The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 5, N0. 9
MAY 1, 2020
Vista scraps small business loan program
San Marcos ranks 25th in state for safety By Tigist Layne
SAN MARCOS — The city of San Marcos was recently ranked as the 25th safest city in the state in SafeWise’s sixth annual Safest Cities report, which is based on the rate of violent crimes and property crimes in each city. The safety report was created using FBI crime statistics and U.S. census population data to rank the safest cities in each state and across the country. San Marcos, with a population of more than 98,000, has some of the lowest crime rates in San Diego County, according to San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). “In San Marcos, domestic violence is about 70 percent of the violent crime, so the people who are not in those specific households and in those situations are even safer than it looks on paper. In terms of property crime, shoplifting, or petty theft, is the vast majority of it,” said Dave Brown, commander of the patrol division for the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and former captain of the Sheriff’s Department’s San Marcos Station. Violent crimes include aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery, while property crimes include petty theft, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. For years, San Diego County has had lower crime rates when compared with other metro regions in the United States, and the city of San Marcos has had declining crime rates for about a decade, according to Brown. Poway, Encinitas, Escondido, Carlsbad and Vista have also seen declining crime rates over the past several years, with Poway (13th) and Encinitas (29th) also ranking in the report’s top 30 cities. “It helps that our neighbors are doing well also,” Brown said. “There are no TURN TO SAFETY ON 11
By Steve Puterski
A DOCTOR at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, holds hydration packets produced by Escondido-based Vitalyte. Courtesy photo
Hydrating NYC’s health care heroes Escondido firm Vitalyte donates to Bronx hospital, looks to do more By Hoa Quach
ESCONDIDO — When Sarah McClure, a nurse in hard-hit New York, saw her co-workers struggling — she reached out to an Escondido business for help. Vitalyte, a hydration company founded by marathon runner Bill Gookin 40 years ago, happily responded to her request. The com-
pany donated more than 600 hydration packets to help the employees at Lincoln Medical Center in New York to replenish their bodies as they care for the tens of thousands of people infected by the COVID-19 disease. With the help of the public, the company hopes to help more health care workers on the front lines of
the coronavirus pandemic. “We are doing our part and are so happy to have helped those brave doctors, nurses and other staff in the Bronx,” Vitalyte Chief Operating Officer Evan Lucas said. “Now, we are focused on helping many others across the country TURN TO HYDRATION ON 7
SEE PAGE 7: A 202-bed field hospital is ready to go at Palomar Medical Center, if needed. Photo by Tigist Layne
VISTA — The complexities and stipulations with federal COVID-19 relief programs was too much for the Vista City Council to overcome to lend a financial hand to its small businesses. During its April 28 meeting, the Vista City Council unanimously denied the proposed Small Business Emergency Loan Program for businesses with 20 or fewer employees. City staff brought forward, at the council’s request, a proposal making $500,000 available through the city’s Structural Deficit Reserve Fund. However, the money was initially set aside to cover city operations during stressful economic times, according to Mayor Judy Ritter. Additionally, the requirements for Vista’s plan required businesses to have been approved by one of the two federal programs — Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Emergency Advance or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — and repaying the city within 120 days. The council decided it would be against small businesses’ best interests to offer the program and creating more financial uncertainty, especially since the Vista program was designed as gap funding while businesses wait for federal funds to come through. “Money from federal government can’t be used to pay back this loan,” Councilwoman Amanda Rigby said. “This puts us in a higher position of default. This reserve fund is to get the city through this time.” The PPP has come under fire after Congress made businesses with 500 or fewer employees eligible, which has led to many wealthy businesses, notably Shake Shack and the Los Angeles Lakers, to secure funds while many small businesses have been shut out. On top of the initial $350 billion, Congress approved an additional $310 billion last week. Instead of the loan program, Vista will aggressively engage in marketing efforts to support its businesses. “I did really want to do something to help our small businesses,” Councilman Joe Green said. “I think our intent was good … but it’s just not practical to do. It’s not really effective. I want to do something effective. I do like the idea of marketing our local businesses.”