – similar to how smart devices connect and share data in our everyday lives.

The agreement establishes a joint research and development framework to prototype, demonstrate and test AT&T’s commercial 5G networking capabilities integrated with Northrop Grumman’s robust portfolio of capabilities that are at the forefront of military technological advancement that enable the Joint Force.

Heidi Vonblum appointed planning director for the City of San Diego The City of San Diego announced the hiring of Heidi Vonblum as the city’s planning director, moving her up from deputy planning director, a post she’s held for the last two years. She brings more than 12 years of experience in city jobs.

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NEWS BRIEFS Vonblum and her team in the Planning Department were instrumental in developing the Homes for All of Us initiative that pulls together multiple statewide and city reforms aimed at making it easier to create new homes for all income levels throughout San Diego. Mayor Gloria signed into law the first piece of the Homes for All of Us initiative last month.

Another city program, Build Better SD, which was furthered under Vonblum’s leadership in the Planning Department, creates a new citywide fund for better and more equitable delivery of infrastructure improvements across San Diego.

Vonblum started her career at the city in 2009 as a deputy city attorney in the City Attorney’s Office. There, she advised the ayor and City Council on planning and land use matters, including the development of the city’s first Climate Action Plan in 2015. Vonblum joined the Planning Department in 2018.

County library branches expand hours All of the County of San Diego’s 33 community branch libraries are expanding their hours starting Monday, April 11. The six largest county libraries will now be open seven days a week.

That includes the branch libraries in El Cajon, Encinitas, La Mesa, Poway, San Marcos and Vista. All 33 branches will include evening hours.

The new hours are posted on signs at each of the libraries and can be found online on sdcl. org.

display in Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collections at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The display will be on display through April 24.

It will be open during normal aquarium of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Prices are ncluded with the cost of Birch Aquarium admission This particular footballfish is one of only 31 known specimens collected worldwide — it will be on display at Birch Aquarium from March 25 to April 24, 2022. The exhibit is a partnership between Birch Aquarium and the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection — since the footballfish is sensitive to light, it will only be on display for a limited time.

Fortune names Scripps Health to its 100 Best Companies List Scripps Health has been named one of the top employers in the nation by Fortune magazine for the 14th time. The 25th annual 100 Best Companies to Work For list ranked Scripps No. 87, and it was the only San Diego County company to receive the honor.

With more than 20,000 employees, clinicians and volunteers at five hospital campuses and 28 outpatient centers and clinics, Scripps has created a high-performing, diverse workforce by accommodating the needs of its employees at the beginning, middle and later stages of their careers.

Scripps touches more than 700,000 lives each year, which represents about one-quarter of the county’s 3.3 million people.

Electric school buses, trucks, cars and bikes coming to San Diego school areas impacted by pollution Students at Lincoln High School and its sur-

How our immune system controls gut microbes

by Miles Martin

Sanford Burnham Prebys researchers including Carl Ware and John Sedy have discovered an immunological process in the gut that could help improve treatment for autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases. The study, published March 22 in Cell Reports, found that this process regulates the activation of white blood cells in the intestines, which ultimately helps the body control the composition of the gut microbiome.

“The immune system is like a gardener for our gut bacteria, gently monitoring and responding to their populations and keeping an eye out for unwanted pathogens” says Ware, who directs the Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “This ultimately helps the immune system control these microbes.”

This “gardening” relies on a molecule called BTLA, one of several checkpoint proteins used by the body to control the immune system.

Pacific Footballfish specimen on display at Birch Aquarium For a limited time, guests can see a Pacific Footballfish — a rare deep-sea specimen — on

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Home sales spring ahead despite low inventory Home sales in San Diego County improved in March, evidence of a spring selling season, after a slow start to 2022, according to resale housing statistics compiled through the San Diego Multiple Listing Service by the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors.

Single-family (detached) home sales in March were more than 30 percent higher than February, and attached properties (condominiums and townhomes) were 25 percent higher. Year over year, however, sales of existing homes were down 6 percent for single-family and nearly 17 percent for condos and townhomes.

The median price of resale homes still shows no sign of leveling off. March single-family prices were up 7 percent in just one month, and attached properties rose nearly 3 percent in that same period. Year over year, prices have risen a momentous 20 percent. Today, the price of a single-family home stands at $975,000, while the median price condos and townhomes is inching toward $650,000. Notably, San Diego County homes are also closing escrow in an average of 18 days.

Charitable giving increased during pandemic in areas hit hardest by COVID-19

by Christine Clark

Charitable giving increased in counties that experienced COVID-19-related deaths, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.

The findings reveal that during the study period from March to August of 2020, charitable giving increased in 78 percent of counties that experienced greater threat from COVID-19. Human services charities—organizations that help mitigate the effects of the pandemic—benefited the most from increases in generosity. These charities feed the hungry, shelter homeless, or care for the elderly or young children.

Flock Freight named an Innovator in TIME100 Most Influential Companies list

rounding elementary and middle schools will soon see electric school buses, trucks, community event vehicles, and bikes in their neighborhoods under a new pilot program made possible by a $9.6 million grant awarded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to the San Diego Unified School District.

The program aims to bring clean transportation to schools located in areas of the state most heavily impacted by pollution.

“CARB has provided more than $1 billion to clean up dirty school buses over the past two decades, and there is now more in the pipeline for zero-emission buses like these at the Lincoln cluster of schools,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.

The program serves the 14 schools in the Lincoln High School Cluster and includes 13 electric school buses, electric food delivery trucks, electric landscaping and maintenance equipment, an electric van and carpool vehicle, a large electric vehicle for community events, charging stations, and battery storage to support the electric buses with clean energy. The electric bikes are part of a pilot program for participating Lincoln students and staff.

The elementary, middle, and high schools in the Lincoln High School Cluster suffer from some of the worst air quality in San Diego County. The program serves students in the communities of Barrio Logan, Mountain View, Logan Heights and Lincoln Park.

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Solana Beach-based Flock Freight has been named an Innovator in TIME’s list of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies, based on its work over the last year to bring efficiency and sustainability to the global supply chain.

Companies sometimes need to ship less than a full truckload’s worth of stuff. But rather than

Courtesy of Flock Freight

Flock Freight’s team works in office headquartered in Solana Beach.

sending shipments on partially filled vehicles, Flock Freight’s platform enables multiple clients to share space on one truck, which means cheaper prices and fewer emissions. “We’ve got to do our part to save the world,” says founder and CEO Oren Zaslansky, who counts Volvo among his clients. What’s good for the planet appears to be good for business: Flock Freight gained unicorn status in October by raising $215 million at a $1.3 billion valuation.

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Navy to name new NASSCO ship after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by Chris Jennewein | Times of San Diego

The Navy plans to name a ship on order at NASSCO after late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in honor of her advocacy for women’s rights and gender equality.

The future USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg will the 8th fleet oiler in the John Lewis class.

The 750-foot-long vessel to be built in Barrio Logan will provide underway replenishment of fuel and cargo to allow Navy warships to operate worldwide.

“She is a historic figure who vigorously advocated for women’s rights and gender equality,” said Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a recent statement.

City of San Diego receives high grades for sewer revenue bonds Two credit ratings agencies have given the City of San Diego’s sewer revenue bonds high grades, a positive sign as the City moves forward on making important upgrades and rehabilitating its sewer system infrastructure.

Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings have both assigned “AA” ratings to approximately $158 million subordinate sewer revenue bonds, issued by the city’s Public Facilities Financing Authority.

In addition, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its “AA+” long-term rating on the authority’s senior sewer revenue refunding bonds issued for the wastewater system. Fitch has affirmed the rating on senior sewer revenue bonds at “AA.” All bond proceeds will be used to finance sewer system capital improvement projects citywide.

The proceeds are expected to fund existing and new wastewater capital expenditures from July 2020 to December 2022, including rehabilitation projects for core sewer infrastructure like pipelines, trunk sewers, treatment plants and pump stations.

OpenSeed partners with Deepak Chopra and Yves Behar to create meditation pod OpenSeed has partnered with Deepak Chopra, clinical professor of family medicine and public health at UC San Diego, and Fuseproject founder Yves Behar to provide meditation pods to alleviate stress. The innovative new pod, called Iris, is made with The workplace meditation pod by OpenSeed sustainable materials and integrates sound, guided meditations, aromatherapy and specially-designed lighting. Iris is now available for pre-order reservations. Iris retails for $16,000.

“OpenSeed’s meditation pods can play an important role in facilitating meditation in the workplace, residences, and commercial spaces,” said Chopra, best-selling author and world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. “The pod is a unique environment that beautifully integrates industrial design, technology, and content that helps ease stress and expand self-awareness. Given the mental health crisis we are facing, OpenSeed may offer the type of solution that could help many people reap the vast benefits of meditation.”

Rich Israel joins San Diego Seniors Community Foundation as president and CEO San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) has named Richard “Rich” Israel as its new president and chief executive officer. Israel joins the foundation following his experience with numerous San Diego nonprofit leadership roles.

Focused on improving the vitality and quality of life for all seniors in San Diego County, Israel oversees all day-to-day operations of the burgeoning nonprofit, including staff leadership, new initiatives, programs, and grants, fundraising and marketing.

Prior to joining the foundation, Israel worked directly with the San Diego senior community during his 11 years with the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. He oversaw strategy and day-today operations for the $5.4 million organization that provides community support services, public awareness, fundraising and resource development.

