The Coast News
VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 11, N0. 1
Vista death questioned by friends
Jan. 5, 2024
Woman sues Vista fire official
KNIGHTS
ON THE Alleged burglar had history of seizures By Laura Place
VISTA — In the weeks since 43-year-old Theodore Stewart was shot and killed during an alleged break-in at a Vista residence, his friends have been left with many questions about the circumstances of his final moments. Stewart, known to many as “Teddy,” died early on a mid-November morning outside a residence in the 1700 block of STEWART York Drive. Around 5 a.m., the resident of the home called the police to report a man wandering around their backyard, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. While on the phone with the caller, San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies heard them say the man was trying to break in, followed by the sound of a gunshot, according to the department. Deputies arrived and discovered a man, later identified as Stewart, lying outside the home with a gunshot wound. He was provided medical aid and taken to the hospital, where he later died, according to the Sheriff’s Department. OffiTURN TO DEATH ON 14
MOVE
Ex-employee says she was sexually harassed
RICHIE RAMIREZ, a freshman, is the leading scorer for a San Marcos HS team looking for big things this season after an impressive showing at last month’s North County Classic.
By Laura Place
“Introducing residential to the mall — I not only think it’s a good idea, I think it’s vital,” Commissioner David Barber said. “We need to reinvent the mall. It’s not going to survive without additional foundations for retail to exist.” Previously referred to as North County Fair, the mall opened in the mid1980s during a boom period for shopping malls. Steerpoint Capital and Bridge Group Investments purchased the mall from
VISTA — A former employee of the Vista Fire Department has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was sexually harassed by a current battalion fire chief and faced retaliation for reporting her concerns. In a complaint filed in August in Vista Superior Court, Karina Wakefield, who worked in the department as a fire inspector from fall 2021 to fall 2022, detailed what she said were inappropriate conversations and physical contact initiated by Battalion Chief Samuel Craig over CRAIG several months in 2022. Wakefield said Craig made her extremely uncomfortable by texting her constantly, kissing her on the head in his office and in front of others, and occasionally sharing explicit information about his sex life. The lawsuit also names the city of Vista and Deputy Fire Chief Craig Usher, who Wakefield said failed to support her when she filed an HR complaint about Samuel Craig’s behavior and contributed to a hostile work environment. “People in general shouldn’t have to go through what Ms. Wakefield went through, especially working at a public entity like this. This should be a safe place for employees,” said Nicole Gilanians, Wakefield’s attorney. While the city did investigate Wakfield’s complaint in fall 2022,
TURN TO MALL ON 6
TURN TO SUIT ON 11
Story on 15.
Courtesy photo/ San Marcos High School
Housing at North County Mall? By Samantha Nelson
Toasting the Top 10 wines of ’23 After reviewing hundreds of wines, Rico and Frank make their picks for the year’s best. 9
ESCONDIDO — As the city continues to grapple with a budget shortfall, planning commissioners are looking at ways to build revenue for the city while simultaneously revitalizing the North County Mall, with the addition of housing seen as one possible solution. The Escondido Planning Commission’s Dec. 12 discussion focused mostly on adding housing to the mall’s property, which is mostly owned by the city. Commissioner Rick Paul brought forward the discus-
sion for fellow commissioners to gauge their interest as well as other city leaders’ interest in the matter. According to Paul, because the city already owns the land, it could add rental housing to earn revenue. In addition, the additional housing would help the city’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment requirements. “It would be very easy to make great strides in those housing numbers by adding residential there,” he said at the meeting. The other commissioners mostly agreed.
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