College Times Courier, October 9th, 2020

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 9 Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020

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ALVARADO ESTATES

• MESA COLONY • EL CERRITO • COLLEGE VIEW ESTATES • ROLANDO

INSIDE

Crawford construction update Page 17

CACC emails to expand ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ credo

THIS ISSUE B NEWS

Hitting the pavement

Corbin O’Reilly pitches local businesses in new video series. Page 11

College Area Happenings

B A&E

Ready, set, Poe

New stuffed animals, tagged and ready to go on display at last year's Stuffed Animal Drive at the Bahai Center.

(Courtesy John Quinata)

The joy a stuffed animal brings

By JEFF CLEMETSON Mission Times Courier & College Times Courier

Halloween event featuring macabre literature goes online. Page 19

B GARDEN

Changing seasons

Pastor John Quinata, founder and minister at Our Father’s Grace Ministries, knows just what kind of impact gifting a stuffed animal can have on child. When his

B CONTACT US Editorial (858) 270-3103 x130 jeff@sdnews.com Advertising (571) 259-1530 lauren@sdnews.com www.sdnews.com San Diego Community Newspaper Group

bear and I just thought that it was cute like it was a security blanket,” Quinata said, adding that his daughter brought the bear to the follow-up because she thought she was only borrowing it.

SEE STUFFED ANIMAL, Page 22

One D9 candidate left, but race not over

By KENDRA SITTON | College Times Courier

Fall gardening is a reminder of a world unaffected by quarantine. Page 23

daughter was three years old and undergoing oral surgery, the doctor sent her home with a stuffed teddy bear.

“She fell asleep with that little bear and when it was time to go back for the follow-up she walked out of the house clutching the

There is only one candidate in the District 9 City Council race still campaigning but the seat is far from won.

Candidate Kelvin Barrios suspended his campaign on Sept. 28 after a series of media reports about his use of racial slurs on social media years ago, missing income on financial disclosures, misusing funds and the week-long overlap between his work at City Hall and for LIUNA Local 89. There is also the possibility he is under criminal investigation for some of this financial mismanagement,

although he has already paid over $4,000 in fines for mishandling donations to two political committees.

Still, Barrios told the San Diego Union-Tribune last week that even though he suspended his campaign, he would accept the seat if the voters decided to elect him over opponent Sean Elo-Rivera.

Before the latest round of allegations, Barrios came into the race with a strong lead. In the primary, Barrios garnered over 2,500 more votes than Elo-Rivera. Despite SEE D9 RACE, Page 2

Candidate Kelvin Barrios (Courtesy photo)

BY JOSE REYNOSO The tagline we use with the College Area Community Council (CACC) logo is “neighbors helping neighbors.” We are a multi-faceted community made of families, empty-nesters, students, businesses and organizations devoted to serving the needs of the community and beyond.

As an organization, the CACC was formed to help and serve the community. I see us as a forum or vehicle for sharing causes and information. I think, that to a certain degree, we have fallen short in this goal. Unless you go to a CACC meeting where announcements are made, you may not hear or learn about what’s going on around you. I see an opportunity to change that.

The CACC maintains an account with Constant Contact to send out information to all those on our mailing list of over 700. Typically, these e-mailings are for agendas for upcoming meetings or other CACC activities. I want this tool to be used to inform the community, and beyond about as many activities and causes as possible.

SEE CA HAPENNINGS, Page 13

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

D9 race CONTINUED FROM Page 1

suspending the campaign, Barrios’ name will still be on the ballot. Elo-Rivera’s win is not a guarantee.

The decision to suspend the campaign came after some prominent supporters pulled their endorsement of Barrios. The candidate had already been less present on the campaign trail. He did not attend a handful of community forums leading up to the Monday announcement.

Some of those events were cancelled, while in others Elo-Rivera faced questions alone. One of the meetings where Elo-Rivera faced tough questions was the El Cerrito Community Council on Sept. 17. Initially meant to be a face-off between the two candidates, Elo-Rivera was cross-examined alone.

Elo-Rivera opened on a positive note.

“San Diego has everything we need to be a truly, truly worldclass city... I want us to take the next step,” he said.

His background in conflict resolution and mediation as a lawyer was evident. After being asked a question, he would often state first where he hoped people could find common ground. In questions about the movement to defund police, he pivoted to his support of bipartisan solutions like having mental health professionals and social workers

NEWS

r e s p o nd i n g t o certain emergency calls instead of police officers with little specialty training. While even this proposal received some pushback f rom members of the Zoom discussion, it kept Elo-Rivera from answering the much more thorny question of whether he would cut San Diego Police Candidate Sean Elo-Rivera (Courtesy photo) Department’s budget. Elo-Rivera said the budget child. Elo-Rivera’s strong supwas too complicated with too port of adding housing earned many factors to make any defini- him the endorsement of YIMBY tive promises while saying public Democrats of San Diego County safety will look different in every along with two conservation neighborhood. groups.

Throughout the meeting, EloHis desire to find middle ground made him frustratingly Rivera stressed his honesty and elusive on some questions. It was integrity without mentioning not until the conversation turned Barrios by name until the end. to housing and homelessness Notably, he faced tough queswhen Elo-Rivera proved he could tions instead of avoiding the foforcefully hold a position despite rum entirely. disagreement.

Voters like those on the El “I don’t think the way to solve Cerrito Community Council will this is through pure tough love,” have to decide whether to cast Elo-Rivera said in regards to their ballots for someone they homeless people struggling with disagree with but who engaged addiction. with them, or someone who Elo-Rivera launched into has not been on the campaign a story about his own moth- trail for the final weeks of the er’s struggle with alcoholism. election.

Homelessness is a personal issue for him because he sees —Contributing editor Kendra each unsheltered person as Sitton can be reached at kendra@ someone’s parent or sibling or sdnews.com.

sdnews.com

Alvarado Estates resident remembered

By SUSAN CLARKE CRISAFULLI and KAREN AUSTIN

Since its initial development in the 1950’s, people have relocated to Alvarado Estates from near and far. They’ve helped to shape the neighborhood and the shared experience of living here. One resident’s remarkable life journey started in Vietnam and, eventually, brought her to Alvarado Estates in 1998.

Born in Ben Tre, Vietnam, in 1944, Nhung (Velvet) Lu Booth was one of 10 children raised by parents who were “self-made” business owners. The importance of hard work and education were ingrained in Velvet at an early age.

In Vietnam, women pursuing a college degree during the early ‘60s was very rare. Universities were limited, which made competition great. She scored and qualified for the very top tier and was accepted into a prestigious law school, the equivalent of Harvard and Stanford University.

However, because of the collapse of the Republic of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, the family's wealth and businesses in tea, ice, and coconut oil production were taken by the ruling communist government. The majority of the family members were put in jail and falsely accused of

Nhung (Velvet) Lu Booth

aiding the opposition, so the communist government could steal everything. Velvet managed to escape prison on her first day, due to the initial disorder.

During the mid-70s she managed to conduct black-market tea wholesale and coconut oil production businesses. It was all government controlled and restricted, but she managed to create her fortune a second time. Realizing SEE VELVET LU, Page 11

Your San Carlos neighbor and local real estate expert.

Looking to buy or sell in the area?

Contact me now.

Joe McLaughlin Broker Associate 619.980.5101 joe@homesofsandiego.com DRE 01323810 Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527365. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description.

All measurements and square footages are approximate.

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NEWS sdnews.com Bry, Gloria forum highlights candidates' key differences

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

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Just Listed in La Mesa

By JEFF CLEMETSON Mission Times Courier & College Times Courier

Key differences between the two Democrats running for Mayor of San Diego were on display at a Sept. 23 mayoral forum hosted

by Del Cerro Action Council in coordination with Allied GardensGrantville Community Council and San Carlos Area Council and moderated by the Mission Times Courier.

In introductions, Assembly member Todd Gloria highlighted his multi-generational roots in San Diego and a resume that includes past government work at the county Health and Human Service Department and Rep. Susan Davis’ office before being elected to the District 3 City Council seat. During his stint on City Council, Gloria was elected to serve as Council President and also served as Acting Mayor following the resignation of Mayor Bob Filner in 2013. Gloria was elected to state Assembly in 2016.

“From these experiences, I hope that it shows what my parents taught me growing up, which is if you care about something, you’re supposed to leave it better than when you found it,” he said, adding that he views his work to raise the minimum wage, provide paid sick leave and help pass the city’s Climate Action Plan as major accomplishments during his tenure in government so far. “I care deeply about this city. It has given me tremendous opportunities.”

Gloria stated that his goals as mayor would be to defeat COVID-19 and open the economy and schools; tackle the housing affordability crisis; create a “worldclass” transportation system; and address the homelessness crisis, which he said was “unacceptable in a city as wealthy as ours. Cities across the country have successfully ended chronic homelessness and San Diego should have it as a goal to do the same.”

City Council member Barbara Bry highlighted a different resume.

“I never expected to be in politics, on City Council or running for mayor. I’ve had a very diverse career,” she said.

Bry moved to California in mid-1970s to work as reporter for the Sacramento Bee covering the economy and state government. She moved to Southern California with her first husband to work at the Los Angeles Times before leaving journalism in mid’80s to work for UCSD Connect, a program that helps high tech companies get started in the region. After working at Connect for 10 years, Bry became an entrepreneur in tech-related companies.

“I ended up running for office because I was frustrated that the

8838 Madison Ave 1 Story on a Large Lot Call Dan Smith at

858.232.3318 Assembly member Todd Gloria

City Council member Barbara Bry

street in front of my business office had been torn up several times to have the same work done. I got to City Hall and was frustrated by a lack of accountability and transparency and that’s why I’m running for mayor,” she said.

