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RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
MARCH 12, 2010
ODD Organic farm gets back to American roots Man held FILES without
by CHUCK SHEPHERD
By Bianca Kaplanek
LEAD STORY Anthropomorphizing Little Muffy: (1) A February St. Petersburg Times report found several local people who regularly cook gourmet meals for their dogs and who revealed their dogs’ (or maybe just “their”) favorite recipes. “Veggie Cookies for Dogs,” for example, requires wholewheat flour, dried basil, dried cilantro, dried oregano, chopped carrot, green beans, tomato paste, canola oil and garlic. Asked one chef: Why feed “man’s best friend” what you wouldn’t eat yourself? (2) A day spa for dogs (“Wag Style”) in Tokyo offers sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, supposedly easing doggy arthritis, healing wounds and halting aging. (Some racehorse owners are certain that the chambers help with equine muscle and joint problems, but an academic researcher told a BoingBoing.net writer that evidence of benefit is “anecdotal.”)
Compelling Explanations — At first, Rev. Fred Armfield’s arrest for patronizing a prostitute in Greenwood, S.C., in January looked uncontroversial, with Armfield allegedly confessing that he had bargained Melinda “Truck Stop” Robinson down from $10 to $5 for oral sex. Several days later, however, Armfield formally disputed the arrest, calling himself a “descendant of the original MoroPithecus Disoch, Kenyapithecus and Afro Pithecus,” a “living flesh and blood being with sovereign status,” and someone who, based on his character and community standing, should not be prosecuted. Also, he claimed that any payment to “Truck Stop” with Federal Reserve Notes did not legally constitute a purchase since such notes are not lawful money. — Lame: (1) Glenn Armstrong, 47, had a defense ready when police accused him of taking restroom photographs of boys in Brisbane, Australia, in January. He said he was having an ongoing debate with his wife and was gathering proof that most boys are not circumcised. (2) Sheriff’s deputies in Austin, Texas, arrested Anthony Gigliotti, 17, after complaints that the teen was annoying women by following them around in public and snapping photographs of their clothed body parts. Gigliotti told one deputy that he needed the photos because the sex education at his Lake Travis High School was inadequate. — Fredrick Federley, a TURN TO ODD FILES ON 21
SAN DIEGO — The first time people meet Stephenie Caughlin, owner of Seabreeze Organic Farm, they usually tell her she’s nothing like they imagined. “They expect to see me dressed in overalls, standing in front of a red barn,” she said. Hoping the public will continue believing that’s how their food is produced, Caughlin said growers perpetuate that stereotype even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. “I can’t think of anyone more important than the one who grows your food,” she said. But nowadays, people are almost completely unaware of where their food comes from. As an example, Caughlin cited the recent spinach recall and how difficult it was to trace where the product originated, let alone the farmer who grew it. “The average supermarket food item travels approximately 1,400 petroleum miles to get there,” her Web site states. “We have distanced ourselves so far from our food that no one cares about what happens to me when I eat it,” said Talley Hutcherson, who provides office support for Seabreeze Farm. “The mindset is that cheap and easy and fast is the way to go,” she said. “But eating healthy provides more benefits down the road.” With two advanced degrees and careers as a gold broker, chief executive of a futures trading company and
bail in ’01 killing By Randy Kalp
GROWING ORGANIC Above left, because Seabreeze Organic Farm is located on a hillside, owner Stephenie Caughlin uses vertical farming methods to maximize yields and decrease labor and water use. It also requires far less weeding. Above right, Stephenie Caughlin, owner of Seabreeze Organic Farm, shows off some of the heirloom tomatoes that will be included in her weekly delivery. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
high school teacher, Caughlin bought her 2-acre hillside property off Sorrento Valley Road in San Diego in 1978. At the time it was mostly chaparral and eucalyptus trees. “At 40 ... I was looking for something sustainable to do with my life,” Caughlin said. “I was always interested in family so it was natural that I would go into growing food.” Caughlin, who taught home economics for seven years, was one of the original growers for San Diego’s first farmers market. In 1988 she
began growing and delivering food that is healthy for several reasons. In addition to not using chemicals or pesticides, Caughlin produces her food seasonally. “By eating with the season, we are meeting the body’s needs,” she said. In winter she grows the root crops, such as carrots, turnips and parsnips, which bolster the immune system when it needs it most, she said. Spring brings the leafy green vegetables — collards, kale and spinach — or “mira-
cle foods,” as Caughlin calls them. “They help fight off the change in weather,” she said. “In summer, when it’s hot and we sweat, we have all the fruits — watermelon, peaches and other stone fruits and citrus — all with extra liquid.” In addition to fruits and vegetables, Caughlin grows herbs and flowers and raises poultry for eggs. Customers can order from her online green store for other groceries, household goods and TURN TO ORGANIC ON 27
Voters to decide fate of business tax By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — The fate of a tax on Solana Beach businesses is now in the hands of city residents. At the Feb. 24 meeting, council members unanimously agreed on a six-tier model that will be presented to voters in the June 8 election. A similar move failed with a 2-3 vote two weeks earlier. Four of the five council members had to support the measure for it to be placed on the ballot. If it passes, taxes would be due in October 2010. But council also agreed to phase in the tax, so businesses will only be required to pay 50 percent of the amount due for the first year. City officials spent nearly a year working with members of the business community to develop a fair and simple plan that was acceptable to all sides. A five-tier model everyone seemingly agreed on was presented at the Feb. 10 meeting. According to that plan,
