La Mesa Courier, December 18th, 2020

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MISSION VALLEY | SORRENTO VALLEY 1299 CAMINO DEL RIO S. SAN DIEGO, CA 92108

10150 SORRENTO VALLEY RD. SAN DIEGO, CA 92121

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 12 Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

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INSIDE

Community inputs on hiring new police chief

THIS ISSUE B A&E Natural inspiration

By KENDRA SITTON | La Mesa Courier

Rustin Holec’s oil and acrylic paintings reflect the beauty of Southern California.

Page 11

B NEWS Charitable Chamber

La Mesa residents weighed in on what they want in a new police chief ahead of a nationwide search. In a community meeting held over Zoom on Monday, Dec. 12, dozens of commenters were able to explain what they hope the new leader of the La Mesa Police Department will bring to the position in terms of leadership style and characteristics.

Giving in a time of need (l to r) Monie & Mo’s Food Pantry founders Monica Muldoon and Mo Gildersleeve (Photo by Jeff Clemetson)

Local nonprofit food pantry battles student hunger

By JEFF CLEMETSON | La Mesa Courier

Chamber of Commerce holiday drives stuff the trunk for seniors, military families. Page 17

Monica Muldoon has always set out to help people. She has been teaching special education classes at Highlands Elementary School

in Spring Valley for over 20 years, and in that capacity she has also become a champion in the fight against food insecurity.

“I started by just giving snacks out, that kind of thing,” she said.

At first, when a student showed signs of hunger, she would bring food from her own pantry to help.

Over time, as the need grew, she SEE MONNIE & MO’S, Page 14

Pickleball players cry foul over Collier Park improvement plan

B EDUCATION Scottie Claus

By KENDRA SITTON | La Mesa Courier

‘Ol Saint Nick makes an appearance at Helix Charter High School before break.

Page 19

B ALSO INSIDE

Opinion Politics Health Books Food & Drink Business Directory Classifieds Puzzles

6 7 9 11 20 22 23 23

B CONTACT US Editorial (858) 270-3103 x130 jeff@sdnews.com Advertising (951) 296-7794 hfine@sdnews.com www.sdnews.com San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Since lines for pickleball were first added to the Collier Park tennis court in 2013, Collier Park has consistently brought in players from across the region to play the game — a racquet sport that is quickly gaining nationwide popularity. A longstanding plan to improve Collier Park will bring new permanent courts to the city’s oldest public park, but not all pickleball players are on board with the plan.

Consultant Teri Black was hired by the City of La Mesa to recruit a new chief of police. (tbcrecruiting.com)

Teri Black of Teri Black & Company, LLC opened the meeting by explaining how her recruiting firm had been hired

by La Mesa to find its next chief of police. Teri Black & Co. Is a “very specialized” firm that is exclusively hired by Californiabased government entities like cities and counties to recruit executives such as city attorneys, police chiefs, fire chiefs and financial services directors. The firm has been open for 16 years, although Black has been in the business for longer.

A crowded Collier Park pickleball court on a Thursday night

SEE PICKLEBALL, Page 4

(Photo by Jeff Clemetson)

SEE POLICE CHIEF, Page 3

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

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NEWS

sdnews.com

Police chief CONTINUED FROM Page 1

Amid a slew of technical difficulties, Black apologized for the learning curve that conducting online town halls has created.

“We're all getting used to this at the same time. I would so much rather be seeing you all in person – staff and especially the community. We love getting to know each one of the communities we represent and regrettably we're having to do it this way but at least we have this virtual environment interact and so we're grateful for that,” Black said.

Black explained that she did not yet know the process the firm will use to find the new chief of police since Chief Walt Vasquez retired on Aug. 27. Black said after developing parameters for what they are looking for in candidates based on a survey and speaking to stakeholders, she will work with city staff to decide what process they will use to recruit, interview and decide on a new chief of police. Many community members wanted to know more about the process but Black assured them she did not yet know herself. She did say they typically have job postings on their website as well as in trade magazines.

“Over the last two or three years my firm has handled a number of police executive and senior management recruitments in Southern California. We did the Pasadena, Ventura, and Tustin chief recruitments, a number of other police chief recruitments in the Bay Area... Each one of those

communities and police departments is very, very different from each other and part of the interesting aspect of our job is we get to come in and learn about every community and every department that we represent. So that's what they're we're in the process of doing,” Black said.

Initially, the dozens of callers had one minute to explain what they wanted in a new chief. While there was a range of answers, the vast majority pointed to wanting a leader who will stand against racism and help heal a fractured community. They pointed to violent incidents involving Black community members such as an officer body slamming a teenage girl, arresting Amaurie Johnson and injuring Leslie Furcron as something that must stop. Many also called for a leader who can change the culture of the department, increase community policing, stand up to the police union, add new training, work with the community review board amicably and be anti-racist. In addition, a major emphasis was that the police chief would make the department more transparent.

After everyone had a chance to speak, there was still plenty of time left in the two-hour meeting. Many came back to speak for a second, third and even fourth time. Many of the speakers have been flooding La Mesa community events such as these since May to call for reforms. This meeting was smaller than many other town halls and was largely filled with dedicated and familiar voices.

There were disagreements over whether it would be best to find

SHARP HEALTHCARE COLLECTS 1,290 PINTS OF After several months of com- BLOOD

plying with necessary legal protocols and procedures, including an external investigation by independent investigators, on Aug. 7, 2020, now retired Police Chief Walt Vasquez terminated the employment of Police Officer Matthew Dages.

The termination stemmed from his actions in connection with a May 27, 2020 police contact with Mr. Amaurie Johnson at the Grossmont Trolley Station. On Aug. 14, 2020, Dages appealed the termination to the Personnel Appeals Board of the City of La Mesa.

The appeal hearing, which was closed to the public on the request of Dages pursuant to Government Code Section 54957, concluded on Dec. 9. The Board upheld the decision of the Police Chief to terminate the employment of Dages. The Board’s decision is final and no further appeal is available through the city (including an appeal to the City Council). The disciplinary records will be released publicly following review of the records for any legally required redactions.

Sharp HealthCare has collected 1,290 pints of blood at its facilities across the county from employees, their families and friends, as a part of their Sharp Lends a Hand community outreach program. As San Diego’s leading health care provider, Sharp hospitals use approximately 24,000 units of blood products each year to care for their patients. The San Diego Blood Bank is the primary provider of blood products to Sharp hospitals across San Diego.

Last year, Sharp HealthCare announced its goal to collect 1,700 pints of blood in 2020. Sharp employees, their families and friends were encouraged to donate blood at mobile drives at Sharp locations or at any San Diego Blood Bank donor center or mobile drive.

While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of 22 planned blood drives, Sharp was able to host 47 blood drives at various Sharp locations throughout San Diego. The result – though less than the pre-pandemic goal – was enough to name Sharp as San Diego’s largest single donor of blood products to the San Diego Blood Bank in 2020.

La Mesa Courier

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Coming Soon in Fletcher Hills!

Former Police Chief Walt Vasquez retired in August. (Courtesy photo)

someone in a lower rank who perhaps had experience outside of policing to lead because they would be less indoctrinated with the culture. Others felt having someone experienced would be helpful in earning them respect and they would not need to learn on the job.

While many emphasized different virtues or experience levels they wanted in an executive, there was a large consensus that the new chief needed to tackle racial divisions head on.

Black did mention that the protests and riots this year have made it difficult to find people willing to take a public leadership role in many police departments. Still, she said her team is dedicated to finding someone who is a good fit for the community’s needs. While the process is still unknown, she expects to start looking for candidates in late December and early January.

—Reach contributing editor Kendra Sitton at kendra@sdnews.com.

NEWS BRIEFS APPEALS BOARD UPHOLDS OFFICER TERMINATION

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

“It has been a tough year for blood centers across the country, so Sharp HealthCare’s contributions were absolutely essential in keeping the blood supply safe for our community,” said David Wellis, CEO, San Diego Blood Bank. “The need for blood continues as we head into the holiday season, so we hope others will donate and follow Sharp HealthCare’s lead.”

“We are so proud of the people of Sharp for being on the frontlines to care for San Diegans during this pandemic, while also supporting the community through providing life-saving blood donations,” said Chris Howard, President and CEO of Sharp HealthCare. “We are grateful for our continued partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank and honored to be their top supporter this year.”

Sharp HealthCare’s goal for 2021 will be 1,500 units of blood.

To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health. To make an appointment, please visit sandiegobloodbank.org/donate or call 619-400-8251.

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 6

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NEWS

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

Pickleball CONTINUED FROM Page 1

“It’s a waste of monies — taxpayers monies and grant monies and fundraising monies and any other monies that they've got towards the project,” said pickleball player Mike Wolpert.

Pickleball combines aspects of badminton, tennis and ping-pong and is played with a unique net on a badminton-size court, according to USA Pickleball.

“The courts at Collier Park were one of the first in East County to be installed, and as such, has continually attracted a consistent group of players to the small park who live both inside and outside the City of La Mesa,” La Mesa’s Director of Communities Sue Richardson said in an email.

