Mission Times Courier - June 2013

Clearing the Way for fire Prevention

By Dave SchwabNavajo Community Planners,

Inc. (NCPI) declined at its May meeting to reconsider its opposi-tion to rezoning on a downscaled condo project along Mission Gorge Road.

In August 2012, NCPI voted to oppose a rezoning request on the Varzi Condo Project to allow up to 18 units to be built on a site previously designated for mobile home use at 6736 Mission Gorge Road.

This May applicant Iraj Varzi returned, asking planners to reconsider their previous oppo-sition to his rezone request, in exchange for his pledge not to build more than eight condos on the site.

“I have been told by engineers that it’s almost impossible to redevelop this site to have more than eight units,” Varzi told planners.

NCPI chair Anthony Wagner asked for assurances from Varzi that he would willingly “cap” the number of condo units that could be built on the property.

“We need to know if we’re going to be having a relationship with you or somebody else,” said Wagner, who then asked Varzi, “Are you going to be sticking around, or are you planning to offload the property?”

Varzi replied that he intends to redevelop the property.

Planners asked city planner Morris Dye was asked if there was some legal mechanism to ensure that no more than eight units could be built on Varzi’s Mission Gorge Road site.

“The short answer is you don’t have any [assurance],” Dye said. “Mr. Varzi could resell that property tomorrow and it could be rezoned. There are no guar-antees, particularly if he sold it later on to somebody else, it could be developed at a higher number [of units].”

Dye pointed out Varzi was making a good faith effort to reassure planners of his intent to

Mission GorGe Condo ProjeCt HanGs in LiMbo

See Water page 16

See Condo page 14See PreVention page 17

The $2 Billion FighT: San Diego’S WaTer SupplyBy Genevieve A. Suzuki

The old adage goes, “He who controls water controls life.”

Power, big money and secret meetings between agency rep-resentatives - it’s only a matter of time before the legal battle between the San Diego County Water Authority and the

By Jeremy OgulOne of the biggest fires in San

Diego history began with a spark near Camino Del Rio South, just east of Interstate 805, on the last day of June 1985. It was already the hottest day of the year, and it only got hotter as winds blew the flames up a canyon wall covered with thick, dry brush.

The Normal Heights Fire burned 300 acres, destroying 76 homes and damaging 56 others

before it was put out later in the day. The fire caused an estimated $9 million in property damage. There were no deaths, but the destruction encouraged the city to take new steps to prevent some-thing like Normal Heights Fire from happening ever again.

One of the results of that fire was the weed and brush abate-ment program through the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

By Jeremy OgulAfter decades of being

squeezed into small residential houses, Hillel at San Diego State University finally broke ground last month on a new 10,850 sq. ft. building that will serve as a Jewish community center on campus.

The new Melvin Garb Hillel Center will sit on a half-acre site east of Campanile Drive at 5705 and 5717 Lindo Paseo, where Hillel had been using two houses built in 1945 and 1951.

SDSU JeWiSh CommUnit y Center to oPen 2014

See CoMMUnitY page 7

Metropolitan Water District hits Hollywood.

The Water Authority filed two lawsuits, one in 2010 and the other in 2012, challenging MWD’s rates, which improperly classify hundreds of millions of dollars in its water supply costs as

transportation costs, according to the Water Authority. The Water Authority further believes the rates were purposely conceived to “specifically disadvantage the Water Authority,” the only agency that uses MWD’s pipe-

View from Lake Oroville Visitors Center

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Girl Scouts Manage Dailard Elementary

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Local Girl Scout Cadettes Jacquelyn Hulley, 13, and Kyra Brooks, 14, started an after-school reading program called, “The Hands on Reading Program,” at Dailard Elementary School. The girls came up with the idea while working to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award, an achievement Girl Scout Cadettes can earn by successfully coming up with a project that will benefit their community and attempting to make the project sustainable. The goal of Hulley and Brooks’ project was to help struggling readers at Dailard strengthen their reading and literacy skills.

To get the program started, the girls first had to get permis-sion from the principal of the

school. The Cadettes then spoke to the staff of the YMCA after school care to get a list of names of students who might be eligible to participate in the program.

With the help of a teacher mentor, Mrs. Forehand, they were given help to get the proper training and all the books and materials needed for the pro-gram. Starting in January, Hulley and Brooks got to work and started going to Dailard every Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. to help each child in the program. They would alternate reading a book and playing a literacy game with the kids to keep things interesting during the week.

After several weeks of working

with the kids, the girls noticed a lot of improvement in the children’s reading skills. After exceeding the total required 50 hours of community service, Hulley and Brooks are continu-ing to look for volunteers to continue the program next year. Hopefully, the two girls will find someone who can find the time to volunteer, if not “The Hands on Reading Program” will have to come to an end. The Cadettes would love to do something like this again, however, because they very much enjoyed work-ing with the children in their program. Their final step was passing on their story by send-ing it here to the Mission Times Courier.

Jacquelyn Hulley and Kyra Brooks, respectively from San Carlos Troops 3916 and 3841, created a reading program at Dailard Elementary School for their Girl Scout Silver Project.

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013LocaL News

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Dear Ask the Cop: There has been a motor home parked on my street for about three months. It sometimes moves from one side of the street to the other, and I am pretty sure that a family is living in it. Is this legal? -Frustrated Neighbor

Dear Frustrated Neighbor;

Parking on public streets and alleys is regulated by the San Diego Municipal Code and the California Vehicle Code.

In the city of San Diego, it is illegal to park a motor home for 72 hours without being driven for at least a 1/10th of a mile on city streets. This is the same with any vehicle parking on city streets. San Diego Municipal Code 86.09.06 states: Parking in Excess of Seventy-Two (72) Hours Prohibited. No person shall park or cause to be parked or allow to remain standing any vehicle upon any street or high-way in excess of seventy–two (72) consecutive hours. (“Parking in Excess of Seventy–Two (72) Hours P r o h i b i t e d ” added 7–16–1984 by O–16239 N.S.) The only excep-tion to this law is if there is a city sign posted for the street that states otherwise. Usually, if there is a sign posted it is for no parking on that particular street for “fill in the blank” reason.

In this situation of the motor home moving to different areas of the street, from my view this sounds legal. You can always report the motor home to Vehicle Abatement. The investigator will

come out and take a look at the vehicle and the issue. You can report this online through the San Diego City website Go to www.sandiego.gov and click on the police department. Next, in the middle of the webpage look for “Forms.” There you’ll find a drop-down box that has “72 hour Vehicle Violation.” Clicking on “Go” will bring you to the 72 hour

vehicle complaint form. You will fill in the blanks on the page and submit it for investigation. What you need to know about the vehi-cle is: the street address at which it is parked; vehicle type; vehicle color, vehicle license plate and state issued. There is also a box where you can write in additional information.

The penalty for the 72 hour violation is a citation of $53.50.

There is a minimum of $178 tow fee plus an added mileage fee. There is a storage fee of $36 per day the vehicle is in the impound lot. If a bigger vehicle is being towed, the minimum charge for the tow is approximately $800.

For your next question, it is unlawful to live in a vehicle on San Diego city streets. San Diego Municipal Code 86.23(f) states:

It is unlaw-ful for any person to use a vehicle while it is parked or standing on any street as either tem-porary or p e r m a n e n t living quar-ters, abode, or place of habi-tation either overnight or day by day. The penalty for this violation is a parking ticket that cost $52.50. The difficulty the city faces with this violation is proof the habitation in the vehicle.

There has to be some evidence to this violation.

Officer Holland Tafoya SDPD Eastern Division Community Liaison Officer

Have a question for Ask the Cop? Email [email protected].

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013 LocaL News

Photos by Todd Kammer

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013coMMUNITY

San Carlos area Council news College Area Community Council

By John F. Pilch, SCAC Vice President The next meeting of the

College Area Community Council and Community Planning Board is Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the College-Rolando Library, 6600 Montezuma Road.

The CACC is pleased to announce the board has estab-lished a new fund which will allow us to support deserving groups in the College Area. With this fund, we can provide small donations (maximum $50) to schools and other non-profit organizations holding fund-raisers for projects that will benefit the College Area community. Applicants must be located within the boundar-ies of the College Area and hold non-profit status. There is a limit of two donations per year to each organization. If your College Area organization is holding a fundraiser and would like to request a donation,

please submit your applica-tion to [email protected] or attend one of our meetings and submit your request during the Public Comment period at the start of the meeting.

Among other actions taken by the board at the May 9 meet-ing was creation of an ad hoc committee to consider possible uses for the so-called “Dollar per Ticket Fund.” This fund was created in 1995 to finance projects that would mitigate possible impacts of the new arena then being built by San Diego State University, previ-ously known as Cox Arena and now known as Viejas Arena. For every ticket sold for large com-mercial events at the Arena, a dollar was placed in this special fund. The fund is used for traffic control during events, as well as for related capital improve-ments. With the fund set to expire in January 2015, when all money reverts to SDSU, this seemed like an opportune time to consider possible uses for the now substantial funds accumulated in the account. All proposed uses must of course be approved by the three par-ties to the agreement: the City of San Diego, San Diego State University, and the College Area Community Council.

The CACC also voted May 9 to request the City take immedi-ate action to begin maintenance of the landscaped median on

In accordance with our revised meeting schedule, the San Carlos Area Council (SCAC) is not meeting in June. We are next scheduled to meet on Wednesday, July 3, at 6 p.m. at the San Carlos Branch Library, 7265 Jackson Dr. The speaker and topic will be announced in the June edition of the Mission Times Courier, which is due to be distributed June 28. Please note consid-eration will be given to not holding this meeting, due to the July 4th holiday, and that will be announced in the June MTC as well.

