HISTORY

sdnews.com Dealers in land and fine foods

San Diego street names: Part six of the series

As discussed in earlier PastMatters columns, many streets in North Park between University Avenue and Upas Street originally had the names of 1870s pioneers but were renamed in 1899 and 1900. This column examines original street names in the Park Villas tract from present-day Arizona Street to Pershing Avenue.

In the street name change ordinances of 1899 and 1900, Choate Avenue became Arizona Street, Arnold Avenue remained the same, Hamilton Avenue became Walker Street (now Villa Terrace), and Driscoll Avenue became Oregon Street (now Pershing Avenue). Daniel Choate, Cyrus Arnold, Charles Hamilton and William Driscoll were well known to Park Villas tract founder Joseph Nash, who operated a large general store but also dealt extensively and creatively in early San Diego real estate. More about him in a later column.

Daniel Choate (1827-1899) was born into a large farming family in Kennebec County, Maine. In February 1849, he joined the many gold-seekers who came to California. He tried panning for gold at Yuba, but by 1851 he was operating a mercantile business in Ophirville, a bustling gold mining town in Placer County northeast of Sacramento. He served as U.S. Postmaster for Ophirville from 1858 until the office was dis continued in 1866. In 1868, he opened a clothing store at 415 Kearny Street in San Francisco with his brother, Nehemiah. A year later, Daniel Choate visit ed San Diego and did not return to San Francisco, writing to his brother to sell the business and come south.

In San Diego, Daniel Choate specialized in land instead of merchandise and actively pro moted the city. He served on the first Chamber of Commerce initiated in 1870, helping to write the constitution and bylaws. The first president of the Chamber of Commerce was Aaron Pauly, and the first secretary was Joseph Nash. Appropriately, Choate Avenue marked the boundary between the tracts Pauly and Nash founded. Choate served as U.S. Postmaster in San Diego from 1876 through 1880.

Choate’s real estate holdings were extensive, and his involvement was significant. He was a major stockholder in the College Hill Land Association, which formed University Heights in 1888. He assisted with subdividing 1,000 acres of land owned by Samuel Steiner, Abraham Klauber and Frederick Castle in 1887 to form the Steiner, Klauber, Choate & Castle’s Addition, which became the separate city of East San Diego in 1912 and was annexed into San Diego in 1923. Daniel Choate’s gravestone is to the left of the This sidewalk stamp on Arnold Avenue at Landis The area is now known as City Heights. Choate formed several impressive Choate monument at Mount Hope Cemetery. Arizona Street between University Avenue and Upas Street was originally named Choate Avenue Street is one of only a few stamps reflecting an original street name between University Avenue and Upas Street. The street was named for Cyrus Arnold. other tracts, including Arnold for him. (Photo by Katherine Hon) (Photo by Katherine Hon) and Choate’s Addition. He initially partnered with Cyrus Arnold his clothing store in 1868. Cyrus at the Horton Hotel, worked Anna Lee Gunn — Elizabeth’s and then with his sons Franklin Arnold’s youngest brother, Gilbert in Aaron Pauly’s store for two sister — in 1878. and Rufus when Arnold left San Conger Arnold, was his partner in years, and then joined Hamilton Hamilton was elected to the Diego for San Francisco. the business. at Nash’s store. The young clerks City Board of Trustees in May

The San Diego Union’s April Cyrus stayed in San Francisco bought out Nash in 1873, part1886 and served as president 22, 1899 issue announced Daniel until moving to Contra Costa in nered for five years, and split until leaving the Board in April Choate’s death under the head1905. Gilbert moved to San Diego amicably in 1878 to form their 1887. He had launched his groline, “Passing of One of San Diego’s in 1881 and continued to deal in own highly successful enterpriscery business at Fifth Avenue Prominent Citizens,” noting, “He real estate. Gilbert joined their faes: Hamilton’s Fine Foods and and G Street and later moved to was one of the most public-spiritther, Philander, who had come to Marston’s Department Store. Sixth Avenue and C Street. His fied citizens of the city, and labored San Diego in 1873. Both Gilbert They were brothers-in-law as well nal store at Seventh Avenue and incessantly for the upbuilding of and Philander Arnold are buried as business partners and friends. C Street opened in 1928. This this community.” He is buried at at Mount Hope Cemetery. Hamilton married Elizabeth Gunn Mount Hope Cemetery. Charles Standart Hamilton in 1876, and Marston married SEE STREET NAMES, Page 7

Cyrus Mills Arnold (1842- (1847-1933) was born in Milan, 1913) was the middle of five sons in a farming family in Stark Erie County, Ohio. He came to California in 1869 on the recently Weah Management Taxes Financial Planning County, Illinois. He was living in completed Union Pacific railway. San Diego by 1869, and he marHe could not get a clerk position ried Alice Mary Dougherty that in San Francisco, but there he met year. The 1870 federal census for Joseph Nash, who had opened a San Diego listed him as a lawyer general merchandise store in with real estate worth $5,000 San Diego. The two men traveled — nearly $100,000 in today’s by steamer to San Diego, and dollars. Hamilton worked in Nash’s store.

