March 7, 2014
E-cig ban blazes forward By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — E-cigarette use is about to go up in smoke in Solana Beach after City Council, with a 4-0-1 vote at the Feb. 26 meeting, moved forward to prohibit the devices wherever traditional smoking is not allowed, such as at beaches, parks and the Coastal Rail Trail. E-cigs, as they are known, and all other similar devices will be included in the definition of “smoking” when an amendment to the existing law takes effect next month. The battery-powered vaporizers, also called electronic nicotine delivery systems, simulate smoking. A heating element vaporizes liquid solutions that contain nicotine, flavorings, both or one of the two. Critics, law enforcement officials and health and prevention experts say they are also used to inhale illegal substances such as marijuana and heroin. E-cigs don’t contain tobacco or produce fire, smoke, ash or carbon monoxide. There are few studies on their effects on users or bystanders but at least one study found some potentially harmful compounds are present in the vapors. It is sometimes difficult, especially from a distance, to tell the difference between them and real cigarettes. Other than a ban on selling them to minors, there are currently no state or federal laws regulating e-cigs. Several well-known organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Lung Association, have noted a rise in the use of e-cigs among middle and high school students. In San Diego County, Vista, Carlsbad and Poway amended ordinances to prohibit e-cigs where traditional smoking is prohibited. Several other cities and the Del Mar Fairgrounds are taking steps in that same direction. Specifically, the new Solana Beach law defines smoking as “the carrying, holding, or use of a lighted pipe, cigar, or cigTURN TO E-CIG ON A14
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Stormy weather keeps safety officials busy By Jared Whitlock
ENCINITAS — A storm that rolled through the region this past weekend took down power lines, uprooted trees and resulted in minor bluff collapses. All of which city kept public safety officials on their toes. “Winds were the most significant factor, particularly Friday,” said John Ugrob, supervisor with the Encinitas Public Works Department. Officials stayed busy moving moving fallen trees out of the public right-ofway at locations like Coast Highway 101, Ugrob said. They also took down or realigned wind-blown streetlights and roadway signs. Ugrob noted officials responded to calls all day and night Friday and then Saturday in the daytime, during the peak of stormy weather conditions. Luckily, there weren’t any major incidents, he added. “We were expecting it to be worse,” Ugrob said, adding the wind was as strong as predicted, but the city didn’t get as much rain as forecasts were calling
Strong gusts caused the Encinitas Boulevard sign to dangle this past Friday. Public safety representatives responded to a high number of wind-driven incidents due to the stormy weather conditions. Photo by Jared Whitlock
for.
Prior to the storm moving in, public works, fire and lifeguard representatives met up and game-planned how to best
address any storm-related issues that might come up, which Ugrob said is typical of any strong rain or wind event. “We touch base and
make sure we have the ability to adjust in case anything critical happens,” Ugrob said. The storm also sent eight-to-ten foot waves to
Train horns to toot a little longer By Bianca Kaplanek
DEL MAR — Beginning in mid-March, Del Marians may notice the wayside horn at the Coast Boulevard train crossing tooting a little bit longer. The Federal Railroad Administration recently amended the regulations that govern wayside horns to ensure the devices sound for the entire time the lead locomotive is traveling through the crossing. The horn must sound at least 15 seconds before a train arrives at a crossing and while the lead locomotive travels through it. To comply with the new regulation, Del Mar’s wayside system will blow about five seconds longer than it has been since it was installed in September 2012. “The FRA is the law of the land, so there’s nothing we can do about it,” said resident Hershell Price, who led the effort to have the directional system installed in the seaside city. “Compared to what we had in the past, this is minimal. “Five more seconds is just one honk,” he added. “I don’t think it will have any effect. I don’t think it’s going to make anyone terribly upset. But if there are any complaints I’ll let (North County Transit District) know about it.”
beaches. Combined with high tides, lifeguards worried about major bluff failures. Encinitas Lifeguard Captain Larry Giles noted lifeguards monitored vulnerable bluffs at southern Grandview Beach, Swami’s and Cardiff to make sure they staid intact. “We look for cracks and fissures,” Giles said, noting they warn homeowners and beachgoers if a bluff looks in danger of failing. Small pieces of beach bluff collapsed due to precipitation, Giles said, but nothing major. With rain washing urban runoff downstream, lifeguards posted signs warning the public to stay out of the ocean at Moonlight Beach due to high bacteria counts. Relatedly, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health issued an advisory for beachgoers to stay out of coastal waters for 72 hours until after the rain stops. On TuesTURN TO WEATHER ON A14
Fire does minimal damage By Tony Cagala
The wayside horn at the Coast Boulevard train crossing will sound an extra five seconds beginning in midMarch to comply with new Federal Railroad Administration regulations. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
Train horns will be noticeably less frequent during the first two weekends in March — and completely absent March 15 and March
16 — due to construction on Camp Pendleton. The six Amtrak trains that serve all eight Coaster stations will not operate
March 1, 2, 8 and 9, and all rail service between Oceanside and San Diego will be suspended March 15 and March 16.
RANCHO SANTA FE — Firefighters with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District responded to a call on Sunday afternoon of smoke seen coming from a detached structure near Via de la Valle and Calzada Del Bosque. When firefighters arrived at the scene they found a Toyota pickup truck on fire in a carport. The vehicle had been converted to a utility-type vehicle, similar to a street-sweeping vehicle, according to a fire department spokesperson. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes, and flames were prevented from spreading to the rest of the structure, which also contained a residential unit, though, a portion of the carport and adjacent bedroom received heat and fire damage. Fire crews remained on site to conduct salvage and overhaul work. The Solana Beach Fire Department assisted in the incident. The cause of the fire is not yet known and an investigation is still under way.
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