PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 32, N0. 1
JAN. 5, 2018
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Campaign spawns $25M suit
.com THE VISTA NEWS
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By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — A city councilman, one of his former colleagues and a member of the team negotiating to develop the train station property are suing one former and three longtime Solana Beach residents for a combined total of at least $25 million for comments made and disseminated during the 2016 election. Mike Nichols, Lesa Heebner and Joe Balla filed lawsuits against Edward Siegel, M.D., Mary Jane Boyd, Sandy Parrish and Brian Hall for defamation and invasion of privacy. Also named is Andrew Jones, a fictitious character whose name was attached to letters and emails that sparked the litigation. Siegel, a longtime Solana Beach resident, is a psychiatrist who co-authored the city’s official song that was adopted in 2006. In 1987, one year after the city was incorporated, he started a weekly singalong now considered the city’s oldest ongoing community event. With urging from Hall, he said he decided to run for one of three available council seats in 2016 to promote civic pride, which he said could be done by singing “Solana Beach, Our City Proud” at appropriate community events, changing Lomas Santa Fe Drive to Solana Beach Drive and being an ambassador for his town. He also would like the mayor to be elected to a four-year term rather than appointed annually, as is the practice now. “I told him if he didn’t like some things, run for office,” said Hall, a real estate broker who maintains a Solana Beach office but moved out of the city recently. “Take a stand and do something. Don’t complain
RANCHO SFNEWS
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THE SUN SETS ON 2017
With a late December sunset as luminous backdrop, two women jog on Grandview Beach in the Leucadia section of Encinitas. Photo by Carrie Moran
License plate readers go live at Carlsbad intersections By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — Approved on the promise of improved public safety, the city went live with 51 license plate recognition cameras at 14 locations on Dec. 20. The Carlsbad Police Department touted the early success of the readers on social media recently noting two stolen cars were recovered netting three arrests in TURN TO LAWSUIT ON A13 the first days the cameras were
active. Additionally, a third stolen vehicle evaded police during a chase from Carlsbad Village into Oceanside where the alleged thief went against traffic to evade officers. “After hearing about the technology and what it can bring to the table to help improve public safety and public welfare, I was just all for it,” resident Dan Weis said. “If it reduces crime in any manner,
SELL WITHOUT LISTING NO SIGNS, NO OPEN HOUSES, NO HASSLE.
I’m all for it.” It is a hot button issue in the city as many people were against the cameras during a March 2017 City Council meeting citing privacy, housing of the data and access to and protection of the information as concerns. The cameras cost $807,025 to purchase and San Diego ARJIS will store the data from the cameras, which were purchased from
Vigilant Solutions. Proponents, meanwhile, note increasing safety, lowering crime rates and the trickle effect the cameras have in helping not just the Carlsbad Police Department, but neighboring agencies to apprehend criminals. During the March City Council meeting, the staff report stated an TURN TO CAMERAS ON A9
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