Arnold and Choate partnered in In 1870, Hamilton met George real estate during the early 1870s. Marston, a new arrival from The Daily Union’s April 15, 1871 Wisconsin who briefly clerked issue presented a large ad for “Arnold & Choate, Real Estate Dealers, Office 5th St. between I & J.” Their offerings included “1000 Lots in Arnold (619) 295-0200 & Choate’s Addition at $25.00 a lot.” www.rowling.com

Arnold moved from San Diego to San Francisco around 1876. He was listed in the 1877 San Francisco City Directory as oper ating “Arnold Bros (C.M. Charles Hamilton and George Marston and G.C.) real estate and advertised their new partnership in the Daily money brokers” at 423 Kearny Street, just a few Union’s March 5, 1874 issue. Villa Terrace between University Avenue and Upas Street was originally named Hamilton Avenue for doors down from where Charles Hamilton. (Courtesy of the San Diego Choate had operated Union and Newsbank Inc.)

10/31/20

TWO

DATE & TIME TBD DUE TO COVID-19. Current elected representatives will remain in their Board of Director seats until further notice.

UCPD

Wednesday, October 21st,2020 9:30-10:30 am Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe located at 3719 India St.

TWO SEAT REPRESENTING BUSINESSES

Election hosted by: Hillcrest Town Council and Hillcrest Business Association

HBA's annual meeting will be held on October 13th from 5pm-7pm at Rich's Nightclub 1051 University Avenue, on their outdoor patio.

TWO Those interested in running for the Hillcrest parking board business seat should contact Hillcrest Business Association before the 9th of October, or by nominating themselves at the event.

Those interested in running for the parking board as a resident should contact the Hillcrest Town Council or by nominating themselves at the event.

Nomination Deadline: Fri, October 9th at 5pm

(Photo courtesy Office of Sen. Toni Atkins)

Atkins: Vote in RBG’s memory

Notes from Toni

By TONI G. ATKINS

Ever since we lost our national treasure, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I have been touched and moved by the tributes that have come her way: the flowers from ordinary citizens that have piled up outside the Supreme Court. The stories from fellow judges and clerks about her diligence and compassion in ap proaching the law. The people lined up for hours just to pay their respects. Social media has also been filled with posts in her honor—including some of my favorites, the ones pointing out that the best way for us to pay tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg is to vote. One of the reasons it is so important for us to vote is to counter the misinformation and intimidation that we are seeing deployed against people who are simply seeking to exercise this most basic right.

With the election fast approaching, there are several things we can do to make sure our vote is counted. First, of course, is registering. The deadline to register for the November election is October 19. California law does allow voting by provisional ballot for people who register after that deadline, but there’s no time like the present to sign up and get it done. The San Diego County Registrar of SUE GONDA | Downtown & Uptown News

“One of the things that concerns me most is that we will no longer have a pioneer in the civil rights movement or women’s rights movement on the court. And I think we are losing something now that we’ve lost that voice. We had it with Thurgood Marshall and we’ve had it with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And I hope that somehow we can regain that.” - Prof. Anita Hill on NPR

Since 1970, Ginsburg was the architect of successful legal chal lenges to gender discrimination. In recent years she’s been a cultural icon (without prompting from her) as “the Notorious RBG,” a “badass” superhero-like crusader for equality and inclusiveness. Her small stature and soft-spoken style contrasted Voters website at sdvote.com has a lot of valuable information on how to vote safely and securely, including the latest word on County ballot drop-off locations and how to track your ballot to make sure it has been recorded.

California has also taken steps to protect survivors of domestic violence and stalking who want to register to vote, but need to keep their home addresses hidden. If someone you know is part of California’s confidential address program, Safe at Home, or you know someone who should be, please share with them that there are ways to register to vote confidentially. The Safe At Home program has a toll-free hotline 877-322- 5227 for more information about registering and about this important program in general. I think Justice Ginsburg herself would be pleased at this ability of survivors to reclaim and exercise rights that others would have denied them. And that reminds me of maybe my favorite post that I’ve seen about her: When you vote, tell them Ruth sent you!