Bry’s goals as mayor would be to lead an “inclusive economic recovery” with a focus on job creation, particularly in high tech and biotech; protect neighborhoods from state legislation; and address the mental health and substance abuse issues fueling homelessness.

“I think it’s a simplification of a concept that needs more refinement,” he said, adding that he would like to increase the police budget for better training and compensation.

“Many of them can’t afford to live in the communities they police and that creates a distance from the folks that they serve and the communities that they live,” he said.

For reforms, he urged voters to pass Measure B which would create an independent commission free of police involvement that would have to power to look into police misconduct and other issues with policing in the City of San Diego. Gloria also said he supports moving responsibility of responding to mental health and homelessness from police to other agencies.

Bry took a similar position, and said “police are doing more than they were trained to do,” and added that the city needs mental health responders. She said as mayor she would look at public safety more “holistically” and bring back neighborhood policing practices.

Bry also pointed out that she did not reduce police spending when the city negotiated the budget that took effect July 1.

“I believe that public safety is the number one responsibility of local government and it’s important to compensate our police officers fairly,” she said.

Both candidates said they would defer to the city’s police chief in the event of rioting.

MONEY MATTERS

On budget issues, Gloria said he would bring back fiscal responsibility to City Hall and pointed to his time as chair of the city’s budget committee during the Great Recession when the city went from deficits to surpluses and that after he left for Sacramento, the city had returned to deficit spending, even before the pandemic.

He said his “non-negotiable” priorities as mayor would be public safety, infrastructure, housing affordability and homelessness.

“It is more expensive to leave people unsheltered,” he said. “We have to do more to get people off the streets because that can actually help us save money in the long run.”

Gloria said the best way to raise funds for the city is through tourism taxes because they are “generated in San Diego and stay in San Diego.”

Bry also said she would prioritize public safety and infrastructure projects like parks and libraries, but had a different tack for raising money for the city.

“Over the long run, we need to grow our economy and be less dependent on tourism,” she said. “That’s why my focus is on creating a high tech and biotech center Downtown and a biopharmaceutical manufacturing center in the South Bay so that we can grow industries that are pandemic proof.”

POLICE REFORMS

On a question about defunding police, Gloria said he doesn’t support it.

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COVID RESPONSE

On how the city has balanced safety and economy during the pandemic, the candidates had different criticisms.

Gloria said the city must enforce public health orders and follow the law, but said there could be better public education to foster proper compliance from businesses. He added that the city should have been better at coordinating efforts with the county to build public trust.

“There should be no daylight between the city and county SEE MAYORAL FORUM, Page 4

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Mayoral forum CONTINUED FROM Page 3

responses,” he said. “The city and the county should be working collaboratively and saying the same message to the public.”

Bry said she is concerned that small business have paid a disproportionate price during the pandemic.

“You could go to Target or Costco during the early days of the shutdown to buy a book or a toy for your grandchild or a piece of clothing, but you couldn’t go to your neighborhood store,” she said. “And I thought that was very unfair.”

Bry also criticized Mayor Faulconer for not being visible in the community during the crisis, and promised if she was mayor she would “lead by example” and be out in public wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and shopping local to promote safety and economy.

Both candidates said that federal money will be required to stave off an eviction crisis in the city.

“An eviction moratorium is basically an empty promise because the rent is still due at the end,” Bry said, adding that the city’s rental relief fund helps, but is “simply not enough.”

Gloria said the moratorium was the “sensible thing to do at a time when health officials are asking people to stay home,” but that back rent must be dealt with at the federal level.

At the state level, Gloria said he supported legislation to give relief to mortgage holders to avoid foreclosure.

“Unfortunately, that legislation was not successful, but we can still do a multitude of things to try and address this issue,” he said. “But right now, I think, it is very important to keep people in their homes at a time when that is one of the best ways we know of to keep people safe from the virus.”

HOUSING

The candidates addressed several questions related to housing issues in the city.

On the issue of maintaining single-family zoning, Gloria said, “Right now we’re in a housing crisis and what I would say is that excluding any housing whether it’s single-family or multi-family doesn’t make a lot of sense because we need to have a lot more housing to accommodate our people and get costs down.”

Gloria did say that he doesn’t support changing zoning in neighborhoods that are not near transit or job centers and that plans like SB50 would not work across the entire city.

“I believe we need to build a lot more housing but not anything anywhere,” he said.

Bry said eliminating single-family zoning will not solve the housing crisis, but instead lead to gentrification and neighborhood displacement. She said she would solve the housing problem by revamping the Development

NEWS Services Department (DSD) and also promote adapting office and commercial buildings in the city to accommodate housing.

“This is much less expensive than building new,” she said.

Bry also proposed a down-payment assistance program in the city to help first-time homebuyers.

Both candidates voiced support for Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and tiny home programs, and both recognized that those programs have code compliance issues — that ordinances are not enforced fairly across the city.

“After DSD, that is my next priority, because you all deserve fairness and equity, that everyone in every neighborhood is treated the same and that we don’t allow Joe to do something that we do allow Jane to do,” Bry said.

Gloria pointed out that the city adopted ADU and tiny home ordinance after state legislation, which was important because it made all cities responsible for expanding housing options, not just large ones like San Diego.

“So I do believe the state can play a role in making sure that we have an equitable response when it comes to the housing crisis,” he said.

Gloria said code compliance issues are mostly because the city’s enforcement department is underfunded, and he encouraged planning group members and residents to speak up at budget talks to encourage better funding.

On the issue of what should be done about STVRs (short-term

sdnews.com vacation rentals) in the city, both candidates were critical of how the city has handled them.

Gloria said this was an issue most cities have figured out, and blamed the current problems with STVRs an a lack of leadership from the mayor. He said STVRs should be regulated and the city should adopt a “robust enforcement mechanism” using “fees, fines and taxes” to end parties and other nuisances they can cause.

Bry’s approach would be to enforce existing city ordinances that prohibit STVRs in neighborhoods, effectively eliminating most of them currently operating in San Diego.

“Our current municipal code prohibits short term rentals in residential neighborhoods and other California cities have enforced their existing code that is similar to ours,” she said, adding that she is frustrated that Mayor Faulconer isn’t enforcing existing law.

Bry also pointed out that STVRs have exasperated the housing crisis by taking 16,000 homes and hundreds of apartments off the rental market.

“These are units that are meant to be lived in by San Diegans, either as owners or long-term renters,” she said.

“Many of [the STVRs] are in Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Point Loma — smaller units that were affordable to working families and young professionals when they were available on a long-term basis.”

FINAL STATEMENTS

Following a few questions on local projects specific to the Navajo neighborhoods, the candidates made final statements on why each would be best as mayor.

[Editor’s note: To view the entire Zoom forum, visit delcerroactioncouncil.org.]

Gloria again pointed to his long record of public service, as well as his personal background as the son of a gardener.

“I think you want the person in the mayor’s office to know what it’s like to struggle, to understand the life experiences of the people they’re trying to represent,” he said.

He said his experience in public office is a benefit and pointed out that he already has experience running the city as Acting Mayor.

“I have already done the job for eight months, I think I can do it for eight years,” he said.

Bry again countered that her experience in the public sector and diverse career background is a strength.

“I can read a contract,” she said, and pointed to the controversial Ash Street agreement that the city lost money on as a reason city officials should have business experience.

“Our city has to do things in new ways. We can’t continue operating the way we have,” she said.

—Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at jeff@sdnews.com.

Vote Safer At Home You don’t have to wait until Election Day to vote! Every active registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail for the Nov. 3, 2020 Presidential Election. Ballots start going out in the mail the week of Oct. 5. Make voting decisions and complete your ballot in the comfort and safety of your home.

Remember to sign, seal, and return your ballot to a trusted source. Return your completed ballot by mail or at a convenient mail ballot drop-off location around the county. Visit sdvote.com to find a location near you.

Track your ballot every step of the way by signing up for Where’s My Ballot? at sdvote.com Do you need to vote in-person? That option is available too.

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For more information visit sdvote.com, call (858) 565-5800, or email rovmail@sdcounty.ca.gov @sdvote #VoteSaferSD #SDVOTE

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

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OPINION / POLITICS Guest editorial Facing defeat, Q’Anon threatens to unravel the Trump work to end human trafficking declares war on American democracy Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

By KIM BERRY JONES and DR. JAMIE GATES

Part of an $810 million underground illicit sex economy in San Diego alone, human trafficking is hiding in plain sight in our community. It impacts thousands of people from all ages and backgrounds. At the same time, our mobile phones ping us with notifications throughout our day; we are constantly filtering social media messages, determining what’s important and what we need to ignore. Now a duplicitous and even dangerous string of messages has cropped up: an attempt by Q’Anon sympathizers and supporters to coopt the fight against human trafficking.

The work to end human trafficking in San Diego is a decades-long collaborative effort supported by multi-sector partners who work to identify those who are exploited, provide services to restore victims and track down and prosecute traffickers. A critical part of this effort is public awareness, helping our community understand what human trafficking is, how and where it happens in San Diego and what each one of us can do to end it.

Enter the social media messaging of Q’Anon supporters and promoters, luring people into a web of lies that threatens to distract, mislead, divide and tear apart decades of hard-fought advances in the fight against human trafficking.

While human trafficking is an intractable social issue, it consistently draws bipartisan support with the Trump administration and past administrations funding services and visibility that has done much to advance the cause. Q’Anon’s entrance to the conversation around human trafficking threatens to unravel this critical collaboration across the aisle of political rivalry. Q’Anon, once a fringe phenomenon is now a rapidly spreading set of conspiracy theories flooding social network platforms.

