AUG. 5, 2016
A7
T he C oast News
Candidates disclose campaign earnings Two candidates Brian Flock drops out of race this week By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — The field for two seats on the City Council got smaller on Monday. Brian Flock, a realtor, withdrew his named from the race this week, which he announced in a post on Facebook. Flock said the lack of campaign contribution limits and crowded field this year are the reasons for dropping out. Flock said, “many experts believe” candidates must raise at least $100,000 to compete, while the lack of contribution limits makes for a “highly biased system.” “Although I believe a win is possible with less than $100,000, clearly something is out of balance with Carlsbad politics,” he said. “I hope that the City Council will consider campaign finance limits for all future elections. I will continue to speak out on this subject in the future.” Meanwhile, Monday was also
the deadline for candidates to submit their campaign disclosure statements, otherwise known as Form 460. The form details contributions, expenditures and ending cash balance. Incumbent Keith Blackburn has the largest war chest by more than $100,000 over his closest competitor. He raised $13,932.80 from Jan. 1 through June 30, spent $3,564.60 and, including the money from his 2012 campaign, and has an ending cash balance of $132,336.66. Fellow incumbent Lorraine Wood took in $18,148.91 over the same period, but had $6,8181.52 in expenditures. Her ending cash balance is $23,724.96, according to her campaign statement after money held over from her 2012 campaign was applied. Bill Fowler raised $14,137, according to his campaign disclosure statement. He spent $1,570 and has an ending cash balance of $12,567. However, most of Fowler’s campaign funds came from a $10,000 loan to himself and his largest donation is $250 from the Democratic Club of Carlsbad and Oceanside. Ann Tanner, the former Carlsbad Unified School District trustee,
had just $50 in the form of a loan to herself, her statement read. Burkholder, meanwhile, received $2,100 in contributions and has yet to make an expenditure, according to her statement. She is supported by councilman Mark Packard, who donated $100 to her campaign. Cori Schumacher raised $24,737.22, had $5,249.99 in expenditures for a $19,708.23 ending cash balance. Flock’s criticism’s, meanwhile, of unlimited campaign contributions is notable for several candidates. Flock said those rules are biased toward the “establishment, special interests and the wealthy.” For example, only three candidates to date — Blackburn, Wood and Schumacher — have individuals, a political action committee (PAC) or business, donate more than $1,000 to a specific campaign. Blackburn received $3,000 from The California Real Estate PAC on April 5, while Carlsbad resident and Carlsbad Strawberry Company owner Jimmy Ikegawa donated $1,250, including $1,000 on Feb. 5, TURN TO FILINGS ON A16
Oceanside Pokéstops helping to bring in extra business By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — Ed Gonsalves, owner of Oceanside Pier Bait Shop, said this summer has been the busiest ever. He said there is a flood of visitors stopping in at the bait shop, and after hours hundreds continue to gather on the pier. While the scenic beaches and great restaurants draw most visitors, another pull for after-hours crowds is Pokéstop hot spots in Oceanside, which include the bait shop. “At night there are hundreds, I would say thousands on the pier,” Gonsalves said. “It’s been my craziest summer. I hope it continues. We’ve been closing the door on people (when we shut down for the night), that’s how busy we’ve been.” The California Welcome Center, which houses Visit Oceanside, is well aware of the Pokémon Go phenomenon. The welcome center now has a “Pokémon players welcome” sign on its door, after staff found out it is a Pokéstop location. Pokémon Go is a mobile game application that encourages players who are called “trainers” to walk around town to find and capture tools, and build an army of Pokémon to battle rival teams in gym locations. The game mixes the imaginary Pokémon world with real-time Google maps. As a bit of background, players gains strength by building their army of Pokémon, and gaining “experience points.” Pokéstops and gyms are real life locations where gamers can capture Pokémon or battle, and Oceanside is rich with them. Michelle Martini-Brown, Visit Oceanside business development manager, demonstrated how to capture a Pokémon at the welcome center. She has also written a blog on Oceanside’s hot spots, which include the pier and mission.
really been a boon to the tourist industry. Gonsalves said the Pokémon craze brings a nice crowd of families, middle-age adults and kids to Oceanside’s pier and downtown. He added he does not know the direct impact, but estimates his business is up 10 percent from last year.
enter San Marcos race By Aaron Burgin
SAN MARCOS — It appears San Marcos will have an election this November, after two people announced their intent to challenge a pair of incumbents in the fall election. Ruben “RJ” Hernandez and Matthew Stack obtained nomination papers from the San Marcos City Clerk’s office, along with incumbents Sharon Jenkins and Rebecca Jones. Jenkins, a former San Marcos Unified School District board member, is seeking her second term. Jones is seeking her third and final term on the dais, as San Marcos municipal code limits an elected representative to three consecutive four-year terms on the council. Both challengers are relative newcomers to San Marcos: Hernandez moved from San Diego two years ago and Stack moved from Oceanside two months ago. Hernandez, 35, according to his Facebook page, describes himself as an “independent, pro-business, anti-fire and pro-opportunity,” candidate. “Meaning, I’m here to bolster business growth (jobs), protect our community from fire and work with and within the
community to give those looking to step up and advance, the chance to do so,” Hernandez said on his page. Stack, 35, is a partner at a commercial financing firm who is active in his church in Carlsbad. He said that there wasn’t a specific issue that prompted him to run, but said that he would provide a fresh perspective on the dais. “San Marcos is an amazing city, I love this city,” Stack said. “This is something I have thought about for years, as a man of God I prayed about it and talked about it with people I have respected for years, and everything kind of lined up and I felt like it was my time to lead. I hope it not only stays the greatest city, but it just becomes greater and greater.” Stack said his campaign will center around the idea of what he calls balanced development, managing growth to maintain community character and doesn’t create issues such as with traffic congestion. “My biggest concern is that we are growing so fast that we may be getting ahead of ourselves,” Stack said. “It is good to TURN TO RACE ON A11
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Michelle Martini-Brown, Visit Oceanside business development manager, is about to capture a Pokémon monster at the California Welcome Center. Oceanside has scores on Pokestops for players. Photo by Promise Yee
Martini-Brown said staff and volunteers first caught on that the welcome center was a Pokéstop when they noticed people gathered outside looking at their cell phones. “Pokéstops are placed at almost every tourist stop and some even offer additional information when you tap on the name,” Martini-Brown said. She added that she even learned about offbeat public art and unique historical facts in Oceanside by playing. Locations of Pokéstops and gyms are deemed by the game’s creators, with a courtesy notice to be respectful of locations and whether they welcome gamers. On Oceanside Pier it did not take long to notice people with their eyes glued to their phones catching Pokémon. James Dozier, of Moreno Valley, was there with his daughters. He said he got into gaming to spend more time with family and to get out and exercise. Dozier was wearing a red Pokémon shirt, which identifies him as a member of Team Valor. He said his older daughter Trinity is on Team Mystic, which adds an element of healthy competition. Team Valor, Team Mystic and Team Instinct battle each other when they get to a gym
location, such as Ruby’s Diner at the end of the pier. In brief, if you arrive at a gym and a like team member is there you can train your Pokémon for future battles. If a rival team trainer is at a gym, and you are have reached playing level 5, you can go into battle with your army of Pokémon. A team can claim they are in charge of a gym, and team players can leave a Pokémon there to guard it. Cerina DeSouza, Visit Oceanside director of marketing and communications, said Pokémon Go gaming has
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