Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XVI, Issue 44
www.delmartimes.net
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
Nov. 8, 2012 Published Weekly
Heated local races culminate in failed propositions, close wins
■ The Del Mar Art Center held a reception for its fall art show. Page B20.
BY CLAIRE HARLIN Candidates and their supporters were celebrating victories on Nov. 7, with most wins looking certain and a few extremely close, with about 475,000 absentee and provisional ballots left to be tallied countywide as of press time for this newspaper. Soon after the polls closed, the Secretary of State’s office reported that about 52.6 percent of the county’s some 1.6 million voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 elections — a much lower turnout than the 75 percent predicted by the registrar of
voters. But maybe the elections in Carmel Valley, Del Mar and Solana Beach, which were said to be some of the most heated political battles in the history of the communities, upped the turnout numbers at least for those areas. For example, close to 2,000 votes were already tallied on Del Mar’s Prop J, a controversial downtown revitalization plan for the city of 4,000, and that’s not including the more than 1,000 Del Mar residents who are registered as permanent absentee voters and may
have voted that way. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters said its staff is working day and night to get all ballots counted as soon as possible. There is a 28-day deadline to verify the votes, but representatives said they hope to get the results out sooner. Here’s a round-up of elections affecting the local areas of Del Mar, Solana Beach and Carmel Valley: PROP J As of press time, 1,136 votes (or 58.2 percent) had been recorded against and 816 (or 41.8 percent)
Torrey Pines edges La Costa Canyon
■ TorreyPines Pop Warner Junior Midget Golden Falcons cheer team tops at competition. Page 5 Torrey Pines High School moves the ball en route to a 24-17 victory over La Costa Canyon High School at the Beach Bowl on Nov. 2. See pages 14, 22. PHOTO/ANNA SCIPIONE
Groups call for more clarification on Solana Beach’s coastal plan Public comment period on city revisions end Nov. 26 ■ ‘Valitar’ show demonstrates human-horse relationship. Page B1
BY CLAIRE HARLIN Every city in San Diego County has an approved Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan (LUP) to guide future development — that is, except for Solana Beach. Despite submitting six different drafts to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), the city’s LUP is still in limbo mainly due to clashes between land owners and envi-
ronmentalists, and until Nov. 26 at 1 p.m., the public has a chance to provide input regarding the current revision on the table. The draft and public comments will be up for discussion at a City Council hearing in early December, in which the council will vote on what to send the CCC for approval. “It’s time for people to read it and understand it and if they have concerns put it in writing for the record,” said Jon Corn, an attorney representing the Beach and Bluff Conservancy (BBC) and CondoSee COASTAL, Page 6
votes for the proposition, which would create new development standards for Del Mar — including roundabout traffic circles and raised building height limits. More than 90 public meetings and millions of dollars went into the expansive, 500-page Village Specific Plan, which those on all sides of the debate knew would present an uphill battle. SOLANA BEACH CITY COUNCIL Incumbent Lesa Heebner led See RACES, page 4
Results on school bonds close BY KAREN BILLING At press time for this newspaper on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 7, both local school district bond propositions had not reached the 55 percent voter approval needed to pass in the Nov. 6 election, by very slim margins. General obligation bonds require 55 percent of the vote to pass — the San Dieguito Union School District’s Prop AA received 54.47 percent of the vote, while the Del Mar Union School District’s Prop CC received 53.20 percent of the vote. Additionally, the Miracosta Community College’s bond Prop EE was also short of the needed votes, just shy of 55 percent with 54 percent voting “Yes.” However absentee and provisional ballots had yet to be tallied. “As it stands this morning [Nov. 7], Proposition AA has 54.4 [percent] of the affirmative vote, .6 percent, or
290 votes, short of the necessary threshold to pass,” said Ken Noah, superintendent of the San Dieguito Union High School District. “It is our understanding that there are still approximately 475,000 absentee and provisional ballots to tally in the county. Of that total, we anticipate that there are approximately 20,000 additional votes to count in the San Dieguito Union High School District. We are hopeful that the final results will be available within the week.” Suzanne Hall, co-chair of the Committee for Quality Del Mar Schools, also said there may be a chance that Prop CC will pass once the absentee and provisional ballots are counted. If the bond fails to reach the 55 percent approval needed, Hall said that although the majority of voters did support the See BONDS Page 6
New EMS contract could impact ambulance service in local areas BY CLAIRE HARLIN Having emergency ambulance service is a standard of living that many may pay little attention to unless it’s not up to par, and in the case of County Service Area 17 (CSA 17), which includes Del Mar, Del Mar Heights, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Encinitas, 10-minute response time standards have been consistently met with shining colors over the years and residents have been content. But just as you may not have been aware you were part of a special emergency medical service (EMS) district, you may not know
that the county actually outsources EMS, just as is does with many other services, and counties nationwide are increasingly contracting with third-party providers to avoid high pension costs and other expenses. Rural Metro Corporation has provided EMS to both CSA 17 and the City of San Diego for 12 years, however, that could change next spring, as the county is currently re-contracting for EMS service — and a change in provider could greatly impact CSA 17, whose cities have very different demographics and needs. See EMS, Page 6