Q’Anon supporters and sympathizers are using people’s passions about the atrocities of human trafficking as bait to lure those sympathetic to the anti-trafficking cause into their broader and more diffuse disinformation campaign. As reported elsewhere, “Marc-André Argentino, a Ph.D. candidate at Concordia University who is studying Q’Anon, said he had identified

51 Facebook groups that branded themselves as anti-child trafficking organizations, but which were actually predominantly sharing Q’Anon conspiracies.”

Kristina Davis recently reported on this issue in the San Diego Union Tribune, engaging local Q’Anon inspired rally attendees and noting that experts worry Q’Anon conspiracies are diverting essential attention and resources from the actual fight against child trafficking.

In often subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways, Q’Anon proponents and sympathizers confuse the public with misleading human trafficking statistics, misleading characterizations of the nature and scope of human trafficking (sex trafficking in particular) and misleading claims about the fundamental causes and sources of this heinous crime.

Opportunist politicians are blurring the lines between legitimate human trafficking data and concern and the Q’Anon conspiracy morass. In a twisted logic, the concern for human trafficking victims itself becomes a dog whistle for politicians interesting in wooing the votes of Q’Anon sympathizers. The bogus anti-trafficking statistics and stories promoted by Q’Anon are making their way into current political campaigns.

It is incumbent upon those of us that know better to call out the false human trafficking statistics and theories in the mouths of public figures.

The influence of Q’Anonrelated ideologies continue to grow. Recent reports out of the United Kingdom highlight the growth of Q’Anon beyond U.S. shores. Twitter and Facebook are scrambling to prevent Q’Anon and its ideologies from spreading any further, but Facebook, at least, is increasingly losing this battle.

Shutting down the conspiracy pages and hashtags has seemed to cause some of the opposite effect, invigorating the claims that there is a conspiracy against them.

At Point Loma Nazarene University we are more than casual observers of the anti-trafficking movement. A Christian University with a strong commitment to educating and resourcing the community, PLNU and its Center for Justice and Reconciliation have played a central and leading role in studying and engaging against human trafficking

in San Diego County since 2005. The Beauty for Ashes Scholarship for survivors of human trafficking and the kNOw MORE! Antitrafficking curriculum are critical pieces of the puzzle to prevent exploitation and empower victims to heal. We also coordinate quarterly meetings and annual conferences for researchers of human trafficking. PLNU professor Dr. Jamie Gates, with Dr. Ami Carpenter (USD), co-authored the groundbreaking study measuring sex trafficking in San Diego County in 2016.

In particular, we are deeply troubled by signs of how deep and wide and with what ease Q’Anon is spreading through Christian communities across the U.S. Christians in particular have been on the front lines of the anti-trafficking movement, and people of faith have been a driving force building the current anti-trafficking infrastructure that we have. It has been a hard road bringing light into this darkness, sorting out truth from lies in an industry that is built on lies, intentionally bridging communities that don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with one another like activists and law enforcement, survivor advocates and the judicial system, people across many faith traditions, Democrats and Republicans. Lies that masquerade as truth have the danger of unravelling decades of carefully nurtured cross-ideological collaborations as they thrive on aggrieved mistrust while they drive people and communities further apart.

Those who are passionate about doing and being good in the world can sometimes fall into acting more out of passion than wisdom. This tendency has not been uncommon in our fight against trafficking, but we have worked hard to educate our communities on the facts, to bring disciplined thinking and discernment to tackling one of the most complicated crimes in our midst.

It is time to mobilize our community to work harder at seeking truth, and to continue the real fight instead of being distracted by the shadows of conspiracy theories.

—Dr. Jamie Gates is a sociology professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and Kim Berry Jones is the Director of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University.

By SEAN QUINTAL

[Editor’s note: a longer version of this column can be found at lamesacourier.com] Towards the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln sat around a Virginia campfire with his Union Army’s General, Ulysses S. Grant.

With weary hopefulness, Lincoln quoted to Grant this observation from his Secretary of State William Seward: “…there was always just enough virtue in this republic to save it; sometimes none to spare, but still enough to meet the emergency.”

As Americans, during times of strain, we seem often to seek out Lincoln as a balm for our jagged psyches. He did, after all, shepherd us through the most cataclysmic of our national crises. Usually though, invoking Lincoln feels a bit overwrought, like going to the ER for a stuffy nose. But in 2020, Americans can be forgiven for looking to the Great Emancipator for comfort.

Because at this moment, we are in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis.

Donald Trump has now made it abundantly clear that he sees next month’s election as a process he is likely to lose. For someone like Donald Trump, who views relationships as transactional, and for whom domination and humiliation are the true markers of a successful transaction, the only “virtue” that matters is “winning.” And If winning is your brand, losing is an existential threat.

Faced with his own catastrophic failures as President, and confronted with the fact that his lies, corruption and incompetence have now been exposed to the American people, he realizes that not even an anti-democratic mechanism like the electoral college is likely to save him. So he has desperately chosen to set fire to the very electoral institutions that have endured here longer than in any democracy on the planet.

The President is staring down a humiliating defeat in four weeks. Since he recognizes he cannot win a fairly contested election, he has set about trying to cast doubt on the electoral process itself, with an eye to invalidating the results, either formally or at least in the perception of his core group of supporters. The incumbent President has lied about voting fraud since the day he was elected. He has repeatedly said illegal voters cost him a popular vote victory. Trump offers no evidence for this because none exists. He tried to empanel a commission to investigate this, but SEE LMFDC, Page 8

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1621 Grand Ave. Suite C San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 270-3103 Fax (858) 713-0095 MissionTimesCourier.com Twitter: @MssnTimesCourier EDITOR Jeff Clemetson x130 jeff@sdnews.com

WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA Jeff Clemetson jeff@sdnews.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Kendra Sitton x136 Tom Melville x131 Dave Schwab x132

PRODUCTION MANAGER Chris Baker x107 chris@sdnews.com ADVERTISING CONSULTANT Heather Fine x118 hfine@sdnews.com

CONTRIBUTORS Pat Boerner Dr. Jamie Gates Michelle Irwin Dianne Jacob Kim Berry Jones Jennifer Morrissey Sean Quintal Sarah Ward Jay Wilson

ACCOUNTING Heather Humble x120 accounting@sdnews.com BUSINESS CONSULTANT David Mannis

College Times edition Karen Austin Robin Clarke Susan Clarke Crisafulli Jose Reynoso Kellie Woodhouse

PUBLISHER Julie Main (858) 270-3103 x106 julie@sdnews.com

Mission Times edition Shain Haug Patricia Mooney Patricia Simpso

OPINIONS/LETTERS: Mission Times Courier encourages letters to the editor and guest editorials. Please email submissions to jeff@sdnews.com and include your phone number and address for verification. We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity and accuracy. Letters and guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or staff.

SUBMISSIONS/NEWS TIPS: Send press releases, tips, photos or story ideas to jeff@sdnews.com.

For breaking news and investigative story ideas contact the editor by phone or email.

DISTRIBUTION: Mission Times Courier is distributed free the second Friday of every month. © 2020. All rights reserved.

LA JOLLA

POLITICS / NEWS sdnews.com Republican Women hard at work during election countdown

By PAT BOERNER

Republican women are turning out in great numbers to volunteer for our local candidates. We are making phone calls, texting and walking the precincts for numerous wonderful Republican candidates who should deservedly win in November. The positive responses that we receive spurs us on and reinforces our optimism for a victorious election result.

It cannot be overstated how important this election is for our communities and country. We either head down the path of socialism and lack of respect for law and order, or we avoid it by voting for conservatives who respect our freedoms and the Constitution.

There are several propositions on the ballot for us to consider, but let’s focus on just two for the moment. Proposition 15 is

deceptively titled on the ballot.

It will increase taxes by $12 to 15 billion and will destroy jobs.

This measure guts Prop 13, the Howard Jarvis Initiative from 1978, for commercial, retail, industrial and other properties and allows for new taxes on homebased businesses. It would cost jobs and increase prices for the consumer. Tax increases get passed down the line. If this measure passes, you can be assured a companion measure will soon follow to repeal Prop 13 and increase property taxes for homeowners. Your property tax bill will skyrocket!

Another measure that deser ves close scrutiny and thought is Proposition 16. The title may sound good: “Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment.” This proposition would reverse a voter approved Constitutional Amendment passed in 1996. It says the state cannot discriminate or grant preferential treatment based on

News from your County Supervisors Dianne’s Corner

By DIANNE JACOB Worship and workouts: The Board of Supervisors recently approved my proposal to open up our county parks to worship services and fitness-related businesses.

We streamlined the permit process and are waiving fees related to reserving park space. This is not a new idea.

Poway pioneered it with its recent SOS initiative, proposed by Mayor Steve Vaus.

East County locations with reservable space include Lindo Lake, Hilton Head, Pine Valley, Louis Stelzer, Potrero and Spring Valley parks. More information at sdparks.org.

Stepping up in a crisis: I’m pleased to report that the board has set aside $11.8 million in federal funds to expand our Great Plates program, an initiative that is helping seniors and our troubled restaurant industry.

Great Plates delivers meals from local restaurants to older residents in need. The funding allows us to triple the number of people served, and the program was expanded to include those with disabilities.

With COVID, food delivery has become critical. Many seniors live alone and lack the resources to meet basic needs. At the same time, our

restaurants are hurting and need whatever help we can give them.

The county has also added $3.5 million in financial assistance to restaurants across the region as part of our economic stimulus program.

Helping the helpers: Childcare providers offering essential services during the pandemic can apply for grants, thanks to $25 million in federal CARES Act funding being distributed with the approval of the board.

Eligible providers can apply for support for staffing, supplies, mortgage and rental assistance, business resilience and capital improvements for outdoor areas.

The application window is Aug. 24 to Sept. 4. For details, go to sdfoundation.org.

In the Zone: Just a reminder that the county’s Cool Zone program is up and running again, but on a limited basis due to COVID-19.