Replacing Collier’s current courts, which were striped for pickleball when the courts were resurfaced in 2013, is part of the next phase of an overall update coming to the historic park founded in 1945. The first phase of improvements came in 2017 – the first time the park had seen major renovations since the 1990s.

In this phase, $2.4 million will be spent to replace the courts, restrooms and playground as well as change the topography to improve park drainage, visibility, and create ADA accessible ramps throughout the park. The plan will also install security cameras, lighting, pathways/sideways, plazas, parking, and picnic shelters

and add landscaping, including a mix of turf, low water vegetation, and storm water quality features, according to Richardson.

The changes are based on the Collier Park Renovation Master Plan, which was started in 2008 and adopted in 2013. It has received several revisions, some as late as 2018, Richardson said.

Wolpert disagrees with that.

“The Master Plan for Collier has not been revised since 2014.

Pickleball has been growing exponentially since 2012 nationally.

Community Services and the City Council have been aware of that fact,” Wolpert commented.

Construction is expected to begin next summer or fall after the plan goes out to bid.

Pickleball players are concerned about the one-year gap they will face while the park is closed for construction.

Wolpert took up the game after reading about the Collier Park courts in the La Mesa Courier.

He is a part of a group of mostly seniors, one as old as 93, who play on the current courts three mornings per week. Typically, 25 players gather. Other pickleball players gather at different times outside of the workday. Wolpert said there are currently more pickleball players gathering each week than tennis players.

Wolpert is particularly worried about plans to change the grade of the park four to six feet, including changing the location and height of the court so it is easier to see from the street.

“They feel it's safer for the police department to drive along Palm Avenue and be able to see down into the park. And if they say it's raised six feet, they can see better, but our question is ‘How long does it take for a police car to drive down into the park, look around and then turn around and go back?’ Our presence playing pickleball keeps the riffraff out of the park,” Wolpert said.

Compacting the ground to be hard enough to accommodate a court may be expensive.

“Our opinion is, not being selfish just for pickleball, we want the park to look nice and be user-friendly also, but we think they ought to do it wisely, without spending all this money with still dirt,” pickleball player Mike Wolpert said.

The funding for the improvements come from several sources, according to Richardson, including park development fees, Federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation donations (for the new playground), and CA Proposition 68 Land and Water Bond funds. The water bond funds were allocated to the project to raise the grading of the park, which experiences flooding in the winter, according to Richardson.

To address the one-year gap from construction, Richardson and the city’s parks staff plan to transform the four youth tennis courts at La Mesita Park into temporary pickleball courts.

The city’s available pickleball courts have not been able to meet the demand of players in this fast-growing recreational sport. (Photo by Jeff Clemetson)

The pickleball players concerned about the upcoming changes to Collier Park are concerned about this plan too, since the courts are shorter than normal pickleball courts and when the YMCA reopens, gym-goers will crowd the small parking lot.

Other pickleball players will also crowd the La Mesita courts, and already do even though they are not regulation size. Richardson said that when city parks staff went to look at the La Mesita courts in preparation of striping them, they found that a group of pickleball enthusiasts had already taped off the courts to play there.

Richardson also pointed out that the master plan for MacArthur Park, which is

currently in the development phase, will have multiple pickleball courts to accommodate the fast-growing sport. However, those courts are a long way off from being built because there are not enough funds yet to start construction.

The construction on Collier Park’s second phase of improvements is expected to go out to bid early next year. Once a firm is chosen, the timeline for the park’s closure will be more fully known.

To learn more about the park’s master plan, visit cityoflamesa. us/1073/Parks-Master-Plan.

—Reach contributing editor Kendra Sitton at kendra@sdnew.com.

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Our Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holidays and for a Happier New Year

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

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OPINION / NEWS

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

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1621 Grand Ave., Suite C San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 270-3103 LaMesaCourier.com Twitter: @LaMesaCourier EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Clemetson x130 jeff@sdnews.com

Connie Baer Lynn Baer Pat Boerner Robin Dohrn-Simpson Dianne Jacob Jennifer Osborn Bonnie Owen Ramona Price Sean Quintal Jyotu Sandhu Simona Valancuite Brent Wakefield Julie White

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Kendra Sitton x136 Tom Melville x131 Dave Schwab x132

WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA Jeff Clemetson

PRODUCTION MANAGER Chris Baker x107 chris@sdnews.com

ACCOUNTING Heather Humble x120 accounting@sdnews.com

ADVERTISING CONSULTANT Heather Fine x 118

BUSINESS CONSULTANT David Mannis

PUBLISHER Julie Main, x106 julie@sdnews.com

OPINIONS/LETTERS: La Mesa 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: La Mesa Courier is distributed free the fourth Friday of every month.

COPYRIGHT 2020. All rights reserved.

LA JOLLA

Guest Editorial

Letters

Safely give time, money to charities this holiday — even in a pandemic

SHOPPING NATIONAL BRANDS IS ALSO SHOPPING LOCAL

By BRENT WAKEFIELD

This holiday season, charitable giving and volunteering will look a lot different, thanks to COVID-19. The need for volunteers and donations is greater than ever as millions more people than usual struggle amid the pandemic’s economic disruption.

Unfortunately, many who usually volunteer around the holidays may be unsure about doing so this year, given the risk of contracting coronavirus and the fact that their usual volunteering traditions through school, houses of worship or other organizations might be disrupted. On top of that, scammers will emerge as they usually do this time of year to take advantage of well-meaning San Diegans.

So, what’s a giving person to do? Thankfully, you can still safely give your time and money to charities this holiday season, as long as you keep the following tips in mind when donating to a cause or nonprofit organization: Do your research! There are a variety of online resources that provide free access to comprehensive reports about nonprofit organizations. Start by looking at the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts (oag. ca.gov/charities), the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (give.org), Guidestar (guidestar.com) and Charity Navigator (charitynavigator. org).

Ask questions. Real charities are able to tell you how they use their donations, what portion of your contribution will go directly to their services, and provide you with a 990 tax form. If they cannot give you this information, don’t give them your money.

Donate food and other items — but only give what charities ask for. Many charities, including shelters and food banks, have lists on their website of the types of clothing items, food, household goods, and other things they need for the people they serve.

If you are looking for new ways to volunteer this holiday season, here are some ideas: Find out how an organization you’re interested in is taking COVID-19 precautions. Are they enforcing social distancing, mask-wearing and other precautions for in-person volunteers? The charity’s volunteer directors should be able to tell you

what safety measures are in place. Volunteer from home.

Many organizations need virtual volunteers to tutor children, give language lessons to adults and reach out to people in need, among many other tasks. This is a great way to give your time if you don’t feel comfortable leaving your home.

Check in on your neighbors. You don’t have to volunteer with a specific organization to give back to your community. Check in on your neighbors, especially if they’re elderly, disabled or immunocompromised. Offer to run errands for them or pick up their groceries, or even just lend a listening ear if you know they are lonely.

Volunteer as a delivery driver. If you want to take “checking on your neighbors” up a notch, volunteer with an organization like Meals on Wheels San Diego County as a delivery driver. Meals on Wheels provides more than just home-cooked, nutritious meals: volunteers provide services like light home repairs and pet food delivery — and they’re often the only person a client sees all day. This makes all the difference for seniors who are living alone and socially isolated.

This year, I hope that San Diegans with a giving spirit will consider giving time and money to help seniors in need, who need our help more than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic. Meals on Wheels San Diego County has seen an increase of nearly 50% in the number of older adults receiving home-delivered meals and other services since social distancing restrictions took effect.

We need volunteers to meet this demand and to provide a critical link to more assistance for isolated seniors cut off from their family, friends and support systems.

No matter how you choose to give your time and money this holiday season, know that you can make a difference as long as you’re smart about your donations and stay safe while you volunteer.

—Brent Wakefield is the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels San Diego County, a nonprofit organization that supports the independence and well-being of seniors in need by delivering them nutritious meals. To see how you can get involved with Meals on Wheels, visit mealson-wheels.org.

“Shop Local, Shop Small” has been a recurring theme this holiday shopping season. With all of the restrictions on business’ during this pandemic many are worried we will lose some of our favorite shops and restaurants before this pandemic is over.

Many are encouraging shoppers to “Shop Local, Shop Small.”

A perfect example of this would be Elam’s Hallmark in Grossmont Center. Many think because it has the name Hallmark that this is just a national chain, however, this store is actually locally owned and locally run. The name “Hallmark” on the door is just their main vendor!

Hallmark is a great brand, with one of the largest creative teams in the U.S. They produce great, quality products like fashion, jewelry, puzzles, wine glasses, slippers, recordable story books, keepsake ornaments and of course the cards they are famous for. One can probably find a gift for every person on their list here. And although Hallmark is a national brand, make no mistake, this store is locally-owned and locally-run!

