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THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 25, NO. 25
JULY 1, 2011
Future of ‘Surfing Madonna’ uncertain
THISWEEK
SURFER GIRL Cardiff surf legend Linda Benson was one of an elite group of women to break into the ranks of competitive surfing A3
By Wehtahnah Tucker
dent of acquisitions of Hallmark Communities, said the reduced fee will help get pending projects back on track. “We’d like to get back to work,” Hall said. Providing inclusionary housing is not mandated by state law, but is a part of city action goals and objectives. Failure to make efforts to provide affordable housing can affect several sources of funding that the city receives. There is ongoing debate over whether charging builders affordable housing
ENCINITAS — The future of the mosaic that brought international recognition to a relatively quiet corner of the city remains in question after removal of the mural late in the evening of June 22. The mosaic came down with little fanfare and minimal damage to the artwork and the concrete underpass on Encinitas Boulevard to which it was attached. Mark Patterson, the mosaic’s creator, must now decide on what to with his “gift to the city.” Patterson promised the following day that “it’s staying in Encinitas, even if that means it stays in my garage for an indefinite period of time.” Patterson removed the artwork after he and his lawyer Anton C. Gerschler reached an agreement with the city to remove the piece at Patterson’s own expense and pay a $500 fine. The artist also agreed to cover the city’s expenses related to the art consultants’ work, estimated to be $2,000. Patterson hired a local company — Tekton Master Builders — at a personal cost of approximately $4,000 to remove the six panels, each weighing about 40 pounds. He supervised the removal effort as well. “I was so glad the workmen knew exactly what they were doing,” he said. It look less than two hours to get the 10-foot-by10-foot mosaic down mostly unscathed — far fewer than the five hours the construction company had estimated, according to Patterson. Patterson and his friend Bob Nichols, dressed as construction workers, installed the piece in broad daylight April 22. The mosaic depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe on a surfboard with the words “Save the Ocean” down the
TURN TO FEES ON A24
TURN TO MADONNA ON A13
HEROINES
A competitive swimmer from Las Vegas gives his thanks to the two local teenage girls who saved his life when he nearly drowned at a match B1
INSIDE TWO SECTIONS, 52 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Camp Pendleton News . . B12 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B19 Comics & Puzzles . . . . . B22 Consumer Reports . . . . . A6 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . . B4 Hot Off the Block . . . . . A11 Kiss the Cook . . . . . . . . A10 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A22 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . A15 Life, Liberty, Leadership A4 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . A19 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet Central . . . . . . . . . . A17 A Place to Call Home . . . B6 Second Opinion . . . . . . . A6 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . A14 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A7
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDAR SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
ON THE ROCKS ,678689:;( <=;8>=69( %:<:( +?;;( :6>( #@A:6:( B=:7C( <=;8>=69( /C=A;=:( B?;=<( D@A?69==<( 9@( 9=6>( E:<( :9( 9C=( =D=69' Photo by Daniel Knighton
Lifeguard Association fundraiser a success By Lillian Cox
DEL MAR — Sentimental favorites such as “Unchained Melody” and “I’ve Got You Babe” performed by The Corvettes provided the backdrop for the Del Mar Lifeguard Association’s Dance Party Fundraiser June 25. The dinner was the 31st annual fundraiser for the association. Pat Vergne, director of community services and chief lifeguard for
the city of Del Mar, reported that about 200 partygoers contributed $6,500. The funds will be used to support junior lifeguards as well as scholarship programs for seasonal lifeguards and other outreach and education programs. Disabled veterans and disabled children, as well as inner city kids, benefit from the philanthropic work done by the association. “We get monies
throughout the year from other sources, but this is our primary fundraising opportunity,” said Jon Edelbrock, vice president of the association. Peruvian cuisine featuring paella was served up by Café Secret. Rusty Surf Shop donated a surfboard as a grand prize for the raffle. In total, more than 30 local businesses donated to the event by providing raffle prizes and silent auction
items. They included The Poseidon, Jake’s, The Pacifica, Bully’s, Del Mar Pizza, The Fish Market, En Fuego, Tio Leo’s, Zel’s, Zinc Café, Pizza Nova, Pizza Port, Belly Up, Del Mar Motel, Hampton Inn, B&L Bike & Sports and Hansen’s Surf Shop. The Corvettes founder and keyboardist, Dr. Joe Witkin, was an original TURN TO FUNDRAISER ON A16
Builders will pay less for inclusionary housing fees By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — The introduction of an ordinance to reduce inclusionary housing in-lieu fees from $10,275 per unit to $1,779 per unit was approved in a 3-2 vote June 22, in which Mayor Jim Wood and Councilwoman Esther Sanchez voted no. The reduced fee was calculated by determining 10 percent of the cost difference between the medium sale price of a home at $300,000 and the price of an affordable home at $282,215 in the past year. Builders will soon pay the reduced inclusionary housing in-lieu fee of
$1,779 per unit or $1.15 per square foot of new house built. This amount will be reviewed yearly. For some the method of calculating the fee did not make sense. “In-lieu fees usually have some relationship to the cost of providing housing,” Susan Riggs Tinsky, executive director of the San Diego Housing Federation, said. “This has no relationship in cost of housing.” The amended fee will not be a significant funding source for providing affordable housing units. Other programs will be looked into
to assure the city continues to provide affordable housing such as expanding the density bonus. In the meantime supporters of the amendment are seeing the reduced fee as a catalyst for more construction and therefore more jobs. “Affordability is not your problem, jobs creation is your problem,” Matthew Adams, vice president of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County, said. “We have a market rate that is struggling right now. Business as usual it’s not.” Chris Hall, vice presi-
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