Many thanks to Carl DeMaio for addressing the SCAC mem-bers and guests at the May 1 meeting. His Reform San Diego program stresses greater value for tax dollars under reforms already enacted. Mr. DeMaio mentioned that Mayor Bob Filner is ignoring Prop. B

– the managed competition mandate – and continuing to underfund the infrastruc-ture backlog by $85 Million, per the Independent Budget Analyst for the City Council. He concluded by stating the City is financially stable, but sliding backwards. More info can be found at www.ReformSanDiego.org.

W e a l s o t h a n k Councilmember Scott Sherman for attending the meeting and addressing the audience after Carl DeMaio. Mr. Sherman explained his priorities for our area and stressed his “common sense” approach to citywide issues. He said he is opposed to pay raises or bonuses for city employees, until the budget is balanced.

The SCAC held its annual elections at this meeting. The officers for 2013-‘14 are: Mickey Zeichick, president; John Pilch, vice president and secretary, and April Boling treasurer. We welcome Dan Northcutt as a new director and elected Kitty Mones as a director emeritus.

Community Liaison Officer (CLO) Holland (Holly) Tafoya advised the SCAC about a rob-bery series in El Cajon that has spilled over into San Carlos. Two black, adult males, ages 18-19, are driving in the areas a silver Mitsubishi and accosting victims, such as the stabbing victim on Navajo Road recently. If you see the vehicle, with the suspects in it, please call 911 ASAP. Since the meeting, there has been a series of armed rob-

beries by a suspect on a bicycle, the most recent of which was at the Vons on Navajo, just east of SR-125 in El Cajon.

We’re happy to report that the San Diego County Water Authority Re-lining project on Jackson Drive has been com-pleted. Better yet, the roadway, from Mission Gorge to Navajo roads, has received a new layer of asphalt, as promised. The SCAC and the community thank SDCWA spokesperson Craig Balben for following through on this issue. We’re also pleased to report the All-Way Stop signs on Cowles Mtn. Boulevard at Boulder Lake Drive will have been installed by the time you read this arti-cle. The San Carlos Community Garden is still going strong and has more garden plots avail-able for adoption. More info is available at www.sancar-loscommunitygarden.org.

The Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) met May 20 and heard an update from the developer about the com-mercial property (strip mall) at 7811 Mission Gorge Road just east of Margerum. The Planning Commission approved the initiation of a Community Plan Amendment May 16 and the developer wasted no time in getting plans for the develop-ment made public. They would like to construct 144 multi-fam-ily units on the property, with parking below ground. The buildings will be 40 feet high (four stories) and may block the views from existing homes on Hillandale Drive. As previously

By Rhea Kuhlman, CACC President

See san CarLos page 13 See CoLLeGe area page 12

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013 coUNcILs

Friends of Lake Murray

By Barbara Cleves AndersonBill Evans hopes that if you

walk or run at Lake Murray you will take some time to look around – especially at this time of year. He was happy to see some very young mallards with mom and dad. But he is perplexed at lake visitors who either listen to their iPods or keep their eyes fixated on the road as they exercise. He said there is so much to see if one looks.

Actually, the ones who exer-cise but do not see are probably working out some problems, thinking of what they have to do, or clearing their heads from their workday. I look around as I wear my iPod and I don’t always pay attention to the music. My mind is busy watching birds, flowers, or losing myself in thoughts, or just plain talking.

Reservoir Keeper Gayle Havens showed me a baby great blue heron standing on its nest. I saw an osprey parent feeding the baby ospreys. Corrine (Baby Girl) said she saw a fox on the lake road at the end of San Carlos Bay. She said it was a red fox but didn’t say if it was a youngster.

This is the time when babies are everywhere, including baby humans. There seem to be babies in stores, outside and almost everywhere – baby bumps abound. I have read that the baby population is down in the United States, but can that be possible?

When I see these little ones, it makes me happy… happy their parents are so attentive and proud. It heartens me to think if parents were concerned about the fate of our country and the world they would not bring babies into their lives. I take it as a sign of hope.

I read the article about rat-tlesnakes written by a Mission Trails Regional Park Ranger. She said rattlesnakes are more active at sunrise and sunset. That surprised me. I thought they would be more lethargic in the mornings when it is cool. I asked a reptile worker at the Natural History Museum about my experiences.

When I used to run on the trails at the park, I found snakes inactive in the early mornings. I was told the answer is some-times they are lethargic in the mornings – most times they are most active at sunrise and sunset. Ranger knows best. The reptile biologist and I agreed we can’t kill every rattlesnake, nor should we. They eat rats and mice and other varmints we don’t especially want to over populate where we live.

Our last “Friends” speaker

made an impression on all of us, particularly on an attend-ing Patrick Henry High School administrator. Jeneé Littrell enlightens educators and law enforcement on how to rec-ognize child abuse and sex trafficking. Once recognizing the possibility of abuse, action can be taken.

She has dedicated her-self to the growing problem. Jeneé talks to school person-nel and other groups. She has been called a pioneer in her field. Jeneé is vice princi-pal at Chaparral High School and past administrator at Grossmont High School in the capacity of Health and Wellness. Jeneé’s tenacity and reputation will increase a swift rise in her profession.

A close neighbor in San Carlos is a retired teacher. Her name is Beverly.

A couple of days ago my friend Howard, also a retired teacher, and I were talking with Beverly. She said she was on her way to Russia to climb the highest mountain there.

Beverly said her goal was to climb the highest moun-tain in each of the continents and Russia is her last. Mount Elbrus at 18,510 feet is the highest mountain in the Greater Caucasus range. I doubt it will be her last. She said she climbed part way up Mount Everest three times. I should have asked if she climbed to the Base Camp or further.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is Sept. 21 this year. That means the inland co-op, I Love a Clean San Diego, will have our yearly cleanup at Lake Murray. If we have as many people participate as we have in the past, we will get the lake and environs really clean. As you know, we really would like children to help us. Schools, churches, scouts and even preschool kids can help – and do. It is a fun day and a win-win for all of us. Besides, they get community service slips signed for the hours they work.

Our next Friends meeting will be on June 20. Our speaker is from the San Diego History Center. There are many facets to San Diego’s history. Public Progams Manager Gabe Selak will be our speaker. She will answer all of our questions. We meet at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on the corner of Wandermere and Park Ridge Boulevard at 5 p.m. For more information call Barbara at (619) 463-9706.

By Rhea Kuhlman, CACC president MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013LocaL News

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The ground floor of the new two-story building will include a coffee bar, a lounge area, a recep-tion desk, a student board room, a small library, four offices, and a larger conference room. The second floor includes a 2600 sq. ft. multipurpose room that can be used for events such as banquets, lectures and shabbat dinners. The second floor also has a full kitchen as well as ample exterior balcony space.

There is also a large backyard and patio space that includes a fire pit, a grill and space for a sukkah, a hut used during the annual Jewish festival of Sukkot. A parking lot behind the building will provide space for 36 vehicles.

Construction should be fin-ished by early 2014 on the $9 million project. The Melvin Garb Foundation made the biggest contribution with $2.5 million. Another 50 individuals and foun-dations have also contributed a total of $3.5 million.

The groundbreaking cer-emony on April 28 attracted a number of community leaders, including U.S. Rep. Susan Davis, state Sen. Marty Block, state Assemblymember Shirley Weber and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner.

Filner, who is Jewish, said he wants to see Hillel become a place for cultural exchange between Jews and other campus groups.

“I hope Hillel will welcome the Latino students of SDSU, the African American students, the Muslim students,” said Filner, who was a professor of history at SDSU before his election to Congress in 1992. “This has to be a place where we stress coming together.”

That message of inclusion was echoed by several other speakers.

“That’s a big part of what SDSU is about: bringing people together,” said SDSU President Eliot Hirshman.

Jackie Tolley, director of Hillel at SDSU, said the added space will make it easier to present larger events intended to attract diverse audiences.

“We don’t want to hibernate here,” Tolley said.

Hillel has historically hosted speeches and cultural parties, but occupancy was always limited.

“You can cram people in, but it’s not always comfortable,” Tolley said. “I’m sure people haven’t come back because it wasn’t comfortable.”

The new building will relieve groups such as the Jewish Student Union and Aztecs for Israel, which sometimes struggle to find the space they need.

“Programming space is a really big problem on our campus,” said Mor Frankle, outgoing president of Aztecs for Israel. “You have over 200 student organizations competing for the same space.”

The new building will make it easier for Hillel to host joint events with other groups on campus, such as Aztecs for Africa, which focuses on human rights issues in Africa, and the Olive

Tree Initiative, a group focused on fostering dialogue between constituents on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as broader conflicts in the Middle East.

The expanded kitchen will be especially useful for a pro-gram called Challah for Hunger, which organizes volunteers to bake and sell loaves of the tra-ditional bread to raise money for social justice causes around the world. It will also help with the weekly Shabbat dinners Hillel has hosted for years.

Though some estimate that SDSU has at least 2500 students with some connection to Judaism, a typical event in the old facility only drew a fraction of that.

“It’s not easy to get all the students there when you don’t have a facility that’s attractive to students,” said Jon Davidi, a member of SDSU’s Associated Students board of directors.

In addition to being a space to host programs, the Hillel center is also just a place to hang out, study and make friends in between classes.

Hillel’s supporters tout the building’s environmentally sus-tainable design, which has been tailored to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification. Solar panels at the site will generate at least 30 percent of the projected total energy the building will require, according to San Diego Planning Commission documents.

The building was designed by the MW Steele Group of San

Diego.The project was approved

unanimously by the College Area Community Planning Board and College Area Community Council last September.

Headlining the evening’s entertainment for your listen-ing and dancing pleasure will be the Bunnell Strings at 6:15 p.m. and then at 8:00 p.m. Checkered Past will take over reviving those great songs from the ‘80s. Bring a chair or a blanket and your danc-ing shoes, because there will be live entertainment under the stars all evening all evening long on the Windmill Farms Stage.