The Elam family is proud to be doing business here in East County for 45 years. They started with Elam’s Jewelry & Cosmetics in the La Mesa Fed Mart in the 1970’s. They moved onto Hallmark stores starting with their first in Spring Valley in 1979. Later they expanded into boutique specialty stores like Animals Galore, Mary’s Secret Garden and Home Décor & More. You can even find a small department of Mary’s Secret Garden in their Grossmont Center Hallmark store.

Today they run nine Hallmark stores in San Diego County and

News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 3

SUPES PASS COVID RELIEF PACKAGE The San Diego Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $20M COVID relief package for small businesses.

This plan will provide grants to businesses reeling from purple tier restrictions.

The proposal was co-authored

by Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Greg Cox and will allocate $20 million from the county’s general fund to businesses like restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, museums, zoos/aquariums and businesses with fewer than 100 employees that have been handcuffed by bans on indoor services.

The $20 million will be split evenly among the county’s five districts, leaving each district $4 million to divide between businesses in their area. This Small

employ many of your friends or neighbors. So this holiday season, don’t overlook local-owned retailers that sell nationally-known products like Elam’s Hallmark in Grossmont Center when you decide to “Shop Small, Shop Local.”

—Scott Elam

WHY SO DIVISIVE?

Re: “Americans fire Trump, San Diegans hire Dems” [Volume 10, Issue 11 or bit.ly/2KefH7I] Just had to write after reading the articles from the Republican Women vs. the Democratic Club.

I shouldn’t be surprised at the lack of class demonstrated by the views from the democratic side.

Without expressing my political views, I would like to say that the lack of respect showed to this or any president is truly what is expected from the uneducated, ignorant, biased person who wrote this. Shame on him or her.

I am a La Mesa resident and saddened by the so called “peaceful protest” witnessed in May. Our president loves his country, hates the division lauded by the opposition and has been treated terribly by the press.

He is not a sleazy politician who says what you want to hear but an honest individual who delivered his promises for the most part in the time alloted.

I am afraid for what is coming for this country with a man who is clearly a puppet for the democratic far left. He cannot put two sentences together (not his fault) but clear to me he has serious medical issues.

I pray every day for all of us to be able to deal with what is in store. Thanks for letting me respond to these ridiculous accusations.

—Sylvia Gulino, La Mesa Business Stimulus Grant will not need to be repaid.

The county will try to focus its attention to helping businesses that don’t have the resources to facilitate expanding outdoors.

The goal is to have these funds provide a lifeline that will keep businesses from closing their doors for good.

Businesses can use the funds to pay rent and mortgage, purchase equipment needed to comply with COVID regulations and pay employees.

Businesses can apply at sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/stimulusgrant.html.

DEMAND FOR COVID-19 CONVALESCENT PLASMA RISING San Diego Blood Bank is seeing a sharp increase in hospital orders for COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Orders have more SEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 8

POLITICS sdnews.com Republican Women discuss election at Legacy Resort Hotel

By PAT BOERNER

Navajo Canyon members and guests were thrilled to attend the November meeting at the Legacy Resort Hotel in Mission Valley. We learned that with proper precautions, our ladies were eager to get together and catch up on all the political frontline happenings.

To say that this election cycle has been a roller coaster ride is clearly an understatement.

Locally, Republicans have a lot of statewide victories to celebrate both in elected officials and propositions which passed or failed, but will the presidential election end up in the Supreme Court?

Voters have been made aware of the vulnerability of our voting system and should be demanding transparency and tighter controls in future elections. Perhaps we will even require voters to present identification. They do in Canada with no terrible repercussions, so what is preventing that requirement in the United States? Is there any legitimate argument against only legally registered voters casting a ballot?

President Trump led the team that has given us the COVID-19

vaccine. We are so fortunate that the research and development was done in record time and now the delivery of the effective vaccine is right around the corner.

We look forward to Governor Newsom lifting the restrictions and allowing our state’s economy to recover and our students return to school. Our local entrepreneurs are struggling and many have been financially devastated past the point of recovery. During this holiday season, let’s support our San Diego business’s and help them launch into a profitable and successful 2021.

Navajo Canyon’s next monthly meeting will be Tuesday Jan. 12.

The logistics will be determined

by San Diego County’s Risk Status Tier at that time. If necessary, we will have a ZOOM meeting but our first choice is to return the Legacy Resort Hotel in Mission Valley for a lunch meeting. Please look for updates and details on rwcNavajoCanyon.org and Facebook at Republican Women of CaliforniaNavajo Canyon.

We are proud that Navajo’s membership is growing and we know 2021 will be a year filled with exciting speakers and advancing ways to build our party and communicate our conservative values. We are still WOMEN FOR TRUMP!

If you are looking for other sources of information please consider the iheartradio app for news and editorial podcasts which aren’t biased with a liberal slant.

You can listen to Rush Limbaugh, Rudy Giuliani, Ted Cruz, Mark Levin and Candace Owens as well as many others on your phone or computer.

Although Republicans are disappointed that President Trump did not win with a landslide victory and continue his common-sense leadership for a second term, we must remain optimistic for the future, knowing the challenges ahead. One of the greatest examples of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about someone who didn’t quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost 18 elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times, but he did not. Because of his tenacity and dedication to our country he became one of the greatest presidents in our history. An inspiration for us all.

By SEAN QUINTAL

Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 7 million votes nationwide. His Electoral College margin was the same as Trump’s in 2016, a margin Trump himself has repeatedly called a landslide. In 2020, Trump got a smaller share of the vote than Mitt Romney did in 2012.

Trump lost. Badly.

Despite this, Trump has spent the month since the election lying about voter fraud. His bumbling legal team, led by day-walking vampire Rudy Guiliani, Handmaid’s Tale Barbie Jenna Ellis, and self-described “Kraken” Sydney Powell, have blustered through a comically chaotic attempt to overturn the election through the courts. Relying on unhinged conspiracy theories and unprovable claims, Trump’s legal team has failed spectacularly: 67 post election lawsuits in 35 days.

Of the 52 adjudicated as of Dec. 9, they have lost 51, at the U.S. Supreme Court, and in at least in at least seven different states.

They have failed at decertifying votes, they have failed at tossing out ballots, and their bizarrely ridiculous conspiracy theories have also failed ignominiously.

La Mesa Courier

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TAKEOUT/DELIVERY • GIFT CARDS • RETAIL

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

In Trump vs Democracy, Trump keeps losing The reason they are losing every case is simple: there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. None.

Trump’s own Attorney General has publicly declared so. Trump’s hand-picked head of cybersecurity has attested to the same. But still, a sitting president is trying in court to overturn the will of the people. Trump’s un-American assault on democracy has been condemned by judges of both political parties. Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn, of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, observed the following in his opinion rejecting the outlandish request from Trump’s lawyers to invalidate that state’s election results: “Something far more fundamental than the winner of Wisconsin’s electoral votes is implicated in this case. At stake, in some measure, is faith in our system of free and fair elections, a central feature to the enduring strength of our constitutional republic… Once the door is opened to judicial invalidation of presidential election results, it will be awfully hard to close that door again. This is a dangerous path we are being asked to tread.”

Yet that is precisely the path Trump and the GOP have chosen to tread. The point is not to win, but to tell the lie so often, and so loudly that some people will believe it. The point is to destroy the American people’s faith in their

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

democracy. It strikes at the beating heart of our country’s body politic. No defeated president has ever undertaken such an audacious and undemocratic act.

The instinct to subvert elections, norms, and the law itself to serve Republican interests is not new; it has been part of the GOP electoral playbook for the better part of the last century. But it has never been so baldly and shamelessly weaponized. Trump’s vile and venal affront to our democracy has been tolerated and countenanced, through either silence or affirmation, by a majority of national GOP office holders. One month after the election, 249 Republican Representatives and Senators were asked who had won. Only 27 answered PresidentElect Biden; 220 either said the results were unclear or refused to answer (two actually insisted Trump had won). It appears the instinct to subvert elections, norms, and the law itself to serve Republican interests is hardly in retreat. What the Senate and House GOP members are doing is shameful and disgraceful.

The health and propagation of American democracy depends on holding these unpatriotic partisans in check. That fact makes Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats on the ballot SEE LMFDC, Page 8

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

A parting note from your County Supervisor Dianne’s Corner

By DIANNE JACOB Serving East County on the Board of Supervisors for nearly three decades has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

Thank you for standing with me as we took on challenges and fought the good fight to do what’s right for the Second District and our entire region.

Thank you for your letters, emails, phone calls, Facebook messages, Twitter comments and for all the times we crossed paths – at a meeting, at a community coffee, in an aisle at the grocery store — and you asked a question or raised a concern.

Those moments kept me grounded, along with the strength and guidance from God. They reminded me why I did this job and why I kept at it for 28 years, longer than any other elected official in San Diego County government history.

Community service has been my calling, going back to my days as a school volunteer and as a sixth-grade teacher at Bancroft Elementary School in

Spring Valley. I served 17 years on the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District board.

When you add it all up, I’ve spent a total of 45 years in elective office. Because of term limits, I will complete my seventh and final term on the Board of Supervisors in January.