For the latest locations and hours, visit CoolZones.org.

Locations include Lakeside Community Center, Santa Ysabel Nature Center and the Alpine, Ramona and Potrero libraries.

—Dianne Jacob represents District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

For questions or comments about your county government, call 619- 531-5522 or email dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov.

race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, education or contracting.

If this measure passes racebased preferences such as quotas and affirmative action would be allowed and merit-based criteria would be disregarded.

This is a step backwards in the fight against racial injustice and inequality under the law.

Preferential treatment is the opposite of what we need.

Vote. It is a privilege and a right so please don’t waste it. Your voice will make a difference.

Navajo Canyon members are hopeful that our Nov. 10 meeting can be held in person, but we can’t make any promises at this time.

Please get the updates and the latest information on our website RWCNavajoCanyon.org and on Facebook at Republican Women of California Navajo Canyon.

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

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VISIT LA MESA VILLAGE & ENJOY OUR VIBRANT DINING SCENE + RETAIL SHOPPING + SALON SERVICES & MORE!

—Pat Boerner writes on behalf of the Republican Women of California –Navajo Canyon.

NEWS BRIEFS FREE FLU SHOTS

This fall, reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu, is more critical than ever. Although flu vaccination is not related to COVID-19, it is vital to minimize the impact of respiratory illnesses and resulting burdens on the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting Oct. 4, Champions for Health (CFH) will provide free flu shot clinics across San Diego County in partnership with the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Epidemiology and Immunization Services program and United Healthcare.

“COVID-19 has impacted access to general medical care and increased the number of uninsured people in our community,” said Adama Dyoniziak, Champions for Health executive director. “The combination of chronic disease and complications due to COVID will put many people at a higher risk of flu complications.”

The CDC recommends getting a flu vaccination in September or October but getting vaccinated anytime during the flu season can help protect you. A flu vaccine may also provide several individual health benefits, including keeping you from getting sick with flu, reducing the severity of your illness if you do get flu, and reducing your risk of flu-associated hospitalization.

CFH will focus efforts on the underinsured, uninsured, essential workers, those who have lost their employer's health insurance, and anyone who may need it. CFH activates the local medical community to volunteer and assist in these events. The pop-up clinics will be a hybrid of drive-thru and walk-up, depending on the site.

Everyone qualifies, ages four years and up and pregnant women, to receive a flu shot. Nasal spray and high dose vaccine will not be available. No insurance is required. A mask is required at all flu shot locations.

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 20

Explore our small business downtown community today Visit LaMesaVillageAssociation.or for a complete list of open businesses

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MISSION TRAILS / POLITICS sdnews.com Mission Trails Foundation offers new online programs LMFDC Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

CONTINUED FROM Page 6

By JENNIFER MORRISSEY

The Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation is pleased to introduce OnTopic, a new series of online programs on topics related to Mission Trails.

Our inaugural programs will be presented by MTRP volunteers and will impart knowledge that we can use as we explore the park and other natural areas. These online events are free of charge, but registration is required. To register, visit the MTRP homepage at mtrp.org.

‘AMAZING WORLD OF BATS, NATURE’S TINY FIGHTER JETS’ 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29 Presented by Don Endicott Bats! Those strange, mysterious creatures of the night. They feature incredible skills of flight and acoustic navigation. Bats contribute to our environment in many ways — catching insects, pollinating wild fruits, and helping reforest disturbed lands.

Poorly understood and frequently feared, they are under threat worldwide. Bats need our protection as much as we need them in healthy populations. During this multi-media presentation, Don will demonstrate how we record and identify their ultrasonic echolocation calls used to

Mule deer (Photo by Wendy Esterly)

navigate and find prey in complete darkness.

A retired research engineer and executive in Navy Communications and Network Technologies, Don discovered a second career as a volunteer naturalist. He is a NAI Certified Interpretive Guide, MTRP Trail Guide, and public educator for the San Diego Natural History Museum and San Diego Humane Society’s Bat Team. Don is co-author of “50 Best Short Hikes San Diego” with the late Jerry Schad.

GETTING THE MOST FROM INAT 6p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5 Presented by Millie Basden Learn how to be a more active participant in iNaturalist (iNAT) while improving the quality of your observations and identifications. The goals of this presentation are to encourage more active participation in iNaturalist,

Bat (Photo by Don Endicott)

increase participation in app projects (Mission Trails Regional Park Biodiversity Project, San Diego Plant Atlas Project, City Nature Challenge) and to improve the quality of identifications on iNaturalist. The presentation will be most suitable for those who have some experience using iNat. Presenter Millie Basden joined iNaturalist in early 2016 and through her participation (20,000 observations, 15,000 identifications for others, participation in 60 different projects), she has gained significant knowledge of its workings which she would like to share with others.

Millie is a volunteer Trail Guide at Mission Trails Regional Park and a Certified California Naturalist.

BIRDS AND MAMMALS ON THE TRAIL AT MTRP 6p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19 Presented by Wendy Esterly

Mission Trails Regional Park is home to all kinds of birds and animals and this presentation includes examples that are often seen on the trail. Viewers will learn where and when they were seen, something interesting about them, and the birds’ call or song.

Wendy Esterly is a longtime volunteer at MTRP and an avid photographer whose stunning images of birds and wildlife have been used in publications and exhibits. She is on the training team for the Trail Guides and is the MTRP Nest Box Project’s co-coordinator, monitoring nest boxes during nesting season. Wendy is the author of “Coloring Southern California Birds” by Sunbelt Publications.

—Jennifer Morrissey is executive director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation.

Technology tips to help stay connected during wildfire season Preparing and protecting your home or business in the event of a wildfire is a reality for those who call San Diego home.

A top priority for Cox during a natural disaster is to keep customers connected so they can stay informed, check in with family and friends, and access their shows away from home.

Cox also works to keep business customers, including hospitals and emergency responders, connected so they can continue to serve our communities.

Wildfire season now begins earlier and ends later, so Cox prepares all year long, reviewing its business continuity plan and running mock emergency events so employees know their roles and responsibilities during a disaster.

When strong winds and other weather conditions create an increased risk for wildfires, the power company may notify their residential customers, and business customers like Cox, that they’ll be implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).

During a PSPS, Cox services may be interrupted in a neighborhood where the electric company shuts off power. During a wildfire or PSPS, Cox works closely with the power company and public safety agencies to monitor the situation

and ensure the safety of its network and facilities to keep residential and business customers connected.

There are also some things customers can do to prepare.

Have a charged backup battery and corded phone. Most cordless home phones require electricity and won’t work in an outage.

Make sure you keep a corded wireline phone available for use during a power outage.

In addition, power is needed for your other telephone equipment to place and receive calls. If Cox's network is operating during a power outage, make sure you have a charged backup battery to help ensure you can receive a Reverse 911 call. Purchase a backup battery by calling 855–324–7700 or visiting a Cox Solutions Store.

Get updates on Cox’s Twitter handle.

During a PSPS or a disaster, Cox posts outage updates and other information on Twitter. Customers can follow Cox at @coxcalifornia.

Download Cox apps before a wildfire or PSPS occurs: • Cox app – Manage your account; receive outage notifications from the app when there's an outage in your area and when the outage is over.

• Cox Contour app – Turn your smartphone or tablet into a portable TV; access programming available with your Cox subscription while away from home.

• Cox Voice Everywhere app – Your home phone away from home. Make or receive calls on up to four devices.

Consumer Disaster Protections Customers whose residential phone service is impacted during a state of emergency declared by the California Governor's Office or the President of the United States may be eligible to receive disaster relief protections such as a waiver of one-time activation fees for establishing remote call forwarding, remote access to call forwarding, call forwarding features and messaging services. For information about these consumer disaster protections, visit cox.com/CaliforniaAssist.

For more helpful information and tips, visit cox.com/CaliforniaAssist.

it prematurely disbanded in disgrace, after it became clear it was nothing more than an exercise in propaganda.

Trump’s incessant belching and barking about voting by mail being a hoax, is laughable, since he has voted by mail for years and has already requested his very own mail-in ballot this year. Years’ worth of data from elections research proves that being struck by lightening is more statistically likely than voter fraud in the U.S. This is further demonstrated by the fact that Trump and the GOP have failed to prove voter fraud even once in 90-some court cases.

Aside from his cratering political popularity, recent revelations have exposed Trump as a fraud and a tax cheat. He is vulnerable to ongoing civil and criminal investigations in multiple jurisdictions. His lawyers’ tortured argument for executive privilege are perhaps his last protection against finally being held accountable for his misdeeds. The law is coming for him. His unhinged recklessness to try to remain in office is understandable, as it offers him his last get-out-of-jail-free card.

America has endured serious threats before and we will again.

Trump’s menace to our democratic institutions is real and ominous.

But fortunately, the American people can stand up to this threat, and can beat it back, as we have so many crises before. Let Trump threaten and complain all he wants. Because, finally, he does not have the power to wrest from us our democratic birthright. We, all of us, can preserve it.

And we do so by the sacred act of voting, our shared, civic sacrament. Our right to vote has been blessed by the lives of those who have died to preserve it, consecrated by the blood of those who have been beaten to expand it, and sanctified by all those who exercised that right before us, and who have entrusted us to protect it.

This then, is “the virtue in this republic” about which Lincoln mused in the light of that campfire. Our shared understanding that we are not just the beneficiaries of our freedom, but also its stewards. That however large or pernicious our differences may seem, we remain bound together by a history both proud and painful, and united in a future that, though harrowing, is also hopeful.

This virtue is an inheritance that we are duty bound to preserve. Even when it is threatened by the occupant of the highest office in the land — especially when it is so threatened. As divided as we feel as a country right now, together we can once again show the world that there is still enough virtue in this republic to save it.

