PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 35, N0. 41
OCT. 15, 2021
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Unvaccinated MARCOS -NEWS city employees placed on leave
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Winston School takes City of Del Mar to court. A3 San Dieguito names superintendent finalist. A3 Encinitas to hold in-person redistricting workshop. A6
Encinitas gives THE workers 30 days to VISTA comply orNEWS be fired
Sports Talk: Soccer mom having a kick in college. A9
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Battle over Ponto Park in Carlsbad continues. A11 Escondido mural project unveils final phase. B11
By Jordan P. Ingram
MARIJUANA IN NORTH COUNTY
In the first of a three-part series, The Coast News looks at Prop 64, cannabis advocacy and opposition groups and Vista’s booming, tax-burdened pot industry. A13
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY experienced a noticeable increase in both violent and property crimes over the first six months of ’21, according to SANDAG’s mid-year report. But law enforcement and analysts say the area’s sharp return to pre-COVID levels is partly due to an extremely low number of reported offenses last year amid stay-at-home orders. Story on A7. Courtesy graphic
Allman issues cease, desist letter Trustee, lawyer allege slander by union president By Bill Slane
ENCINITAS — A legal representative for San Dieguito Union High School District Trustee Michael Allman issued a cease and desist letter this past week claiming a teachers union president and signature gatherers have engaged in illegal activity and made false and defamatory statements in an effort to recall him from elected office. The letter was addressed to Duncan Brown, president of the San Dieguito Faculty Association, along with Brian VanRiper, of Method Communications, a firm hired by the teachers union to aid in signature gathering. Allman’s legal representative Michael Alva-
MICHAEL ALLMAN issued a cease and desist letter to SDFA president Duncan Brown. Courtesy photo
rez, of Sutton Law Firm, alleges Brown, VanRiper and signature gatherers have defamed the school board official with “falsehoods,” “misrepresentations” and “outright lies,” such as claims that Allman is under investigation by law enforcement, violated the Brown Act, and continues to operate an illegal Facebook group. The letter also alleges the group has
called Allman a racist and claimed he inappropriately touched signature gathers. “To the extent you and your agents are accusing Mr. Allman of having committed one or more crimes, you are committing ‘slander per se,’ which means that Mr. Allman can recover damages from you without having to demonstrate particular harm (‘special damages’) that your statements have caused,” the letter reads. Brown told The Coast News Saturday he felt the timing of the letter was curious, noting that sending a letter at 5 p.m. on a Friday was intended not to allow the union to respond in a timely manner. With the district also potentially on the precipice of hiring a new superintendent, Brown questioned if Allman was able to focus on the ongoing interview TURN TO ALLMAN ON A6
O’side boosts nonprofit relief funds $1M allocation follows criticism over initial sum By Samantha Nelson
OCEANSIDE — The City of Oceanside is dedicating $1 million from its coronavirus relief funds to nonprofit organizations,
ENCINITAS — The City of Encinitas followed through on its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy last Thursday by placing all non-vaccinated workers on unpaid leave for the next month, according to a city spokesperson. RANCHO Both union and nonunion employees were subSFNEWS ject to temporary dismissal without pay if they could not provide proof of their vaccination status by Oct. 7, which was previously announced in a signed agreement between the city and SEIU representatives in late August. The city gave notice to those who did not comply with the mandate that they have been placed on unpaid leave for 30 days, according to a statement by Julie Taber, the city's public information officer. Employees who remain unvaccinated after the 30day period will be terminated for noncompliance. According to the city, less than 6% of employees had not been vaccinated but the city has not yet provided a specific number of workers placed on unpaid leave. “I want to thank the employees that have done their part to keep the community and fellow employees safe by getting vaccinated,” said City Manager Pamela Antil. “While the number and severity of cases in San Diego County continue to improve, COVID-19 is still very much a threat. It is everyone’s responsibility to do their part to keep themselves and those around them safe and healthy.” “We at the City of Encinitas are holding ourselves to a higher standard of safety,” said Mayor Catherine Blakespear. “We do not want to be the cause of any infections and we know the vaccine is the best way to stop the spread of coronavirus. “We want people to have the confidence when they come into City Hall to conduct business or when our employees enter their homes that we are doing all we can to protect them.” Negotiations and talks remain ongoing with respect to the city’s fire union, which represents 50
nearly three times more than the amount originally approved, after receiving criticism that the city's initial proposal was too low. Staff from the city manager’s office presented its breakdown of how the city has so far spent and plans to spend its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds at the Oct. 6 council meeting. The city is
set to receive nearly $32.4 million broken down into two $16.2 million tranches of money. The first installment came in May, and the second is due to arrive in May 2022. Oceanside has until 2024 to determine how it will spend the money, and until 2026 to actually TURN TO NONPROFITS ON A20
A MAJORITY of the city’s elected officials did not support an earlier proposal for a citywide vaccine mandate for activities such as indoor shopping, dining. Courtesy photo
Del Mar backs off citywide vaccine mandate proposal By Bill Slane
DEL MAR — A majority of the Del Mar City Council during its Oct. 4 meeting did not support the possible implementation of citywide vaccine mandates for businesses and events in Del Mar after several council members noted there is no strong support for such measures at this time. Last month, the Del Mar City Council voted to require that all city staff be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. As part of that discussion, Deputy Mayor Dwight Worden asked to talk about further mandates for businesses to require proof of vaccination for indoor shopping and dining. The call for discus-
sion was also supported by Councilmember Dave Druker. At the time, Worden suggested city staff return with a vaccine mandate policy for Del Mar that was to be modeled after one made by the City of West Hollywood. Worden also had strong comments for those who have decided not to receive one of three available vaccines, one of which has full FDA approval. “Those who choose not to be vaccinated are the ones that are allowing the virus to stay alive in this country and in our area,” Worden said. “They’re the ones who are allowing it to mutate to new variants and TURN TO VACCINES ON A11
TURN TO EMPLOYEES ON A7