I’m moving on from a lifetime in office and returning to work on our ranch in Deerhorn Valley. Although I would prefer a horse, working the land on a tractor will do just fine.

I’m deeply grateful to the folks of East County. I’m proud of what we have accomplished together, and on so many fronts – wildfire safety, growing the economy, protecting the environment and all those libraries and ballfields we built, along with many other improvements.

When I was first sworn as Supervisor in 1993, I promised to challenge the status quo and shake things up. I wanted a county government that put people first — and I was willing to fight for it. Thank you for joining me in the fight.

—Dianne Jacob is the now former representative of District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

POLITICS / NEWS LMFDC CONTINUED FROM Page 7

in January all the more critical, as majority control of the chamber is at stake. Those of us in California can lend our help to the good folks

News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 6

than tripled in the last month. On top of local demand, San Diego Blood Bank is being called upon to help supply national surge centers in anticipation of a spike in usage across the country.

San Diego Blood Bank was one of the first blood banks in the country to begin collecting COVID-19 convalescent plasma. In addition to supplying local hospitals, San Diego Blood Bank has supported surge centers and other blood banks across the country.

Plasma donations from those who have recovered from COVID-19 are needed to help others who are currently fighting the virus. This is because their plasma has developed antibodies against a virus.

Anyone previously diagnosed with COVID-19 can sign up at sandiegobloodbank.org/ donateplasma.

To support the efforts, all blood donations are being tested for antibodies as part of SDBB’s standard testing panel in order to qualify donations for COVID-19 convalescent

in Georgia working to secure those seats. Various organizations have phone banks where anyone can participate in reaching out to Georgia voters. For more information, please visit Stacy Abrams’ FairFight.com, actblue.com, or Indivisible’s website (tinyurl.com/y5qq8fw).

Because what is at stake is not merely an electoral victory, but the affirmation and protection of American democracy.

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

plasma. If a donation tests positive, the plasma in the donated blood may be used to help hospital patients fighting COVID-19.

Historically, convalescent plasma (CCP) has been successfully used to treat SARS, MERS and the Spanish flu, so there is Construction of the San Diego County evidence that it may help peo- Water Authority's Flow Control Facility II underway. When complete, the underple suffering from certain infec- is ground reservoir will be covered with soil tious diseases like COVID-19. and vegetation.

“We need anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 to con- Regional Park, a large mound of dirt tact us to see if they are eligible to can been seen in the park. What is donate their plasma,” said David it? It’s a construction project by the Wellis, CEO of San Diego Blood San Diego County Water Authority Bank. “The need has already in- to upgrade a section of the regional creased over the last couple of water delivery system. Rest assured, weeks and we anticipate even more once construction is complete, the requests from hospitals as we head dirt hill will be restored and reveginto the new year.” etated with native plants – many Appointments are required to seeded from the park itself. donate blood and convalescent Work efforts on a new flow reguplasma. To see if you qualify, please latory structure (FRS II) are beginvisit sandiegobloodbank.org or call ning to take shape with many of 619-400-8251. the wall sections installed. The FRS II will be an underground concrete water tank that will store slightly MISSION TRAILS WATER less than five million gallons of waPROJECT CONSTRUCTION ter and be used to balance flows in UPDATE the aqueduct system. FRS II will When looking from the right vanSEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 9 tage point towards Mission Trails

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News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 8

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021 NEWS / HEALTH La Mesa Courier 9 COVID-19 and flu season: How seniors can stay healthy

By JYOTU SANDHU, MD

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR TORCH AWARDS Businesses in San Diego, and throughout the nation, have been faced with countless challenges this year. Those who have risen above the odds to sustain operations with integrity truly stand out and deserve applause. Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest (BBB) is seeking nominations for their 2021 Torch Awards for Ethics program which celebrates businesses that positively impact the community, keeping ethics at the forefront.

The Torch Awards for Ethics Program is open to all businesses that operate in the BBB Pacific Southwest region, covering Southern California and Greater Arizona. BBB continues to recognize companies that have proven vital to the San Diego business community, and is excited to announce an annual celebration for the fall of 2021. BBB looks forward to honoring future award recipients in a San Diego location, dependent on public gathering restrictions.

“We value the voice of consumers. The public plays an essential role in identifying potential businesses for this award, as they experience first-hand the true impact of what an ethical company can offer,” shares Shelley Bradley, Director of Signature Events. “We are looking to honor companies who are true leaders, paving the way to promote ethical behavior in their industries and represent the best of the best in character and integrity.”

and SIMONA VALANCIUTE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts that both the novel coronavirus and f lu viruses will spread significantly this fall and winter, which could overwhelm health care facilities. Seniors are already at higher risk of serious health problems from COVID-19, and this year’s flu season will likely compound those worries for older adults and those who care for them.

However, if you keep these four simple tips in mind, you and your loved ones have a better chance of staying healthy - and keeping your friends and neighbors safe as well.

Get a f lu shot. According to the CDC, getting a flu shot lowers your risk of serious illness, even if you do pick up one of the many strains of flu that will likely spread this fall and winter. During 2018-2019, the CDC reports f lu vaccination prevented an estimated 4.4 million influenza illnesses, 2.3 million inf luenza-associated medical visits, 58,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 3,500 influenza-associated deaths. Although it’s difficult to appreciate on an individual level, this significantly alleviated the strain from the medical

community as a whole and benefited public health overall.

Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu infection, hospitalization, and death for both you and those around you—and this year they will save hospital resources for patients with COVID-19. If you are caring for an aging loved one, it’s particularly important that both of you get one.

As we know, heart disease is prevalent and the #1 cause of death in America. A meta-analysis study from 2013 found that flu vaccination improved cardiac outcomes in high-risk patients.

Keep taking COVID-19 precautions. The f lu shot does not protect anyone from COVID-19. However, many of the same COVID-19 precautions we have all grown accustomed to over the past nine months (washing your hands, keeping at least six feet apart from people outside your household, wearing masks in public places, and not touching your eyes, nose, or mouth), are also pretty good at preventing the spread of flu viruses. Make sure both you and anyone you are caring for follow all these precautions. Although we are hoping for a milder flu season due to the precautions we are taking with COVID-19, we still strongly encourage people to

get their f lu vaccines since the outcome of dealing with both infections at once can be devastating.

Time your flu shot properly. In a recent interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and head of the U.S.’s efforts to stop the coronavirus, recommended getting your flu shot this year “toward the middle and end of October” — in other words, get it done now, better late than not at all. This way, it won’t wear off in February or early March while we’re still in flu season.

Encourage everyone in your life to get a flu shot, no matter how old they are. It’s not just seniors who are at risk during flu season — babies and young children are particularly vulnerable as well. In fact, patients of all ages can suffer serious complications from the flu, and even die. Flu shots protect pregnant women, are an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and can be lifesaving for children. Children are also at risk of severe illness as well and can spread disease to others.

The CDC recommends everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated.

Despite all these benefits, only about half of Americans

get an annual f lu vaccine.

Meanwhile, f lu viruses continue to cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths. Unless we are careful, hospitals may become overwhelmed by both COVID-19 and flu patients this fall and winter.

But, per the CDC, the solution is simple: “Many more people could be protected from the flu if more people got vaccinated.”

The more people get vaccinated against the flu, the fewer people will get seriously ill - and that’s something we can all work toward together as we continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic into the new year.

—Jyotu Sandhu, MD, is a family medicine and sports medicine doctor with Sharp ReesStealy Medical Group, a multispecialty medical group with 19 locations offering services such as primary and specialty care, laboratory, physical therapy, radiology, pharmacy and urgent care.

Learn more at sharp.com/srs.

Simona Valanciute is the president and CEO of San Diego Oasis, an award-winning nonprofit organization serving people age 50 and better, who pursue healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles, and community service. Learn more at sandiegooasis.org.

At Alvarado Hospital we win BIG AWARDS for doing the LITTLE THINGS Keeping our patients safe from infection is a top priority. In addition to our top-notch doctors and nurses, we focus on the little details that also save lives: hand washing, strict hygiene rules, and comprehensive training.

We aren’t perfect, but we are committed to fight for our patients every day. We congratulate our doctors, nurses, staff, and board for this recognition of our never ending quest for patient safety.

02122.121420

be the second underground water tank in the park – both work to efficiently move water through the region. Construction efforts also include a new flow control facility, north and south pipe connections and removal of existing blue vent stacks.

Some trails in the northwest area of the park are closed during construction hours (Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), with portions closed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Please continue avoiding trails marked as closed during working hours,” said Aaron Trimm, Water Authority construction manager and senior engineer. “Heavy construction equipment and vehicles are now regularly using the closed trails during construction, which make it necessary to close them to keep hikers and cyclists safe.”

The Water Authority has created an interactive map that shows the location of the closed trails.

