The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 6, N0. 20
OCT. 1, 2021
County urges booster shot for all eligible By City News Service
not spray pesticides on their crops, they use a more natural way of keeping the pests at bay. “That’s inviting the good animals and the good pests in to combat the bad. It gives you a balance in nature,” Viles said. When picking up your shares at Sand n’ Straw, ev-
REGION — San Diego County officials on Sept. 27 encouraged thousands of eligible residents to get COVID-19 vaccine boosters and reminded those who have not yet received the shot that it is the best way to avoid severe symptoms from the virus. Currently, only those who received their second dose of Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, and meet certain other criteria, are eligible. Those who received Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines will have to wait for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration approval. “While the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, research has shown the protection they offer may decrease over time, and that’s why a booster is recommended for people in these groups,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. The CDC recommends the following groups get the booster: — Those 65 and older; — Those 18 or older living in long-term care facilities; and — Those 50-64 with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, dia-
TURN TO CSA ON 14
TURN TO BOOSTER ON 14
SAND N’ STRAW Community Farm in Vista practices community supported agriculture, or CSA, when a farm allows consumers to buy “shares” of their crops for purchase, similar to a subscription or membership program. MORE HOME & GARDEN, PAGES 11-13. Photo by Bill Slane
CSAs offer produce that’s organic, sustainable By Bill Slane
REGION — Community supported agriculture, or CSA, has become more and more popular in North County as an alternative for families to more easily get the fruits and vegetables they love and to try new locally grown produce. Simply put, a CSA is when a local farmer offers “shares” of their crops for
direct purchase to consumers, straight from their local farm, sold on a seasonal basis. The share could also be described as a subscription or membership and normally includes a weekly box of the seasonal fruits and vegetables from the farm. Sand n’ Straw Community Farm, a local farm right off the state Route
78 in Vista owned by the Viles family, has been operating from its six-acre plot and providing organic fruits and vegetables to the surrounding communities since 2018, including a CSA program. April Viles told The Coast News that one of the many advantages of buying from a local CSA is knowing exactly how the food
you are eating is grown. “We don’t bring in from other farms,” Viles said. “Everything we grow is from our farms,” Viles told The Coast News. “Everything here is grown using organic and regenerative agricultural practices. Which means that we invite nature in to help us farm.” Since Sand n’ Straw and most other CSAs do
EUHSD adds 6 electric buses San Marcos nears smoke-free outdoor dining as phase-out of diesel begins By Staff
By Tigist Layne
ESCONDIDO — Escondido Union High School District (EUHSD) recently added six new electric buses to the district’s fleet, replacing six diesel-powered buses that were previously in use. The district announced the change Wednesday, Sept. 22, at a news conference, noting that the new buses now make up 30% of its fleet.
According to the American School Bus Council, electric buses reduce emissions by up to 100%, save up to 60% in fuel costs compared to diesel, reduce maintenance costs by 50% and reduce noise pollution. The new electric buses travel up to 160 miles on one charge. Construction on a new charging station for the district will break TURN TO BUSES ON 14
SAN MARCOS — At its Sept. 14 council meeting, the City of San Marcos voted to approve an ordinance to establish smokefree and vape-free outdoor dining at restaurants with a 5-0 vote. The council added a motion to direct staff to work with Vista Community Clinic to incorporate no vaping into the signs. A second reading of the ordinance at the Sept. 28 council meeting passed by consent and the law will
go into effect within 30 days of that vote. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of San Marcos helped local businesses and eateries re-open safely by expanding outdoor dining to walkways, plazas, and parking lots. Even though many of these businesses created voluntary policies to limit smoking outdoors, there is currently no local policy that exists that protects customers and employees from secondhand smoke exposure.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to improve the outdoor dining experience and the importance of breathing clean air. The San Marcos effort to enact smoke-free environments across all restaurants would be an immediate solution to protect residents from the dangers of secondhand smoke and align with the city’s mission to improve the quality of life for individuals working, living, or visiting San Marcos.
In 2019, Vista Community Clinic conducted a survey among residents and frequent visitors to San Marcos and found that 91% of respondents prefer an area where smoking is not allowed when eating outside. There are 120 cities in California that restrict smoking in outdoor dining areas, 13 of which are in San Diego County, including the neighboring communities of Escondido and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County.