Israel’s previous roles include serving as the former president and CEO of Partnerships with Industry for nearly two years, focused on strategic leadership while successfully building win-win partnerships between the San Diego County community and several hundred individuals with disabilities. During that time, he led the merger of PWI with a much larger organization to ensure its sustainability. He was also the marketing director for the San Diego Chargers for close to two decades.

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ANGELS HELPS BLEND FAMILIES IN A NEW WAY! According to the Pew Research Center, one in six children in the United States is part of a “blended family” – a nontraditional structure, often with children from previous relationships living together. Other research suggests the number of blended families could be as high as 40 percent.

Elizabeth Ward, a high school vice principal in San Diego, and her 10-year-old daughter, Samari, have created a different kind of blended family and love every moment of it.

Samari was placed in foster care at 19 months old and formally adopted by Elizabeth when she was 4 years old. The child’s birth mother was a teen when she got pregnant with Samari and found she did not have the support she needed to provide her child with a stable home. She was in an unsafe, unhealthy environment when Child Protective Services intervened.

Around the same time, Elizabeth decided she wanted to foster a child, so she became a resource parent through Angels Foster Family Network. The agency welcomes single people, same-sex couples, and families with children.

Their criteria are that the resoource family must commit to fostering the child or siblings for their entire stay in foster care. After Elizabeth met Angels’ rigorous screening and training requirements, the agency placed a child in her care.

Eight months after Elizabeth’s first placement was reunified with his mother, she received another call from Angels. It was baby Samari, the little girl who changed her life. Elizabeth wasn’t surprised how easy it was to fall in love with Samari. What she didn’t expect was the bonus family that came with her. Samari’s birth mother, “Shanice,” remained active in her daughter’s life, even after Elizabeth adopted her. As far as titles, it’s “Mommy Elizabeth” and “Mommy Shanice.”

Elizabeth says the more people who are in Samari’s life in a safe and loving way, the better off the little girl will be. Shanice and her family have always been welcome to join Elizabeth and Samari for birthday parties and holiday celebrations. They still are.

Shanice now has three more children and they are a huge part of Samari’s life. They visit often and Elizabeth has a full house with the siblings, sometimes for weeks at a time. Her attitude remains: the more the merrier. “I told Shanice that we were all one big family,” Elizabeth says.

“The girls love to go to Target and get matching outfits and let the world know they’re sisters.”

Shanice and her three younger children now live in Las Vegas so the visits are less frequent, but they last longer. “The two girls stayed here and did online school during Covid and Shanice and her little boy stayed with her mother and siblings nearby in San Diego.”

Elizabeth and Samari love this arrangement, but it took some thoughtful planning. When Samari was 7 years old, she began noticing that

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she and Elizabeth have different skin tones. (Samari is Black and Elizabeth is white.) The little girl wondered why she didn’t live with “Mommy Shanice” when her three siblings did.

The mother-daughter duo began exploring these questions, and the feelings attached to them, at therapy sessions. Elizabeth also discovered Pact Family Camp, a summer retreat where adopted children of color and their families share experiences and build community, while learning from experts and each other. It was important to Elizabeth to understand the nuances, challenges, and joys of parenting a Black child in a complex world. At this camp, parents learned

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about everything from hair care to systemic racism – and Elizabeth learned how to help her daughter successfully navigate issues she’s never personally faced. She is a committed life-learner of anti-racism so all children can enjoy the same rights and privileges.

Elizabeth and Samari now volunteer at Angels, talking to potential resource families about the importance of maintaining a connection with biological families, when possible –especially siblings. They also participate in trainings for future resource families at Angels. Samari says, “The best is when I get to see my sisters and my brother! They will always be my family.”

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THIS “STREET VET” CARES FOR PETS OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

San Diego veterinarian Kwane Stewart balances his job as animal consultant for Netflix with pro bono work for the unsheltered ments in the country.

“I’m out there on a street corner of Los Angeles talking with a random guy who’s gushing on his dog,” Stewart says. “If I had closed my eyes, it would have sounded just like Brad Pitt, one of the most famous guys in the world. The way they each were talking about dogs, they both sounded like the exact same person.”

By Ron Donoho

(This story originally ran on sandiegosun.bulletin. com.)

Felicia Reil rarely lets Johnny Cash’s feet touch the ground.

“Everything’s so dirty,” explains Reil, who transports her one-and-a-half-year-old Maltese Chihuahua around downtown San Diego in a purple, three-wheeled baby buggy.

A toy vanity license plate hangs by a string on the front of Johnny Cash’s transport. It reads: “MOMMA’S BOY.” On an unusually chilly, March 31 morning, Reil wraps her arms around Johnny Cash while sitting on a concrete bench outside Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa. This two-month-old, 407-unit high rise is the largest housing project ever built by homelessness service provider Father Joe’s Villages.

Reil is deep in conversation with Dr. Kwane Stewart (pictured, above). Tall, muscular and bald-pated, Stewart looks like a big-screen action hero. He’s been a practicing veterinarian for 25 years and actually does have a connection to the movie business. Stewart is the lead animal consultant for Netf lix. He’s spent time on sets with mega-stars Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

Stewart also filmed a reality TV series shot in California that originally aired in 2019 in Canada. In The Street Vet, Stewart literally takes his act on the road to administer and care for the pets of people experiencing homelessness.

His unannounced visit to San Diego’s East Village at the front entrance to St. Teresa’s creates a Pied Piper effect. Stewart first approaches Georgia Riley. He quietly announces he’ a veterinarian. Would it be okay, he asks, to check out Salty Dog, Riley’s fiveyear-old Terrier-Labrador mix?

Riley unhesitatingly consents.

That’s when Reil spots Stewart and introduced him to Johnny Cash. Within minutes, Terry Gauci has raced inside St. Teresa’s and brought out Harley, her three-month-old Malti-poo.

Jermaine Vaugh waits quietly to the side for a consultation turn. Loyal, his five-month-old German shorthaired pointer shows far less patience.

Warren Marshall introduces Stewart to Satin, a four-year-old white Chihuahua. Marshall rescued Satin off the streets after she’d been hit by a car.

“I found her in the gutter and brought her back to my tent,” says Marshall, who claims he was diagnosed with AIDS and has lived with the disease since 1998. “I bought a bucket to clean her in. And I gave her some of my pain meds.”

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“To Be Around Puppies and Fun”

dozen four-legged patients.

The Love of Animals It doesn’t matter if you’re Brad Pitt or Warren Marshall, Stewart says. People have a love for pets that is unconditional and transcendent.

Stewart was on set in an official animal oversight capacity for director Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In the movie, Pitt plays a stuntman whose four-legged buddy is an American pit bull terrier.

“I don’t know Brad Pitt and he doesn’t know my name but in between takes for this one scene in the movie we stood next to each other for a couple hours,” Stewart says.

Off-camera, Pitt was gushing with someone else about a dog. Stewart doesn’t recall if the star was talking about the movie dog or some other pooch. It was apparent to Stewart, however, that Pitt had a major fondness for the dog.

After Stewart’s services were no longer needed on the set, he rushed off to his second gig of the day.

“I packed my car and drove to Skid Row,” he says.

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A native of Albuquerque, Stewart got his undergrad degree at the University of New Mexico, then went up the road to veterinary school at Colorado State University.

After graduation, with the dream of working near the beach, he loaded up his old Mustang and relocated to San Diego.

He moved around for a while. Hillcrest.

Riverside. The Bay Area. Stewart was buried in student loans and trying to find his way.

Eventually he wound up working in an animal shelter in Modesto. The Great Recession hit the Central Valley especially hard.

“People were losing their homes and getting wiped out,” Stewart recalls. “And when people suffer, pets suffer. Pets were getting dumped with us, and as a municipal shelter we can’t turn anyone away.”

His primary responsibility became putting animals down.

Veterinarians are by nature, Stewart believes, emotional. Connected to animals. They enter the profession to be around puppies and fun.

Not to destroy pets.

“Some mornings we were euthanizing 40 or 50 animals by 10 a.m. in the morning,” he says.

“It was starting to destroy me, and destroy my soul.”

One morning during his commute to the shelter, Stewart was contemplating quitting. He stopped at a 7-Eleven and noticed a man who appeared to be unsheltered. His dog had a bad skin condition.

Stewart could tell from across the street it was a flea issue. An advanced case. The dog, a mixedbreed mutt, looked like a burn victim. The hair on her hind legs was wiped out. The skin was red, bumpy, inflamed and infected. Even the hair on this dog’s tail was gone.

Stewart engaged the owner. Gave him a $3 tablet that took five minute to administer. Good deed done.

Two weeks later, Stewart returned to the spot to find a transformed dog. Her hair had returned. She was happily wagging her tail. The owner was even happier. He cried tears of joy and thanked the doctor.

“That moment restored my faith,” Stewart says. “It had taken so little of my time, but it changed the man. It changed the dog. And as much as I saved the dog, the moment also saved me.”

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He reaffirmed his commitment to serving the animal community. On his own terms.

Street Vet Kwane Stewart Just a few weeks after the 7-Eleven incident, Stewart opened his own pop-up clinic. Instantaneously, he was getting long lines of owners and pets who were living on the streets.

He’s been doing clinics—along with walking off the beaten paths to find pets whose owners don’t have the capacity to find him—for more than a decade.

During that time, he saw a posting for a big job under the banner of the American Humane, a national nonprofit with the mission of promoting the welfare and safety of animals.

There’d been a spate of bad press around animals being mistreated on movie sets.

Convinced he was a long-shot, Stewart nonetheless applied and got the job as national director of the No Animals Were Harmed program.

“For the first time in years, they were looking for a veterinarian, instead of an administrative executive, to lead the program,” Stewart says. “I didn’t know much about movies.