Visit sdcwa.org/mission-trailsFRS to view the map and learn more information about the project. Please call the toll-free project information line at 877-682-9283, ext. 7004, or email CIPinfo@sdcwa.org with your questions.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is an elite designation from The Leapfrog Group, a national, independent watchdog that sets the highest standards for patient safety in the United States.

SEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 22 02122.AHMC.AD.Leapfrog_Ad_LMC_MTC.121420.indd 1

12/14/2020 3:59:19 PM

10

RECREATION / SPORTS Mission Trails Park users share their stories Crusaders Soccer Club looks ahead to 2021 Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

and more. We all need the park, and

By JENNIFER MORRISSEY now, we need you.

December is our Recently, the M ission most i mp or ta nt Trails Regional Park (MTRP) fundraising month Foundation highlighted three and it’s also when the park users to help illustrate how majority of us make much the park means to the San our charitable gifts.

Diego community. As one of the This year, please park’s neighbors, you know well make a gift to suphow popular the park is and has port Mission Trails become, especially during the and take advantage pandemic. of the special charitaProtecting and maintaining ble giving incentives 8,000 acres as well as providing in the 2020 CARES Liz Dorski enjoys bird watching at Mission educational and other resourc- Act. Learn more Trials. (Courtesy photos) es to Mission Trails’ estimated about these incen2.2 million annual visitors is an tives, giving to Mission Trails, Nakamura runs 20-30 miles immense responsibility. We at and make a donation at mtrp. a week and lives near Mission the MTRP Foundation support org/giving.

Trails.

Now, meet some of our reguthe park and its staff in this “It's really cool to have trails endeavor by raising funds for lar park users, people like you in the city. I love that there is so trail maintenance, habitat res- who love MTRP. much variety, from paved paths toration, education programs to trails with hills, single track, THE RUNNER and even the occasional water On runner Jenny crossing depending on the time Nakamura’s first trip of year.” to San Diego to visit On Instagram as @runnylegs, her boyfriend and now Nakamura shares photos of her husband Sean, he took runs at locations near and far, her to Lake Murray including at MTRP. Remarking and Cowles Mountain. on a run earlier this year, she “Both places are shared, “I remember doing a special for us. Lake sunset run at Lake Murray the Murray is one of my Thursday before everything favorite runs. I love locked down in March. It's such getting to the turn- a beautiful place to see the sunaround and seeing the set.” We concur. bullseye at the end,” she said.

SEE MTPRF, Page 15 Mountain bike enthusiast Ramon Galindo

By JAY WILSON

Beginning the middle of October, the COVID-19-delayed season for the Crusaders Soccer Club’s recreational season began. Over 50 teams of boys and girls have enjoyed being with friends they had not seen in six months, learned new soccer skills and had fun.

The best memory from the season was hearing about an 8-year-old boy yell to his mother as he raced across the soccer field on the first day of practice with a huge smile on his face,“Hey mom, I saw Jason. He is not on my team this year, but he waved at me and said he would wave at me next week at practice.” The expression on his face, and his comment was worth everything. You can see that same smile on virtually every player each week they come to practice and the Saturday scrimmages between the players on their team.

Our competitive teams have been practicing diligently since the middle of June and are anxiously waiting to play games for which they may have to wait until 2021 to be played.

Our professional competitive and our volunteer recreational coaches have all risen to the challenges of teaching soccer skills to players with ever changing COVID-19 protocols. There were no off-the-shelf guidelines for coaching players who initially had to remain socially

The La Mesa Courier would like to wish our Community, Local Businesses a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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distanced from one another and still concentrate on soccer.

Tryouts of our competitive teams are set to begin in January 2021.

The dates and times will be announced on our website, crusaderssoccer.org.

Beginning Dec. 15, registration for our 2021 recreational spring season for boys and girls born between 2007 and 2017 will commence. Visit the Crusaders Soccer website at crusaderssoccer.org for more information and registration.

The eight-week season is currently scheduled for March and April.

Teams will play on Sundays.

The Crusaders Soccer Club would like to thank Dan and Mary Buxton, the owners of the Play It Again Sports in La Mesa for donating the large portable soccer goals now being used on the lower Lewis field for the Saturday scrimmages.

The Crusaders Soccer Club’s Board of Directors sincerely thank the players, parents, coaches, and grandparents for helping make 2020 a successful year despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus. As 2020 comes to an end, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday!

Join us on and off the soccer field in 2021 as we celebrate 50 years of serving San Diego’s East County.

—Jay Wilson writes on behalf of Crusaders Soccer Club.

BOOKS / A&E

sdnews.com

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

Featured artist: Rustin Holec

11

By BONNIE OWEN

Holiday cookbooks at the library

By RAMONA PRICE

It’s that time of year! Time to turn on the oven, pull out the mixing bowls, crank up the holiday music and get baking.

Everyone loves homemade bakes for the holidays, here are some books for delicious, beautiful, and family-pleasing treats. All of these titles are available to request at dcl.org.

“Christmas Baking: Festive Cookies, Candies, Cakes, reads and Snacks to Bring Comfort and Joy to Your Holiday” by Joyce and Laura Klynstra: We all have our holiday favorite bakes, traditions passed down from generation to generation.

Make some new ones with the delicious, festive, and homey recipes in this book. You’ll find cookies from around the world, candies perfect for gifts, breakfast bakes for your Christmas morning feast

and much more. Get the whole family involved by experimenting with new recipes and finding your favorites.

“Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, NoKnead Breads” by Nancy Baggett: 2020 has been the year of the sourdough. If you haven’t joined the trend because making bread seems scary and hard, this is the book for you. Nancy Baggett details a simple technique to make bread in a single bowl with minimal effort. From sourdough to classic cinnamon raisin to elegant rosemary focaccia, you’ll find the perfect recipe to jump into the world of bread baking.

“Cookies Are Magic: Classic Cookies, Brownies, Bars and More” by Maida Heatter: There’s just something special about homemade cookies, maybe because they remind us of baking as children with our families. The late, great Maida Heatter understood that feeling

and her 50-year career as a chef and author influenced legions of home and professional bakers.

This book collects 100 of her best recipes that will bring you back to your childhood and inspire you to make new memories with your family.

“Cake, I Love You: Decadent, Delectable and Do-Able Recipes” by Jill O’Connor: This has rapidly become my goto source for new and unique takes on classic cakes. A local San Diego author, Jill O’Connor breaks down complicated multipart cakes into simple steps, encouraging us along with her helpful tone. Unique flavor combinations, beautiful photos and recipes designed for a wide range of skill levels make this an indispensable resource. Whether you want to make simple loaf cake or a multi-layered frosting extravaganza, there’s something here for everyone.

SEE BOOKS, Page 22

A native of San Diego, Rustin Holec enjoys the mild desert climate of Southern California. He can often be found wandering the local mountains and coastline in search of inspiration for his art. He began working in oils in the early 2000s with the hope of finding a diversion from his everyday work life.

Before he began painting he dabbled in black-and-white photography. He enjoyed manipulating a photograph to create a mood or statement.

After taking classes at Grossmont College and private instruction by Jack Jordan, a well-recognized and respected artist, Rustin began oil painting.

He immediately found a powerful means of expression and a way to relax and meditate.

Currently Rustin paints in oils and occasionally acrylics.

He subject matter varies with each fresh canvas as he enjoys the serenity in landscapes, the mood and flow of seascapes, expressions in portraits and works to combine facets of each into a story or idea.

“Pacific Cruiser” (Courtesy image)

Rustin states, “Regardless of the subject, painting is not merely copying or a series of random brush strokes. It is a means of expression through thoughtful creation, fueled by imagination, passion, desire and mood. It is a portal through which to escape, explore, and find oneself. For the artist, it is his or her legacy through which current and future explorers are invited to visit and dream.”

Rustin’s art can be viewed online at foothillsartassociation.com.

—Bonnie Owen is editor of Footnotes, the monthly newsletter of the Foothills Art Association

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021 sdnews.com

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FEATURE

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

Monnie & Mo’s CONTINUED FROM Page 1

would make bags of food to send home with her students. As the need grew still, she started asking her friends and colleagues who would get together at a regular wine and book club for donations of food or money to help out. And when the need was so great, she began enlisting more permanent help and found a partner in Mo Gildersleeve.

“When we connected about two years ago, she was explaining what she did and I said ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing, I want in, but we need to do more. We can do so much more,” Gildersleeve said.

Together, the two women formed the nonprofit entity called Monie & Mo’s Food Pantry, which distributes food bags to needy families at six schools in the La MesaSpring Valley School District. Once a month, Monica & Mo’s distributes bags of donated food collected from friends and community members. The pair also collects

cash donations that are spent at the food bank where it is most cost effective. Once all the food is collected, there’s a packing party where people come over and prepare the bags of food to distribute.

“We make an assembly line and we do 30 bags at a time,” Gildersleeve said.

The volunteers then take the bags to Highlands for the students' families to pick up there. Social workers from the other schools pick up food bags from Muldoon’s garage to bring to their respective schools.

“They go and have a giving table set up along a circular driveway for easy and safe pickup,” Muldoon said.