Looking for even more ways to honor all that RBG stood for? Volunteer to be a poll worker this year—there are ways to serve safely even during this pandemic, and you can help ensure the rights of others are being upheld at this critical time in our nation’s history. You can sign

In memoriam: Inspiration and hope in the life and work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

up at pollworker.sos.ca.gov. sharply with her edgy wit and withering condemnations of gender and race-based laws and practices.

“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks,” we hear her say in the documentary RBG. Today, you can find many pages of her image or quotes on COVID-19 face masks, T-shirts, tattoos, internet memes, and even Halloween costumes. Look, and you will easily find, “I dissent” or images of her iconic headshot with a crown. She regularly “appeared” on Saturday Night Live, thanks to actor Kate McKinnon.

Her recent rock-star status started with a 2013 law student’s blog after Justice Ginsberg’s scathing dissent

OPINION

Not planning on voting? Read this

BRIAN SCHRADER Downtown & Uptown News

The 2020 election is almost upon us and some of you are not going to vote. Over 40% of Californians eligible to vote in the last presidential election did not make their voices heard, and while the 2018 mid terms had a surprisingly high turnout, over 35% of Californians stayed home. Most people are not fans of national politics, and who can blame them? However, there’s a lot more on the ballot this year than who will be our next president and there’s possibility in the air in California specifically. This year everything is up for grabs from ballot measures to state representatives, to the mayor and the city council. If there were ever a year to make your voice heard, this is the one.

This year has been filled with calamity after calamity and it can feel like we’re all listless—adrift in the currents of this age. But elections are how we, in a democracy, right the ship of state. They are how we decide on a path forward and how we solve our problems. Today much of our politics takes place under the shadow of division and strife; each side blaming the other for their grievances. We have, in many ways, lost the ability to discuss and debate real solutions to problems. But in a de mocracy, even a flawed one, we must come together with a shared version of reality and devise real, actionable and effective solutions. Sometimes our side wins and sometimes not, but we must keep playing the game. In the game of democracy each of us have our roles to play: some decide our laws, others execute or enforce them, but We the People must decide for ourselves who fills each role and when. We the People are the coaches: We decide who plays and who sits on the bench; we make these decisions every two years with a pen and a ballot.

Some will say that your vote doesn’t matter. They will point to the simple fact that California will almost certainly go blue in the presidential race, as it has for nearly 30 years, regardless of your preference. This may be true, but it ignores two very simple facts. There is much more than just the presidency up for grabs. For voters who care about increasing rent prices, the housing crisis, internet privacy, police reform and climate change, this election matters. In some cases, there are ballot measures, put directly to the voters, to address these issues. In other cases, voters will be asked to decide who will get a seat at the negotiat ing table when these issues are discussed and actions are taken (or not taken). One vote rarely makes a difference, true, but it is incredibly common for the fate of districts, ballot measures, mayoral races and more to be decided by a few hundred votes. Often the results affecting some of our most important decisions can be swayed by fewer people than those in a high-school’s gradu ating class. Put another way: Convincing people not to vote is often easier than convincing them to switch sides, so opting out of the voting process often benefits those in opposition to your interests. Voting is perhaps the single most important thing Americans can do to effect change in their own lives. If voting didn’t matter, why did generations of disenfranchised Americans fight so hard to do so?

If you, like me, look out at the world today and want to see it changed and made better, then you must vote. Our system is far from perfect; it never was. Our founders certainly didn’t think so. Their own words state that our constitution was written, “in Order to form a more perfect Union”. Their goal was to strive for perfection, to get closer and closer to that impossible goal, all while knowing they could never truly achieve it. The mission of the United States has never been to hold on to some imagined perfection, instead it is to constantly push for a better world: A more just, more free, and more prosperous society. That we are not perfect now is not a failing, it simply means there is more work to be done. In a democracy, We the People are responsible for the world we create. We make it what it is and we do that with our vote.

1621 Grand Ave. Suite C San Diego, CA 92109 858-270-3103 sdnews.com Facebook.com/sandiegodowntownnews Twitter: @sddowntownnews Instagram: @sd_downtownnews

EDITOR

Kendra Sitton kendra@sdnews.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jeff Clemetson x130 Tom Melville x131 Dave Schwab x 132

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Toni Atkins Diana Cavagnaro Mara Elliott Christopher Gomez Sue Gonda Lisa Halverstadt Katherine Hon Vince Meehan Brian Schrader Summer Stephan Sandee Wilhoit Delle Willett

WEB / SOCIAL MEDIA

Kendra Sitton

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

Mike Rosensteel (619) 961-1958 miker@sdnews.com Lauren Vernon (571) 259-1530 lauren@sdnews.com

BUSINESS CONSULTANT

David Mannis (619) 961-1951 david@sdcnn.com

ACCOUNTING

Heather Humble x120 accounting@sdnews.com

PUBLISHER

Julie Main x106 julie@sdnews.com

OPINIONS/LETTERS: San Diego Downtown News encourages letters to the editor and guest editorials. Please email either to kendra@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: Press releases and story ideas are welcomed. Send press releases, tips, photos or story ideas to kendra@sdnews.com.