But in 2012, I went from euthanizing animals in a Modesto shelter to being a gatekeeper for animal safety in Los Angeles.”

His job was to interface with executives from Warner Brothers, Disney and the Big Six Hollywood studios and explain why animal care on movie sets is necessary and important.

Stewart was with American Humane for seven years before Netflix made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, hiring him to work for the streaming service in a similar capacity.

life that I was given.”

Stewart takes the attitude that people he meets on the street are individuals who have a pet that needs help.

“In most cases, that pet is the thing they love the most in the world,” he adds.

Surprisingly, Stewart says most of the unsheltered pets he treats are some of the most well-behaved animals he encounters anywhere.

“When people say the homeless shouldn’t

have pets, I tell them they’re wrong,” he says.

“They’re with their pet every minute of the day, for the most part. The bonds I see are on a totally different level. It’s hard to articulate... but they know each other’s every movement.

Not to mention, these dogs are so socialized.

They’re outside, seeing people every day.

Some of these dogs are the most well-trained I meet.”

As dog owners go, there are the ones who stuff their dog in a backyard, go to work for 12 hours, come home, throw some food in a bowl and then are off, again.

Contrast that ownership dynamic with the bond between Felicia Reil and Johnny Cash.

When Reil isn’t pushing her Maltese Chihuahua around in that baby buggy, she’s holding him tightly. Like a baby.

“He’s spoiled,” Reil tells Stewart.

The doctor and dog mom consult a little longer outside St. Teresa of Calcutta Villa. She says he’s a picky eater. Stewart advises her to cut back on melted cheese in his diet.

At one point, Reil is asked why she named her dog after Johnny Cash. The bad-boy country music legend. The Man in Black.

“Because he fights for the underdog,” she quickly replies.

Next to them on the concrete bench, Stewart has finally persuaded Johnny Cash to take a pill—even though it’s not slathered in cheese.

Help rebuild local news! Subscribe today to the San Diego Sun. Go to: sandiegosun.bulletin.com.

Free and premium subscriptions available. The Sun covers downtown San Diego and is produced by Ron Donoho under the umbrella of the Meta-Bulletin Project for Independent Journalists.

Project Street Vet Still consulting for Netflix, Stewart now has a veterinary clinic in North San Diego County.

His Papaya Pet Care practice in Carmel Valley just opened in March 2022.

Concurrently, he runs Project Street Vet, a nonprofit that allows him to continue his work walking the streets and offering pro bono help to pets and people experiencing homelessness.

Project Street Vet operates under the philosophy of “no judgement, just help.”

Stweart admits he’s undergone an attitude adjustment since that day he helped the man outside the 7-Eleven who’s dog had a severe case of fleas.

“Society has some built-in judgement about the homeless,” he says. “That they’re mentally unstable, lazy, made bad choices and put themselves in this position.”

Stewart has walked that mindset back and done a reversal.

“I’ve had extensive conversations with these people,” he says. “I found out you can’t know what landed them where they are. The judgements society places on them are unfair. Some were abused as kids. Others never had support systems. Many didn’t have the opportunities in LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

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CALIFORNIA’S ‘STREET VET’ LAUNCHES FEAR-FREE PAPAYA PET CARE A conversation with Dr. Kwane Stewart

How long have you been a veterinarian in California?

I’ve been working with pets and their owners in California for more than 25 years. I started at a veterinary clinic in San Diego in 1997, right after I earned my degree from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. I started as an emergency clinician and moved all the way up to Chief Medical Officer at Vetco Hospitals in San Diego. After that, I served as the veterinarian for Stanislaus County and then as the Chief Veterinary Officer at the American Humane Association..

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with pet owners experiencing homelessness throughout the state. One day I just picked up my medical bag and went out to see how I could help, and years later I am still doing just that. I launched a nonprofit called Project Street Vet that helps provide free medical care, vaccinations and even surgical procedures to pets from Venice Beach and Skid Row to San Francisco and Sacramento. Much of that work can be seen on the reality TV show The Street Vet..

Can you tell us about your work at American Humane and with TV and film productions?

For more than seven years, I helped major motion picture and TV productions ensure the safety and welfare of animals working on set. While I was working at American Humane, I helped develop the parameters for the disclaimer No animals were harmed in the making of this movie, that is given to productions monitored by AH’s Certified Animal Safety Representatives.

I’ve worked behind the scenes on films from War Horse and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, to We Bought a Zoo – each one an unforgettable experience and an important one, as my colleagues and I worked to protect the furry stars of the screen who we all enjoy rooting for! Most recently, I traveled to New Zealand and worked with this year’s Oscar-winning director during filming of The Power of the Dog. While on set in New Zealand I worked with an amazing team of animal professionals and handlers to give platinum care to the horses, cattle and dogs that starred in the film. I worked closely with the Director (Jane Campion) to make sure all stunts and animal action was carefully rehearsed.

After bonding with these animals on set, it’s hugely rewarding to sit in a theater and watch a movie that I personally had a hand creating and protecting. I still get goosebumps when I watch a film like The Power of the Dog, and know I was there petting the dogs and horses.

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You are back in San Diego now? What are you working on?

Right now I am working on two things that are really, really important to me. First, when I graduated from veterinary school many years ago, I was one of only a handful of African Americans in my profession. Unfortunately, that disparity still exists today – in veterinary schools and throughout my profession. I am hoping to make an impact on changing that by helping more young students of color choose veterinary medicine for a career, and sticking with it.

I also helped launch a brand-new model for pet care. It’s called Papaya Pet Care, and we opened the first of 50 clinics in Carmel Valley, San Diego at The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch.

Papaya is revolutionizing how we practice veterinary medicine with clear benefits for both pets and people. First, we provide Fear Free® care, which puts the pet’s perspective first and takes specific steps to reduce fear, anxiety, and stress. Second, we offer a membership model for pet parents, tailored to unique pet needs and providing price transparency. And third, we are focused on reducing the high burnout in the veterinary field with a commitment to employee wellness. We’ve implemented practices and technologies that enhance practice efficiency and improve care. I’m looking forward to seeing where Papaya goes in the coming years.

What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever done as a veterinarian?

I helped design United Airlines’ PetSafe Program and have worked with SeaWorld and Disney parks as well. For United, I started by trying to experience what pets who fly in the cargo hold experience – including stuffing myself into a pet crate!

United hired us to find a better solution for ensuring a safe, comfortable experience for the pets during flight. I wanted to get a sense of their experience, so I squeezed my 6’3” frame into the largest crate we could find. I also had them close the main cargo doors on me and fire up the engines while I sat there in pitch darkness. I now know from experience this is a stressful event, full of unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells.

The cargo area was so dark I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face. When the plane’s engines started up, it sounded like I was in the front row of a rock concert. A sound level like that could be terrifying for an animal. With that personal experience in mind, I helped United redesign their processes and improve the PetSafe program, which remains the industry standard today. /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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You are certified in Fear Free® care for animals. What are the benefits?

The Fear Free method is the brainchild of my close friend and colleague Dr. Marty Becker.

It’s focused on reducing anxiety and stress for pets and their pet parents, including no forced procedures and the promotion of gentle control versus muzzling animals or holding them down for vaccinations. We also offer pets pre-visit pharmaceuticals to assure they’re relaxed and calm before their appointment.

As the Chief Medical Officer and Lead Veterinarian at Papaya Pet Cat, I’m working to create a pet care experience that’s compassionate, joyful and inviting. That’s why we’ve infused Fear Free® principles into experience to serve both pets and pet parents. This includes calming pet-centric spaces and species-specific exam rooms. Additionally, we provide telehealth appointments to provide care virtually and eliminate travel, which is stressful for many pets!

Q: Do you have a pet? What are your favorite things to do together?

A: I adopted a shepherd/husky mix and named her Kora. She’s one and a half years old and she’s my partner. She sleeps in my room every night, we run together and when I’ve had an exhausting day, she reminds me why life is so simple. I’ve had a connection with pets my whole life and Kora and I are a bonded pair.

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say I was socialized to be this way throughout much of my career and I want to create a better way for the next generation. This is what motivates me. I have seen great achievements when we come together and collaborate with others, and moreover, when we are kinder to ourselves and each other.

Q: Do you have any advice for girls looking to get involved in their communities?

A: Getting involved not only helps to strengthen our community, but also can broaden skills and perspectives and introduce us to new people, places, and activities. Community service is a cornerstone of Girl Scouts because it allows girls and young women to discover the world around them, connect with others around an interest or cause, and take action to make our world a better place.

Q: What do you believe is the most important thing girls learn from joining the Girl Scouts?

A: There are so many things girls learn from being part of Girl Scouts. They learn the values of trust, accountability, and citizenship; soft skills like listening, teamwork, and problem-solving; and discovery of their own courage and confidence through experiences like travel, camping, and community service. Among the top is how to make and keep friends — a skill that serves them throughout their lifetime.

Q: Can you tell us about the Cool Women event?

A: Being a part of Cool Women is a special way to celebrate Women’s History Month, connect with San Diego’s best, and invest in our future leaders and programs that empower them.

GSSD created Cool Women in 2000 as a way to honor leaders who serve as outstanding role models for girls and make the world a better place. Over the last 22 years, more than 200 local Cool Women representing a variety of industries and passions have been recognized for their contributions to the positive development of girls as well as our overall community.

This year, five professional women including inventors, entrepreneurs, and mission-driven executives are being recognized at the event alongside more than 30 LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

Emerging Leader Girl Scouts, young women in 10th to 12th grade whose achievements embody the Girl Scout mission and promise of making the world a better place and who strive to be leaders of courage, confidence, and character.