Saturday morning SpringFest starts with a Pancake Breakfast to get you ready for the day’s activities. Food and commercial booths will open at 9 a.m. as will the carnival rides, inflatables, history booth and Midway games area. Students from schools in the area will be displaying their art masterpieces for your enjoyment. Check out the talented young art-ists because you might be seeing the work of a future Rembrandt. The Community Stage and the

Windmill Farms Stage will be busy all day with music, dancing and other entertainment. The Grantville-Allied Gardens Kiwanis Club parade will start at 10:30 a.m. on Greenbrier Avenue. Don’t miss this “almost spectacular” event where you might see your friends, your neighbors or their

children marching proudly along the SpringFest parade route. After the parade, the SpringFest Car Show will be on display along Greenbrier Avenue.

At 1 p.m. San Diego’s favorite Zydeco band, Bayou Brothers, will take center stage and rock you with a sound “straight out of Louisiana’s dance clubs, bayou festivals and backyard crawfish boils.” Another terrific band,

Pullman Standard, will keep the joint jumpin’ when it takes over at 4 p.m. – you won’t want to miss them! Starting at 6:15 p.m., Navajo Sings featuring our Navajo Community’s finest karaoke talent will be on display for your entertainment. And at 7:45 p.m., the highlight of the evening, HELP, a great Beatles

revival ban, will certainly get the dancers up and doing their thing!

The Beer and Wine Garden will re-open at 5 p.m. to slake your thirst and wash down a delicious snack from one of the food booths. As you can see, the celebration is non-stop all day long. Come early and stay late at the Allied Gardens SpringFest celebration.


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San Carlos friends of the libraryBenjamin Branch Friends of the LibraryBy Sue Hotz

Log onto www.sancarlos-friendsofthelibrary.org for details about our special summer activities or pick up June’s calendar at the Library. All programs are free and open to the public.

Congratulations to the San Carlos Library’s 16th Annual City-wide Library Essay Contest Grand Prize Winners. They are Caroline Beail, a fourth-grader at Dailard Elementary, and

Bailey Pinto, a tenth-grader at Patrick Henry High School. Each received a new laptop computer from Computers 2 SD Kids, $75 from Friends of San Diego Public Library, and mementos presented by the San Diego City Council and FSDPL. We also had two prize winning semi-finalists: Anngely Leeds from the Learning Choice Academy and Isabelle Pinto from Pershing Middle School. All of the submitted essays were impressive. Winner of the best overall essay won $500 in memory of Jack Winer, contest founder and past president of SCFOL and FSDPL. We con-gratulate the students, parents and teaching staffs and thank the contest sponsors for their

support.The Summer Reading

Program “Reading is Delicious” starts June 15. Kids: June 19 at 2 p.m., Literature Comes to Life; June 26, Amazing Dana. Teens: June 11 at 3:30 p.m. Image Transfers with Eric; June 12 and June 26 at 6 p.m. Wii tournaments (prizes); June 18 at 5 p.m.: Movie & Pizza. Adult Programs: June 4-July 3, Maria Louisa Dominguez’s artwork will be on display in

the library’s Community Room. San Diego’s Elise Sax, author of An Affair to Dismember, tells us about her fun summer read on June 14 at 2 p.m. OASIS: June 21 at 1 p.m. enjoy “Color Me Fabulous” presented by Colette Michelle. Please pre-register. Get Fit at Your Library: A spe-cial program for all ages runs thru November. Topics cover nutritional-mental-physical-financial health. New: Stretch & Tone and Mat Yoga classes. June 7: Biometric Testing; June 19: Retirement Wellness with Michael Zeiger; June 28: NAMI Mental Illness Seminar.

BOOKS: The Librarian’s Book Club selection for June 13 is Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller and for July 11 read Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Honeycutt. New San Carlos titles are listed monthly on our website. Our next Used Book Sales are June 1 and July 6. Thank you for supporting our Spring Craft Show. SCFOL Life Membership half-price sale lasts until Sept. 30 – only $250. All proceeds from these events support our library.

As spring cruises into summer, the neighborhood library in Allied Gardens is gearing up for a variety of many new programs and activities, while keeping the familiar. The Benjamin Branch Friends if the Library chapter is helping to support these activities so that all ages are able to enjoy the library without any cost to the individual. Also, as tem-peratures continue to rise, the library is designated as a Cool Zone. ESSAY CONTEST

We have a winner in the 16th annual city-wide

Writing for Literacy Essay Contest! Delilah Delgado, a fourth-grade student at Hearst Elementary, was one of 13 Grand Prize winners. Each winner received a laptop com-puter from Computers 2 SD kids.

The 17th annual contest is in planning stages. Information will be available in August, and each public and private school will receive details.OASIS CLASSES

The members of FOL will be underwriting three classes in the fall, beginning in September. In the meantime, the library will be offering classes, many of which are

designed for the senior citizen.BOOK SALE

The next gently-used book sale is set for Saturday, July 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. You may want to stock up on reading material for summer trips, staycations or general R & R. Proceeds from sales help to support many library activi-ties. Come browse and then buy at bargain prices!TEEN SCENE

Funded by FOL, Teen Scene has activities and food! Area teens are invited for games, puzzles and snacks following school on Wednesdays. On Friday, May 10, the library was closed on lock down – no one in or out from 6 to 9 p.m. Fourteen teens attended this event with supervision by library staff and volunteers. The evening was enjoyed by everyone.

SUMMER READING PROGRAMS

Years ago, these activities were developed to encourage reading by school age children. This year specific groups will be formed, from infant to 18 years old. Prizes will be awarded at each level to those who accom-plish set goals. Check in at the library so that you and your children will be aware of rules and awards. NEWS TO USE

Our library phone number is (619) 533-3970. Friends of the Library meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Become involved with library activities – they are fun!

By Anne Lee

Lillian Palmer

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013eYe oN THe coMMUNITY

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Allied Gardens Community Council

To lift a slogan from the United Way: Who are you in OUR community?

If you’re an Allied Gardens or Grantville resident, consider the fact that “we” collectively have about 20,000 neighbors all living in 13 different styles of single-family homes that were built in the mid-1950s.

If you’re like my neighbor, Marie Ostwald, you picked out your house in 1957 because of its view of Admiral Baker Golf Course, raised your family, and stayed here – you would have the distinct title of “Original Homeowner.”

Or maybe you’re like my folks, who came in 1971 and raised my sister and me. I stayed because I truly loved our community as home.

I am now raising my own family just blocks from where my parents still live today. (Never underestimate the value of free babysitting).

There you have it – four dif-ferent generations, Marie, my parents, my wife and our family – all calling Allied Gardens and Grantville home in the same moment in time. What draws us together is a shared history of community.

That generational diversity makes Allied Gardens and Grantville the best place on Earth, yet change is inevitable.

Not only will the look and feel of our neighborhood change over the next decade, we are changing too.

Throughout that change, the Allied Gardens Community Council can set the stage and promote the discussion for what we want our change to look like.

If you are reading this, there’s a good chance you’re over 50, married with kids already out of the house, and you’ve lived in your current home about 20 to 25 years and it’s almost paid off. Said a little differ-ently, only about 20 percent of our neighbors (myself included) have school-age children in the home and have more than less mortgage to pay off.

As you may have already surmised, those numbers are slowly shifting in a younger married-with-children direc-tion. A swell of homeownership for younger families is on the rise.

The one thing at stake for us all – our sense of community. While our individual interpre-tations of “community” may vary, we can agree that we all care about what happens in our community. Moreover, our com-munity is only as strong as the bond we feel to one another.

What can we do as a commu-nity to harness that energy, ingenuity, spirit and pride of Allied Gardens and Grantville – how can we collectively con-tribute to improving the quality of life around us?

Join the Allied Gardens Community Council. We – your

community – need you. We are stronger together!

In an effort to welcome you back or welcome you for the first time, the Allied Gardens Community Council is attempt-ing to adapt itself.

Previously, our newsletter was only available via post mail and our AlliedGardens.org website was antiquated and cumbersome. Both are being revamped to ensure they’re a better tool to promote “community.”

Topics on the website and in the newsletter will be commu-nity driven and include written contributions from our neigh-borhood schools, businesses, churches, social groups and you. Have an interesting idea or project that could help promote community? Don’t hesitate to contribute your ideas. No idea is too small or too large.

There is a place for every-one in the Allied Gardens Community Council – old, young, left, right, or middle.

Our board has also invested in a member database system to more accurately engage members and potential mem-bers. But we still need you!

Please join the Allied Gardens Community Council. Volunteer on our board or come to a Town Hall meeting. Help support our community by sub-scribing to the Allied Gardens Community Council Newsletter – it is $8 and right now one of the few ways the Community Council generates revenue.

That $8 goes a long way to support community events like SpringFest and the Holiday Festivities. It also ensures our ability to instantaneously dis-seminate important community information.

Our community needs you – mail your $8 payment, name, phone, address, and email address to: Allied Gardens Community Council, P.O. Box 600425, San Diego, CA 92160-0425. (One day you’ll be able to contribute online.)

In the future, after some growth, it would be nice to be able to create an Allied Gardens Community Council scholarship stipend for our next generation or be able to garner the resources to help a tired neighbor paint their house, trim their bushes, or fix something in need.

The truest sense of com-munity is possible with your participation – no matter how small.

Contact Anthony Wagner at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @AnthonyWagnerSD.

See deL Cerro page 15

Del Cerro Action Council

Mayor Bob Filner will be our guest speaker at the July 25 DCAC quarterly meeting at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. With eight months of his administration behind him, and the FY 2014 budget in place, Mayor Filner will pro-vide an update on the City of San Diego and answer ques-tions. Mark your calendar. This will be a very good opportunity to be brought up-to-date on the current status and to learn about future for our city as the economy improves.

On Sunday, May 19, while staffing the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation booth at the annual Scripps Ranch Community Fair, I met Susan Krzywicki with the San Diego Native Plant Society. Our discussion led to her inform-ing me she helped establish two native plant gardens in common space areas of the Del Cerro Heights property. I asked her to email me a few sentences about the project as other Del Cerro residents are most likely interested in planting colorful native plants to help reduce their landscape watering.

