PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 24, NO. 15
APRIL 16, 2010
THISWEEK
Beach fire rings will be relocated
WIN-WIN-WIN
Ethiopian Meseret Defar’s trip to Carlsbad paid off as she became the first three-time female champion in the Carlsbad 5000 B1
GOOD ACTS
The nonprofit performers of Up With People don’t just entertain, they reach out to help the communities A3 they visit
By Promise Yee
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B17 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19 Consumer Reports . . . . . A9 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B19 Doorman Diaries . . . . . . B2 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . B4 Hot Off the Block . . . . . . B5 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . . B8 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . B16 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pendleton News . . . . . . A16 Pet of the Week . . . . . . A15 Sea Notes . . . . . . . . . . . A10 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . B6 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
Above, 2-year-old Kyla O’Donnell of San Marcos looks pretty in pink as she finishes the 25-yard Diaper Dash. Left, Isabella Frisone of Placentia, Calif., claims victory in the 6-year-old division. Photos by Patrice Malloy
Little winners CARLSBAD — The 21st annual Junior Carlsbad took place on April 10.The event, for children 12 and younger, rewarded every participant with a finisher’s medal, T-shirt and goodie bag. There were events for every age and ability, from the Diaper Dash and Toddler Trot to the 1/4, 1/2 and 1-mile races.
OCEANSIDE — If you’re looking for a spot to roast wieners on the beach, you will need to look somewhere other than the north side of Oceanside Pier come August. City Council decided to relocate four fire rings that sit north of Oceanside Pier in a 31 vote April 7, in which Councilwoman Esther Sanchez voted no. Residents who live in the San Miguel beach condominiums, which are in close proximity to the fire rings, voiced heath concerns about toxic fumes generated by untreated wood and random items burned in the fire rings.Those with asthma, emphysema, cancer and heart disease were especially concerned TURN TO RINGS ON A14
Gangster testifies against his own By Randy Kalp
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City officially lifts ban on valet parking By Wehtahnah Tucker
ENCINITAS — City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance allowing valet parking on April 14. The law will now go to the Coastal Commission for review and final approval. This may come as a surprise to many who regularly see parking attendants hustling through the maze of cars in tiny lots along Cardiff-bythe-Sea’s so-called restaurant row. “I had no idea you weren’t supposed to charge
for valet parking,” said Shawn Dyer, who parked his own car at a popular eating establishment in the vicinity of South Coast Highway 101. “I don’t see the problem if people are willing to pay for it.” The council agreed. In fact, the ban on valet parking doesn’t apply equally to everyone. City Planning Director Patrick Murphy said the Chart House restaurant in Cardiff-by-the-Sea was allowed to charge for parking because its existence pre-
dates the city’s incorporation. According to city records, at least two speakers requested the restriction be removed during a September 2007 City Council meeting. Several restaurants followed up with a letter that argued against the ban. In part, the letters stated that the state’s nearby seaside paid parking was double their own rates and enticed some beach patrons to use the restaurants’ valet services which were half the price.
The Planning Commission finally heard staff recommendation to modify the ordinance this February after almost two and a half years since the council directed staff to proceed with an amendment in November 2007. Businesses that have never offered valet services to their patrons will have to apply for a minor use permit at a cost of approximately TURN TO VALET ON A20
CARLSBAD — On April 7, nearly a year to the day of an Encinitas gang’s retaliatory attack in which one of their members was accidentally shot, one of the men linked to the crime talked openly about the details that led up to the fatal shooting. From the witness stand in a Vista courtroom, Victor Lopez testified against two members of his gang, his cousin Javier Antonio Lopez and Jose Angel Barraza, at their preliminary hearing for the murder of 21-year-old Juan Carlos Balderas near Pine Community Park at Chestnut Avenue and Madison Street in TURN TO GANGSTER ON A14