Q: Are there any other upcoming local events for the Girl Scouts?

A: On March 12, Girl Scouts celebrated 110 years of being a force for positive change and the anniversary celebration continues around the country throughout 2022. San Diego neighbors and Girl Scout alumnae can learn more about the history of the Girl Scout movement and support by visiting sdgirlscouts.org.

This spring, friends around the county can help Girl Scouts and partners MTS, NCTD, and Albertsons/Vons drive away hunger by donating food for families in need through the Stuff the Bus food drive. Visit one of 73 local Vons or Albertsons locations between April 4 and 16 to donate non-perishable food and /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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help stop hunger in San Diego. Girl Scouts will be volunteering to support the drive at grocery stores around the county next month.

Q: How has COVID impacted the Girl Scout organization?

A: Girl Scouts is not just a nice organization, it is necessary. Throughout the pandemic, Girl Scouts provided a safe space to connect, interact, understand that feeling uncomfortable is okay, support, collaborate, communicate differing opinions, and figure a way forward together. We are helping the next generation to understand the power of compassionate, thoughtful, courageous leadership in a time where it matters most.

Q: What is your favorite part about the San Diego community?

A: People are so willing to help and be there for others. It really is a great community.

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WOMEN OF ACCOMPLISHMENT As recognized by SD Metro Magazine in the May 2022 Edition

Erica M. Pinto

Erica Pinto is the chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village of California. She is a poised and effective leader. Throughout the tribe’s history, no other leader has made such significant changes in improving the quality of life for members and its neighbors. Her efforts have resulted in more than $100 million in public benefit and safety improvements for the residents of San Diego County and under her leadership, nearly 1,000 permanent jobs have been created for members of the tribe, and the surrounding region. She is a co-founder of the Acorns of Oaks Tribal program, which organizes activities focused on culture, youth development, health and fitness and technology. She serves on the board of the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association. She is chair of the board of the Southern Indian Council. Since becoming chair of JIV, she has led it through significant economic progress on its path to self-reliance. She led the tribe to overcome 40 lawsuits opposing the casino’s construction. Pinto has been honored with the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California’s highest award in recognizing her work on behalf of Indian businesses and community growth for native people.

Teresa Campbell

Teresa Campbell is president and CEO of the San Diego County Credit Union. She is a dedicated influential and innovative leader. SDCCU’s impressive blend of products and services are leading the way for overall credit union successes. Under her leadership, through a continued focus on delivering exceptional customer service combined with hard work and dedication, SDCCU has maintained its stance as an industry leader and has achieved continued growth and success. In the 11 years that she has served as CEO and president, SDCCU has more than doubled its membership from 204,000 in August 2010 to over 427,000 now. Along with doubling its growth in membership, SDCCU’s assets have followed suit, growing from $5 billion to $ 10.8 billion. SDCCU managed through the difficult COVID-19 period, even as it was impacted bv elevated unemployment in local communities. Its net worth remains outstanding at 14.4 percent which is well above the seven percent minimum capital level for “well capitalized credit unions” established by the National Credit Union Administration. SDCCU has been named a Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion by the County of San Diego and Outstanding Philanthropic Business Corporation.

2015, she has been vital in managing the company’s growth and its resulting opportunities, as well as inevitable challenges. Not only has she been a key player in helping PBO Advisory have its most profitable years since 2018, she has played an integral role in helping to rebrand the company, expand its service offerings and making strategic hiring decisions that launched the company into new directions. San Diego was integral in securing over $40 million of forgiven PPO loans and $62 million in Employee Retention Tax Credit Refunds for PBO clients. These funds were used to support many local San Diego businesses in retaining employees and continuing business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cheryl Nieman Brechlin

Cheryl Brechlin is an expert in both transactional and litigation work at CGS3 Law. She was just promoted to senior counsel. CSG3 is a rapidly growing commercial real estate law firm. Unlike most transactional attorneys, she honed her skills as a “big law” litigator in the firm’s Los Angeles office, gaining crucial hands-on experience that has given her the common sense, client-centric approach necessary to succeed in the fast-paced world of commercial real estate.

She brings a competitive edge to each Congratulations to Cheryl Niemanestate Brechlin commercial real deal she works on. Brechlin represents for her recognition as one SD METRO’s “Women developers,ofof Accomplishment!” property owners, businesses, investors and tenants in complex transactional real estate and corporate matters, as well as An integral part of our firm, she handling day-to-day operations in high stakes litigation for landis a skilled real estate lawyer – representing developers, lords and financial institutions. She is active in the community property owners, businesses, investors and tenants in complex and has been a real mentor with Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los transactional estate and corporate matters.

Angeles, and is a member of the City of Hope. She has earned many accolades for her work and has been recognized among the “Ones to Watch” for Real Estate Law in the Best Lawyers in America, and has has been a 40 Under 40 honoree by SD METRO Magazine.

SAN DIEGO | LOS ANGELES 858.367.7676 | WWW.CGS3.COM

Ruth-Ann Thorn

Ruth-Ann Thorn is a pioneer businesswoman.

She is a true native tribal member of the Luiseno Indians. The Luisenos were hunter-gathers and moved from place to place frequently as they gathered food for their families. Luiseno men hunted deer, rabbits, and small game, and went fishing in rivers and streams. Luiseno women gathered acorns, nuts, beans and fruits. Today, those acorns and other land-based plants are part of the ingredients for her new national business endeavor, N8IV Beauty Skin Care. She is one of the few female native tribal chairwomen in the country. Under her leadership, she has taken the economic development arm of the Luiseno Native Tribe, REDCO, and elevated it to new heights shepherding the business growth and prosperity for future tribal generations. The Luiseno Indians have inhabited the Temecula Valley for thousands of years. Thorn is taking the rich Luiseno heritage of the past and elevated it it into successful business commerce of the future. She is also managing the helm of Rincon Reservation Road Brewery. Under her leadership, the brewery has a new expansive tasting room open in Valley Center with their proprietary native Luiseno beer now available in many local retailers such as Costco, BevMo and others. She is also a single mother of a budding artist, Bella Thorn, a high schooler in Valley Center whose paintings have collectors as far away as Dubai.

Francesca San Diego

Francesca San Diego is the vice president of finance and a member of the executive management team at PBO Advisory Group, a leading local outsourcing and consulting firm.

She works with companies across the region to manage and staff accounting, financial, regulatory compliance, human resources and business advisory projects. Since joining PBO in

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Patricia Ferman

Patricia Ferman is the principal landscape architect for the City of Chula Vista. She is known for being highly creative and motivated with 20 years of experience designing and implementing functional and attractive public outdoor spaces using compete-streets principles, water conservation measures and city codes and regulations in a collaborative design process with stakeholders. She was born in El Salvador is was the first in her family to earn a college degree. Her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture is from UC Davis. Her award-winning projects such as Third Avenue Streetscape and F Street Promenade are recognized examples of her passion to improve public mobility, create safe and high-quality pedestrian environments and conserve precious energy and water resources. Ferman won the Circulate San Diego Complex Streets Award for the F Street Promenade Streetscape Master Plan. Over the past 19 years she has enhanced the quality of life for people working and living in Chula Vista.

Danielle C. Humphries

Danielle Humphries is a partner at Hahn Loeser and Parks LLP and is chair of the firm’s San Diego Trusts and Estates Practice Group.

She has earned a stellar reputation as a trusted legal adviser with experience, insight and sophistication. She serves as general counsel for familie, managing a multitude of legal issues, including trust and estate related issues, wealth preservation and protection, philanthropic planning and tax planning. She has extensive experience representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in complex trust and estate administration and litigation. Her representation of fiduciaries includes advising individual and corporate fiduciaries on risk mitigation and their duties and responsibilities in the administration of trusts and estates.

Humphries is an extraordinary role model and advocate for gender parity within the legal industry. She is a steering committee member of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative and is looked to as a mentor by women lawyers. She is a volunteer for Promises2Kids, and is an active board member and chair of the Philanthropy Committee. She was recently named Best Lawyers in America for Litigation -Trust and Estates, 2021-22. She is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law. @LocalUmbrellaMedia

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Lauren Rowley

Lauren Rowley is the chief financial officer at Stella. She has facilitated $1.3 million in funding across 14 women-led startups over the past year. She knows that women and underrepresented founders are vastly underfunded, and she tackling this hard problem head on. Startups backed by venture capital are significantly male (89.3 percent), based in Silicon Valley (35.3 percent and Ivy-educated 13.7 percent).

Rowley has been laser-focused on engaging more entrepreneurs, investors and community advocates. To date, Stella has raised $30 million in funding for women-led startups. To help women learn more about the innovative economy and gain access to tools and funding more quickly, she will be hosting online courses throughout the year. She is a board member of Village Up San Diego and the young leaders group of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Kansas University and the UC San Diego Rady School of Management.

Marlise Kast-Myers

Journalist and author Marlise Kast-Myers has traveled to more than 80 countries and has lived in Switzerland, Dominican Republic, Spain and Costa Rica. Before settling in Southern California, she completed a surfing and snowboarding expedition across the world. Following the release of her memoir, “Tabloid Prodigy,” she co-authored over 30 Fodor’s Travel Guides including books on Cancun, San Diego, Panama, Puerto Rico, Peru, Los Cabos, Corsica, Riviera Maya, Sardinia, Vietnam and Costa Rica. She has served as a photojournalist for Surf Guide to Costa Rica and authored day and overnight hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail. Based now in San Diego, she and her husband, Benjamin, live in the historic Betty Crocker Estate where they operate an antique business, Brick n Barn. Her website is www.marlisekast.com.