In addition to picking up food bags for distribution, the schools’ social workers play a key role in gathering information about each family’s needs. Dealing with some generous donations for this year’s Thanksgiving illustrate the importance of school social workers in Monie & Mo’s model.

“We partnered with Valley Farms and they gave us 15

(l to r) Muldoon and Gildersleeve's Monie & Mo's Food Pantry has gone from

serving 16 boxes to over 130 boxes of food to local families in only one year.

Food distribution at La Mesa Dale (Courtesy photos)

turkeys for Thanksgiving. There was not enough for all the families at Highlands, but then we were gifted gift cards from Luna Grill so we were able to give gift cards to the other families,” Muldoon said.

Deciding which families got turkeys and which got gift cards was a matter of knowing which families had ovens at home and which were homeless.

“So that’s where the counselor comes in, because they know these families,” Muldoon continued.

“We asked her if we should try and get 15 more turkeys and she said ‘No, I know the families that have the resources to cook a turkey and I know the families that could use a gift card.’ So it’s really important to have that connection with the counselors at the schools.”

In addition to school counselors and partnerships with local businesses like Valley Farms and Breaking Bread, which donates bread and money to the food pantry, Monie & Mo’s has also been

Volunteers packing boxes of food for a recent distribution

fortunate to have help from other local groups like Feeding the Flock Ministry and people like Kristen Timmons, who runs a food pantry on 54th Street and Muldoon’s daughter Morgan Davis who helped with setting up the nonprofit, building the website monieandmos.com and with networking.

The help is needed and appreciated because of the exponential growth Monie & Mo’s has seen since the COVID pandemic began.

Before the pandemic, food distributions were only scheduled for the beginning of school breaks to tie over families that suddenly lose the two meals a day their children get at school.

“A lot of these families really rely on the school for breakfast and lunch every day,” Gildersleeve said. “If you think about it, per kid that’s 10 meals per week and we’re leaving them out for two weeks times however many kids are in their family.”

By March of this year, even before the COVID crisis fully took

hold, Monie & Mo’s made the switch to monthly distributions because the need was already growing. With the pandemic, the need for food exploded.

“Last year at this time we ware excited to serve 16 bags of food,” Gildersleeve said. “And this last time we served 120 families, so that’s how quickly we grew.”

In March, Monie & Mo’s served two schools. In April, two more joined the pantry program.

In October, four more joined.

Currently, Monie & Mo’s serves Highlands, Bancroft, Avondale, La Mesa Dale, Rolando and Northmont elementary schools.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if by next year we have all 15 schools in La Mesa-Spring Valley School District,” Muldoon said.

That kind of growth has brought some changes to how the pantry operates, like insisting that all donated food be non-perishable.

SEE MONNIE & MO’S, Page 15

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Monnie & Mo’s

they partner with more school districts to help seed their own self-sufficient food pantry proCONTINUED FROM Page 14 grams, as well as start looking “In the beginning we said for grant money to give a boost to we’d take everything, we’ll nev- donations beyond local businesses er decline anything — this was and residents. part of our thing,” Gildersleeve “We are also trying to have evsaid. “Then I had three hundred ery school have a little Mini & Mo’s pounds of rotten potatoes in my pantry at every school, where if a garage because there was a heat family comes in to them and says, wave that shortened their lifes- ‘Oh my gosh, my husband just lost pan by about four days, which his job, we don’t have any food. crushed us.”

Can you help?’ they would be able to get stuff to them immediately,” Muldoon said.

Right now, Monie & Mo’s Food Pantry is flush with donations because people are “feeling deep pockets and they want to share the holiday spirit,” Gildersleeve said. But what about after the holidays or after the COVID vaccine is distributed and the pandemic begins to fade from donors’ consciousness?

Boxes and bags of food on pickup day at Highlands elementary (Courtesy photo) “We have faith. We always get what we need,” One thing that hasn’t changed Muldoon said. for Monie & Mo’s is a commitment “ S o m e h o w,” f inished to the entire community, not just Gildersleeve. “Our motto is ‘We the school community. haven’t failed yet, so just keep on “Part of our mission is that it truckin’. So we’ll just keep going doesn’t have to only be the schools and keep the faith.” that we’re giving to, if we hear of For more information about somebody that is in need that we Monie & Mo’s Food Pantry, or to can help, we’re going to start help- make a donation, visit monieanding,” Muldoon said. mos.com.

Still, the focus of the food panty —Reach editor Jeff Clemetson at will be mostly on schools and Gildersleeve sees a future where jeff@sdnews.com.

CONTINUED FROM Page 10

THE BIRD WATCHER

Liz Doroski has been coming to Mission Trails since 1983.

“I remember walking the old potholed Junipero Serra road from what is now the Visitor Center to the dam. We had to climb across a large water/sewer pipe to get over the river and hike through the grasslands area. Now, with the establishment of the regional park status, the space is professionally and lovingly cared for and protected, which is invaluable, not only for people, but for nature.”

Dorski is an avid birder and enjoys birdwatching at MTRP. “The best time to spot birds is either morning or dusk, but really any time of day will be fruitful if you are observant. So much of birding is listening, and being quiet and still. A good place to birdwatch in MTRP is near any body of water with lots of trees.

The water draws birds for a drink, food, and bathing, while the trees provide safety and cover from predators.”

In addition to volunteering at MTRP, Dorski has more recently been one of the newsletter contributors, so she knows the park, its staff and volunteers well.

“Not a day goes by that I don't recognize how fortunate I am to have a home, good health, social support, and resources; and I'm enormously grateful to be able to

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

15

donate my time and money to MTRP to help keep it going for years to come.

It's not only our backyard, it's home to many critters and plants who add to the park's beauty, and they deserve our respect.”

THE MOUNTAIN BIKER When Ra mon Galindo isn’t working as a reporter at NBC 7, you’ll probably find him at Mission Trails where he’s been a frequent visitor for Runner Jenny Nakamura (Courtesy photo) the past six years.

In his job, he’s done stories about Galindo likes to mountain bike, Mission Trails, including about especially on the trails near East hiking safely and our rattlesnakes. Fortuna Staging Area.

In pre-Covid times, Galindo “It's a good workout and there also volunteered at the MTRP are a variety of trails so you can Visitor Center. bring friends of all skill levels," he “I was looking for volunteer said. “I have been going to the park opportunities and after com- during Covid, but usually early in pleting the 5-Peak Challenge, it the morning and on the weekoccurred to me that volunteering days to avoid possible crowds. It's at MTRP would be a great oppor- still important to enjoy nature for tunity to share my knowledge of physical and emotional health.” the park's trails while helping out Make a donation to support the place where I love to spend Mission Trails at mtrp.org. my free time. When I interact Donors of $100 or more will rewith the public at the Visitor ceive our new thank-you gift, an Center, I can discuss with them MTRP license plate frame! You the park’s diverse plant life, fas- can help the park today. cinating geology, and the rich history of the Kumeyaay.”

—Jennifer Morrissey is execuIn addition to hiking the trails tive director of the Mission Trails and up Mission Trails’ five peaks, Regional Park Foundation.

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021 NEWS La Mesa Courier 17 sdnews.com Chamber holiday drives a success despite pandemic La Mesa Chamber of Commerce (LMCC) members, friends and the community come together every year to celebrate the Chamber’s strong belief in giving by collecting and distributing toys and items to military families living in La Mesa military housing.

Each year, LMCC has assisted these children and their families through a partnership with Lincoln Military Housing, the organization that manages military housing throughout the nation.

Usually, LMCC hosts a huge party at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, complete with food

and beverages, as a way to collect the toys. This year due to the pandemic, LMCC had to change its strategy and hold a drive -thru toy gathering activity at Grossmont Center.

In addition to the drive-thru event, LMCC partnered with Teresa McClatchy, the manager of Barnes & Noble in Grossmont Center, who usually hosts an annual book drive for these families, as well. With the current restrictions, that activity also had to be shelved. McClatchy and her team were not deterred by the pandemic and held their own in-house book

A trunk full of gift bags for seniors

drive, gathering books and toys for the children. With the help of the Barnes & Noble team members, LMCC was able to collect over 402 toys and items this year.

“We want to thank all of those that played a part in assisting the children this year and making a difference in the lives of our La Mesa military families,” said LMCC president May England in a press statement.

LMCC’s annual senior project was also an overwhelming success. People drove from throughout the region to donate items for gift baskets and bags that were delivered to the 21 La Mesa homebound seniors this year.

Each year, LMCC works with tLa Mesa Police Department Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol to distribute the gifts. This year due to the pandemic, the RSVP’s have not been able to work, so LMCC enlisted the help of others from the Police Department to deliver the items.