Susan submitted the follow-ing: The California Native Plant society has been encouraging homeowners and homeowners associations to use our local plant palette in order to show our heritage and connect gar-deners and others to the beauty of our natural environment.

Native plants are colorful, varied and can often substan-tially reduce the amount of water required for ongoing aes-thetic appeal. In the Del Cerro area, there are a couple of dem-onstration native gardens in common areas of a local HOA.

By Anthony WagnerAGCC President

By Anthony Wagner

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thoUSanDS of ChilDren exPlore miSSion trailSBy Jay Wilson, MTRP Foundation

The 11th Annual Explore Mission Trails Day entertained 3,512 enthusiastic visitors May 18 at the Equestrian Staging Area (ESA), the Visitor Center (VC) and Kumeyaay Lake at Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP). One-hundred-fifteen outstanding vol-unteers, as well as City and MTRP Foundation staff, worked together to ensure success.

The MTRP Passport Visa led children on an adventure to collect nine nature-related stamps at vari-ous activity booths at the VC and the ESA.

For kids and parents alike, EMTD was an opportunity to delve into the natural world through discovery and hands-on action. Each booth visited was an opportunity to learn about individual topics in nature, from animals tracks to nature rescue operations.

Ranger Mika Shimada, who established the “Trail Explorers” (MTRP’s version of Junior Rangers), stated, “These young park volunteers joined us in preparing and hosting their own special booths, and in sharing their love of nature. At the ‘Fairy Garden’ exhibit,

they helped visitors foster wildlife habitats using native plants and water conservation. Participants decorated kiddie-size terra-cotta pots, added soil, seed, and water to take home

and grow! At the ‘Woodrat Booth,’ burgeoning artists made clay woodrats, decorating their creations with twigs and leaves. It was rewarding to see children feeling proud and con-fident as they prepared their exhibits and experiencing the excitement of this great event.”

Activities abounded. You could exchange glances with a black widow spider (safely through glass) at the “Intriguing Insects” booth, and find yourself at “Radical Reptiles” examining a Red Diamond and Southern Pacific rattler with rosy boa named Bobo comfortably coiling your arm!

EMTD was an opportunity to

investigate Native American cultural heritage, through authentic Kumeyaay children’s games, or examine lithic tools, houseware and clothing items at another. Participants pre-

pared acorns and sampled nature’s menu items from seaweed to pinon nuts, and tested hunting skills by throw-ing rabbit sticks at fabric bunnies. Examinations at “Geology Rocks” introduced every-one to the park’s geologic forms and heightened the experience of kids as they

transformed into avid moun-taineers, climbing the rock wall sponsored by Republic Services, Inc.

At the Camouflage Station, budding naturalists learned how creatures use concealment to thrive. After a nature walk identifying “Kool Kumeyaay Plants,” young botanical artists created plant leaf illustrations.

Free pony rides, arts and crafts, face painting, and out-door recreation demonstrations including the Boy Scout “Cave Experience” added to the carni-val atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the Visitor Center was crawling with rep-

See Mission traiLs page 22

Ranger Mika Shimada and five members of the MTRP Trail Explorers program stand behind part of their discovery station booth at Explore Mission Trails Day.

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College-Rolando Friends of LibraryBy Candace H. Valenzuela

Author talk by J. Elke Ertie: Join us June 25 at 5 p.m. as we welcome author J. Elke Ertie. It is our privilege to hear her speak about her recent book, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom.

Zumba Gold/Low Impact Fitness: Join us to stay fit on the first and third Saturday at 9:45 a.m. and the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

Aryn’s Family Yoga: Hatha Yoga for Adults the second and fourth Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. in the community room. No res-ervation required. Just bring a yoga mat or towel and wear comfortable clothing.

Book Club: This month’s book is Major Pettigrew›s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. The club is meeting Saturday, June 8 at 10 a.m. in Seminar Room B. Copies are available for check-out at the circulation desk. No registration or membership is required. New members are always welcome!

Arts and Crafts with Cheryl: Meets on the first and third Saturdays at noon in the children’s area.

Preschool Story Time and Children’s Yoga: Story Time takes place every Friday at 10 a.m. in the children’s area, fol-lowed by children’s yoga on the first and third Fridays in the community room.

Book Sales: Every Tuesday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. Donations are welcome and can be dropped off at the front counter.

June Color aT MiSSion TrailS regional parkBy Audrey F. Baker, Trail Guide

June ushers in summer and that means vacation season! With the close proximity of the park, it’s easy to get into the spirit with frequent visits to Mission Trails. Rejuvenate and take in impor-tant recreational experiences. Here you’ll dwell in scenic beauty, against the colorful backdrop of impressive settings, and enjoy the intricacies of nature.

Whether your activity style is easy going, moderate or strenu-ous, our forty miles of trails are dressed with colorful wildflower delights and opportunities to see wildlife interactions. Examine hummingbirds nectaring amid periwinkle-blue blooms of aro-matic Black Sage. Enjoy densely clustered ornamental bouquets of Laurel Sumac and pinkish-purple flowers of Bush Mallow, while witnessing the variety of birds attracted to their branches. Contemplate the surprising displays of White and Yellow Pincussions, rose-purple Checker Bloom, the delicate patterns of Rattlesnake Weed and more.

The transition period between

spring and summer is an active time for animals. The possibility of an intimate encounter with wildlife is around every corner. Perhaps you’ll sight a tawny mule deer, a meandering pepper-toned coyote, or speedy jack rabbit racing by.

Our trail guide-led walks are an opportunity to commune with nature, enjoy chance encounters with wildlife, bird species, and other natural wonders. Unique

landscapes and habitats enliven local history and support abun-dant plant and animal life. The walks are free, interesting, fact-filled and geared to all ages and interests.

Morning walks are offered every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

You’ll start from the Visitor and Interpretive Center, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos The walk beginning from the Kumeyaay Lake Campground Entry Station, Two Father Junipero Serra Trail, at the San Carlos-Santee border, gives a dif-ferent perspective of the park and its diverse habitats. These walks are offered from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, and take in his-

toric Old Mission Dam.

W i l d l i f e Tracking, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., employs clas-sic techniques of both trackers of olde California and modern e n t h u s i a s t s . Tracking team members aid you identification and interpretation of animal signs, and give insights into critter habits. On Saturday, June 1, meet in front of the Visitor Center.

Discovery Table presents “Kumeyaay Games!” inside the Visitor Center (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) on Saturday, June 8. Play the traditional games that amused Native American children and prepared them for life in natu-ral San Diego. Make your own Staves/Stick Dice game and try

your skill at Ring and Pin, and more!

Bird the Loop with MTRP Birding Guide Jeanne Raimond and experience the multiple habi-tats of the VC Loop Trail while seeking typical species that make MTRP their home. We meet on Saturday, June 15, at 8 a.m. in front of the Visitor Center for two-hours of avian adventure.

Summer Twilight Walk delves into the nocturnal world of MTRP as dusk sets in and transitions into night. Bring jacket and flashlight for this 90-minute Trail Guide-led walk though San Diego open spaces. Join us Saturday, June 15, at 7:15 p.m. at the Bushy Hill parking lot (across from the Kumeyaay Lake Campground Entry Station), Two Father Junipero Serra Trails, Santee.

Birding Basics teaches five simple techniques to identify birds “at a glance.” The 90-minute presentation with MTRP resident birder Winona Sollock also offers tips on field guide use. (Bringing one is optional.) Class is con-ducted inside the Visitor Center, Saturday, June 29, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, come out and enjoy the park!

Visit www.mtrp.org for more information and our events cal-endar, or call (619) 668-3281. Special walks can be arranged for any club, group, business or school by contacting Ranger Heidi Gutknecht at (619) 668-3279 or at [email protected].

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013 eYe oN THe coMMUNITY

GiganticRummageSale!Saturday, June 22, 7am-1pmSt Andrew’s Lutheran Church8350 Lake Murray Blvd, San DiegoTo Benefit T.A.C.O.www.tacosd.org Serving San Diego’s Homeless

Fairmount Avenue, just south of Interstate 8 at Montezuma Road. As the western entrance to the College Area, it is impor-tant to residents that this area should remain attractive and welcoming to all who enter. For many years, the median foli-age had been maintained by CalTrans. However, CalTrans informed residents about six months ago that the median is actually the responsibility of the City, and that the City needs to assume this respon-sibility. To date, the City has not begun maintenance or watering of this landscaping, which is now starting to deteri-orate. With the summer season approaching, the matter has taken on increased urgency, as the plantings need water to survive. We are working with City and CalTrans staff to try to resolve this issue, and are hopeful that a resolution will soon be forthcoming.

For more information about the activities of the College Area Community Council and the College Area Community Planning Board, check out our website, www.collegearea.org.

A Realtor with a Big HeartBy Genevieve A. Suzuki

San Carlos resident Kimberly Schmidt has been doing some big things with her work – literally.

Since 2009, Schmidt, a Mission Valley realtor, has been donating $100 from every home she closes to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. In 2011, Schmidt took the next step and became a Big Sister herself.

“The reason this cause is close to my heart is I grew up in foster care. I know how important a mentor can be,” said Schmidt, who put herself through college, which was only possible, she added, because of the ongoing support of her high school guidance counselor, a woman she is still friends with today.

She said she tells kids it’s possible to have an education and a career as long as they’re willing to work for them. And while Schmidt may have had challenges in her childhood, she refuses to let her past define her present and future. “Here’s the way I see it: Everybody gets dealt a hand in life. … But we’re lucky we’re Americans and have access to education and so many opportunities. So many people throughout the world have it so much worse,” she said.

Schmidt graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with her bach-elor’s degree in English. She then attended graduate school at University of Minnesota to study Speech, Language, Pathology, before moving with her husband to San Diego. Schmidt said her graduate coursework has helped her with her career in real estate.