—Sean Quintal writes on behalf of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

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Velvet Lu CONTINUED FROM Page 2

there was no future living under communist rule, she and her family decided to escape from Vietnam in 1978.

Her family was one of the few to be known as “boat people” who escaped the country and death at sea. Velvet recollected that the overloaded boat almost sunk because it had taken in water twice, remarking, "I thought we would not make it."

The family barely managed to get to Malaysia and were refugees for over a year,

before being accepted to emigrate to the USA in late 1979. Her journey led her to San Diego where she would continue her educational aspirations.

She graduated with honors from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and worked for the Navy. She also pursued various business ventures which included, opening a Vietnamese restaurant named Velvet Inn, a travel agency, and in wholesale home furnishings. She eventually found success in immigration services, named Far East Service Center, and Real Estate Investment.

In 1994, she met the true love of her life, Theodore (Ted) W. Booth, whom she adored and respected. In 2001, the couple gave a substantial contribution to the Astronomy Department at SDSU, her alma mater, and to give back to the community due to Ted’s field of interest in aviation, as a Naval Lieutenant-Commander and Captain of PSA, and his fascination in astronomy.

Nhung (Velvet) Lu Booth passed away on March 30, 2020, of lung cancer. Her husband, Ted, predeceased her in February of this year. Their presence in the community will be missed!

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Takin’ it to the street

By JEFF CLEMETSON | College Times Courier

What does an entity created to promote businesses do when it can’t hold events to gather the public? It takes to the street — virtually, of course.

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The College Area Business District (CABD) recently took to the street in marketing its member businesses with a video series titled “Corbin on The Street” that features Corbin’s Q owner Corbin O’Reilly.

“The College A rea Business District, like so many other businesses, needed to re-evaluate how to operate during the pandemic,” said CABD executive director Jim Schneider.

[Our] Marketing Committee came up with the idea as a

Corbin O’Reilly (left) on the barber's chair at Pappy’s in a scene from “Corbin on the Street” (YouTube)

SEE CORBIN, Page 23

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

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sdnews.com

SDSU embarks on COVID testing effort to curb disparities

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There’s nothing more important to us than keeping you safe during wildfire season.

But we need your help. Download our emergency checklists from our site, then make and practice your family’s preparedness plan. Next, be sure we have your current contact info so we can keep you updated. That way in the event of high fire risk weather conditions, you’ll be both ready and well-informed.

For more information on emergency preparation and wildfire safety, visit sdge.com/wildfirekit.

© 2020 San Diego Gas & Electric Company. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Ma ny months into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear the disease doesn’t affect everyone equally.

In San Diego, Latinx residents are three times more likely than white residents to become infected with the disease, and they account for 61% of local hospitalizations, according to county figures.

San Diego State University researchers are working to curb these disparities and improve outcomes for underserved communities who may have barriers to accessing health care.

As a part of a $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), public health faculty will partner with community organizations to deploy rapid COVID-19 testing throughout the San Diego region. The effort, dubbed “Communities Fighting COVID!,” aims to test 42,000 people in 14 months.

“This has real potential to mitigate the pandemic here in San Diego and greatly reduce health disparities and poor outcomes,” said Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation Hala Madanat, one of the project’s leaders. “We are laying the groundwork for a successful coronavirus vaccine rollout, building thoughtful and sustainable ways to reach vulnerable people.”

The project comes shortly after a separate $3 million award from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency commissioning SDSU researchers to develop and deploy a rigorous contact tracing program targeting underserved communities.

At the center of both grants are community health workers, culturally sensitive individuals who connect people with resources and reduce barriers to health care. Dozens such workers are deployed as part of SDSU’s existing work with the county and will be leveraged and increased to bolster COVID-19 testing.

The team will use geospatial data on new infections and testing access, along with community input, to decide where to prioritize community-based testing locations. Pop-up testing sites in San Diego neighborhoods may include settings like church parking lots and food distribution sites. Public Health researchers Madanat, Susan Kiene, Eyal Oren and a team of seven co-investigators are leading the project, partnering with nine community organizations they’ve developed relationships with over years — and in some cases decades — of collaboration.

Investigators plan to continually improve testing implementation as the project progresses using a novel community-led rapid cycle

(Image by Elchinator from Pixabay)

research process, in which a team of community partners identifies, evaluates and refines testing and outreach strategies throughout the course of the project.

“Applying the lessons learned from other health crises — like the global HIV epidemic — to our approach with community-based rapid COVID testing can help guide our efforts to ensure access to COVID testing for those most affected, ultimately reducing disparities in disease and deaths,” said Kiene.

The coalition’s goal is to reach people of color and immigrant communities who have challenges accessing existing COVID-19 testing, due to transportation, language barriers, work schedules or lack of perceived risk.

"I am excited to bring mobile COVID-19 testing to communities of color who are disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2,” said Suzanne Afflalo, a community co-investigator on the project and health equity advocate. “The mobile test sites will provide direct community engagement which will increase access to testing and eliminate some of the barriers for our most vulnerable, high risk and under-served populations.”

Researchers are focusing on individuals who are at high risk of exposure, such as essential workers, and those who have been exposed but may not have symptoms. They want to test individuals proactively, flagging asymptomatic spreaders as a way to prevent outbreaks.

Participants who test positive will be encouraged to refer recent contacts, as well as friends and family with high exposure risk, to the free testing program.

The community-based testing will use the Sofia® SARS Antigen FIA rapid point-of-care antigen tests from San Diego-based Quidel, which have demonstrated a high degree of agreement with laboratory testing and return results in just 15 minutes. Those with positive results will receive a second test, processed in a lab, to confirm diagnosis.

The grant is part of NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADx UP) Initiative, a national effort to better understand COVID-19 testing patterns among underserved and vulnerable populations; strengthen the data on disparities in infection rates, disease SEE COVID TESTING, Page 14

NEWS

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CA Hapennings CONTINUED FROM Page 1

To this end, you have noticed that our e-mailings have announced non-CACC events such as COVID-19 testing. You will see more of that going forward. I encourage organizations to send information to me and I will make every effort to publicize it to the broader community.

At this point in time, we hear the phrase “we’re in this together” or “together, we’ll get through this.” Even with the pandemic — or maybe because of the pandemic — we should all take this to heart.

There are many ways to get involved and help. Here are a few: Aztecs Rock Hunger: From Sept. 28-Oct. 18. This annual food-drive by the Associated Students at SDSU raises money and collects food donations for the hundreds of thousands of San Diegans, including many SDSU students who face food insecurity and homelessness.

Working with the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank, they provide food and funds for the greater community but also for the SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team, which assists students facing food or housing insecurity and financial crises and to the on-campus Associated Students Food Pantry where students are able to access nutritional, non-perishable food and fresh produce.

Their goal is this year is to collect 650,000 pounds of food.

Several local businesses such as Corbin’s Q and Woodstock’s Pizza are holding fundraisers to benefit the campaign. Go to the campaign’s website and get more details on how you can help: as.sdsu. edu/rockhunger.

Hardy Elementary (or any school in our community): Many schools are in the process of finalizing plans for a return to onsite instruction. Issues must be addressed — paramount of which is the safety of the kids and staff.

As is perennially true, resources from the district and government in general are stretched so thin that it falls on support organizations like the PTA and, in Hardy’s case, also the Dads Club to provide many of the supplies and needs that many of us took for granted when we were in school.

I’m talking, basic classroom supplies, field trips or supplemental enrichment programs like art, music, etc. These are funded by fundraisers put on by the support organizations I just mentioned.

This year, the primary need is for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supplies like face masks hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, etc.

The biggest fundraisers for the PTA, like the Fall Carnival and Jogathon are not do-able this year.

But family dinner nights at local restaurants are. These events are held at local restaurants and the PTA receives a percentage of sales — mainly takeout this year.

It is too late to promote this month’s fundraiser at Pesto

Italian Craft Kitchen, but they will be held once a month and I hope to promote them. They help the school and the local business.

The Das Club is holding its biggest fundraiser, the annual Christmas Tree Sale ,in early November. It’s an opportunity to get your tree and support a great cause or if you don’t need or want a tree, you can buy one for a military family. More details

to come. If you want to directly contribute or donate some of the needed products, call Hardy at 619-860-5700.

College A rea Triangle Community Cleanup: Our newest community group (the area bounded by Montezuma Road and El Cajon Boulevard, east of College Avenue — hence the triangle in the name) is holding a community cleanup on Sunday, Oct. 11 from

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group 1:30-3 p.m. Meet at the corner of 64th Street and Mesita Drive.

Even if you don’t live in that particular area, why not come out and join your neighbors? Then schedule one in your community and invite the surrounding communities. We’re all neighbors. My wife and I plan to help. You get my point.

There are many things we can help with or get involved in in our

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community. intend to get the word out to as many people as possible.

I encourage Tubman school and St. Katherine Drexel Academy, the Language Academy, and any other organization or group to get the info to me so I can get the word out on your events. We are neighbors helping neighbors.

—Jose Reynoso is president of the College Area Community Council.

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COVID testing

NEWS sdnews.com Crisis House searching for new location

progression and outcomes; and develop strategies to reduce the disparities in COVID-19 testing.

SDSU is one of 32 institutions to receive an NIH award through the RADx-UP initiative to support projects designed to rapidly implement COVID-19 testing strategies in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

“It is critical that all Americans have access to rapid, accurate diagnostics for COVID-19, especially underserved and vulnerable populations who are bearing the brunt of this disease,” said NIH Director Francis Collins. “The RADx-UP initiative will help us better understand and alleviate the barriers to testing for those most vulnerable and reduce the burden of this disease on all Americans.”

