PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 23, NO. 51
DEC. 18, 2009
Barth passed over for position
THISWEEK ble a u l Va pons cou ages on P –B13 B12
By Wehtahnah Tucker
H20 HERO
A lifelong love of all things water leads a local volunteer to champion for B1 clean water
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 48 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B19 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B22 Consumer Reports . . . . A16 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B22 Dining Guide . . . . . . . . B11 EyeWitness . . . . . . . . . . A14 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . B3 Henry’s Health Tips . . . A15 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . B6 Horoscopes . . . . . . . . . B21 Hot off the Block . . . . . A10 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . . B6 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pendleton News . . . . . A17 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . B6 Second Opinion . . . . . . A16 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . B5 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
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CAROLING IN CARDIFF Roving caroller Chanara Casey Richmond dressed in holiday attire sings at the second annual Kringle Mingle held Dec. 10 at Cardiff Town Center. Photo by Bruce Meyer
ENCINITAS — Some residents are crying foul after City Council voted to pass over Councilwoman Teresa Barth for the position of deputy mayor during a special meeting Dec. 8. The positions are mostly ceremonial and do not involve extra compensation. Traditionally, the posts have rotated annually among council members in an informal system where the next in line moves one chair to the left on the dais. During the meeting, outgoing Mayor Maggie TURN TO POSITION ON A14
Residents gather for Kringle Mingle By Wehtahnah Tucker
CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA — In typical laidback style, Santa and his elf, dressed in a hip version of the traditional green costume, strolled through Cardiff Town Center on Dec. 10 to celebrate the second annual Kringle Mingle. During a brief respite from the pouring rains, the gathering was a festive affair. “It’s nice that the clouds broke,” Sharon Spears said.“This is a fun thing to have for everyone so I’m really glad it finally stopped raining.” Hosted by the Cardiff 101 Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together vendors and entertainers from 4 to 8 p.m. “This is a way to get the community out and familiar with some of the shops and the surroundings,” said Brad Maassen, chamber board of directors president. “It’s another event that’s
growing in Cardiff.” In fact, the consistent crowd was composed mainly of local residents. “It’s nice to have a central location for these types of events that’s so close to home,” Janet Pearl said. “We walked over, no packing the kids in the car and schlepping to a shopping mall to see Santa.” Attendees were treated to hot cocoa and snacks, entertainment and more than 15 local vendors. “We tried to keep it arts and crafts oriented,”Maassen said.Several artists hawked their wares including Karla Ogilvie, whose book, “Encinitas InSight: A Photographer’s Journey,” depicts local flare through her lens. While the poinsettia Christmas tree was a visual focal
DEL MAR — Sometimes time is on your side. Sometimes it’s not. With the deadline only a month away, Del Mar city officials found the latter to be true as they discussed plans at the Dec. 7 City Council meeting to submit comments on the environmental impact report for expansion at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The 22nd District Agricultural Association,
which operates the site, is proposing to renovate the 340acre facility by adding a hotel, new exhibit halls, rooftop sports facilities, a health club, a parking structure and office buildings. Immediately after the draft EIR and master plan were released for public review on Oct. 9, portions of the 4,500-plus-page document were given to various city departments for review based on each one’s area of expertise.
city officials don’t want to release comments based on incomplete data. City staff plans to present its draft comment letter to council members at a special meeting Jan. 5, three days before the deadline, when City Council would be expected to approve the letter for submission. Staff said it would plan to get its draft letter to the advisory committee by TURN TO FAIRGROUNDS ON A20
TURN TO DUI ON A20
TURN TO KRINGLE ON A20
Officials are also seeking input by working with other agencies and organizations focusing on the environmental effects as they relate to the issues they oversee. A ninemember ad hoc citizen advisory committee is reviewing the two-volume document as well. That group wants to see the city’s comments before drafting and voting on its letter. But once the city releases information to the advisory group, it becomes public and
By Randy Kalp
RANCHO SANTA FE — A 17-year-old Torrey Pines High School senior was sentenced to probation and up to 547 days in a juvenile camp relating to a drunken driving accident, which killed one classmate and left another seriously injured. Judge George “Woody” Clarke ordered the teen to serve a minimum of 283 days at Camp Barrett in connection to an early morning Oct. 4 single-car crash on a winding section of La Granada near the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The 17-year-old driver, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, is expected to receive treatment for alcohol abuse during his
Fairgrounds expansion runs up against the clock By Bianca Kaplanek
Teen driver sentenced for fatal DUI wreck
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