“You have to pay attention to how people communicate,” said Schmidt, who earned her real estate license in 2006.

After a year in the field, Schmidt was named Rookie of the Year for the San Diego cen-tral office of Prudential. “I focus on putting my client’s interests in front of my own interests,” said Schmidt, who is now with Coldwell Banker. “The person selling a million dollar home versus the person selling a hun-dred thousand dollar gets the same service. That’s my busi-ness model.

“I think people can tell when you’re working hard for them and they can tell when you’re honest.”

Honesty means Schmidt doesn’t just nod through the process of helping clients find, and eventually purchase, their homes. She’s often talked cli-ents out of buying properties purely on impulse.

“Real estate is very emotional

for people. My job is to pull the emotion out of it so that it’s a business transaction,” she said.

Schmidt said buying one home often leads to helping her client sell that same property in five to seven years. If the home is a sound investment the first time around, it’s easy to sell it later.

“I shop for my clients with the same care that I use to shop for myself,” she said.

Schmidt’s approach has paid off. Last year Schmidt’s team sold 38 properties. So far this year they’ve closed 12 homes and have several more proper-ties in escrow.

And thanks to Schmidt’s efforts, she was able to donate $2,600 to Big Brothers Big Sisters last year.

Although Big Brothers Big Sisters seems the ideal charity for Schmidt, she actually hap-pened upon the organization through her real estate work when its director of corporate development, Amy Benson, became her client.

“I found her and interviewed her to be my realtor,” said Benson. “She won’t let you get into a home that won’t work for you. She kept at it and made sure I was in the best place for me.”

Benson said building rela-tionships are important to Schmidt, who got to know her as a person. “She turned out to be a wonderful realtor, friend and community support,” said Benson.

And after closing Benson’s home, Schmidt asked her if, instead of sending a traditional fruit basket, Benson would mind if she made a donation to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Benson said she was impressed with Schmidt’s decision.

Even better, Schmidt’s com-mitment to donate a portion of her proceeds from every sale has inspired other realtors to do the same, according to Benson.

“She actually pioneered [the program Real Estate Cares], which I’m trying to replicate with other realty profession-als,” said Benson. “She wants this to happen so that more kids can come off our waiting list.”

Don’t expect Schmidt to be satisfied with her current char-ity work. In 2012, she held a toy drive in San Carlos for The Polinsky Children’s Center, a 24-hour facility for the tem-porary emergency shelter of children who must be separated from their families for their own safety, or when parents cannot provide care, and this year she signed up for Meals on Wheels.

“She’s amazing,” said Benson. “Kimberly just has this amaz-ing energy.”

College Area, from page 5


reported SCAC Directors met with the applicant’s represen-tatives at a Special Meeting on April 3 and voted unani-mously to oppose the change in zoning for the site. NCPI Board members, including all four representing San Carlos, felt otherwise and voted 13-3 to recommend approval of the initiation of a Community Plan Amendment, as the beginning of the process. We plan to keep a close watch on this project, as it moves forward, and will continue to advise residents, especially those on Hillandale Drive, when this is scheduled to be heard again by the NCPI Board. There are no other projects in the pipeline for San Carlos at present. For more information about NCPI and to sign up for email notifications, visit www.navajoplanners.org.

For information about speak-ers, meeting reminders and agendas and other local news, please send email to [email protected] and request your name be added to the SCAC Interested Party email list. Rest assured that your privacy will be respected and neither your name nor your email address will be shared with anyone. Messages are sent “Bcc” to prevent you from being spammed.

Finally, if you have an issue you wish us to consider or just have a question about the com-munity, please contact me at (619) 462-1408 or by email at [email protected]. Thank you.

San Carlos, from page 5


Condo, from page 1

LocaL News

downscale his project, in addition to having his preliminary rede-velopment proposal reviewed by city staff, something he wasn’t obligated to do.

NCPI board member Marilyn Reed said she had problems with reconsidering Varzi’s rezoning request.

“What concerned me about this last August was that we didn’t have a lot of information about what exactly the concept was for this project that was going in there,” she said. “As far as reconsidering this again, I would rather see something a little more definite about what it’s going to look like, instead of what we saw in August.”

A group motion to reconsider Varzi’s request for a rezone on his property died for lack of a second permanently tabling the motion.

In other NCPI news, Randi Coopersmith of Latitude 33 repre-senting developers H.M. Coleman Inc., who appeared before the group last month in April, returned again to update com-munity planners on Coleman’s proposal to rezone property at 7811 Mission Gorge Road, north of Margerum Avenue from exist-ing commercial/retail to medium density – 15 to 29 dwelling units per acre – to allow multifamily redevelopment.

Coopersmith told planners the city Planning Commission has approved developers’ rezone ini-tiation request for the site, which moves the project forward start-ing the planning development process with the city.

NCPI board was given an

updated overview of the project with noted that either apart-ments or condos could be built onsite around a central courtyard. Planners were told project park-ing would unobtrusive in that it would not be visible off-site.

NCPI also used the May meet-ing to vote 9-5 in favor of a motion to amend group bylaws to allow absences with extenuating cir-cumstances to be excused, thus circumventing existing city policy that automatically disquali-fies planners who accrue four absences within a 12-month period.

The group opted to spell out conditions for a delinquent member to be reinstated should they be disqualified from the group by a majority vote of the group’s board.

Other NCPI actions at the May meeting included:

It was announced that Jon Staab representing District 7 Councilman Scott Sherman’s office will be vacating his post and moving to Ohio in prepara-tion for returning to a military career training for special forces.

NCPI board member Matt Adams noted the San Diego River Park Master Plan, with some modifications, was unanimously approved by the San Diego City Council.


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Two large, underutilized grass areas were converted to native plantings, with the help of the landscape mainte-nance company. Native Wild Lilac (Ceanothus), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos), Sages (Salvia) and other reliable and easy care species were planted. Residents have appreciated the low water use, and, after seeing their questions about beauty and year-round greenery answered, they have enjoyed the varied blooms, colors and the added bonus: bird visitations.

A quote from her website (susankrzywicki.com): “Native gardens are a California way of life. Native gardens give the best of what it is to be a Californian. They are specific, beautiful and environmentally sound.”

There have had some last minute responses to our Del Cerro Survey and the final tabulation is underway. I will make certain Mayor Filner receives a copy prior to his appearance at our DCAC meet-ing July 25.

There was an ongoing situ-ation involving a couple of dogs roaming off-leash in Del Cerro. I have received numer-ous emails regarding this matter. Through the efforts of County Animal Control, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Councilmember Scott Sherman, Eastern Division Police Department and the City Attorney’s office, the dogs were removed. Animal Control is the responsibility of the County of San Diego. This is a good example of a resident contacting me and John Pilch of the San Carlos Area Council, and action being taken by several departments in city and county government.

I also want to thank Ina Ginos, the owner of Del Cerro Chevron, for continually pre-senting a very colorful flower garden on the southeast corner of Del Cerro Boulevard and College Avenue. Currently there is a beautiful display of white and purple flowers.

Let us hear from you and make sure to mark your cal-endar for Thursday, July 25, to hear Mayor Filner at the quarterly DCAC meeting.

Contact Jay Wilson at [email protected].

Del Cerro, from page 9

By Sari ReisJust as we humans suffer with

seasonal allergies as well as aller-gies to chemicals, foods and other substances, so do our canine and feline companions. Sometimes they will present with the same symptoms as us, such as watery eyes and sneezing, but the most common symptom in our pets is itchiness, usually resulting in excessive scratching. In fact, the scratching can be so severe it can lead to redness, open sores and even hair loss.

The most common allergies that affect pets are called atopy and are caused by airborne parti-cles. They can include pollen, dust mites and molds. Fortunately

this type of allergy is usually seasonal. Symptoms of atopy include chewing the paws, lick-ing the flank and groin, rubbing the face, recurrent hot spots and possibly inflamed ears or recur-ring ear infections.

Another type of allergy pets suffer with results from flea-bites and is called flea allergy dermati-tis. This is usually more common in dogs. The symptoms are simi-lar to the ones described above but can be more severe including hives, facial swelling and even anaphylaxis. Although rare, ana-phylaxis can be life-threatening. Symptoms usually occur with 20 minutes of exposure to the flea bite, bee sting or chemical and

include: sudden explosive diarrhea, vomiting, dif-ficulty breathing, shock, immobility and muscle-twitching. Seek immediate emergency care if this occurs. If your pet has a history of this, the vet-erinarian can supply you with an epi-pen; a syringe with a dose of epinephrine that will help with stabi-lization until emergency care has begun.

Contact dermatitis is an allergy pets can develop from contact with carpets, cleaners, plastics, grass

and other such substances. Symptoms include red bumps on the areas of the skin exposed to the allergen, as well as intense scratching and hair loss.

Food allergies are another common problem in both dogs and cats. In fact, they account for 10 – 15% of all of their allergies. Itching on the face, feet, trunk and limbs is the most common symptom but they may also have increased bowel movements and soft stools. Managing a food allergy usually means taking the diet down to bare basics and starting from there.

Diagnosing the source of an allergy is vital to managing it, so

Pet aLLerGies: HoW to reCoGnize tHeM and treat tHeMa trip to the veterinarian is essen-tial. Allergy tests are sometimes recommended. The allergy test is an intradermal skin test involv-ing injecting various allergens just under the skin and watching for reactions. Once an allergen is determined to be the culprit, treatment can begin.

Treatment can include every-thing from Benadryl (dosage recommended by veterinarian), antibiotics (such as Atopica), steroid injections, (which have side effects), topical applications such as hydrocortisone, oatmeal- based shampoos, etc.

Other things you can do to manage the allergy are to moni-tor the pollen count, wipe your pet’s paws with a wet towel after a walk, remove shoes at the door, use a monthly flea treatment, vacuum carpets frequently and wash the animal’s bedding often.