For the last 26 years, Crisis House has served the San Diego community from within a building provided by the City of El Cajon. Now Crisis House is being forced to end its lease with the city and move out by Dec. 31, 2020. In response, the city is providing financial support of $700,000 toward the purchase of a newly identified building.

The Dav id C. Copley Foundation has pledged a challenge grant whereby the Foundation will match “one dollar for every one dollar” raised up to $250,000 toward the purchase and related relocation expenses.

A new space, to ensure access to crucial resources in a

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

CONTINUED FROM Page 12

confidential setting, plays a critical role in planning for a future of positive impact over the next 50 years. A new building will allow Crisis House to continue to provide urgent and direct emergency, transitional and permanent housing with wrap-around services for 145 families, including 312 children, fleeing domestic violence in its four Journey Programs annually.

Crisis House’s Camp HOPE programming, for the children abused by domestic violence, will provide trauma-informed camperships and year-round mentorships for 125 children and families. Thirty-five families and individuals will end

(Courtesy crisishouse.org)

their homelessness through our East County Housing Connections project and the mobile outreach team will offer life-saving services to 570 people experiencing homelessness who cannot yet make the transition to housing.

Throughout the next 3-plus days, Crisis House is seeking donors willing to help meet Copley

Foundation’s “dollar for dollar” match up to $250,000 to purchase its new site and preserve the long legacy and meaningful service to families in crisis in our community.

For information, please call Mary Case, Executive Director at 619-609-1747 or visit crisishouse.org/ newpropertycampaign.

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EDUCATION Online clubs keep students engaged at Henry Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Patrick Henry High School News

By MICHELLE IRWIN We have been in school for almost six weeks. What extraordinary times for education. Our teachers have planned rigorous lessons and activities to keep our teenagers engaged and active in their learning. While online learning is a learning curve for everyone, our students are keeping up with their academics and staying engaged in school with online clubs and after school support.

At Patrick Henry, we have a variety of clubs to engage students with common interests. Some of our clubs are: • Black Student Union • Red Cross Club • Patriot Younglife Club • Journalism Club • MEChA • Baking Club • Greenpeace Club • Mock Trail Club • Philanthropy Club • Spanish Club • Roller Skate Club • Rubik’s Cube Club • Photography Club • Anime Club

This is just a handful of clubs that we offer.

Along with clubs, we also offer Academic Labs (tutoring sessions) for students Tuesdays-Fridays from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Any student can access these Academic Labs to get support from our teachers and students from our Link Crew. Check out the PHHS website for more information.

Patrick Henry High School merchandise available online will raise money for students.

(Courtesy Sideline.com)

REOPENING PLAN

Recently, Superintendent Marten shared Phase 1 reopening plan for schools. Principals were provided a comprehensive process for reopening schools during the Sept. 29 meeting that includes health and safety guidelines, transportation guidelines, multi-step process for identifying students, and learning options available for students. Eligible students will receive additional support beyond online learning to support their needs if they are in grades TK to grade 5. Our elementary school principals will be notifying eligible families within the next few weeks.

It is our hope that additional Phases will be rolled out within the next few months in order to return to in-person learning. As soon as more information becomes available, we will notify our community.

Please remember to visit the Patrick Henry website for up to date information about our school and district at – patrickhenryhs.net.

On behalf of the Patrick Henry High School faculty, we want to thank you for being our partner in education so we can ensure all students graduate with integrity, purpose, and options.

IMPORTANT FUNDING

At Patrick Henry, we receive over $200,000 of federal funding when parents turn in Free/ Reduced lunch applications. I encourage families to submit your application online whether or not you believe you will qualify.

This federal funding supports our library, provides tutoring for all students, mental health counseling and more. We will lose this funding if not enough people

apply and qualify. Please go to this website and apply today: myschoolapps.com/Application.

If students qualify for Free/ Reduced lunch, they will receive food on-site and at our many “Meals to Go” locations and they will receive free AP exams (worth $95 per exam). Please apply today.

SHOW YOUR PATRIOT PRIDE

If you are in need of some sweet Patriot gear, the Sideline online store is now open and Patriots can order gear for 25% off if you use code “GRANDOPENING20”

by Oct. 30. Ten percent of all gear sold goes back to the students — we will divide up amongst the graduating classes as an all year fundraiser.

What’s super cool is that logos are interchangeable, can be swapped out, some colors can be changed, your name can be

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added to backs of items.

There’s clothing as well as accessories. Visit bit. ly/3cW9zen.

Patrick Henry High School 2021 Yearbook is on sale now. Go to yearbookordercenter.com and use code “8053” to order your yearbook today. Also, follow this Link to the eShare (for parents to share photos): bit.ly/3jp7LwR.

FEDERAL SURVEY CARDS Sometime in the next few weeks all parents/guardians will receive this year’s Federal Impact Aid Survey in your U.S. Mail. All schools need you to fill out the survey completely and accurately, and return it in the postage paid envelope — via U.S. Mail — directly to our district Impact Aid Office by Oct. 28 at the latest.

Why is this survey so important? It enables our district to receive significant income from the Federal Government, which can be used for any general fund purpose, such as instructional materials, salaries for our staff, school transportation, technology, capital needs, etc. We depend on your support in filling out the survey, so we can obtain this money each year.

—Michelle Irwin is principal of Patrick Henry High School.

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 EDUCATION / SPORTS San Diego Community Newspaper Group Crusaders Soccer rec division teams hit field

By JAY WILSON

Rendering of the new 700 Building at Crawford High School (Courtesy photo)

Construction underway on new building at Crawford Construction crews are in full swing at Crawford High School.

The school’s old 700 Building has been demolished and work is underway to build it’s replacement which will house a new auditorium, administrative offices and classrooms.

“It’s exciting because as you know our school was built 63 years and now we’re on to our next phase,” said Crawford principal Froylan Villanueva.

The new building is part of a massive three-part overhaul of the aging Crawford. Part one of the project has been completed — an update to the schools

athletic fields and facilities. The new auditorium and administrative offices building is part of the second part, which will also include modernizing all classrooms at Crawford. Phase two is expected to be completed by May 2023.

The third part is the construction of a Careet Technical Education building to teach automotive repair. That project was started in summer 2019.

“We’re really excite because [the school update is] really impacting our community and Crawford is the center of our community,” Villanueva said.

San Diego Unified removes Trump letter from food baskets San Diego Unified is removing a letter from President Donald Trump inserted into food baskets because it significantly diminishes the scientifically-backed importance of wearing a mask to protect against the transmission of COVID-19.

The letter from President Donald Trump (politi.co/2GtAtia) was placed into boxes of free groceries to be distributed to some 50 million families nationwide by school districts under the USDA Farmers to Family program. The state’s second-largest district is taking the unprecedented step of removing the letter in order to protect local families from being misled on how to best safeguard themselves from possibly becoming infected.

“Science is clear: wearing a mask works to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” Superintendent Cindy Marten said. “Masks are required in California and on every San Diego Unified school campus. It is not optional, as the President wrote in his letter.”

Trump’s letter recommends that Americans practice social distancing “and consider wearing a face-covering in public.” Medical experts call masks essential to fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Many states, including California, counties, and cities mandate masks and social distancing.

Marten has directed the San Diego Unified Food and Nutrition

Services Department to remove all letters that have not already been distributed. She said the removal will occur as part of the existing delivery process, which requires every box to be opened before distribution. (San Diego Unified receives the boxes sealed with the letter, and opens the boxes to refrigerate the milk, yogurt and eggs to keep them cool until the time of service.)

Trustee Dr. Sharon WhitehurstPayne said she was appalled that the Trump Administration was failing to follow state health mandates when communicating to the most disadvantaged students. She noted these same communities are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 crisis and are suffering disproportionately.

According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic Black people and Hispanic or Latino people were both about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people.

“The COVID-19 virus has disproportionately impacted communities of color,” Dr. WhitehurstPayne said. “Not only are we facing higher rates of infection and mortality from the coronavirus, but we have also been the hardest hit in terms of unemployment and hunger. To take advantage of that suffering by distributing SEE TRUMP LETTER, Page 22

The 54 Crusaders Soccer Club’s recreational division teams are now practicing every weekday on the large grass field at Gage Elementary School and as of Oct. 10, participating in team activities every Saturday.

When you drive by the grass field during the week, you will see several hundred colored cones designating the space for each player to ensure social distancing is maintained. This is in addition to the 300 competitive

division soccer players practicing on the two fields at Pershing Middle School.

It is very gratifying to all of us to see the happy expressions on the faces of our nearly 600 recreational division players and listen to their comments about playing soccer and seeing their friends whom they have not seen in six months. The parents are pleased as well. They continually comment on how great it is that their child is outside, seeing friends, socializing with children their own age, and getting some much-needed

17

exercise on a regular basis. Our recreational division is for children born between 2006 and 2016.

Our recreational division is successful because of our volunteer coaches and division coordinators. They have adapted very well to soccer, COVID-19 style.

Everything a coach asks of their players requires the players to maintain a COVID-19 social distancing of six feet.

COVID-19 protocols require we take the temperature of each player. All guests are required to wear a mask and have their temperature taken.

For more information, visit crusaderssoccer.org.

—Jay Wilson writes on behalf of Crusaders Soccer Club.

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Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 FOOD & DRINK / A&E San Diego Community Newspaper Group 19 sdnews.com ‘Dine Diego’ month Celebrate macabre literature replaces Restaurant Week online at San Diego PoeFest Dine Diego hits the San Diego scene this fall for a blowout month of dining deliciousness. The onetime-only Dine Diego event will run Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 and will feature a diverse line-up of top San Diego eateries showcasing their safe dining offerings for alfresco, to go and in-house promotions.