Each year the La Mesa Chamber allocates funds to assist these seniors and were joined by the following financial partners who donated cash and gift cards: AMR, Kyle Nyswonger of Carl Burger Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM World,

(l to r) La Mesa Chamber of Commerce volunteers Dennis England, Mary

England, Maggie Eggers, Al Russell and Steve Browne helped pack baskets for home-bound seniors. (Photos by Sandra Small)

Darsi Bakker of PenChecks, Inc. and Michelle Huey of Pete’s Place. In addition to these cash donations and gift cards, LMCC collected canned food, calendars, toiletries, notepads, soaps, shampoos, stationery, clothing, socks tissues, blankets and other articles for a grand total of 3,298 items.

The Chamber receives all of the items and wraps them in gift baskets and bags that are delivered to each senior. EDCO and Sycuan donated the bags that made the distribution possible.

In addition to these needed items, LMCC received beautiful handmade Christmas stockings from the Pioneers, a volunteer network of AT&T. These folks worked tirelessly throughout the year making those handmade Christmas stockings, then stuffed them with lots of items such as masks, shampoos, gloves, socks, wafers, lip balm, and more. Adorable stuffed animals were attached to each stocking, as an added bonus.

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EDUCATION ‘Echoes’ of history at Grossmont High School Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

Foothiller Footsteps

By CONNIE and LYNN BAER

Reading the 1930s Foothill Echoes, the Grossmont High School student newspaper, enables us to share the experiences of Foothiller students and staff

May 13, 1932 at Grossmont Union High: (l to r) Nadine Brown, MaryPease Romig, Lois Masterson, Janet Miller (Courtesy family of Lavola Siinram

Edwards, Class of 1932)

during the Great Depression, revealing timeless issues as well as issues unique to the 1930s.

The Oct. 14, 1930 newspaper article written by Thelma Engstrom, Class of 1931, is titled “No Funds for Annual Say Ex Committee.” The cost of the yearbook in past years was $1.25, but the Associated Student Body had been subsidizing the yearbook and could no longer do that since the cost of the yearbooks was $2.50 to $3.

“If we are to have an annual we can be proud of, we should be willing to pay the entire cost,” read a passage in the article. Eventually the senior class produced the 1931 yearbook through fundraising.

That same month, Helen Brunson, Class of 1931, shares her criticism of “That ‘Get By’ Attitude.”

“How can we, for instance, reconcile the action of a girl, who after uniform check, deliberately tucks her middy into her skirt, with the third statement in our Sportsmanship code: ‘A true Grossmont Sportsman will cooperate willingly in every undertaking’? How can a boy who cheats and gets by with it, claim to be a Grossmont Sportsman, who according to our code, is true to himself and others?,” she wrote.

The April 14, 1931 article “ASB Play to Depict Modern Family Life” describes the “Friday Performance

Grossmont High School postcard, circa 1930 (Courtesy Louise

Brungger)

of That Ferguson Family as Good Entertainment.”

“If your neighbors put a ‘THAT’ in front of your family name, you would realize that they had your family’s number....It is a play about a realistic American family — who live, love, and react so like one’s own next door neighbor that no audience can fail to share the interests, irritations, trials, and triumphs….”

An iconic Grossmont symbol appeared in 1931, as documented by the April 28, 1931 Foothill Echoes article “Hi-Y Places Big G on Northern Slope.”

“The honor for the erection of the clear-cut symbol of Grossmont spirit, which rests on the slope directly back of the lake in the form of a giant G, goes to the local Hi-Y boys….Work began by clearing all plant growth, the outline was then filled in with rocks and lastly whitewashed. The letter adds

Art deco of wall and G from the 1931 El Recuerdo (Courtesy GHS Museum)

to the appearance of the school; makes onlookers think that Grossmont is awake. Then, too, the school has the honor of being the only high school in the county with such an appropriate symbol.”

Since then, there has been a G representing Foothiller pride on a nearby hill, on the hill in front of the original school, and on Cowles Mountain.

The May 9, 1932 Foothill Echoes includes a Humor section.

Rosaleen Remick’s aticle “Follow Your Conscience,” urges students to behave better.

“We all have a conscience! Let’s use it. We know we shouldn’t throw chalk when the teacher’s out; we know we shouldn’t gossip about people; we know we shouldn’t talk about our teachers; we know we shouldn’t leave term papers, notebooks, book reports, and projects to the last minute….

But we do these things. What is

our conscience good for? What a wonderful place this world would be if we only listened to the little voice inside of us that says, ‘Don’t do that.’”

On the same page are a series of jokes, including this one: “Linden: Why do you call your alarm clock Macbeth? Gordon: ‘Macbeth doth murder sleep.’”

The April 12, 1935 Foothill Echoes in the article “Grossmont Captures Metro Track Crown” documents the achievements of the teams.

“In two extremely spectacular and exciting division fights, Grossmont managed to win the track crown in both A and C divisions of the Metropolitan League.”

Coached by now legendary Jack Mashin, the depth of the A team was shown by “the fact that the champion Grossmonters had SEE GROSSMONT, Page 19

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scored only one first place — indicative of strong teamwork rather than individual starring.”

That lone first place was a dramatic finish when “the final man of the Grossmont relay team crossed the line inches in front of his opponent.”

Sept. 15, 1935’s article “Halls Congested as GUHS’s enrollment exceeds 700” states: “Hall congestion problems, leading to the re-routing of incoming traffic through the auditorium and the east court, has been the most marked result of the largest enrollment ever seen at Grossmont High School….

Students are asked to cooperate in every possible way in the matter of keeping traffic moving in the halls, and in using the designated entrys and exits and the correct stairways between classrooms, as a step toward solving the congestion problem, and protecting themselves.” From 1935-1937, WPA funded projects would begin to relieve the campus congestion.

These excerpts from the student newspapers capture moments in Foothiller history that remind us of the timelessness of human emotions and experiences. How fortunate we are to have them.

BECOME PART OF OUR HISTORIC CAMPUS In honor of our historic 100 Years of Excellence C elebrat ion, t he G H S Educational Foundation is sponsoring a scholarship fundraising program. $100 for 100 Years donors will have their names, their families’, or their businesses’ names engraved on 2-by-4-inch gray tiles, which will be displayed on a wall near the front of the school.

I n Ju ne 2020, t he Foundation awarded $6500 in senior scholarships; our goal is to dramatically increase that amount in the future.

To order your tile, visit donationbricks.com/ghs100yearscholarships. Or write a check payable to GHS Educational Foundation and mail to Connie and Lynn Baer, 5990 Avenorra Dr., La Mesa, CA 91942.

On the check memo, please indicate “scholarship fund” and include the text of your tile with your check (up to three lines, 20 spaces each).

Due to the coronavirus restrictions, the GHS Museum is currently closed, but we are checking our emails at g h s mu s eu m @ g u h s d.net and our phone messages at 619-668-6140.

—Connie and Lynn Baer write on behalf of the Grossmont High School Museum.

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021 EDUCATION La Mesa Courier Santa visits Super Scotties

Helix Highlights

By JENNIFER OSBORN

Some Helix students had a surprise visitor leading up to Winter Break! Santa and Mrs. Claus took time out of their busy schedules to visit the Helix Super Scotties, who are Helix students with moderate to severe physical and intellectual disabilities. The Clauses arrived in their red sleigh piloted by Betsy Burgreen, handed out gifts to the students and spent some time taking photos to commemorate the occasion.

“In a time where things are so tough, it was so heartwarming to see the looks on the faces of the Super Scotties as Santa Claus came rolling across the quad perched on

Santa Claus arrives at Helix in style.

19

the back of a convertible red mustang” said Gabe Fleming, Helix Special Educator. “It was inspiring to watch as he passed out personalized gifts and made jokes with all of the students. This is a Christmas experience that they will never forget.” (l to r) Lucia Estrada-Chacon, Kim Fleming, The experience was Abdul Ali, Cole Panfil, Jordan Martinez, John Geary enjoyed by more than (Photos by Reams Photo) just the students.

“I had more fun than the kids did Kim Fleming summed up the day. today. It was the first time I played “I am so thankful that Helix is Santa since college at the ladies’ filled with such an incredibly supdorm,” said John Geary, Helix portive and generous staff. I could teacher. “I was much more quali- not have pulled this off without fied in 2020 because I watched five all of their help,” she said. “From YouTube ‘How to be a Santa Claus’ the donation of a Santa suit, to training videos.” dressing up as Santa, professional “Today’s visit from Santa brought photos, lending us a sweet sleigh, so much joy to the students. It’s been to tons of donations for gifts, this a crazy year, so this Christmas mag- event was so special because there ic was that much more special for were so many wonderful people everyone,” expressed Helix alum- at Helix who pitched in to make it nus and current Special happen! I cannot express the sheer Education instructional joy that was felt not only by the aide, Megan Robertson. Super Scotties, but by all of us staff “Kim (Fleming, Helix members who got to be part of this Special Educator) goes magical day.” above and beyond to Helix will be on WInter Break make every experience beginning Dec. 19 and classes will as wonderful as possi- resume on Jan 6. Happy Holidays to ble for her students and the entire community from Helix this was just another Charter High School! example of her generosity and dedication to —Jennifer Osborn writes on behalf her students.” of Helix Charter High School.