Most importantly, monitor your pet’s symptoms and get pro-fessional help as needed.

Sari Reis is a Certified Humane Education Specialist and the owner of Mission Valley Pet Sitting Services. She can be reached at (760) 644-0289 or email [email protected]. Her website is www.missionvalleypetsitting.com.


WATER, from page 1

lines to transport large volumes of independent water supplies.

In an effort to gain clarity, Water Authority attorneys asked MWD to produce evidence showing costs included in each of MWD’s rates and charges, the estimated sales volume on which those rates are based and whether MWD reconciles vari-ous rates with actual costs to set future rates.

Although state law requires MWD to charge rates that are reasonably related to the cost of the services provided and reason-ably allocated among its member agencies according to the benefit they receive from particular ser-vices, MWD has alleged in court documents it is exempt from such a mandate.

The Water Authority is making progress in its court battle.

Most recently, Superior Court judge in San Francisco ruled May 14 the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District, had to hand over documents requested by the Water Authority under the Public Records Act more than 18

months ago. Because the court determined the withholding of the documents to have caused the Water Authority undue legal expenses in chasing down the documents, and because the Water Authority was the prevail-ing party in a Public Records Act action, the court also awarded the Water Authority reasonable attorney fees and costs.

The documents requested were part of an attempt by the Water Authority to learn more about covert meetings of a group of public agency managers who appeared to be coordinating votes of the MWD board of direc-tors on water rates. These secret meetings among public agen-cies to decide MWD issues were confirmed by the other public agencies that produced thou-sands of pages of documents.

It’s the kind of cabal made for an Oliver Stone movie.Decreasing Dependence

In 1991, San Diego County was importing 95 percent of its water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Nicknamed “Mother Met” for its promise to provide 100 percent of the water 100 percent of the time, MWD threatened San Diego with a 50 percent cut in water delivery after a drought.

Although “Miracle March” rain and snow in 1991 saved the region from long-term water-delivery cuts, the dependence on MWD served as a wake-up call for the Water Authority, which began looking into ways to diver-sify its supply sources and invest in regional water delivery, stor-age and water treatment.

Thanks to the Water

Authority’s efforts, in 2012 San Diego drew only 45 percent of its water from MWD and plans to further decrease MWD’s water delivery to 30 percent by 2020.

In 2003, as part of the Water Authority’s diversification strat-egy, it signed the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), which comprises a 45- to 75-year water conservation and transfer agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District and a separate 110-year agreement to receive water conserved by lining parts of the All-American and Coachella Canals.

The QSA enabled San Diego County to receive 180,000 acre-feet of independent Colorado River water supplies this year and will increase the draw to 280,000 acre-feet in 2021.

While the QSA helped to lower MWD’s supply to San Diego, it didn’t exactly cut MWD out of the picture regarding the inde-pendent Colorado River water sources as MWD owns and oper-ates the pipelines that deliver the water to San Diego. The Water Authority is the only agency that uses the pipelines for that delivery. As such, MWD charges the Water Authority to trans-

port the water from Imperial Irrigation District into San Diego County, a charge the County Water Authority finds abusive.Suing for Transparency

Despite San Diego’s decreased dependence on MWD, increased

water rates are siphoning what-ever good will remains between the agencies. In 2010, the Water Authority filed a legal challenge over MWD-supply rates adopted for 2011 and 2012. In 2012, MWD repeated its actions by adopting its 2013 and 2014 rates, forcing the Water Authority to file a second challenge. The two cases have since been combined in court to make the pretrial and trial phases more efficient.

The rate dispute revolves around the way MWD is charging the Water Authority for supply costs, which the Water Authority believes includes improperly clas-sified transportation costs. The Water Authority is suing MWD in an effort to stop rate increases that would eventually cost rate-payers more than $2 billion over the next four decades.

According to the Water Authority, it seems that, as San Diego diversifies its supply sources, dropping dependence on MWD, MWD is seeking to maintain the financial support provided by San Diego through unlawful rate charges. The alleged secret meetings don’t help MWD’s case.

For its part, MWD may be stuck in the role of an unbend-ing parent to the Water Authority, which has grown into its independence. As the Water Authority continues to grow away from MWD, it seems its only alternative for fairness may lie within the court system, where the Water Authority won’t have to continue to ask, “Mother, may I?”

This article is the first in a series on the state of San Diego’s Water Supply.


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PREVENTION, from page 1

With fire season already underway in this year Southern California, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is reminding property owners of their obliga-tions under local and state law: clearing a 100-foot defensible space between the home and dense vegetation nearby. The requirement applies to those with canyon rim properties or any other property adjacent to native or naturalized open space.

Defensible space gives fire agencies the time and space to respond to brush fires before the flames reach struc-tures, said deputy fire marshal Eddie Villavicencio.

The Fire-Rescue Department only has the resources to give notice of this requirement to about 12,000 prop-erties a year, but all affected property owners must main-tain the defensible space every year, Villavicencio said.

The defensible space includes irrigated and non-irrigated zones, and vegetation must be thinned and pruned to certain heights depending on their proximity to the home. Native plants must not be removed, according to city code.

“It’s a delicate balance between fire requirements, environmental

protection and erosion protec-tion,” Villavicencio said.

Detailed information on main-taining a defensible space is available at www.sandiego.gov/fire.

“We do find that most home-owners – the vast majority – want to do the right thing,” Villavicencio said. “They just don’t know where to get the infor-mation or how to do it right.”

Homeowners who do not want to do it themselves can hire a con-

tractor or landscape maintenance company to do the work the right way. Another option is the Alpha Project, a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless and at-risk populations take control of their lives with jobs and social services.

Alpha Project’s fire prevention service crew ranges from 20 to 25 men at a time, all of whom are paid, said Karen Pucci, director

of special projects. The crews are made up of

formerly homeless individuals, many of whom have backgrounds in related work, she said.

“A lot of them have been to the fire camps,” Pucci said. “We train on the job. They’re all certified in the equipment that we use.”

Many of the crew members have been around for years. With long-standing contracts with various city departments as well as Mount Hope Cemetery, there

is usually plenty of work to do.

“My guys are very efficient; they get it done fast,” Pucci said. “We know what we’re doing.”

The price of Alpha Project’s fire preven-tion services range widely based on the terrain and the amount of vegeta-tion that needs to be cleared, but quoted rates tend to be lower than contractors or landscapers, Pucci said.

A particularly dry winter has made

clearing that defensible space more critical this year. Fire season in Southern California was well underway by April 15, and by early May Cal Fire announced it had responded to 1,100 wildfires around the state, 500 more than the average for that time of year. Nearly 23,000 acres had burned between January 1 and May 2, according to Cal Fire.

Across the state, snowpack

water content is only 17 per-cent of normal, according to snow surveyors with the California Department of Water Resources. That number is a sign of just how little rain fell across the state over the winter.

While storms in November and December brought higher than average rainfall, a partic-ularly dry February and March brought the snowpack levels well below average, according to the DWR.

CAL FIRE has put out warn-ings to property owners who want to clear brush themselves. Lawnmowers, for example, should not be used to cut dry grass or brush in wild areas, because the metal blade can create a spark if it hits a rock or another metal object.

In addition to clearing a defensible space near the property, fire officials recom-mend that residents create an evacuation plan in case of fire. The plan should include multiple escape routes from the home and from the neigh-borhood. It should include evacuation plans for pets and large animals such as horses and livestock. It should also include a communication plan and a designated emergency meeting location in case family members are separated.

More details and other sug-gestions about how to prepare for fire is available at www.readyforwildfire.org. The website includes detailed instructions in case evacuation is necessary.


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Garden HeLPs CoMMUnitY bLossoM By David Ogul

Sometimes it really does take a village. Or at least a neighborhood.

That’s what folks in a section of San Carlos are saying after taking what for generations had been a neglected, weed-choked patch of dirt at the corner of a school campus and transform-ing it into a garden being filled with everything from apple trees and artichokes to lettuce and leeks.

“It’s all about c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t , ” said Kelly Wood, the sparkplug behind the San Carlos Community Garden, an effort that took off after she secured a fed-eral Department of Agriculture grant through the county of San Diego. “It’s all about having people of dif-ferent generations, of different faiths, people from different walks of life coming together and working on something that ben-efits the entire area.”

Residents opened the garden at the corner of Boulder Lake Avenue and Lake Adlon Drive a little more than a year ago thanks not only to the $10,000 from the grant, but to the efforts of scores of volunteers. San Carlos United Methodist Church kicked

in $5,000 to design and build a landscaped entryway sur-rounded by various succulents and forest pansies. Eagle Scout John Calton put up the pergola. The Edge Restaurant, Dixieline Lumber, RCP Block & Brick and Armstrong Nursery were among the many businesses providing money, materials and manpower to help clear out the weeds and build an array of flower and farm-

ing beds.“Virtually everything in here

was donated, contributed or made by volunteers,” Wood said.

Residents can rent a raised farming bed for $100 year or a ground-level plot for $75 annu-ally. Gardeners are expected to volunteer at least eight hours a year, but that has hardly been a problem.

The garden began as a partner-ship between San Carlos United Methodist Church off Navajo

Road and Springall Academy, a school that educates special needs children who live with vari-ous learning disabilities. Wood, an independent marketing and fundraising consultant, is an active member of the church and is among its many members who volunteer at the school. When Wood learned two years ago about the availability of a grant to build a community garden, the forgot-

ten corner that covers just under an acre at Springall Academy was an obvious choice.

A formal grant application was submitted in the summer of 2011. It was approved that August “and we started going to work in September,” Wood said. Planning ses-sions were held with the school and the commu-

nity. Various visions were batted around, but the community’s determination never waned.

Then something unexpected happened. Expert green-thumbs started showing up to meetings in increasing numbers. Suddenly, the vision grew grander.

