PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO,CA EDDM RETAIL
The
Clairemont Times Serving Clairemont, Bay Park, Linda Vista & Kearny Mesa
News of the Neighborhoods
V9.E5
3
17
Founded in 2011
LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER ECRWSS
MAY 2019
20
Where is Bay Park? by Bill Swank
Where is Bay Park? Waldo won’t be much help for you on this one. An 1887 map filed with the San Diego County Recorder by the Morena Company shows numerous blocks, lots and streets east of False Bay (Mission Bay) and the parallel Southern California and Pacific Beach railroad tracks. There is also a wharf on a pier with adjoining bath house and boat house that extended into the bay. Who knew Bay Park was “there” (Sam Ames Collection) over 130 years ago? The map proved to 1887 Morena Map (detail) with imaginary blocks, lots, streets and False Bay wharf be wishful thinking and the Morena district would not become developed California Rail Road (“Surf Line”) at Morena. A involved in beach area real estate. The company also until almost a half-century later. subdivided property south of Morena as Clover Leaf depot was erected near what is modern day Morena A 1903 U.S. Geological Survey map titled La Terrace. Boulevard and Kane Street. In that era, a depot Jolla Quadrangle has what appear to be four streets An Asher-Littlefield advertisement in the junction was the harbinger of business and in Morena on the east edge of False Bay, north of December 1909 issue of Santa Fe Employe’s (sic) residential development. Duckville and Old Town. It is important to note In 1905, Mr. Josephus M. Asher, Jr. married Miss Magazine touts the potential of investment in Pacific that the highlighted route of the Pacific Beach and Mabel Olive Littlefield in Pacific Beach. Josephus La Jolla Rail Road connects with the Southern SEE Where is Bay Park?, page 8 and his brother-in-law, Warren Littlefield, became
Our Grand Opening Special is Back!!!
See page 5 for more details
www.clairemonttimes.com
2 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
CPU Update and OCET Results
From the Publisher by Chris O’Connell
Welcome to the merry month of May. For all the Moms out there, including pet Moms enjoy your day and thank you for what you do. This edition has something for everyone, young and old. Speaking of old quite a historical look about Bay Park from Bill Swank in his Squaremont column this month. Also, Swanky still has the Morena & Avati Dr intersection in his sights as he wrote a follow up piece and is puzzled by the “get it done app”. I wrote a recap about the Clairemont Plan Update meeting. Clairemont and the neighborhoods will be changing in the near future and possibly (probably) in the long term. Just going to have to see all this shakes out over the years. Major Garrett wrote a pretty cool piece about you guessed it the Padres and there is some math so be prepared. I am pretty excited about hosting (cohosting) our 7th Bike to Work Day Pit Stop in mid May I started the pit stop back in 2013 down on Santa Fe St where the road dead ends. Always a fun morning seeing familiar faces meeting
new ones and checking out some pretty sweet bikes. In addition, there is lots more info on the following pages. Enjoy. Finally the newsletter I started back in April is growing folk are signing up everyday and you can too by visiting www.ClairemontTimes.com there are a couple different ways to sign up on the website. Right now, I am shooting for a once a week email on Sunday nights just trying to keep people in the loop in between the printed editions. Thank you to all the contributors who make this paper happen and especially the businesses that advertise. Please support the advertisers whenever possible and let them know you saw their ad in the CT. If you need to reach me or have any questions do not hesitate (858) 752-9779 and/or chris@clairemonttimes.com Cheers.