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

DISTRIBUTION: San Diego Downtown News is distributed free on the first Friday of every month. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.

LA JOLLA

LITTLE ITALY / HISTORY

Then and now: The Little Italy Mercato Farmers’ Market

Little Italy News

By CHRISTOPHER GOMEZ

For those weekend warriors who love spending their Saturdays strolling through local farmers’ markets, the Little Italy’s Mercato has been attracting locals for over 12 years. The largest farmers’ market in San Diego, the Little Italy Mercato, has become a staple in the city, providing the freshest goods and produce from local farms and vendors.

Opened in June 2008, it didn’t take much time for both residents and visitors to take a liking to Little Italy’s Mercato. It became a hot spot for local chefs to shop at for fresh ingredients. Many people began turning away from their local grocery stores and stocking up on the produce sold every Saturday. It became the perfect place for people to enjoy their breakfast and lunch while listening to music and taking in the peaceful ambience of Little Italy. By the end of the 2008, the Mercato became the heart of the city.

Following a brief hiatus in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the Little Italy Mercato returned in the beginning of April with a brand-new layout following strict San Diego County requirements, creating an environment where visitors can safely and efficiently shop for fresh groceries in a wellspaced, open-air shopping area, every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Since its reopening, the market has begun slowly and safely expanding from just two blocks to now four blocks providing plenty of space between the farm stands.

Little Italy’s iconic sign. (Photo courtesy Little Italy Association)

Located on W. Date Street, between Kettner Blvd and Union Street, visitors can shop from over 20 vendors offering a wide variety of goods including vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish, along with market favorites such as yogurts, coffee beans, and baked goods. Shoppers can also enjoy a sec tion of locally crafted soaps, face masks, cards, and art.

In order to maintain social distancing protocols, the Little Italy Mercato has been restricting the number of people allowed inside at one time and ask shoppers to wear face masks and keep a minimum of six feet between them and the vendor tents. A new ‘point to purchase’ rule has also been put into effect in which shoppers are asked to not touch any produce prior to purchase and instead to simply point at which item they would like to examine and have the vendor place it on the table for them to observe, minimizing the amount of contact y before the purchase.

To minimize crowds, visitors are being asked to do their shopping alone or bring no more than one other person for assistance. Once shoppers have obtained all their desired goods, they are being asked to please exit the market in order to allow others to enter. All staff members, vendors, and shoppers are expected to wear face masks while shopping inside Mercato and to refrain from eating or drinking inside the market. All ready-to-eat meals such as the Indian samosas and sushi burritos are still available for purchase to-go and can be enjoyed at home or a favorite open-air park or space.

—For the latest updates on the Little Italy Mercato, please visit us at LittleItalySD.com or follow us on Instagram @LittleItalySD, Twitter @LittleItalySD and Facebook @ LittleItalySD. Christopher Gomez has been Little Italy’s district manager since 2000. Reach him at chris@ littleitalysd.com.

Street Names Walker Street was changed to Villa Terrace in 1908. CONTINUED FROM Page 5 William Driscoll (1845-1907) elegant building still exists, alents. He first registered in San though the Hamilton business Diego on February 24, 1869 as a closed around 1953. clerk. He was named with many

Charles Hamilton died on others — including Joseph Nash March 17, 1933. A tribute to him — in the Daily Union’s September on the editorial page of the San 11, 1873 issue as being involved in Diego Union’s March 21, 1933 lands designated for the Texas and issue called him “A fine man, a Pacific Railway Company. Driscoll brave one, and a pioneer who continued to be listed in the San typified the best in that great Diego register through 1879 but parade of pioneers to the Golden then vanished from city records. State.” He is buried at Mount Ancestry.com family trees indiHope Cemetery. cate he died January 15, 1907.

P re s ent- day Hamilton Street in University Heig ht s wa s named California Street on the original 1888 subdivision map, but the name was changed in 1899 because there were at least four California Streets in San Diego at This elegant building at Seventh and C streets built that time. The in 1928 for Hamilton’s Fine Foods features stately name Hamilton columns, expansive windows and ornate frieze trim. was likely chosen (Photo by Katherine Hon) in an attempt to achieve some continuity with The next PastMatters column the street that was still named will examine the original names Hamilton south of University of more North Park streets from Avenue. City Engineer Louis 28th Street eastward. Davids changed the southern was born in Indiana to Irish parportion to Walker Street in —Katherine Hon is the secre1900, perhaps because he de tary of the North Park Historical cided the physical offset between Society. Reach her at info@norththe two segments was too great. parkhistory.org or 619-294-8990.