“There are a number of master gardeners who live in this area,” said Suzanne Mack, a member of the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. “That cer-

tainly doesn’t hurt the effort.” Today, those master gardeners

sometimes work side by side with autistic children from Springall Academy who are raising healthy crops of chard, chives, artichoke, garlic, peas and watermelon.

“The kids come out here and plant and weed and work with the dirt,” Wood said. “It’s very thera-peutic. And it’s very educational.”

The San Carlos Community Garden remains a work in prog-ress. Rocks larger than baseballs are still stacked in piles off to the side. Weeds sprout through the dirt along a pathway. And many projects, such as dry stream bed, are only half complete. But Wood and others are hoping the 30 or so plots that remain to be assembled, along with a small amphitheatre that will serve as an outdoor classroom and from

where people can listen to lec-tures and musical performances, can be constructed by the gar-den’s second anniversary.

No one is complaining about the hard work ahead. The site already looks a heckuva lot better than it has for most of the past 60 years or so. Said Mack: “This whole thing was nothing but dirt and weeds for as long as I can remember.”

David Ogul is a longtime reporter and editor who has worked at numerous Southern California daily newspapers in a career spanning more than three decades. He now runs his own communications company and writes a column for Mission Times Courier. You can follow him on Twitter via @ogul, and he can be reached via email at [email protected].


iMpaCTing The gaMe oF FooTBall Garden HeLPs CoMMUnitY bLossoM By David Rozul

At an age when most kids are graduating from middle school, 13-year-old Ryan Beck is rubbing elbows with college professors and physicists. Beck has created a foam prototype sleeve that drastically lowers potential head trauma caused by football head-to-head collisions.

After watching a hard tackle during a Chargers game, the Pershing Middle School student was inspired to explore the long-term effects of concussions on the human brain. Beck took the idea, originally conceptualized for his 8th grade science project, and ran with it.

He soon was working and receiving advice from San Diego State University Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory’s Dr. Tracy Love, and nationally rec-ognized Crash Safety Institute Director Rusty Haight.

“Yeah, this was for a science fair, but it quickly became so much more,” Beck said. “It was putting my research on concus-

sions and their effects out there for people to see – I wanted to bring awareness to the topic.”

Every year more than 300,000 sports-related traumatic brain injuries are reported in the USA alone, with the majority of the injuries being caused by a single or multiple blows to the head resulting in a concussion. E ighty - f i ve percent of those injuries occur playing football.

B e c k explained the l o n g - t e r m effects of con-cussions are very severe and more common than one may think. In 2008, the brains of 34 retired NFL players were reviewed and

32 of them had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the only brain disease to be caused by trauma.

Beck warned the worst thing about chronic traumatic enceph-

alopathy is every concus-sion is invisible and, unless you know the signs, it’s really hard to detect. Severe cases often result in depression, memory loss and extreme headaches.

Determined to find a solu-tion, Beck developed his idea to take the impact out of head-to-

head hitting by applying outer padding to a football helmet. He tested five different types of foams, gels and air packets using a specialized pendulum. The pen-dulum had two football helmets fitted with accelerometers at either end. When the two ends of the pendulum would meet, the two helmets would crash and the gravitational force was measured.

In Beck’s final design he used a hydro-anti fatigue foam with a neoprene cover, a material often used in wetsuits, and fitted it on

the outside of a helmet. The design reduced the impact of the head-to-head collisions on average by 55 percent, the most by any existing exterior foam football helmet prod-uct currently in market.

With a pro-totype in place Beck has looked into possibil-ity of patenting his creation but is hindered with limited funding and nec-essary extensive testing.

“I would love to pursue this and see how far I can get, and possibly take it to the market, but if nothing works out I would still love to become an engineer,” Beck said.

Entering his design, Beck went on to winning third place at this year’s California State Science fair. But the glory and accolade is of little importance to the eighth grader. He makes it clear that the well being of others and the potential of his research take

precedence. “I don’t just want to put my

name out there,” Beck said. “This is such an important project and it’s not about me, it’s a big issue and people need to be aware of the potential dangers – I’m just trying to help.”

Contact David Rozul at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @DavidRozul.

Pershing Middle School student Ryan Beck wants to do more with his research and prototype than just place third in the California State Science Fair.

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013 scHooLs

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Girl Scout Makes Room for ReadingBy Josie Balkowski

Hailey Harkness, an 8th grader at La Mesa Middle School and Cadette from Troop 3282, has lived her Girl Scout Law to “make the world a better place” by giving back to her elementary school in a big way.

Hailey recently fin-ished her Girl Scout Silver Award project by creating an out-door reading area at the Maryland Avenue Elementary School in La Mesa. The project saw a concrete slab poured outside the school and six benches installed. Under the guidance of her advisor, Brian Harkness, Hailey acquired the necessary building permits and met with the school principal to secure permissions.

In all, the project totaled $940 which Hailey raised by recycling and saving her birth-day and Christmas money. Congratulations to Hailey on

the successful completion of her Silver Award project!

In other Girl Scout news, Cadette Troop 3233 used a por-tion of their cookie sale proceeds to explore a new part of California with a trip to Hollywood! Their favorite moment was visiting the

Dolby Theatre where they stood on the red carpet – the same spot where stars and celebrities enter the theatre.

Remember: This is Girl Scout registration time! For more infor-mation on security and how to find a troop for your K-12 daugh-ter, email [email protected].

Thanks to Girl Scout Cadette Hailey Hark-ness, Maryland Avenue Elementary School has a new outdoor area for reading.

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013cLassIFIeDs

By Cynthia RobertsonSummertime is the perfect

time to sit out on the front patio and visit with the neighbors. Some of my best neighbors happen to be feathered friends. I know them by name, espe-cially Baby Boo Humdinger. She is the younger of the two sibling hummingbirds that

grew up in the nest on the back patio in February.

For the third year in a row, the Humdinger hummingbird family has used the same nest of three generations before.

Local birder and San Diego Audubon member Phil Pryde

said that it’s not so unusual for the little helicopter birds to take up nesting in winter. But our Mrs. Humdinger was a truly remarkable bird, having moved into the specially struc-

tured house in January. For a week after our first dis-

covery of the re-occupied nest, I had my camera trained on her every little motion. When the winds and rain and cold came, I shivered with empathy, but Mrs. Humdinger barely paid any mind to the temperatures in the 40s. I found out later

that the little sword-w i e l d i n g helicopters fare pretty well in cold t e m p e r a -tures.

At night, when the temperatures p l u n g e d down into the thirties, the little bird did fine, too. Turns out h u m m i n g -birds have an ability to go into a deep state of sleep

known as torpor. In fact, hum-mingbirds will go into such a deep sleep at night that it’s not uncommon for them to eventu-ally hang upside down.

While nesting at night in the cold, Mrs. Humdinger Hummer’s metabolism was

able to lower down to one-fif-teenth of her normal state. Her body temperature dropped to the point of becoming hypother-mic, and her heart rate slowed to about 50 beats per minute.

By sleeping like this, she was able to save up to 60 percent of her available energy, keep-ing alert, too, for predators after her beloved soon-to-hatch babies.

About two weeks later, I knew that the babies had hatched, since Mrs. Humdinger was off the nest more than she was on it. She was out hunting for spiders and insects. I named the babies Buffy, for the bigger one, and Baby Boo.

The winds, rain, frost and freezing temperatures came and Mrs. Humdinger never panicked. All was calm in the nest. The babies grew taller, stronger, their beaks pushing up higher. I found out that a male hummingbird does not assist with any of the childcare. The mother hummingbird is so protective of her little ones that even if a male hummingbird comes around, she will consider him a threat for his brightly colored feathers. Anything that attracts attention to the nest also attracts a predator, so the mother will chase intruders away.

Such hummer delicacies filled the babies’ stomachs so well that the birds grew bigger every day, literally. Within a couple of weeks, they acted like most siblings, preening each other’s feathers and fuss-ing with each other for space. Another week passed, and the babies were so big that they seemed to spill out of the nest.

Two weeks later, Buffy and Baby Boo were trying out their wings. They had a few sibling fusses; then, one day, Buffy and Baby Boo touched beaks, as in a kiss for luck. Within an hour, Buffy flew the coop.

The next day Baby Boo ven-tured out. I panicked a little when Mrs. Humdinger lost track of her, but she eventu-ally found the little tyke sitting nearby in a neighbor’s shrub. That was the last I saw of her—until just this month.

While I sit out on the patio, Baby Boo hovers in front of me for about ten seconds, then zips over to the agapanthus flowers to drink its nectar.

We are old pals, she and I. I have a feeling she’ll be setting up housekeeping next February with her own little ones on the back patio.

JAzzWednesdays – Gilbert Castillanos Jazz Jam at Seven Grand. Free. SevenGrandBars.com

Wednesdays – Jazz with Kice Simko and Friends at Riviera Supper Club. Free. RivieraSupperClub.com

Fridays – Jazz at the Cosmo featuring Bruce Cameron, Mark Augustin , and Ted Williams at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel. $5. www.OldTownCosmopolitan.com

Saturdays – Jazz with George and Alan at Bistro Sixty (formerly San Diego Desserts). Free. www.SanDiegoDesserts.net

Saturdays – Douglas Kvandal with the LiveJazz! Quartet at the Amigo Spot at the Kings Inn. Free. www.kingsinnsandiego.com

June 2 – All That Jazz: Joe Utterback with Chancel Choir, soloists Rebecca Basilio, soprano and Richard Geiler, tenor. Robert Plimpton, Organ. John Wilds, Trumpet at First United Methodist Church of San Diego. Free will offering. 7 p.m. www.fumcsd.org

CLASSICAL June 2 – New City Sinfonia at St. Mary Magdalene Church. 2 to 4 p.m. Free will offering. www.stmarymagonline.org

June 10 – A Camera Lucida Special Presentation at Conrad Presbys Concert Hall, UCSD. 7:30 p.m. $25. www.sandiegosymphony.org

June 28 & 29 – Summer Pops: Music of The Rolling Stones at Embarcadero Marina Park South. 7:30 p.m. $20-$84. www.sandiegosymphony.org

July 4-6 – Star Spangled Pops with Bill Conti at Embarcadero

Marina Park South. 7:30pm. $20-$79. www.sandiegosymphony.org

ALTERNATIvEMay 31 – Little Hurricane, The Stone Foxes and The Hollerin at Belly Up. $16-$28. www.bellyup.com

June 7 – Chess Wars at Riviera Supper Club. Free. www.RivieraSupperClub.com

June 14 & 15 – The Greyboy Allstars at The Casbah. $25. www.casbahmusic.com

June 21 – Sure Fire Soul Ensemble at Riviera Supper Club. Free. www.rivierasupperclub.com

June 25 – The Steelwells, The Paragraphs, and Social Club at The Casbah. Price TBD. www.casbahMusic.com.

