PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 34, N0. 4
JAN. 24, 2020
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Carlsbad candidates talk issues
Council OKs lot for .com homeless
By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — Three candidates are vying for the vacant City Council seat in District 1 and took on questions regarding the most pressing issues in the district and city during a Jan. 20 forum at the Senior Center. More than 100 people crammed the small conference room, moderated by T.K. Arnold, to watch as incumbent Cori Schumacher and challengers Simon Angel and Tracy Carmichael gave their views on topics including the Village and Barrio, development in the neighborhoods, homelessness, trenching the railroad tracks, accessory dwelling units and density. As for the candidates, each presented their top three issues facing the city. Schumacher said homelessness, affordable housing and traffic mitigation and parking top her list. Carmichael said public safety, homelessness and effective government are her top three priorities, while Angel said preserving open space, maintaining the city’s character and managing growth top his list. Schumacher leaned on her experience on the council, as she was elected in 2016, noting her work with the California League of Cities, the San Diego Association of Governments and helping pass state legislation while working for Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath. She also prioritized the Village and Barrio, noting the master plan is returning to the council and is still in need of work. In addition, she also said homelessness is a critical issue, noting state law requires a 1:1 ratio for shelter beds, which is the city is short. “We have ordinances for encampments (and TURN TO CANDIDATES ON A5
By Tawny McCray
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doesn’t go unnoticed,” Rivera said. According to Rivera, in 2019 it was tracked that there were 25 deaths of transgender women, most of whom were black. She noted that number didn’t account for the cases that have gone unreported, and added that transgender women of color are often misgendered in police reports, which can delay awareness. Leea Pronovost, the following speaker, told the audience how it affected her when she found out two of her friends had been murdered. Pronovost recalled attending Transgender Day of Remembrance events that happen each year on Nov. 20. In Oceanside, the event is held at the library and honors murdered trans women by reading their names. When Pronovost first started attending those remembrance events, she didn’t think it could happen to anyone she knew — until it did. “One of the names was a really good friend,” she said. “We shared food, we shared drink, she inspired
ENCINITAS — The VISTA Encinitas City Council voted 4-1 in NEWS a contentious marathon meeting in front of an overflow crowd Jan. 22 to approve a safe overnight parking lot for homeless people living out of their cars. The Safe Parking Program has driven a wedge in the community since it was first presented at a council meeting in November. RANCHO The lot, on Leichtag SFNEWS Commons on Saxony Road, would allow for a maximum of 25 cars from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. All participants are referred by area schools, churches and other local organizations and adults are run through sex offender registries. There will be on-site security, bathrooms with showers, and case management to help people transition to permanent housing. The lot will be operated by Jewish Family Services and funded with a $256,000 HEAP grant awarded to the nonprofit. It would be the first of its kind in North County. More than 90 people spoke during public comment, with a few more people in support of the lot than against it. “There are families in need now,” said Rebecca Ross. “These are our fellow community members, you may not want to think of them as your fellow community members but they are … They attend our community colleges, their children attend our schools, their children go to school with your children, you just don’t know they’re homeless, you don’t know they’re sleeping in their cars.” Anthony White, a 29-year-old husband, father, and Marine Corps veteran, said he previously spent eight months homeless and living in his car in North County. He said he wanted to help dispel some
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THE OJOS DE CONDOR organization performs a flashmob to highlight sexual assault and harassment during the North County Women’s March in Oceanside on Jan. 18. Photos by Samantha Nelson
Women’s March a grassroots gathering By Samantha Nelson
OCEANSIDE — Approximately 1,500 people gathered downtown at the Civic Center on Jan. 18 for the fourth annual North County Women’s March. The march was first held at Palomar College in 2017 with approximately 10,000 people in attendance. Last year was the event moved to Oceanside with about 1,000 attendees. Though the numbers have appeared to dwindle in the last few years, organizer Sue Alderson is not concerned. She noted that during the first year of the march, it was a “different time.” Indeed, 2017 was the first year for hundreds of women’s marches being held across the country in response to President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Since then, many cities including San Diego have held annual marches. For Alderson, this year was a particularly successful march because of how many community organizations were present and involved. Groups present at the march included environmental organizations like CleanEarth4Kids.org, religious-affiliated groups
NORTH COUNTY residents rallied together at the fourth annual North County Women’s March at the Oceanside Civic Center on Jan. 18.
like Mosques Against Trafficking, and others like the Immigrant Justice League, the Sally Hunt Foundation, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, Moms Against Guns, Armadillos Busqueda y Rescate and more. “This shows that North County does have activists and they do want to be heard, and they do want to participate, and for me that makes it an incredible success,” Alderson said. There was no physical marching down streets this year. Instead, the crowd gathered as sever-
al speakers from these different organizations called attention to issues within the community and throughout the nation. Evie Rivera, a Palomar College student with the group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) de Palomar, called for the crowd to remember transgender women of color who have been murdered. “We think it’s extremely important for us to recognize that this issue is prevalent in our world today, and we want to make sure that this issue
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