PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 32, N0. 37
SEPT. 14, 2018
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Del Mar gun shows suspended .com
Phil Graham accuser faces charges
Two remaining scheduled events in 2018 to proceed without changes THE
By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — A North County woman who falsely accused former State Assembly candidate Phil Graham of groping and forcibly kissing her now faces criminal charges stemming from her claims. According to Superior Court records obtained by The Coast News, the District Attorney’s office has charged Nichole Burgan with misdemeanor filing of a false police report stemming from Burgan the claims made during the lead up to the June 5 primary election. Graham, who failed to advance to the Nov. 6 general election after finishing in third place during the primary, is the stepson of former California Gov. Pete Wilson. Burgan said that Graham forcibly kissed her during the early morning hours of May 14 after a night of drinking at the 1st Street Bar in Encinitas. But variations in her story to different media outlets and a series of restraining orders filed against Burgan in the past that accused her of filing false reports raised doubts about the veracity of her claims. The Sheriff’s Department investigated and disproved the claims after reviewing video surveillance TURN TO ACCUSER ON A3
By Lexy Brodt
IN MEMORIAM
A Carlsbad Fire Department badge honors those who bravely gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. “Every September, we are privileged to wear this badge on duty to remember our brothers and sisters lost that day. May we never forget them.” Photo via Instagram
SOAR opponents launch campaign By Claudia Piepenburg
OCEANSIDE — With the general election less than two months away, two of the most vocal opponents of the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiative, Neil Nagata with Nagata Brothers Farms Inc. and Michelle C. Keeler with Mellano & Company, have launched a campaign to defeat the measure. Nagata Brothers has been in business since the early 1940s. The farm primarily grows berry crops such as strawberries and some melons. Nagata is president of Nagata Brothers Farms as well as the San Diego Farm Bureau. Mellano & Company has been in business for nearly 100 years. The company is one of the largest flow-
er growers/suppliers in the U.S., with stores in Los Angeles, Orange County, Carlsbad and Las Vegas. They have supplied flowers to The Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, the LA County Fair, the US Open, the Grammy Awards and the Oscars. Ever since enough voters signed a petition to allow the SOAR initiative on the general election ballot, Nagata and Keeler have been outspoken critics, claiming that if the measure passes, they are in danger of going out of business. Nagata in particular referred many times to the “ … wealthy homeowners backing the initiative,” suggesting that
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VISTA eral city council members and elected officials includNEWS ing Del Mar Mayor Dwight Worden, Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear and Solana Beach City Councilwoman Judy Hegenauer. Each reiterated their council’s resolutions opposing the gun shows. The Santee City Council recently voted unanimously in support of the gun show. RANCHO Stephen Hill, a district director, voiced 78th State SFNEWS Assemblyman Todd Gloria’s opposition to the gun shows. The day prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Gloria sent a letter to the board of directors in support of the Contracts Committee recommendation, while also raising the possibility of drafting legislation against the gun shows. Five elected officials, including Gloria, sent the board letters concerning the gun shows — two in favor, and three opposed. Board member Richard Valdez said the board and fairground staff need to be “mindful” of new legislation that may arise and affect any future policy recommendations. “The legislature in California could decide they don’t want gun shows on state property,” Valdez said. The gun shows, which have been hosted for almost 30 years at the Del Mar Fairgrounds by Crossroads of the West Gunshows, offer hundreds of tables where
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DEL MAR — The 22nd District Agricultural Association board of directors voted 8-1 in favor of a Contracts Committee plan at a Sept. 11 meeting, suspended any contracts with producers of gun shows beyond Dec. 31. A new policy for future gun shows will be presented to the board no later than the December 2019 meeting — thus setting a maximum yearlong moratorium on the gun shows. The two remaining gun shows this year will proceed without changes. The Contracts Committee recommended that the gun shows exist solely for educational and safety training purposes, fairgrounds staff consider an age minimum, and ban the possession of guns and ammunition on state property. Pro-gun show attendee Bill Olson argued that banning guns from the gun show is like hosting “an art show with no art.” Although the Contracts Committee considered prohibiting the sale of firearms and ammunitions outright, the committee concluded that it cannot dictate the commercial sale of guns. The remark elicited sighs from the crowd in an otherwise calm and civil meeting. More than 60 members of the public spoke at the meeting, with more than half speaking in support of gun shows. The board also took comments from sev-
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