PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 24, NO. 7
THISWEEK TO THE TOP
A local woman became the first paraplegic to reach the summit of Tanzania’s 19,000-foot Mount Kilimanjaro B1
PAY TO PARK
Residents now will have to pay — either by the hour or for a day — at Carlsbad’s Tamarack A10 Surf Beach
I’M READY FOR MY CLOSEUP Marvel action movie “Thor” and some big Hollywood names could be coming to film on the beach in Del Mar A6
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Business Directory . . . A27 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B16 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B18 Consumer Reports . . . . . B4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B18 Doorman Diaries . . . . . . B9 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . B11 Hot Off the Block . . . . . . A6 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A21 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . B9 Sea Notes . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Second Opinion . . . . . . A11 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . A6 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDARS SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
FREE CLASSIFIED ADS Sell your car at any price, or any one item $150 or less for free! Go online to www.coastnewsgroup.com or call our free ad hot line at (760) 436-1070. Deadline is Monday at 4 p.m.
.com FEB. 19, 2010
District elects to keep all schools
Puppy l ve ENCINITAS — Rancho Coastal Humane Society celebrated a Puppy Love Festival on Feb. 13. Attendees enjoyed baked goods, face painting, pet photos and a doggie kissing booth as they searched for their furry valentines. Right, “Smooch-apooch!” Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident Natalie Poaliloo, Del Mar resident Maria Cohen, Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident Katie Proal, and Mako, a Chihuahua mix, work the kissing booth where visitors received a kiss for free from Mako and a photo for a $2 donation. Below, San Diego resident Michelle Kelly shows off her painted face.
By Bianca Kaplanek
DEL MAR — Following the recommendation of Superintendent Sharon McClain, the Del Mar Union School District board of trustees voted unanimously on Feb. 10 to take school closure off the table as a means to deal with budget cuts, uneven enrollment and a need to relocate the district offices. The action earned the board a standing ovation from the standing-room-only crowd that included many of the same people who lambasted trustees for the past several months, accusing them of dividing the community. And not everyone applauded the recent action. Suzanne Hall said she thought the board was acting prematurely. “I understand you don’t want to close a school,” she said. “But I don’t want to see us put our heads in the sand and pretend we don’t have a problem.” Trustee Annette Easton somewhat agreed, noting that
Photos by Daniel Knighton
TURN TO SCHOOLS ON A17
Business tax fails to make Residents not swayed by decision on Village H ballot By Alyx Sariol
CARLSBAD — From city streets to council meetings, Carlsbad residents are continuing the fight to save their beloved Village H property. After a weekend rally to raise pledges and support for Village H preservation, concerned residents attended the Feb. 16 City Council meeting to plead their case once again. Walt Meier spoke on behalf of the group, asking the council members to “have a heart” and “save Village H,” while others presented handmade valentines to the council. City Council has had several opportunities to purchase the approximately 60acre property located at Carlsbad Village Drive and Victoria Street. While more than 50 acres are already designated as open space, residents want the council to
purchase the “heart of has long been a hot topic in Village H,” a 3.2-acre area the city. “This question has been zoned for community faciliraised by this council a numties, Meier said.
his land has made us neighbors, friends and family.”
“T
— Walt Meier SAVE VILLAGE H MEMBER
“(Village H) has made where we live more than a housing tract or development,” Meier said. “This land has made us neighbors, friends and family.” Unfortunately, their request fell on deaf ears as the council — with the exception of Councilman Keith Blackburn — decided not to further review the issue that
ber of times,” Mayor Bud Lewis said. He suggested that Blackburn, who was not on the council when the issue was last raised, meet with city staff in private to clarify any questions. “Staff will brief you as we’ve been briefed before on (Village H).” After the public comment session ended, Save Village H supporters were
clearly frustrated with the council’s decision. Although disappointed, they were not discouraged and will continue the fight to preserve open space in their community. “(Village H) is really the poster child for all the open space projects that they’ve failed to purchase,” Meier said. “They don’t want to admit that it was a mistake.” The Save Village H group is considering alternatives to preserve the land, including an offer to purchase the land as a community. The group raised more than $13,000 in pledges at their weekend rally that would go toward securing the acreage, Save Village H member Gigi Orlowski said. “We have a precedent of TURN TO VILLAGE ON A23
By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — A nine-month effort to implement a business tax failed to move forward after a City Council vote at the Feb. 10 meeting to include the measure in the June 8 election failed 2-3. At issue was adding a new level to the existing fivetier model that would result in businesses making more than $5 million paying a higher tax. Council members have two scheduled meetings — Feb. 24 and March 10 — to reach a compromise and meet the March 12 deadline to submit measures for the June ballot. Faced with declining sales and occupancy tax revenue, the city began discussing the potential business tax last year as one way to TURN TO TAX ON A17