PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 27, NO. 33
The rendering shows the initial design of a Carlsbad sign placed over Carlsbad Boulevard, next to Carlsbad Village Drive. Courtesy image
A WELCOMING DISPLAY Carlsbad sign may arc over Village main street next year By Rachel Stine
CARLSBAD — For 13 years, Carlton Lund has faced set back after set back against his dream of installing a large Carlsbad sign, similar to that in Encinitas, in the heart of the city’s downtown. In 2001, the project was denied because archways were not permitted downtown. Eventually when that hurdle was remedied, funds for the $225,000 sign were hard to come by. But Lund, the chairman of Carlsbad’s Chamber of Commerce, believed in the sign. “When people come to town and actually see what (the city) is, it’s incredible. There’s no bigger marketing thing you
Banning the bag?
can do,” he said. Rather than giving up after all of these years, he seized the opportunity on the Chamber of Commerce’s 90th anniversary this year to make his dream a reality. Because of his efforts, the project at last appears to have gained promising steam, and Lund’s hope that the sign will be in place by summer 2014 may become a reality. From the get-go, Lund envisioned a grand sign displaying the city’s name hanging above Carlsbad Boulevard a stone’s throw away from Carlsbad Village Drive. He said wanted a simple, historic-looking sign that also incorporated an ocean TURN TO SIGN ON A19
Two Sections, 60 pages
Encinitas will look at drafting an ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags. A6 Fundraising for veterans Funds coming from private donations and brick sales will help get a project to honor veterans in Solana Beach back on track. B1
.com
Arts & Entertainment . A22
Entrepreneurs and business owners in the Latino community gather to share ideas and give advice to those looking to get their startups off the ground. B4
Food & Wine . . . . . . . . B14 Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A26 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A20
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NOV. 1, 2013
The San Dieguito Union High School District announced that it overcharged property taxes within its boundaries. The district plans on releasing more information about reimbursing homeowners who already paid in the next week. File photo by Jared Whitlock
Error leads to higher tax bills for residents By Jared Whitlock
COAST CITIES — Thousands of residents in the San Dieguito Union High School District were recently mailed property tax bills that overstated how much they owe, school officials said last week. The error was due to a miscalculation of the tax rate assessed for Proposition AA, according to the district. Last year, Proposition AA, a $449 million bond, barely passed. To pay for the measure, during the campaign, the district said property tax bills would go up by no more than $25 per $100,000 of assessed home value. However, 70,000 property owners in the district were charged $37 per $100,000 of assessed home value on their bills, resulting in an average property tax bill $100 higher than it
should be, according to Michael Workman, a spokesman with the county. On Monday, Workman noted that about 4 percent of the property owners have already paid their bill. The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector is looking at options for refunding them. Officials are finalizing instructions for those who haven’t paid. One option includes having property owners pay their inaccurate bill and the county reimbursing them later. Further instructions will be released online and mailed to those impacted by the error in the next week, Workman said. “We don’t have a timeline for refunding them at this time,” Workman said. TURN TO ERROR ON A19