POPThursdays – Greg Shibley at The Westgate Hotel. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free. www.westgatehotel.com

June 1 – Evans Academy of Music Spring Concert at Downtown Cafe. Noon. Free. www.downtowncafe-ec.com

June 5 – PushPins at San Pasqual Winery. 7 to 10 p.m. Free. www.SanPasqualWinery.com

June 8 – Sock Monkeys at San Pasqual Winery. 7 to 10 p.m. Free. www.SanPasqualWinery.com June 15 – Inside-Out at San Pasqual Winery. 7 to 10 p.m. Free. www.SanPasqualWinery.com

June 18 – Rhett Miller and Nancarrow at The Casbah. $12 adv/$14 day of show. www.casbahmusic.com

Bands, venues, and music-lovers: Please submit listings for this calendar by emailing [email protected].

me and Baby Boo humdinger

Photos by Cynthia Robertson


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Mission Trails, from page 10

a Parent’s guide to Braces

By Gina McGalliardIf you’re a parent, there’s a

good chance you will eventually deal with the issue of if and when to get your child braces.

According to Braces San Diego orthodontist Dr. Brian Asbury, the typical age for braces for boys is usually 12 to 13, and for girls it’s 11 to 12, although he noted the American Association of Orthodontists recommends children be evaluated by an orthodontist around age 7. Braces aren’t just for cosmetic reasons – they can actually improve a person’s health as there may be problems with the way teeth come together, or “bite,” which can result in damage to the teeth or shifting or misalignment of the jaws, affecting growth.

Del Cerro resident Asbury also added that gums, bones, and surrounding tissue can also be impacted by the position of the teeth, plus misaligned teeth can be difficult to clean, leading to potential gum disease.

“Depending on what their need is for, [braces] can do a lot,” said Asbury, who did three years of orthodontic study at Harvard. “For example, I treat a lot of kids with cleft palate and other cranio-facial abnormalities.” If bones in the dental area do not develop as they should, said Asbury, braces can help steer development into normally-proportioned faces.

The cost of wearing braces can vary widely depending on how long they’re worn and if they’re being used for cosmetic or health purposes. Although the usual price tag is approximately $5,000, they can cost as much as $10,000. Braces are typically worn for about two years, but Asbury said the average for his practice is generally 15 months. Patients should expect to have appointments every six to eight weeks to get the braces adjusted.

Although the ideal age for braces is in childhood, Asbury said it’s never too late. Due to the advent of clear, ceramic braces and Invisalign, also known as “invisible braces,” more and more adults are opting to get them, while children tend to still prefer metal braces so they can choose the color of the ties and change them during visits to the orthodontist.

“I just had a lady come in, and she was really excited because she was getting her braces off for her fiftieth college reunion,” said Asbury. “We have many patients that are in their 70s and beyond and getting braces. Most of the time at that age they’re looking for Invisalign – a lot of times it’s more cosmetic at that point – but it’s not uncommon at all to have patients that are much older.”

For more information, visit www.bracessandiego.com.

tiles presented by Alicia Berg. Ranger Heidi Gutknecht and the Girl Scouts entertained hundreds of children engrossed in making nature related arts and crafts. Jon Sherman played Native American flutes throughout the day. MTRP volunteers led guided nature walks including one on bugs conducted by Audrey Baker and Sally Kotnik. George Varga, with his impressive telescope, provided sunspot viewing and at night held a Star Party at the Kumeyaay Campground. Enthusiastic members of the Patrick Henry Art 4 Kids Club painted the faces of many happy children.

A special thank you to our generous sponsors: Title Sponsors included the City of

San Diego Special Promotional Program and Republic Services, Inc. Community Sponsors were County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program, SDG&E, Superior Ready Mix, and Olive Garden Restaurants. Pony Ride Sponsor was Kaiser Permanente, and our Neighborhood Sponsors are Starbucks, Mission Publishing, and Five-Star Tours.

Activities continue through the summer, including art exhi-bitions, concerts, and children’s programs. Friends of Taka Sumi-e offer “The Nature of Sumi-e” featuring 19 Japanese brush painters (June 1-28). A reception for the public is on Sunday, June 2, 1 to 4 p.m. The San Diego Native American Flute Circle will hold its third annual concert in the Outdoor

Amphitheater on Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m.

Linda Hawley’s “Nature Adventures” for children 3 and up is being offered on most Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in June, July and August. Nora’s Art for Children classes are slated for most Saturdays. Nora is offer-ing a 9 a.m.-to-noon, week-long summer camp (July 15-19). Check our home page (mtrp.org) under Nature Studies for additional information.

Be sure to mark your calen-dar for Saturday night, Oct. 5. It is the second annual “Art in the Park” MTRP Foundation fundraiser featuring wine, cheese, chocolate and fine art.

Like us on Facebook and check our website at mtrp.org for continual updates of all our activities.

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013eYe oN coMMUNITY

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By Gina McGalliardDel Cerro resident Francesca

Ringland has been appointed the interim associate dean for programming at San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies.

Ringland, an SDSU alumni and native San Diegan, joined Extended Studies in 1986. Since that time she has worked in a variety of roles focusing on program development and administration.

During her time with the College, she has had many

opportunities to work in close collaboration with such groups as SDSU academic colleges, departments, and faculty, with San Diego school districts and the U.S. military community, and with San Diego businesses to provide customized programs for nontraditional life-long learners.

Ringland’s work experience developing certificate and degree programs, online education, inter-national programs, professional development, and conferences will enable her to immediately make an important contribu-tion to the overall programming operation of the College.

SDSU’s College of Extended Studies reaches out to the greater San Diego community, the nation, and the world with a wide variety of lifelong learning classes, seminars, and certificate programs. Career advancement courses are offered in many areas of management, leadership, and quality improvement while self-enrichment courses range from accounting to web design. Additionally, the College offers more than 50 certificate pro-grams, online courses, and many other learning opportunities. For more information or to register, call (619) 265-7378 (SDSU) or log on to www.neverstoplearn-ing.net.

By Judy McCartyChip Franklin, morning talk show host at KOGO am radio, will

headline the Wednesday, June 12, meeting of Navajo Canyon Republican Women. Chip is an outspoken commentator on current events and will give us much to think about. This is an evening event to be held at The Butcher Shop Restaurant located at 5255 Kearny Villa Road in San Diego. A no-host bar will be available for cocktails at 6 p.m.; dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Cost is $33. Reservations are required by June 5. RSVP to [email protected] with pre-payment to Susie Cates at 3544 Niblick Dr., La Mesa, CA 91941. For information, call Irene Hancock at (619) 440-0083.

Our club will again award a $200 scholarship to a deserving, registered Republican woman who is currently seeking an under-graduate or graduate degree. Applicants should submit a short resume of their recent educational and work background and a summary of their educational goals along with the reasons they feel they qualify for this award. Deadline for submissions was May 20 (before press time), but email [email protected] for more information about the program.

Visit our website, NavajoCanyonRWF.org, for more information about all our activities.

Downtown Republican Women will next meet on Thursday, June 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Athens Market, at 1st and F. Ron Nehring will be the speaker. RSVP to [email protected].

By John Pilch, Committee Treasurer

The Lake Murray July 4th Music Fest and Fireworks Committee regretfully will not hold the fireworks dis-play over Lake Murray again this year. This is due to the continuing litigation by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) and its lead attorney, Marco Gonzalez, against the City of San Diego.

As previously reported, Judge William S. Dato ruled that the City Council failed to consider the environmental impacts of fireworks displays over bodies of water when passing the amendments to the Municipal Code. These amendments then became moot and the Special Events Permits were invalidated. Judge Dato further ruled that a Programmed Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by the City could have been included in the State Regional Quality Control Board’s review of fire-works permit process and made the scenario much better for all concerned. Since the City did not complete a Programmed EIR, a separate and expen-sive EIR must be completed on an event-by-event basis to be consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Gonzalez opined that the City had an opportunity to conduct an environmen-tal review of fireworks events over bodies of water and didn’t follow through.

The bottom line is the City of San Diego had a choice to make: Appeal the rulings in the four cases it lost or produce a Programmed EIR for fire-works events over water. The City opted to appeal, so we’re stuck in neutral while awaiting the Appellate Court ruling on the four cases before it. If the court finds for the City, then an EIR may not be needed. If the court finds for CERF, the city may be forced to produce a programmed EIR, which we may then be able to use to hold the Lake Murray event.

We apologize for the confu-sion this scenario has caused. Please know we will consider the possibility of holding the event in the future if the appellate court ruling makes it feasible to do so.

For more updates about the Music Fest and Fireworks and other events in our area, please visit www.navajoevents.com. While you’re on the site, consider signing up for auto-matic email updates about all the listed events in the Navajo communities. The Music Fest committee again thanks all who supported the event.

LAKE MURRAY JULY 4th MUSIC FEST,FIREWORKS UPDATE

SDSU names interim Dean of extended Studies

Chip franklin headlines nCrWf June meeting

MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013 eYe oN coMMUNITY

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MissionTimesCourier.com — June 2013

Mission Times Courier - June 2013

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