Dine Diego takes the place of San Diego Restaurant Week for 2020 in an effort to support the unique and timely needs of the San Diego restaurant industry that is facing dynamic and ongoing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the month-long Dine Diego, diners can expect over 300 participating restaurants to choose from that span across the county from the South Bay to East County and to the borders of Oceanside and Fallbrook to the north.

Dine Diego invites restaurant goers to take advantage of the region’s sunny weather and local restaurants’ new expanded patios and curbside tables made available under emergency orders due to the pandemic. For diners looking for takeout, the SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com website has a searcheable database of takeout options.

More than just a meal, Dine Diego invites participants to play.

SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com hosts an interactive bingo-style game board with dining options and the opportunity to win a San Diego staycation package.

Participants are invited to snap and post a photo eating out or picking up food to go and complete five in a row, submit to a “game board” to be entered to win.

Posting a photos on Instagram, following @SDRestaurantWk and the restaurants posted about, using the hashtag #52WeeksOfDineDiego in posts will increase the odds of of winningj52 gift certificates to San Diego restaurants.

Game Board and Year of Dining winners will be announced on Oct. 15 to close out the month of Dine Diego and diners are encouraged to enter multiple times to increase their chances.

Tickets are not necessary for Dine Diego dining, but reservations are recommended. Visit SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com for more information.

Restaurants interested in participating should contact sdrw@calrest.org. All restaurant participation and membership fees have been waived and restaurants have the flexibility to highlight their current inhouse promotions, specials and offers.

The third annual San Diego PoeFest, will be held this year online, streaming Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. PoeFest is produced

by Write Out Loud in partnership with Save Our Heritage Organisation.

“PoeFest has quickly become a San Diego favorite Halloween adventure. Everybody loves the wonderfully chilling stories of Poe. And there are so many authors to explore that have followed in his footsteps,” said PoeFest artistic director Veronica Murphy. “Virtual is our only option for storytelling now, so we are embracing the challenge of capturing a phantasmic theatrical experience on video. We’ve recreated the atmosphere, filming by candlelight in the Historic Adobe Chapel in Old Town.”

Poe’s poetry, as well as other literature inspired by him, will be performed by local actors Brittney Caldwell, Manny Fernandes, Linda Libby, Brian Mackey, Paul Maley, Sandra Ruiz, Rachael VanWormer, and featuring Travis Rhett Wilson as Edgar Allan Poe. The actors will present six episodes of fully-staged, theatrical performances of short stories of the macabre, including “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The

Yellow Wallpaper” and “La Llorona” and more.

Audience members can choose to see just one video program (or more) – or become a VIP and have access to all six videos, plus an exclusive livestream event for opening night. Access to video performances is restricted to the dates of Travis Rhett Wilson as Edgar Allan Poe the festival, but viewers (Courtesy Write Out Load) can choose the dates and times to watch – they can binge "Why The Little Frenchman watch all on Halloween or see a Wears His Hand in a Sling" by performance every day for a week E.A. Poe "Fairy-Land" by E.A. Poe to keep all the days spooky.

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News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 7

Nearby October flu clinic locations: • Oct. 10, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Grossmont Healthcare District, 9001 Wakarusa Street, La Mesa, CA 91942 • Oct. 11, 7:30–11:30 a.m., Northgate Market, 5403 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105 • Oct. 19, 11a.m.–2 p.m., Grossmont College, 8800 Grossmont College Drive El Cajon, CA 92020 • Oct. 24, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Volunteers in Medicine, 1457 E. Madison, El Cajon, CA 92019 • Oct. 26, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Grossmont Health Occupations Center, 9368 Oakbourne Road, Santee, CA 92071 Flu clinics will run October 2020 to March 2021.

Additional dates and locations can be found at bit.ly/34ANv5q.

COUNTY EXPANDS OUTDOOR COVID TESTING The County announced on Sept.

29 it will be increasing the number of COVID-19 testing sites across the region to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The number of sites will increase from 29 to 41 and the number of tests available to be administered by public health nurses through the County’s lab contract with Helix will nearly double to about 30,000 weekly tests.

Testing by the County of school employees will take place at four regional locations the County identified through consultation with the San Diego County Office of Education. Testing of teachers and staff is recommended by the state for schools preparing to reopen for in-person instruction.

COVID-19 testing continues to be primarily being conducted at hospitals, with additional tests from commercial labs and community health centers.

Testing is available through your healthcare provider and health plans are required to cover the cost. Many County sites no longer require an appointment, but others do. To make an appointment, visit 211sandiego. org or call 2-1-1.

OUTDOOR PLAYGROUNDS REOPEN The state has released guidelines to allow for the reopening of outdoor playgrounds in parks, campgrounds and other publicly accessible locations.

The County local health order will be updated to reflect the new guidelines which go into effect locally Sept.

30. They include: • Use of face coverings for everyone 2 years and older; children must be accompanied by a caregiver.

• Physical distance must be maintained, and children must be from the same household.

• No eating or drinking in playground, to ensure face masks are worn.

• Wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground.

• Limit visit to 30 minutes per day when others are present.

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22

NEWS / EDUCATION

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Stuffed animal

STUFFED ANIMAL DRIVE DROP OFF LOCATIONS:

CONTINUED FROM Page 1

“She thanked him for letting him come home with her while she was healing. The doctor got on one knee and said, ‘No honey, this is for you. He gets to live with you from now on,’” he continued. “Well my daughter went to college; she’s moved three or four times; she’s 28 years old, and to this day that bear sits on her bed.

The impact that it made on that little girl is what I’m reaching out for all these young kids that are in the hospital.”

That hospital Quinata reaches out to the kids at is Rady’s Children’s Hospital and its partner organization the Ronald McDonald House, where he has been organizing a stuffed animal drive for five years now.

The stuffed animal drive began as a class project for middle school students Quinata was teaching

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, El Cajon: 9-11 a.m., 1270 South Orange Ave. • St Andrews Lutheran Church, San Carlos, 9-11 a.m., 8359 Lake Murray • Our Mother of Confidence Catholic Church, University City, 9-11 a.m., 3131 Governor Drive Young volunteers prep donated animals.

through Our Father’s Grace Ministries. The 16 students collected 150 animals the first year.

The project could have stayed a successful program for Quinata’s students, but after discussing it with Inter-religious Council of San Diego president Lisa Patton, it was re-imagined as something bigger. Patton reached out to LDS Church East State president Clark Hendrickson to get involved and the stuffed animal project had a team in place.

(l to r) Pastor John Quinata, Inter-religious Council president Lisa Patton and LDS Church East State president Clark Hendrickson (Courtesy John Quinata)

Stuffed animals are tagged with cards.

“Between us three, this thing has just exploded — having those two people involved,” Quinata said.

“Each year it has grown, and last year we donated 998 animals.”

Since the involvement of the Inter-religious Council, participation has grown to include many churches from around the region, including the Bahai center, many LDS churches, St. Andrews Lutheran, Santee Christian, St. Martin de Tours, Our Mother of Confidence and more. Although some churches who participated last year are not involved this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the stuffed animal drive is still expecting to break its collection record thanks to the participation of more LDS churches from the county, Quinata said.

Stuffed animal collected for the drive are stored and given throughout the year to patients at Rady’s and their siblings who stay at the Ronald McDonald House.

Families at the house are from all over the world and are separated from friends and belongings left at

home while their son or daughter or brother of sister is getting treatment. The animals come with a card from Our Father’s Grace Ministries and the Interreligious Council that “let’s the families know that people are praying for them,” Quinata said. “I thought this was a little gesture to remind the kids that we care out here and we’re pulling for your family to get everybody well and go home and continue life the way it’s supposed to be.”

Donated stuffed animals must be new and only 10-to-12 inches tall, but “no noise makers like monkeys banging cymbals,” Quinata said.

Animals will be collected on Oct. 24 at drive-through drop off locations — mostly participating churches and supporting businesses — during specific hours. The animals will then be brought to a central location where they will be boxed for storage. Because of the pandemic, many extra safety precautions are being taken for this year’s event — including forgoing

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• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Allied Gardens, 9-11 a.m., 6767 51st St. • Ideal Plumbing Heating Air Electrical, Allied Gardens, 9-11 a.m., 5161 Waring Road • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Chula Vista, 10 a.m.-noon, 1590 East H St. • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clairemont, 9-11 a.m., 4741 Mt. Abernathy Ave. • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Del Mar, 9-10 a.m., 12701 Torrey Bluff Drive • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, La Costa 9-10 a.m., 3450 Camino de los Coches • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Imperial Beach, 10 a.m.-noon, 1515 Elder Ave. • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bonita, 10 a.m.-noon, 3737 Valley Vista Way • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mission Valley, 10-11 a.m., 4195 Camino del Rio South

the usual party at the Bahai Center for all the participants.

“We’re going to make sure this is done very cleanly and safely as we can,” Quinata said. “I’m hoping next year we can just get back to throwing a big party and have everyone join us.”

For more information about the stuffed animal drive, visit bit. ly/3cZ9Ey6.

—Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at jeff@sdnews.com.

Trump letter CONTINUED FROM Page 17

misleading medical information is appalling. This is equivalent to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in terms of the level of contempt demonstrated towards our community.”

Beyond understating the health benefits and ignoring the state mandate of wearing a mask, the Trump letter mistakenly repeats the president’s claims that only the very old and very sick need to be protected from the coronavirus. President Trump has repeated the line that children are “basically immune” to COVID-19, despite evidence to the contrary.

“More than 60,000 school-age children in the State of California have been infected with the coronavirus, and no one knows what the long-term health effects of that will be,” Dr. WhitehurstPayne said. “To imply that only people over 80 need to be protected from the virus is extremely irresponsible.”

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 REAL ESTATE / NEWS / GARDEN San Diego Community Newspaper Group 23 sdnews.com The fall real estate market remains strong It’s fall at the Garden

By SARAH WARD

San Diego is experiencing an exploding housing market in terms of both sales and prices.