City Attorney News

By MARA W. ELLIOTT

As City Attorney, I’ve made it a priority to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, especially children, domestic violence victims, and elderly and dependent adults.

Some of the most disturbing cases our office handles involve elderly and dependent adults who reside in Independent Living Facilities (ILFs) that do not comply with local and state laws intended to keep residents safe. An ILF offers rooms in a single-family home for rent to people who often have no other residential options because they do not have family or friends to look out for them and they lack financial resources. Most ILFs are responsible and law-abiding and are often the only housing option

District Attorney News

By SUMMER STEPHAN

With COVID-19 keeping many families at home, streaming services have become a popular way to pass the time. Services that keeps these renters from being on the streets.

Now, as the pandemic continues, our most vulnerable are especially at risk because many are completely isolated from outsiders, especially medical professionals. Routine interactions that might have raised a red flag about the treatment of a resident aren’t happening and might not happen anytime soon.

Since ILFs aren’t nursing homes or assisted living facilities, they aren’t licensed or overseen by the County or the State, and this can lead to serious and potentially deadly problems for members of our communities. We’ve encountered ILFs that subject their tenants to truly deplorable conditions, including rodents, cockroaches and bed bug infestations, and serious code violations including exposed electrical wiring and non-working carbon monoxide detectors. In one case, inspectors found the residents wearing filthy such Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ allow folks to quarantine at home without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, scammers have taken note of the rise in streaming service users and have sought to exploit the growing market.

Two main scams have surfaced recently: An email scam and a fake clothes and the ILF operator admitted he’d unplugged the washer and dryer because he didn’t want the tenants wasting water.

In several cases, inspectors have arrived to find a tenant in such bad physical shape that they had to be immediately hospitalized. City inspectors found one resident lying naked, disheveled, and unresponsive in a dirty, trash-strewn bedroom.

Our office launched a concerted crackdown on substandard ILFs in 2018. In most cases, we file criminal charges, seek penalties against unscrupulous owners and operators, and shut them down.

Recently, our office charged an ILF operator with 23 criminal counts, including willful cruelty to a dependent adult, theft, and embezzlement. A paraplegic man in his care had to be transported to the hospital after paramedics found him covered in feces, suffering from severe bedsores, website scam. The first scam involves fraudsters using fake emails, commonly known as phishing emails, to obtain sensitive information from victims. These emails typically resemble emails from streaming services and advertise discounts and specials. Many offer a free trial period and other similar specials in and hooked to a catheter that hadn’t been changed in weeks. Another resident had his $800 Social Security check stolen by the operator.

When I realized a team approach was required to hold ILF operators accountable for abuse and exploitation, I established the Independent Living Facilities Vulnerable Victim Program in our Criminal and Community Justice Division. I’ve also hired a Victim Services Coordinator to work with prosecutors to ensure the safe relocation of residents. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, our investigators continue to conduct extensive site visits to build criminal cases against problem ILFs.

Because the pandemic makes it more difficult to monitor ILFs, we need your help looking out for seniors and the medically fragile who have no family or friends checking in on them. exchange for a credit card number or personal information.

The second scam involves fake websites scammers create that closely resemble real streaming websites. Through these fake websites, swindlers obtain personal information, such as a credit card number, from their unsuspecting

You can help us protect people from predatory ILF operators by keeping an eye out for them in your own neighborhood. Sometimes the residences that house these vulnerable individuals are the site of frequent disturbances or so poorly kept that they are an eyesore in the community.

Please call the police if you see suspicious activity at homes where it appears vulnerable residents may be living in a group setting.

SDPD non-emergency lines: 619-531-2000 or 858-484- 3154. Always call 9-1-1 in an emergency.

You can also contact the City Attorney’s Victim Services Coordinator at 619-533-5678 or by emailing cityattorney@sandiego.gov.

With your help, our work to protect San Diego’s most vulnerable residents will continue despite these challenging times.

—Mara W. Elliott is the San

Don’t get scammed next time you stream a movie

Diego City Attorney. victims. Luckily, there are many signs that you can look out for in order to spot them.

Ways to spot scam emails include: • Bad grammar or spelling mistakes. • The email does not address you by name or contains no di rectly identifying information.

SEE SCAMMERS, Page 10