Felicia W Shaw

Women’s Museum of California

Pauline Gourdie

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Cheri Pierre

Cheri Pierre has been recognized as one of San Diego’s most influential leaders as CEO of Computers 2 Kids. Her strong leadership has helped grow Computers 2 Kids by 200 percent during the global pandemic, expanding services nationwide in response to the growing digital disparity through creating the Computers 2 Kids Technology Assistance (TAP) program scheduled to launch this summer. She owns Pierre and Associates a consulting firm that provides businesses entrepreneurs and organizations with the tools and expertise they need to manage their corporate impact ability. She specializes in helping under-resourced nonprofit organizations, small businesses and entrepreneurs implement sustainable solutions usually reserved for large, multinational companies. Her global positions in Washington and Germany included working with the World Bank, InterAmerican Bank, VUBI, government ministries and executive offices of the German Ambassador. Pierre is board treasurer for Lamp of Learning and has served as board chair of ArtsBusXpress. She is a graduate of San Diego State University.

Porsha Vogt

As the owner of Golden Care, Porsha Vogt enables seniors in Carlsbad and San Diego County to live safe, happy lives in their own homes for as long as they can.

Her mission and the mission of Golden Care includes assisting family members with elder care for their loved ones while maintaining their own professional and personal lives; creating a family-oriented environment staffed by professional caregivers that go the extra mile to serve seniors; and increasing respect and concern for seniors in our society. She is business management graduate of the University of Colorado and brings her background in finance and entrepreneurialism to the service of seniors and their loved one through Golden Care.

Teresa Siles

NST Public Relations

Jennifer Barnes

CSL Staffing

Optima Office

Bre’an Fox

Khea Pollard

FS Design Group

San Diego for Every Child

Steffi Gascon Hafen Snell & Wilmer

Robin Assaf Wofford Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP

Luda Safransky

Bree Burris

DELT Strategy

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Coming July 2022

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O G E I AN D

San Diego Pet Companion Magazine will include your

favorite departments, articles and authors from PCM, with a special focus on San Diego’s pet community. health • training • grooming • resources & more

Advertising inquiries?

Contact Brad Weber (619) 300-1732 brad@petcompanionmag.com

www.petcompanionmag.com facebook/petcompanionmagazine instagram: petcompanionmagazine twitter: PetCompMagz

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SAN DIEGO AREA EVENTS – MAY 2022

May Holidays

5/5 Cinco de Mayo 5/8 Mother’s Day 5/21 Armed Forces Day 5/30 Memorial Day

Del Mar Antiques + Art + Design Show Featuring over 100 premier exhibitors offering a broad range of quality antiques. Location: Del Mar Fairgrounds. Info: delmarantiques.com 4/29 – 5/1

Fiesta Old Town Cinco de Mayo This popular Cinco de Mayo celebration has ongoing sizzling flamenco beats and Mariachi Music and tons of food and drinks. Location: Old Town, San Diego Avenue (between Conde and Twiggs). Info: www.cincodemayooldtown. com 4/30 – 5/1 Sat 10 am – 10 pm, Sun 10 am – 6 pm

Spring Sprint Triathlon Festival Whether you are an experienced Triathlete, Duathlete, or Aquabike Racer preparing for the season, or a first timer looking for a fun race, this is the event for you! Location: East Mission Bay (South Shores Park). Info: www.springsprinttri.com 5/1 5:30 am

Carlsbad Village Faire Features over 750 unique vendors with a little of everything: arts & crafts, antiques, unique clothing, items from around the world, and more. Children’s rides, an international food center, and an old-fashioned pancake breakfast guarantee that you’ll find fun for the whole family! Location: Carlsbad Blvd. to Jefferson St, Beech Ave. to Carlsbad Village Dr. Info: web.carlsbad.org/events/CarlsbadVillage%20 Faire-2756/details 5/1 8 am – 5 pm

Fangaea Fan Con This multi-faceted, action-packed, fandom event will feature comic books, tabletop & video games, anime, steam punk, cosplay, technology, fun panels, and so much more in an otherworldly, immersive adventure! Location: Scottish Rite Event Center. Info: www.fangaea.us 5/1 10 am – 10 pm

California Bridal & Wedding Expo Our event features an amazing selection of wedding professionals ready to help you find the perfect gown, reception venue, invitations, photographer, music, menu, honeymoon destination, and much more! Location: San Diego Convention Center – Hall A. Info: www.cabridalshows-sd.com 5/1 12:30 – 5 pm

Cheese Expo 2022 Bringing together a curated list of San Diego’s top breweries, coffee roasters, distillers, kombucha & cider makers, this one day expo features unique one-off collaborations, educational presentations, demonstrations, and explorations with cheesemakers from across America and some of the best local liquid talents. Location: Brick, Liberty Station. Info: www.eventbrite. com/e/liquid-city-cheese-expo-2022-tickets-80918955775 5/1 1 – 8 pm

Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You Celebrate fandom on Star Wars Day, the official Star Wars holiday! Location: in a galaxy far, far away. Info: www.starwars.com/ star-wars-day 5/4 LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

Taste of Cardiff

Foodieland Night Market

Stops at participating restaurants will provide a sample of North County’s finest foods, craft beers, wines, and/or kombucha! There will be local favorites and performing artists located throughout the event. Location: various. Info: www.cardiff101.com/events-list/2022-taste-of-cardiff 5/5 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

A foodie inspired multi-cultural food and entertainment event with over 150 vendors! Location: Del Mar Fairgrounds. Info: foodielandnm.com/san-diego 5/13 – 5/15 Fri 3 – 11 pm, Sat 1 – 11 pm, Sun 1 – 10 pm

Children’s Day Activites, vendors, and performances inside the garden gates. Guests are invited to make special koinobori, play games, eat kashiwamochi, and more! Location: Japanese Friendship Garden, Balboa Park. Info: www.niwa.org/childrens-day 5/5 10 am – 4 pm

Gator by the Bay San Diego’s annual, four-day music & food festival which celebrates the music, food and culture of the Louisiana Bayou. Zydeco and Blues, Creole food and Crawfish. Location: Spanish Landing Park. Info: www.gatorbythebay.com 5/5 – 5/8 Thu 6 – 10:30 pm, Fri 12 – 10:30 pm, Sat 10:30 am – 8 pm, Sat Night Dance 9 pm – Midnight, Sun 10:30 am – 7 pm

Wildflower Show Smell the aroma and appreciate the beauty of our Jewels of the Backcountry. Enjoy the art from our local schools and handicrafts from our talented club members. Location: Julian Woman’s Club. Info: www.julianwomansclub. org/event/julian-wildflower-show 5/6 – 5/7 10 am – 4 pm

Free Comic Book Day On the first Saturday in May, participating comic book specialty shops give a free comic book to anyone who comes into their shop! Location: various comic book retailers. Info: www. freecomicbookday.com.

5/7 various times

Walk for Animals Together, we can provide animals with shelter and lifesaving medical care, help families adopt new pets, rescue animals from cruelty and neglect, and so much more! Location: NTC Park at Liberty Station. Info: www.sdhumane.org/ support-us/fundraising/walk-for-animals 5/7 7 am

Clairemont Garden Tour The CTC’s Garden Tour showcases beautiful private gardens throughout the Clairemont Community. Location: various. Info: www. clairemontonline.com/Garden-Tour 5/7 10 am – 4 pm

Tacotopia While you eat your weight in taco tastings and bask in the San Diego sunshine, there will be Lucha Libre wrestling, live music, a bar with beer, margaritas, and more! Location: Golden Hill Park. Info: www.readertacotopia.com 5/7 1 – 4 pm

Old Escondido Historic District Mother’s Day Home Tour Tour the interiors and gardens of five historic homes and enjoy refreshments in a lovely garden. This is a self-paced tour; the homes can be visited in any order. Location: 537 S. Juniper St., Escondido. Info: www.eventbrite.com/e/old-escondido-historic-district-mothers-day-home-tour-tickets-301069556147 5/8 11 am – 4 pm /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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North Park Music Fest This two-day event will highlight San Diego’s best in local music, unique food vendors, live art, craft beer, and spirits. Location: North Park Mini Park, North Park Way & 30th St. Info: www.explorenorthpark.com/ festival-of-arts 5/11 11 am – 10 pm

D6 Neighborhood Fair Enjoy food, entertainment, and neighborhood spirit! Location: Mira Mesa Community Park.

Info: www.d6nightmarket.com 5/14 10 am - 5 pm

Food & Wine Festival Join the Junior League of San Diego at their biggest fundraising event of the year. The festival features some of San Diego’s best restaurants, breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Bring your friends and enjoy the beautiful views as you listen to live music and support a good cause.

Location: The Lane, San Diego. Info: www.jlsd. org/food-and-wine 5/14 1 – 5 pm

Navy’s Original Bay Bridge Run/Walk A run/walk across the Coronado Bay Bridge is a rare opportunity and today is the day!