There are three variables explaining this surge.

One factor is that people are looking for properties with both more interior and external space.

Many people living in apartments and condos didn’t necessarily spend a lot of time in their homes.

With San Diego being an outdoor society, people spent quite a bit of time outdoors at the beach, hiking, etc. In addition, people would spend 40 or so hours at their workplace. But the working-fromhome phenomenon is causing people to spend much more time at home which is acting as a catalyst for people to find a property with both additional interior and external space.

A second factor causing a dramatic increase in demand for housing right now is that the spring and early summer buying season was reduced causing demand to be slightly delayed.

Buyers were a little bit hesitant to look at properties in April, May, and June until they knew more about the current environment.

Now that the dust has settled and people have spent an abundance

Corbin

CONTINUED FROM Page 11

way to for the organization to do the ‘COVID -19 Pivot.’”

Pivoting to online marketing with the new video series was easy because O’Reilly had a known reputation for visiting neighboring businesses to meet the owners.

“Someone mentioned that it would be interesting to watch Corbin’s visits and another person mentioned we could video him visiting businesses. Voila! Corbin on the Street was conceptualized,” Schnieder said. “From there, the CABD staff began to work their magic of planning, coordinating and executing the effort.”

O’Reilly said the effort to market local businesses helps by getting good content out into the mdiea landscape, whether it is a restaurant’s food or the inside of a retail

of time sitting at home, buyers are emerging from their apartments all saying the same thing: “We need to buy a home ASAP!” One of my buyers is a young military gentleman. A nice home went on the market last Saturday.

We raced to see it and prepared an excellent offer that same day. By Sunday the agent had 13 offers.

The market for homes with a yard in the $400,000 to $900,000 range is currently off-the charts.

Inventory is at all-time lows.

A third variable is that interest rates are artificially low, causing monthly payments to be reduced.

Buyers can afford more than they thought and are pushing for the best house they can afford.

So what is ahead for 2021? I read lots of real estate newsletters and blogs. And the forecast for 2021 is a prime topic of discussion.

First off, if additional stimulus finally gets passed, that would be a positive for the housing market. If an effective vaccine gets approved, I believe that would be the greatest single positive for the housing market. Expect home price increases to follow. If for some reason, this virus issue does not get resolved and gets worse, that could hinder the overall economy and cause a tough 2021.

Rent and mortgage delinquencies

could again increase, and bankruptcies would grow.

I, like all of you, pray we are closer to the end of this pandemic than the beginning. Overall, in my opinion, I believe that 2021 is going to have strong economic growth and solid home price appreciation. I am actively trying to get my handful of buyers into homes quickly.

Market update (single family homes): In the 92115 zip-code, the median home price jumped to $649,000 with very little inventory of only 25 homes for sale. In the 92119, inventory of homes is even lower with only 16 homes for sale, less than one month’s supply and the median home price increased to an all-time high of $718,000!

And finally in 92120, the median home price rose to a jaw dropping $812,500 with only 11 homes actively for sale.

Inventory is minimal across all zip-codes as well as listing and closed sales declined because there are so few homes for sale.

Basic economics will tell you that’s a recipe for substantial home appreciation in the near-term.

shop, the videos are designed to tell the story of the business and are directed to all of San Diego as an audience.

Making the videos is fun and easy, he said, business owners are “not normal people” and have to do a lot “to make the magic happen” and that is true across a variety of industries.

“It’s so great to get out there, hit the streets and have fun filming, but even more importantly, showcase these businesses and showcase these business owners,” O’Reilly said. “There are a lot of hidden gems that are right here.”

In addition to O’Reilly’s affinity for supporting local businesses, it was also his personality that made him a perfect fit to host the video series.

“Corbin is well loved by the businesses and the community. His good natured demeanor makes him a College Area

favorite,” Schneider said. “He has the ability to effortlessly create a spontaneous turn of a phrase. The first time I met him at his shop, as I was leaving, he shouted across the room, ‘Call me if you need bail money!’ How could you not like this guy?”

“I’m a real rascal,” O’Reilly said.

CABD has planned to produce 12 “Corbin on the Street” episodes, with one dropping every two weeks on Fridays at noon.

Each episode will highlight a different business. To see all episodes after their initial air date, subscribe to the College Area Business District’s YouTube channel or see them on Instagram (IGTV) @collegeareasd.

“Now more than ever, support those local businesses you might just drive by,” O’Reilly concluded.

—Sarah Ward is a Realtor with Fine & Coastal Real Estate. Reach her at sarahwardo21@gmail.com, or by calling 858-431-6043.

—Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at jeff@sdnews.com.

WHAT’S GROWING ON?

By ROBIN CLARKE

my soil for spring and anticipate new planting in 2021. I cannot wait.

At CACG, all is in place to keep our gardeners, our gardens, and our pollinating birds, bees and butterflies engaged. We have everything we need: growing, harvesting and maintenance supplies and materials, ingredients for new soil preparation, all the appropriate safety and security measures in place for us to safely plant, harvest, grow and share. It truly is a haven for creativity, community and life in these weird times.

And just like that, it’s fall. Wow. As a vegetable gardener, I am usually raring to go in spring, pruning and tweaking in summer, and harvesting in the fall.

This year I go to a late start. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even remember spring — and I can’t recall any of February.

The pandemic and quarantine have made an interesting collage (or should I say collision) of the months and seasons for most of us. I must stop to remember what day it is sometimes, let alone the week of the month, or the month itself. And now it is October. Funny thing is, I could always feel the arrival of autumn, even in “seasonless” southern California. The slant of the Fall berries (Courtesy CACG) light changed, the winds carrying foreboding of the fire Some of the wonderful specific season. The air was cooler, a bit amenities offered by the CACG softer, less punctuated with bird- include: sage advice from team song. This year it seems to all leaders as well as additional have become just “2020” replete assistance as needed at collegewith completely new protocols areagarden.org, the garden’s updated website. In addition, for just living our lives.

But, in the garden, you know there is onsite availability of just what season it is. Even now. As a about anything gardeners need gardener with the College Area like hand tools, wheelbarrows, Community Garden (CACG) for organic fertilizers, organic pest five years now, I have observed control materials, site produced the regular pattern of spring, rich compost, a water bottle filler summer, fall and winter; provid- for cool filtered water; hand and ing some rhythm, some comfort tool sanitation stations with inin the passing of time. Mother structions and, very importantNature does not pay attention ly, an atmosphere of calm and to the dimensions of living with loving care that makes this garCOVID-19. She produces lettuce, den an oasis in today’s uncertain peas and carrots in spring, to- times. All this for an exceptionmatoes, squash and peppers in ally low yearly lease fee. summer and reminds us to harMy suggestion for the end of vest in fall. It’s all there, going on 2020 is a simple measure to inwithout upheaval in the garden. still more hope and joy in your The butterflies and birds migrate life. Become a gardener at the through as usual, the plants re- CACG. Engage the other garspond, the soil changes from deners, exchange information, lush and damp to dry and a bit learn, experiment, and do an tired. There is predictability and amazing thing: grow food. solace in the garden.

So, I harvest my fabulous —Robin Clarke is a freelance eggplants and squashes, and writer and has been with the College look ahead for winter. Yes, even Area Community Garden for over winter will come. I take these five years where she volunteers and next couple of months to amend leases a veggie growing box.

REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Call 858.270.3103 to get your property featured today!

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24

Oct. 9 – Nov. 12, 2020 San Diego Community Newspaper Group

sdnews.com

Sarah Ward, Your Local REALTOR Single-Family Home Market Stats

Median Sale Price

300 W Beech St. #1810 San Diego, 92101 2 Bed | 2 Bath | $650,0000

Average Days on Market

Sale-to-List Price Ratio

4802 Barbarossa Dr. San Diego, 92115 4 Bed | 3 Bath | $880,0000

Months Supply of Inventory

2020 YTD vs. 2019

Up 5.3% to $642,000

Down 34.6%

Up 1.5%

Down 50%

Analysis Median sale price is now at $642,000, up 5.3% from $609,500 in 2019. When you price correctly from day one, you can maximize offers and ultimately sell for the highest possible price as quickly as possible.

Median days on market are exceptionally low, at 17 days for the year. Current high demand and low supply play a major role, especially when compared to 2019’s statistic at 26. Strategic pricing and marketing ensure your home sells for top dollar in few days on market.

Correctly priced, strategically marketed homes sell at or above list price, and sellers focused on ROI often seek my advice on how to invest in strategic updates before listing their home for sale.

This year’s ratio at an impressive 99.4%.

With extremely high demand and few properties listed on the market, it’s that much more important to correctly price and position your home from the beginning so you can get top dollar as “best in class” rather than languishing on the market.

Ready to find your dream home, but not sure how to maximize the equity in your College Area home?

With this much money on the line, and so many tedious details to keep track of, you’re right to want to approach this carefully.

Understanding your local market is an important part of a successful move.

You deserve to get a strong return on investment and with the right information and preparation–you can!

My hands-on approach takes the stress and confusion out of selling your home because I sweat the small stuff–allowing you to stay focused on this move.

REALTOR | DRE#01943308 Sarah@fineandcoastal.com

From start to finish, I work with you to help prepare your home, attract buyers, and facilitate a successful sale. Thanks to my proven system and passion for real estate, I’ve built a reputation for routinely providing a seamless and successful experience for my clients.

858-431-6043 Call Sarah Today For Your Initial Consultation!

We support Equal Housing Opportunity and follow REALTOR® Code of Ethics. If your property is currently listed with another real estate broker, please disregard this document. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. Free home valuation report available to home owners at the discretion of broker and includes opinion of value based on comps and inspection. Broker DRE#: 01243316.

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