the highest tax bracket was for businesses making $2.5 million or more. Just before the vote, Councilman Mike Nichols made what he called a “last-ditch effort” to add an additional tier applicable to businesses with gross receipts of more than $5 million. He and Councilwoman Lesa Heebner said some small-business owners felt they were paying more than their fair share. Councilmen Dave Roberts and Joe Kellejian said they feared the additional tier would result in a loss of support from the business community. The model that will go before voters has an additional sixth tier for businesses making more than $5 million, but the numbers were adjusted to lower the tax burden in the lower brackets. Originally, businesses making less than $65,500 would pay a flat rate of $50. Businesses making more will have the option of paying a
flat fee or a percentage of their gross receipts. That remains unchanged. In the old five-tier plan, the flat rate ranged from $75 for businesses making more than $65,500 to $1,150 for those with gross receipts of $2.5 million or more. In the accepted model, the range is between $70 and $1,675 for businesses with gross receipts of $5 million or more. The multiplier for businesses that choose to pay a percentage was also decreased across the board. In many cases, that option could mean a lower tax, City Manager David Ott said. The city received about a dozen letters and e-mails, more than half opposing any tax at all. The others were split nearly evenly on adding a sixth tier. “The attempt to charge an extra amount to certain high volume businesses is a naked bit of wealth redistribution,” wrote Lynn Farrar, general manager of the Lomas Santa Fe Country
Club, which falls into the highest bracket. “To single out 5 or so businesses and tax them differently is a miscarriage of justice and not in the spirit of community.” At the meeting, about a dozen speakers — mostly small-business owners — said they supported the additional tier for higherearning companies. “The city’s always had a fair business fee structure,” said Ira Opper, who’s run a home business in Solana Beach since 1995. “I would rather pay a few dollars more to have the services that we have than have car lots and box stores to supplement that income. “But the small businesses should not be the only ones to shoulder the burden,” Opper said. “The big businesses should also pay their fair share. With that, I think tier six comes with some bragging rights. I don’t think there’s a person in this room TURN TO TAX ON 27
Seminar educates public on identity theft RANCHO SANTA FE — Learn how to protect yourself against identity theft when North County financial advisor Deana Carter hosts “An Inside Look at Identity Theft; Through the Eyes of a Criminal,” from 8 to 9 a.m. March 18 at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Her featured speaker is prosecutor Damon Mosler, chief of the San Diego
County District Attorney’s Special Operations unit. Watch an interview with an identity thief to find out how criminals steal and use your information. Listen to suggestions about how to protect your information. The March 18 presentation is part of “Coffee and Conversation,” a series of
monthly chats on a wide range of topics that affect your economic health. A new report shows that identity theft outpaced the economy in 2009, increasing the amount of the fraud by 12.5 percent to $54 billion. The report, issued by Javelin Strategy and Research, found that 11.1 million adults were
victims of identity fraud in 2009. Identity thieves are becoming bolder and more innovative, using popular Web tools like Craigslist to sell phony products and personal information, including credit card numbers. Contact Deana Carter at (858) 756-1566 for more information.
CARLSBAD — A Mexican man accused of killing and raping an 84year-old woman in 2001 pleaded not guilty March 4 in a Vista courtroom. Prosecutors allege Alejandro Avalos Fernandez, 33, murdered Gladys Conrad, a retired psychiatrist, during a sexual assault in her Carlsbad-by-the-Sea residence on Sept. 1, 2001. Fernandez, a Mexican national, was extradited to the United States from Mexico on March 2. Authorities arrested him Jan. 23, 2009, in Mexico City. He remains in custody without bail. Police have also linked Fernandez to a Los Angeles area attempted rape case involving a 64year-old woman. In 2004, DNA from Conrad’s case was matched to DNA from an unknown suspect in the Los Angeles case.The suspect, however, remained unidentified until 2007 when Fernandez was arrested on a narcotics charge in Los Angeles. He had been released from custody before his DNA was entered into a database and matched to the two crimes. “We are satisfied that the person responsible for this heinous crime is finally being brought to justice, especially for the family and the community’s sake,” Investigations Lt. Kelly Cain said in a statement. “This arrest is a great example of how successful investigations can be with regional cooperation.” Fernandez is charged with one felony count each of first-degree murder, rape, sodomy by force relating to Conrad’s death as well as torture, assault with the intent to commit a felony and attempted raped in connection with the 2004 case. Additionally, two special circumstance allegations are attached to the murder and rape charge. Normally a special circumstance allegation carries with it the opportunity for the prosecution to seek the death penalty; however, because of an extradition agreement with Mexico, prosecutors can not pursue the death penalty in this case, Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said outside the courtroom. Fernandez faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted, Harvey said. A preliminary hearing was set for March 16.