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Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

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FOOD & DRINK sdnews.com Maya’s Cookies opens Grantville storefront

By ROBIN DOHRN-SIMPSON | Mission Times Courier

Is it possible to have a tasty, ooey-gooey cookie that is vegan?

Yes, and egg and butter-free never tasted better than Maya’s cookies.

Maya Madsen, owner and baker, has taken her passion for cooking, healthy eating and sweet tooth to a new level that has made her the country’s top Black-owned vegan bakery.

A Maya’s Cookies Holiday tin

Being a personal trainer for 30 years, Madsen always ate healthy and allowed herself a cheat day.

On that day she made cookies.

Everyone needs a cheat day. As a vegan she wanted to create excellent vegan cookies using the best quality of ingredients.

Over the past few years, people would pass by her bakery and peek in the windows and ask to buy her cookies.

“I was only licensed to sell online, so I had to turn people away,” Madsen said. “I always want to do what my customers want, so I decided to get all the city permits to sell directly from our bakery.”

She has now opened her bakery for retail sales to the public. Her storefront is off the beaten path, but not too hard to find — across the street from the post office in Grantville. Just look for the pink storefront at 4760 Mission Gorge Place Suite G. Madsen also sells her cookies at the Little Italy Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Sundays.

Madsen prides herself on using the highest quality ingredients in her cookies. She offers a variety of cookies and is constantly rotating them in and out. Some popular ones are her Classic Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, Snickerdoodle, White Chocolate Macadamia, Chocolate Chip S’mores and Marble Fudge.

Gluten sensitive patrons, you’re in luck. Madsen has expanded her

The Everything Cookie

business to include gluten-free cookies. The bakery is not “celiac safe” as they cook with regular flour and gluten-free flour in the same facility. But, depending on your level of sensitivity, you can enjoy two or three flavors that she has on hand at a time. It took her a few years to add this to her menu since she had to get her recipe perfected. She has twelve flavors in her repertoire. For the holidays Madsen features gingerbread cookies. To check specific ingredients, look on her website where Maya Madsen (Courtesy photos) she lists every cookie detail.

To order online or for informaThis holiday sea- tion on ingredients go to mayasson, Maya’s Cookies cookies.com. has four different deluxe holiday tins —Robin Dohrn-Simpson is a lowith unique flavors: cal freelance food and travel writer.

Chocolate Peppermint Reach her at dohrnsimpson@#hotS’Mores, Spa rk le mail.com.

Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread and White Chocolate Cranberry.

You can order cookies online to be shipped to anyone on your gift-giving list or pass by the bakery and pick up an assortment. The proceeds from the sales of the holiday tins will go to support two charities near and dear to her heart, helping young women of color through high school and college and an animal Maya’s Cookies offers monthly cookie boxes sent to customers’ homes. refuge in Santee.

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

21

(Wikimedia Commons)

PEPPERMINT BARK • 8 crushed candy canes DIRECTIONS:

By JULIE WHITE

Sweet layers of dark chocolate and white chocolate covered in crushed candy canes make this an easy and delicious holiday treat.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

INGREDIENTS: • 12 ounce bag of dark choc-

olate chips • 16 ounce bag of white chocolate chips • 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract (optional)

Spread out a piece of parchment paper on a cookie or baking sheet.

Place the dark chocolate in a bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir well and spread on the parchment paper.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a clean bowl, melt the white chocolate the same as you did the dark chocolate.

Stir in the extract. Spread on cooled dark chocolate.

Sprinkle the crushed peppermints on top and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When hardened, you can break into chunks and enjoy!

“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store… Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a whole lot more.” —Dr. Seuss

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“The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies” by Erin Jeanne McDowell: Many people are intimidated by pies, but the expression “easy as pie” exists for a reason, and this book is a great choice for newbies and experienced bakers alike.

Author Erin Jeanne McDowell takes you through detailed tutorials on making crusts before jumping into a wealth of unique, delicious recipes for both sweet and savory pies. Once you get the basics down, use her decorating tips and the beautiful photos for inspiration to take your pies to the next level.

Looking for more book recommendations? Staff from San Diego County Library have been recording short book review videos for you to watch, where you can get a handful of curated picks in just a few minutes. Historical fiction, thrillers, bedtime stories for kids, and more, recommended by folks who know their stuff. Visit the website at my.nicheacademy.com/ sdclbookshorts.

—Ramona Price is a librarian at the La Mesa branch of the San Diego County Library.

Chamber drives CONTINUED FROM Page 17

“The pioneers donate these stockings to various organizations during the holidays and we were pleased to receive them for our La Mesa seniors,” England said.

Steve Browne, Maggie Eggers, Dennis England, and Al Russell all volunteered to help pack the items in their vehicles and deliver them to the Police Department.

“The generosity of the public and our members in supporting this project, is a testament to the love that we all have for our senior population,” England said. “Our seniors do not ask for much and accept all that they are given with a grateful heart. We thank everyone who participated in this year’s project.”

News briefs CONTINUED FROM Page 9

Over 20 years in Pacific Beach!

www.tasspt.com

CONTINUED FROM Page 11

Online updates Comments Event calendars and more!

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Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air, a 2020 San Diego award winner, shared that “This has been a difficult year for our country with COVID but it has made us appreciate each other more. The ethics, integrity and pure wholeness of how we work together as a team shows that we care and we are grateful and thankful to be a Torch Awards for Ethics Winner.”

Now is an especially important time to highlight businesses that take strides to strengthen the marketplace. A business may also self-nominate and the award is open to all for-profit businesses. Torch Awards for Ethics nominations are being accepted through Feb. 1, with additional details at torchawards. bbbcommmunity.org.

CLASSIFIEDS / PUZZLES

sdnews.com

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

SERVICE DIRECTORY

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Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the above classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home.

Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers.

Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

25mbps download and 3mbps upload1

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Call For Special Offers In Your Area Pricing varies by region

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HughesNet is a registered trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar Company.

2 If you exceed your monthly plan data, you will experience reduced data speeds until the start of your next billing period. Reduced speeds will typically be in the range of 1 – 3 Mbps and may cause Web sites to load more slowly or affect the performance of certain activities, such as video streaming or large downloads/uploads.

WORSHIP DIRECTORY Wed. Night........6:30pm to 8:00pm Sat. Night..........6:30pm to 8:00pm Sunday.............10:00am to 11:30am Tuesday.............6:30pm to 8:00pm

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Advertise your Church in the Worship Directory & Reach 28,000 Readers

Calvary Chapel 7525 El Cajon Blvd.

La Mesa, CA 91942.

Call Heather @ 951.296.7794 hfine@sdnews.com

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and more!

sdnews.com

1451 Garnet Ave. Pacific Beach

858-270-6565

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WATCHMAKERS

CONT.

Fill in the blank cells using number 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row column and 3x3 block. Use logic and process elimination to solve the puzzle.

AUTOS WANTED

23

CLUES ACROSS 1. Crow species 4. Partner to flow 7. Male offspring 8. Sedate 10. Orange beverage 12. Pair of small hand drums 13. 12th month of Jewish civil year 14. Former Pirates star Jason 16. Computer company 17. Made angry

19. Beverage container 20. Charlize Theron film “__ Flux” 21. Localities 25. Consume 26. Don’t know when yet 27. Bed style 29. Make a low, continuous sound 30. Wrath 31. Pollinates flowers 32. Association 39. Prejudice

41. Unhealthy 42. Hasidic religious leader 43. Distinctive philosophy 44. Short-term memory 45. In a good way 46. Emperors of Ethiopia 48. Imaginary line 49. Of barium 50. One’s sense of self-esteem 51. Man who behaves dishonorably 52. Monetary unit

CLUES DOWN 1. Rear of (nautical) 2. He minds the net 3. Ring-shaped objects 4. When you hope to get there 5. Young children 6. Beloved hobbit 8. Pigpen 9. Wish harm upon 11. Quick=eyed (Scottish) 14. Scrooge’s phrase “__ Humbug”

15. One more 18. A ballplayer who only hits 19. Once vital TV part 20. Sixth month of Jewish civil year 22. Advantage 23. Type of tree 24. Luke’s mentor __-Wan 27. Life stories 28. Vase 29. Tiny 31. Package (abbr.)

32. A photog’s tool 33. Wood 34. One of the six noble gases (abbr.)

35. Pueblo people of New Mexico 36. Wild goats 37. A way to comply 38. Horatio __, British admiral 39. Actress Leslie 40. Sir __ Newton 44. Pouch 47. Have already done

24

Dec. 18, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021

La Mesa Courier

sdnews.com

Drive Thru the Magic this December Experience over 500,000 holiday lights, interactive displays, and fun attractions from the safety of your vehicle, all while supporting people with developmental disabilities

December 18-23 • 5-8PM VEHICLE TICKET: $65.00 (NO MOTORCYCLES, BUSES, LIMOS, OR RV’S)

EnchantedVillage.org Noah Homes • 12526 Campo Rd, Spring Valley 91978 • (619)660-6200