The route begins in downtown San Diego and proceeds across the bridge and on to Coronado. Location: One Park Blvd at Harbor Dr. to Tidelands Park (Coronado Island). Info: www. navybaybridgerun.com 5/15 8 am

Bike to Work Day This day is Bike to Work Day where people are riding their bikes to work, school, or wherever they may need to go. Register to get a free t-shirt at one of the pit stops throughout San Diego County. Location: San Diego (citywide & countywide). Info: www.icommutesd.com/ events/bike-month 5/19 pit stops open 6 – 9 am

San Diego International ShortsFest Celebrate the art of cinematic storytelling with films less than 30 minutes in length. This is a virtual event including short films from around the world, filmmaker Q&A’s, networking with industry professionals and film lovers, and more! Location: online. Info: www.sdfilmfest. com/shortsfest 5/20 – 5/22 various times

San Diego Century Bike Ride Beautiful courses for a challenging and rewarding cycling experience on San Diego’s most scenic routes. Riders have a choice of riding the 102.5 Mile, 67 Mile, or 33 Mile courses. Location: MiraCosta College, Cardiff. Info: www. sandiegocentury.com 5/21 6 – 8 am start

33rd Annual San Diego Crawfish Boil All tickets include hot & spicy Louisiana crawfish, seasoned corn & potatoes, unlimited cold beer, sodas, and bottled water, and live music all afternoon! Location: Waterfront Park. Info: www.lsusandiego.org/crawfish-boil 5/21 11 am – 5 pm ADVERTISE | Press@LocalUmbrella.com

26 | VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4 Fiesta Del Sol The Fiesta del Sol is an annual family and community event featuring stellar live music, an arts & crafts fair, children’s activities, an international food court, and a beer & wine garden.

Location: Fletcher Cove, Solana Beach. Info: fiestadelsol.net 5/21 - 5/22 Sat 9 am – 10 pm, Sun 9 am – 8 pm

Festival of Cars Showcasing amazing custom cars from imports, exotics, classics to American muscle, low riders, trucks, and the hottest new model vehicles! Rides you will never have a chance to see in person! Car models, DJ entertainment, general and food vendors, and a beer & spirits garden. Location: San Diego Automotive Museum. Info: www.festivalofcarssd.com 5/21 12 – 5 pm

Wing Fest San Diego 2022 Enjoy the best wings from the top local wing

chefs all in one place competing for the best wings in San Diego. Location: Broadway Pier.

Info: www.eventbrite.com/e/wing-fest-san-diego2022-tickets-182127517307 5/21 12 – 7 pm

Santee Street Fair Lots of fun for the whole family to enjoy! There will be various food, vendor, and brewery booths, art, kid’s zone, local entertainment, and more! Location: Town Center Pkwy. & Riverview Pkwy., Santee. Info: www. santeechamber.com/events/details/santeestreet-fair-2022-4538 5/28 10 am – 6 pm

Vista Strawberry Festival Join us for a family fun day and enjoy our “Celebration of the Berry” as we bring hundreds of vendors, great food, fun, and more to Historic Downtown Vista! Location: Downtown Vista.

Info: www.vistastrawberryfest.com 5/29 8 am – 6 pm

Legacy Week The Midway Museum’s Legacy Week is the heart and soul of Memorial Day commemoration in San Diego. This year we are offering our iconic activities onboard! From a Memorial Day Wreath Ceremony to an interactive Remembrance wall, to our annual blood drive = each element is designed to honor and remember our heroes and celebrate our military heritage.

Location: USS Midway. Info: www.midway.org/ exhibits-activities/special-days/legacy-week 5/24 – 5/27

Celebrity Golf Championship Never before have you seen your favorite sports and entertainment stars in a competitive, high-energy golf outing like this. The Celebrity Golf Association brings together live music, local flair, and exclusive opportunities to rub shoulders with the VIPs. Location: Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan. Info: www.celebritychampionship.com 5/19 – 5/22 various times

SAN DIEGO COUNTY FARMERS MARKETS (UPDATED 4/1/22)

MONDAY TUESDAY

Coronado 2:30–6pm 1st St. & B Ave. Escondido 2:30–6pm 200 N. Juniper St. Mira Mesa 3–7pm Mira Mesa High School Otay Ranch 4-7pm Birch Rd. & Eastlake Blvd.

Pacific Beach 2-6pm Bayard & Garnet San Marcos 3-7pm 250 North City Dr.

WEDNESDAY Carlsbad Village 3–7pm State St. & Carlsbad Village Dr. Little Italy Mercato 9:30am–1:30pm West Date St. Ocean Beach 4-8pm 4900 Newport Ave. Santee 3–7pm Carlton Hills Blvd. & Mast South Bay 3-7pm 4475 Bonita Rd.

THURSDAY North Park 3–7:30pm North Park Way & 30th St.

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Oceanside 9am–1pm Pier View Wy & Hwy. 101 Scripps Ranch 3-7pm 10045 Carroll Canyon Rd.

SUNDAY

FRIDAY Borrego Springs 7-10am Christmas Circle Imperial Beach 2-7pm Portwood Pier Plaza La Mesa 3-7pm La Mesa Blvd.

Rancho Bernardo 9am–1pm Bernardo Winery

SATURDAY City Heights 9am-1pm 4300 Wightman St. Del Mar 1–4pm 1050 Camino Del Mar Fallbrook 9am-1:30pm 100 S. Main Ave. Kearny Mesa 10:30am-2:30pm Service Rd. Little Italy Mercato 8am–2pm West Date St. Poway 8am–1pm Old Poway Park Rancho Penasquitos 9am-1pm 9400 Fairgrove Ln. Santa Ysabel 10am–6pm

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21887 Washington St. Vista 8am–12pm Melrose Dr., S. of Hwy 78

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Hillcrest 8am–2pm 3960 Normal St. La Jolla 9am–1pm Girard Ave. & Genter St. Leucadia 10am–2pm 185 Union St. Escondido 10:30am–3:30pm 12655 Sunset Dr. Rnch Santa Fe 9:30am–2pm 16079 San Dieguito Rd. Santa Ysabel 10am–6pm 21887 Washington St. Solana Beach 12-4pm (re-opening June 21) 444 S. Cedros Ave. Things are changing daily!

For more info and location specifics for San Diego County Farmers Markets visit: sdfarmbureau.org or cdfa.ca.gov

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BY BART MENDOZA © MUSICSCENESD // MUSICSCENESD.COM

APRIL 2022

One of San Diego’s most beloved television personalities, meteorologist Dave Scott, forecast his last weather system on March 27 after 30 years with KUSI-TV. While Scott will no longer be on air, he won’t in fact be retiring, indeed, he is returning full time to his first love, music. A world class trombonist and vocalist, in addition to his television work with weather, local stories and his program, “World of Wonder,” Scott has long been a mainstay of Southern California’s jazz venues, with numerous acclaimed albums to his credit.

Post television, he’s hitting the ground running with his band. Fans can catch him Tuesday and Thursday nights at Nick & G’s Restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe and Wednesday evenings at Hacienda Casa Blanca in El Cajon.

What will Scott miss most about his time with KUSI? “The people,” he said. “You come into their homes on a nightly basis, so people get know you and you get to know them.” He enjoyed his work but was particularly happy to be able to spread the word about events and special folks around town. “You get a chance to do wonderful stories, not only on musicians, like Gilbert Castellanos, Daniel Jackson or Charles McPherson, but so much more. The greatest thing is I was in a position to really help people that needed to get the word out on certain things, a lot of non-profits for example, and so you feel like you’re really helping by doing the stories that you do.”

Scott notes how much times have changed since he started out in broadcasting, circa 1991, in Yuma, Arizona, before heading to San Diego a year later to start his three-decade run at KUSI. “Back then we’re talking about the years before internet, so television had a bigger role in helping people get the word out on all sorts of things from muscular dystrophy fundraisers to hundreds of stories on kids in need, and then there’s the military, who are such a big part of San Diego.

I was really able to focus the spotlight

Dave Scott / DaveForecast Scott / Music Looks Good!

Music Forecast

on a lot of people, like Jerry Yellin, the last guy to fly a mission in the Pacific in WWII and Stu Hedley, a Pearl Harbor survivor.” The latter provided a special memory. “He and I became friends,” Scott said. “When he was on the midway being honored, he got out of his chair and ran across the flight deck, as only a 94-year-old man can do, and gave me a big hug.”

In addition to more live performances, Scott is planning a slew of new recordings, with 100 originals ready in his composition book and more on the way. Future plans include a big band album, a Latin jazz album with keyboardist Irving Flores and a Christmas album. “I released a song, “Christmas With You,” in 2015 and that tune lives on,” he said. “Folks have asked, ‘why don’t you write a full album like that,’ so,

over the past few years since then I’ve written all the material for a holiday album.” One song in particular to look forward to is “Christmas in San Diego. “That’s a really melodic piece,” Scott said. “Lyrically it ties our neighborhoods together, I’m really excited to get that one out.”

While the next leg of Scott’s artistic journey is still being composed, he sees a connection between where he’s going and where he’s been. “People say, well Dave, we’re going to miss your “World of Wonder,” and I’m grateful for that. I appreciate the fact that people loved those stories, but I say to them, I’m still writing them.

They’d say, ‘what do you mean?’ And I’d reply, “My world of wonders are now called songs,” Scott remarked good naturedly.

Alan Sanderson / Pacific Beat Recording

Opened in 1974, Pacific Beat Studios is a legendary name in San Diego music history, with a slew of great artists, from up-and-coming locals to established international hitmakers, passing through its hallowed doors.

Owned by Grammy award winning producer / engineer Alan Sanderson (The Rolling Stones, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Weezer, Switchfoot etc) the studio is ramping up activity as it

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prepares to head into its fifth decade of making great music.

The music community is only now beginning to return to ‘normal’ and Sanderson admits things were looking

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dicey for a bit. “It was Deepak Chopra the started the studio up again in May 2020,” he said. “I thought for sure we were done for and didn’t know when to reopen. When Deepak’s people called I started ‘live’ sessions again and people just started coming back in after that.“ Because of the lock downs a lot of artists from around the world also sent tracks to Sanderson to mix.

“A lot of folks used the studio during

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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4 Portugal the Man and Death Cab for Cutie.

A major project recently wrapped at Pacific Beat. “I just finished mixing and mastering a new album with producer Vernon Porter, “Heroes & Legends,” which aims to raise funds for youth addiction recovery,” Sanderson said.

Listeners will recognize the voices on the album, which features new music by Mr. Mister’s Richard Page, and performances by Bill Medley (Righteous Brothers), Bill Champlin (formerly of Chicago), and Michael McDonald

Owned by Grammy award winning producer / engineer Alan Sanderson (The Rolling Stones, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Weezer, Switchfoot etc) the studio is ramping up activity as it prepares to head into its fifth decade of making great music.

The music community is only now beginning to return to ‘normal’ and Sanderson admits things were looking dicey for a bit. “It was Deepak Chopra the started the studio up again in May 2020,” he said. “I thought for sure we were done for and didn’t know when to reopen. When Deepak’s people called I started ‘live’ sessions again and people just started coming back in after that.“ Because of the lock downs a lot of artists from around the world also sent tracks to Sanderson to mix. “A lot of folks used the studio during the lockdowns because they needed a place to be expressive and get out of the house. It became an oasis during that time period.”

With so many sessions tracked at the studio, does Sanderson have a favorite? “There’s been a lot of great recordings at the Beat and I can’t pick out a favorite, but one that comes to mind is when Mike Halloran brought The Cult to the studio and we cut a version of “She Sells Sanctuary” live for the 91X Sessions. It was total chaos, but very rewarding.” Amongst other notable combos to record sessions at Pacific Beat are Chris Cornell, The Violent Femmes, Kula Shaker, Silver Sun Pickups, Ride,

(The Doobie Brothers). “Proceeds of the album benefit the non-profit, Demand Impact, founded by TJ George, who also produced the album. Demand Impact’s tagline is “recovering lives through music,” and album sales provide funding and drug rehabilitation and recovery programs at a time when need is high.”

While music is the bulk of what he works on, Sanderson notes that the studio activity varies daily. “It seems these days with budgets being the way they are, I get hired as the engineer and kind up end of being the ‘go to’ guy for production, project coordination, mixing and mastering engineer. Owning the studio here I wear a lot of hats including janitor, booking agent, accountant and runner.”

Some recordings have nothing to do with music. “I

have been doing more corporate work as the years go on, such as voiceovers for production companies worldwide and producing audio books with a few New York Times bestsellers. Surprisingly there are a lot of well-known authors living here in San Diego and I do about 4-5 books a year.” Also ongoing is work with Karl Soukup for the San Diego Zoo. “It’s always a lot of fun as we get the best musicians in town coming in to record over a few weeks in May, mostly folks from the Mighty Untouchables, one of my favorite cover bands in town. They seem to be the go to session players for the corporate stuff.”

He notes Pacific Beat has a great house band that’s “developed organically over the years with James East on bass, Gregg Montante or Dean Cote on guitars, Josh Thompson on drums and Bobby Cressey on keys.”

Current projects include Yacht Stars recordings with Tris Imboden (Chicago, Kenny Loggins) and work with Steve Churchyard (Adele, Katy Perry, INXS) on a solo album from Electric Mud guitarist Marc Hansen, with a busy summer ahead. Sanderson is looking forward to decades of making new music in Pacific Beach. “My favorite thing about PBR is the location, the intimacy of the space,” he said. “It sort of feels like a home studio atmosphere in a professional working environment, the 70’s feel makes it very attractive. So far everybody is digging the Beat.” www.pacificbeatrecording.com

Shauna Aguirre / Humphrey’s Backstage Live!

Is there a more scenic music venue in San Diego than Humphrey’s Backstage Live? Located right on the water on Shelter Island, the nightspot has long been considered one of the area’s premier spots for jazz, blues and rock.

Recently, one of the area’s most beloved music promoters, Shauna Aguirre, has returned to HBL, bringing both a lifetimes knowledge and boundless enthusiasm to the venue. “I returned for the third time to Humphreys last August, at the start of the concert season,” Aguirre said. “The season would usually start in April but due to Covid delays it started late and ran for an abbreviated 42 shows as compared to the 80+ shows that we will see in 2022.”

It was working at Humphrey’s that inspired and set Aguirre on the path to promoting music. “One of my first jobs was as the ticket seller at Humphreys in 1984, when the concerts were just getting started,” she said. “I was immediately exposed to every variety of music and quickly gained an appreciation for and love of live music. From there I went to La Casa Del Zorro during the time of the legendary and still talked about Jazz and Blues weekends. My initial career path was as a hotelier and restaurateur and fortunately those properties early in my career had an extensive music program and I was able to cultivate my passion for music and entertainment.”

Aguirre was previously the Entertainment Director for a national hotel chain and managed the bookings for four of their hotels, booking over 700 shows a year. “Most recently I was booking for the Kona Kai and La Jolla Beach and Tennis club. Currently my role is Venue manager for Humphreys Concerts by the Bay and Talent Buyer for Humphreys Backstage Live.”

Aguirre takes Humphrey’s reputation for being one of the best live music venues in San Diego seriously. “My goal is to honor that distinction and ensure that whatever night you decide to come to the club, you don’t need to look at the calendar to know there will be a great band. I look for bands that have a good following and actively work on their craft.”

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She points out that although she doesn’t pick opening acts for the hotels outdoor stage, “artists that play in the Backstage Lounge have occasionally been selected for those slots.” She considers that “the outdoor concerts offer a unique opportunity for local bands to play the after show in HBL and I always strive to book bands that pair well with the outdoor genre.”

While many national acts play in HBL, Aguirre is happy to book local performers. “The San Diego

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music community has always had a collection of amazing talent, but I would venture to say that the artists that currently make up the local scene are some of the best in the Country. Being able to book local acts that can sell out the venue is a testament to that.

As a talent buyer, I work hard to provide a monthly calendar that is well balanced thru different genres while featuring the best talent SD has to offer.”

A new ticketing system and the return of a favorite themed night have helped with HBL’s continued popularity. “In January when we resumed booking national acts we added an interactive seat map that allows guests to reserve specific seats in the club so nationally touring acts can sell tickets in advance. It’s been a great success. We also recently brought back our Sunday Night Smooth Jazz nights, featuring local and National acts and they are consistently selling out.”

Music occupies most evenings at Humphrey’s Backstage Live, but recently the venue has added a comedy night. “We recently started a once-a-month event for the first time in Humphrey’s history,” Aguirre said. “We feature touring and local comedians and they have been incredibly popular. Last month’s show was a complete sell out.” She notes that this month HBL will host their first ever DJ Night to pair with one of the outdoor shows. “We will continue to think out of the box to provide great entertainment,” Aguirre remarked.

There are many fun events to plan ahead, but in the meantime Aguirre is happy to back at Humphrey’s Backstage Live. “When I was very young Humphreys was one of my dad’s favorite restaurants and we dined there regularly,” she recalled.

“This is my third time working here and it feels like home. My history here drives my passion to ensure the success of the venue and my emotional connection motivates me to strive for excellence,” Aguirre said. www.humphreysbackstagelive.com

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EarthFair Moon Stage/ April 24 Balboa Park One of the year’s biggest events, San Diego EarthFair takes place on April 24 throughout Balboa Park. Free and all ages, amongst the environmentally friendly exhibits and displays there will be four stages featuring entertainment, including one devoted to children. One of EarthFair’s key area’s will be the Moon Stage, at Park Avenue and President’s Way, booked by Donna Larsen, perhaps best known for her work with her band, Messengers.

On hand this year will be: Dave Preston & The Grownups, Marie Haddad, The Hurricaynes, Donna Larsen and Messengers, Sara Petite, True Stories, Sometimes Julie, and Baird & Silva “Every year the music gets better and better,” Larsen said. “I totally enjoy having original artists on the Moon Stage and try to get a variety of styles throughout the day including pop, rock, country, blues, Americana, indie, and alternative. San Diego really has some outstandingly talented and gifted musicians who have generous hearts and are so willing to share all their years of dedication and practice with everyone at Earth Fair. Almost

all of these bands and musical artists are Award Winners!”

She considers part of the stages success over the years as being down to her staff. “It has been especially wonderful the last couple of years working with my wonderful sound engineers, and having Paul Grinvalsky as sound designer, as well as to have great stagehands.

I also get a lot of help from Messengers’ band members, Paul McGee, Randy Hodge, Jef Kmak, Lee Eddy.”

Larsen notes that the musicians all volunteer, however she has a surprise in store for them this year. “We have a generous sponsor: Laurie Beltran of Modern Woodmen Financial! I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to be able to give the bands a little bit of cash as a “Thank you” for all

Spotlight Shows / Top 5 Spotlight Shows / Top 5

1) April 22 / Daring Greatly - Navajo Live (9 p.m.)

Multiple SDMA nominees with a classic rock sound are promoting their new album, Gird Valley 2) April 30 / Adams Avenue Unplugged – Along Adams Avenue (Noon) A free, all ages, all day acoustic musical walkabout with multiple stages, dozens of artists 3) April 30 / Triple Threat: Women Who Rock - The Grand Escondido (7:30 p.m.)

Hit filled tributes to Pat Benatar (All Fired Up), The Pretenders (Pretending Chrissie) and Linda Ronstadt (Heatwave) 4) May 8 / Wildchild at the Music Box (8 p.m.)

The rap legend and member of Lootpack is touring behind his fourth solo project, Omowale 5) May 12 / Dennis Quaid at the Belly Up Tavern (8 p.m.)

The acclaimed actor returns to rock the house

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the time and talent they give all of us!”

Although Larsen came to the public’s attention through her music, her introduction to organizing the Moon Stage came through a children’s book she had written, In My Own Backyard, circa 2013-2015.

She had volunteered to play at the children’s stage for San Diego EarthFair but wanted to branch out a little. “As I progressed to writing more and more of what I call “popcoustic” material, not specifically for kids, I thought it would be fun to play a different stage and contacted the organizers of San Diego EarthFest, Carolyn Chase and Chris Klein, about that. They mentioned needing volunteers. I mentioned that I had produced the San Diego Indie Acoustic Original Artist Showcase and that I would

love to volunteer to help with the Moon Stage. At that time I guess they had no manager or producer for the stage, so they gave me a go! So I think this is my sixth or seventh year organizing this and producing this part of a huge event.”

Larsen acknowledges putting this stage together each year can be daunting, but it’s time well spent. “I just love producing The Moon Stage!,” she said. “I love volunteering. And yes, it is a lot of work but so well worth it. Kudos to those producers who do this all the time! This is something I am proud to be able to bring to San Diego. To me there is no better cause than our beautiful Mother Earth. It’s just one little way that I can honor her and help bring awareness about our beautiful planet.” www.stayhappening.com/e/ the-moon-stage-at- earth-fairE2ISU7O02KG

San Diego Music Awards / TVDiego Broadcast May 14 / San Music Awards

The 2022 San Diego Music Awards takes place on Tuesday April 19 at beautiful outdoor venue, Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay. 28 awards will handed out on the night, with a great line up of nominees performing live, including Riston Diggs, Thee Sacred Souls, Mrs. Henry, The Sully Band, @LocalUmbrellaMedia

Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine, Tamar Berk and Slack Key Ohana.

Meanwhile, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to soul music icon, Jesse Davis. Those wanting to continue the night after the awards show can head over to the SDMA Official After Party, taking place at Humphrey’s Backstage Live, where Rebecca Jade will be holding musical court. Funds raised go the Taylor Guitars for Kids program and the San Diego Music Foundation.

If you can’t make the actual event, be sure to tune into San Diego’s Fox 5-TV on May 14 at 6 p.m. for an edited broadcast of the 2022 San Diego Music Awards

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San Diego Music News / Tours Are Back!

• Jefferson Jay’s Acoustic Evenings at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library returns on April 29, with a line-up of Lisa Sanders, Yale Strom with Jeff Pekarek, and Sutton James • Dedicated to the late Van Bates, aka Black Hesher, Heshfest will be taking place on April 29 at Queen Bee’s. The live music festival will feature performances from Diastro, Sloat Dixon, Bloodstone The Street Preacher, Blush Bastard, The Enemy, Zak Meister, Hans Einztien and Bathwater Babies.

• “Planetary Heartache” is the first single from Stacy Antonel’s (aka the Ginger Cowgirl) forthcoming album, Always the Outsider, due out June 17th. Produced and mixed by Ben Moore, who also plays Hammond B3 organ, the album features Doug Pettibone (acoustic & pedal steel guitar) and Matt Lynott (drums). www.stacyantonel.com • The best Kate Bush tribute group out there, Baby Bushka, heads to Scotland for concerts on June 4 & 5 • Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam) has joined Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Bubba Dupree (Void), Jillian Raye (Giants in the Trees) and Jennifer Johnson, for a new supergroup, 3rd Secret. Their self-titled debut album is out now.

• Colin Clyne has a new single, “Wishing Winter Away.” “The lockdown winter felt like the longest winter I have known,” he said. “It seemed to be longer, darker, and colder than I recall any previous winter. I simply wanted long warm days with loved ones in the summer. I came to the realization I was focusing on the negatives and missing the small victories, missing the moments of beauty.

With that in mind, I wondered how many of these I had missed throughout my life wishing dark days away, wishing winter away, sometimes it feels like half our life...”

• Saxophonist Karl Denson is keeping busy!

Currently touring through April 30 with the Greyboy All Stars, he follows up through May 15 with Tiny Universe, before heading out on a two-month road trip with the Rolling Stones, opening June 1 in Madrid, Spain and closing July 31 in Stockholm, Sweden • Guitarist Greg Douglass will be touring the U.K. with his group, Pompatus of Love, from April 20 through May 16. The band for this tour will consist of Rob Beckinsale (guitar), Steve Browning (bass) and Matt Wheatley (drums).

• Earthless has a month-long tour of Europe starting April 28 in Manchester, wrapping up in Leipzig, Denmark on May 22. It’s going to be a whirlwind tour, also stopping in Ireland, Spain, France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands • Swingin’ combo, Jason Hanna & The Swingin’ Bananas have a Thursday night resiLOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com

dency at intimate downtown hotspot, Patricks II. The band includes drummer Christopher Cancelliere (The Loons) • The Inflorescence debut single, “Tomorrow Night” is out now via the Kill Rock Stars label.

Featuring singer/ guitarist Tuesday Denekas, drummer Milla Merlini and bassist Sasha A’Hearn and guitarist/singer Charlee Berlin, the nearly seven minute track is a great taster for a pending album!

• Katie LaDubz has joined the San Diablo AllStars, with a new album due in May • Singer Adam Lambert joins legendary British rockers, Queen, on a lengthy tour of European stadiums and arenas beginning May 27 in Belfast, Ireland and ending July 25 in Helsinki, Finland.

• Multi-instrumentalist Martin Martiarena (True Stories, Slide Away) is the musical director (and lead guitarist) for the national touring production of The British Invasion - Live On Stage. The current leg of the tour closes on May 12 in Birmingham, Alabama, with additional dates already set for October.

• On April 27 The acclaimed Mission Bay High Preservationist Jazz Band will perform an evening of New Orleans jazz at the Mission Beach Women’s Club, under the direction of music director JP Balmat. Balmat can also be seen around town with the Euphoria Brass Band.

• Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz’s next road trip starts off with a two-night stand at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, July 2 & July 3.

A month (or so) later the tour concludes on August 6 in Bridgeport, CT. • Troubadour Gregory Page has gone synth-pop, sort of. His new single “F the Future,” replaces his trusty guitar with synths and keys, but his melodic sensibilities remain the same, with plenty of hooks and a quirky video to match • Punk rockers Parade of Horribles have an EP release show on May 6 at the Pour House to celebrate their latest, Listen In. • Hard rockers Pierce the Veil kick off a winter UK tour on December 1 in Cardiff, closing on December 10 in Leeds.

news for fans of his legendary 1970’s era band, The Cardiac Kidz. The band will be heading into Mike Kamoo’s El Cajon based, Earthling Studios, this July for new recordings.

• Schizophonics guitarist Pat Beers, also an acclaimed artist, has provided the graphics for a new guitar pedal, The Crystal Machine. Manufactured by Spain’s LoFiMind EffectZz, “for those who don’t know it, is a pretty loud and chaotic Octave Fuzz, but with the ability to clean up very well with the guitar’s volume knob. This means that with a little twist of your knob, you can go from hell to heaven,” says the company.

• 90’s era powerpop combo The Shambles are planning shows and possibly new recordings later this year, with original members Ray Brandes (The Tell Tale Hearts), Kevin Ring (Manual Scan) and Mark Zadarnowski (The Crawdaddys) aboard for the project • Spice Pistols drummer Doug Walker is now also an official member of legendary punk rockers, The Dwarves • Switchfoot will co-headline a tour with Collective Soul kicking off July 15 in Gary, Indiana, wrapping up in San Antonio, Texas on September 24. The tour stops in at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre on August 24 • Thea the Band, aka Thea Tochihara (exSocial Club) has an album due soon, set to be titled, American Honey • On August 13 guitarist Patrick Yandall will be headlining the annual Jazz Fest in the Park, taking place in Bay City, Michigan • New Albums: Garrison Bailey – Secret Superwoman (tbd), Renee Marie - Blueberry Satin, Porcelain Hill - Good Time Not a Long Time, Billy Shaddox – Moodshine, Jackie Starr – Yadot Now, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble – Step Down, Wild Wild Wets - Love Always (date tbd) • New Singles: Nisha Catron – “Life On Mars,” Calamity – “Earthquake Girl,” Falling Doves – “Shotgun,” Jewel – “Dancing Slow,” Roger! – “Fire” • New Videos: Audrey Callahan with a cover of Gayle’s “ABCDEFU”… Creature Canyon – “Mirrors”… Chloe Lou & The Lidells – “Wrong”… Aaron Markland & Seawall Prophet have a lyric video for their song “Tide Break.” The recording is produced by Sol Turpin (Safety Orange)…song surf-skate punks Wanted Noise have a new video for their song, “Get After It,”… Wild Wild Wets first song from their upcoming album, “Say So” has a new clip…

• Tori Roze and The Hot Mess release a video for their song “Seek Your Sunshine,” in advance of a short West Coast tour starting June 22 in San Francisco and closing in San Diego at the Music Box on June 30 on a bill with The Lyrical Groove and Chunky Hustle Brass Band • Guitarist Jim Ryan releases his latest effort, Acoustic Mayhem, with his Jim Ryan Project on April 28. Acoustic Mayhem” is an all-acoustic tracks album highlighting the Dylanesque (folk) punk genre that I’ve been diving into during the pandemic years,” Ryan said. Also, there’s good /LocalUmbrellaMedia

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