by Chris O’Connell
Last month, members of the City of San Diego Planning Department released their findings from the Online Community Engagement Tool (OCET) at the Clairemont Community Planning Group - Community Plan Update Sub Committee meeting. You might recall the planning department asked folks to locate 5,000 new housing units throughout the area and place 2,000 units or 40% near the 3 Mid-Coast Trolley stops. The online tool was met with some skepticism because it was new, a little difficult to navigate and not to mention
voted to essentially keep everything the way it is, no more housing we like things the way they are. If you are into math and numbers the data are there (clairemontplan.org) the visuals are nice because you can really get a feel for what the City is thinking and where there could be an opportunity. And again as I have stated in the past, it takes two to tango. The City is looking and thinking these could be opportunity areas, however you need buyers and sellers. All of the properties for example the old Keil’s Shopping Plaza, Diane Shopping Center, Clairemont Town Square somewhere there are the owners of the those properties keeping a close eye on all of this, could
Chris O’Connell, Publisher
Do You Need A Great Electrician? Expert Troubleshooting Same Day Repair Home Electrical Inspections Senior Citizen Discount
CLD Electric 619.638.0228 20 Years Experience
If you are interested in advertising in the
Clairemont Times CALL Chris O’Connell (858) 752-9779 or Email chris@ClairemontTimes.com
who really asked for 5,000 new units in the area? I would urge you to visit www.ClairemontPlan.org to see the results According to results released from the City there 850 responses: • 716 from OCET • 41 who completed a hard copy form of the OCET tool • And 94 responses from folks who attended the in-person workshop at North Clairemont Rec Center. I applaud the City for the technological tool; however, it did prove to have some flaws. Ideally the City was hoping for the residents of the neighborhoods to participate in the exercise, however, if you lived in UC, NYC or LA you could partake in OCET. In addition, you could also fill out the form multiple times. If you were a NIMBY or a YIMBY or Mayor Quimby there was no restrictions on the number of times to participate. With that all being said and as shown from the screenshots the City was pretty happy that 75% of the participants voted for “change” or more housing while 25%
they be sellers? Maybe. Maybe not. The Community Plan Update (CPU) is an update to a document that was last completed in 1989. If you would like to read it google “Clairemont Community Plan” this will bring you to the Clairemont tab on SanDiego.gov website (note the online article will have a direct link). The CPU is intended to look another 30 years into the future. For all we know Clairemont Town Square could be totally renovated or gutted in 5 or 10 or 15 years, but it could also just be Clairemont Town Square with new retail tenants. Until people start pulling and filing documents down at City Hall this is all speculation about all these areas and future housing/development. Were the OCET results the be all end all from the City perspective? I would hope not. The workshop the City held at North Clairemont Rec could be argued is more a true reflection of how the locals feel. The workshop was similar to OCET but there you could ask questions not fuss SEE CPU Update, page 4
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 3
A Sustainable Water Supply for San Diego by Sean Karafin, Water Reliability Coalition Co-Chair and Vice President of Public Policy for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
With all the recent rainfall, San Diegans may be lulled into forgetting that we just lived through the most severe drought in California’s history – and while we have been blessed with a wet winter in 2019, it’s not if we will ever experience
another severe drought again, but when. This makes San Diego’s need for a resilient and sustainable local water supply critically important. Currently only a small amount of San Diego’s water is supplied locally, but the Pure Water San Diego Program will provide a consistent local water supply – and it will meet up to one-third of our water demand by 2035 in an environmentally sustainable way as we reuse water over and over again. San Diego is at the end of all the pipelines that bring us imported water, and we rely on getting eighty- five percent of our water from the Colorado River and the Northern California Bay-Delta. However, weather and climate, in addition to resource demands from residents, businesses and farms many miles away from us, have made imported water much less reliable than it used to be. Pure Water San Diego will create a drought-proof water supply: it uses proven technology to clean recycled water to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. More than 50,000 laboratory tests have shown that
the purified water meets or exceeds all federal and state drinking water standards. The program helps ensure we have enough water to support our economy and communities, while also reducing the amount of water discharged into the ocean at the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. Adding to the environmental benefits, Pure Water produces renewable energy, which supports the City’s Climate Action Plan goals and greenhouse gas reductions. The Pure Water San Diego Program will use the same types of proven advanced technologies as Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System, which started producing 70 million gallons of purified water per day in January 2008 and is currently in the process of expanding to 130 million gallons per day from its current 100. And other communities throughout California are now in the early stages of planning for similar water purification projects in their areas. San Diego is a leader in water reuse and now more than ever is the time to secure a reliable, local water supply. After more than a decade of planning, environmental review and design efforts, construction is scheduled to start later this year on the Phase 1 projects. Phase 1 includes the expansion of the North City Water Reclamation Plant, construction of associated pipelines and pump stations, and a full-scale North City Pure Water Facility, which will produce 30 million gallons a day of purified water for residents and businesses in San Diego starting in 2023. On April 22 we celebrated Earth Day, and in the spirit of championing environmental protection, we are proud to support a sustainable, environmentally-friendly program like Pure Water San Diego. More information about the program can be found at www.purewatersd.org, where you can also sign up for a tour of the one-million-gallon-per-day Pure Water Demonstration Facility, which includes a chance to taste the purified water. An interactive map of the Phase 1 projects can be found at phase1.purewatersd.org.
Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter Sent to Your Email Inbox The Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter launched in April. Sign up for the Clairemont Times Newsletter to be delivered to your inbox every Sunday Night. Visit www.ClairemontTimes.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
4 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
CPU Update Continued from page 2
around on a computer screen etc. The workshop also introduced two new areas Clairemont Dr just south of Ute Dr
the month but it is of course tentative should something come up either by the committee or the City. As if the 5,000 new units the City was asking the community to place, it should be noted there are roughly 6,000 units in
Community Meetings Open to the Public (Locations & Times Subject to Change)
Clairemont Town Council 5/2/19 (1st Thursday) 6:30pm Clairemont High School 4150 Ute Dr. 92117 Clairemont Community Planning Group 5/21/19 (3rd Tuesday) 6:00pm Alcott Elementary 4680 Hidalgo Ave. 92117 Linda Vista Town Council 5/16/19 (3rd Thursday) 6:00pm Revere Center 6735 Gifford Way, 92111 Linda Vista Planning Group 5/20/19 (4th Monday) 5:30pm Linda Vista Library 2160 Ulric St. 92111
Useful Local Project Websites City of San Diego www.SanDiego.gov For Updates/Documents & General Information on Morena Blvd/Balboa Area www.BalboaStationPlan.org For Updates on the Future Sherriff Crime Lab Property www.SDHCD.org For Updates on the Clairemont Community Plan Update www.ClairemontPlan.org For Updates on the MidCoast Trolley www.SANDAG.org/MidCoast For updates on Transportation & Infrastructure Projects in UTC/Golden Triangle www.ShiftSanDiego.com PureWater Projects Updates/Construction Notices www.PureWaterSD.com
(sub area 5) and the Keils/Sprouts Plaza as well as across the street the old Jack Lalanne property (sub area 9) both of which were not on the online OCET tool. Here you can see people at the workshop were almost 50/50 for change vs no change i.e. more housing or not. The City has gathered their data. How much do they weigh what they are hearing at community meetings, emails, OCET, the workshop etc. Hopefully OCET was just one piece of the puzzle in how they move forward. What’s next? Well head over to Alcott Elementary on Hidalgo May 14th 6pm is when the CCPG CPU committee meets again. This is a hard date 2nd Tuesday of
the current community plan (1989) that are still on the table and not built. The members of the CPU committee asked the City to provide the location of those existing 6,000 units and present their locations at the May meeting. A bit of role reversal here, the City asked the community to place 5,000 units now the residents are asking where are the units located you (City) already have? Should be an interesting/informative meeting. I would urge you all to visit www.ClairemontPlan.org to see the OCET results as well research The Community Plan Update thus far. Email: chris@clairemonttimes.com
DIRECTORY Police 911
Non-Emergency (619) 531-2000
Fire 911
Non-Emergency (619) 533-4300
Mayor Faulconer
(619) 236-6330
District 2 Councilmember Dr. Jen Campbell
(619) 236-6622
District 6 Councilmember Chris Cate
(619) 236-6616
District 7 Councilmember Scott Sherman
(619) 236-6677
City of SD Pothole & Graffiti Hotline
(619) 527-7500
Trash Collection Environmental Services
(858) 694-7000
SD County Animal Services (24 hour hotline)
(619) 236-2341
SDG&E
(800) 411-7343
SD County Water Authority
(858) 522-6600
Metropolitan Transit System
(619) 231-1466
Cathy Hopper Friendship Senior Center
(858) 483-4005
Clairemont Times Newspaper
(858) 752-9779
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 5
Due to r u o f o d n a the high dem S L A I C E P S G N I N E GRAND OP ! ! ! ! k c a B e r a – they
UNLIMITED MONTHLY PLAN
UNLIMITED MONTHLY PLAN
NORMALLY
$
99
34
/mo.
NORMALLY
$
2999
/mo.
$
18
UNLIMITED MONTHLY PLAN
14
UNLIMITED MONTHLY PLAN
First Month
$
start For a limited time, thly any unlimited mon rst plan and get the fi of month for the price* a single car wash
First Month
NORMALLY
$
24
99 /mo.
NORMALLY
$
17
99 /mo.
*Limited to the first 500 customers. 6066 Balboa Ave (at Mt Abernathy Ave, across from Chick-fil-A & Auto Zone)
San Diego, CA 92111 www.BalboaCarWash.com
(858) 495-WASH (9274) Follow us on Instagram @BalboaCarwash #BalboaCarWash
$
11
First Month
$
7
First Month
www.clairemonttimes.com
6 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
A Better Transit Network in San Diego by Howard Blackson
At San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s most recent State of the City address he enthusiastically stated, “I want to radically overhaul the system itself. The bureaucracy has been set up to empower anti-housing forces that delay or deny projects at every tum… We need to build more housing near employment centers and transit.” This is a rejection of our long-standing, auto-oriented, one-size-fits-all approach to city making. Fortunately, in 2008, our City of Villages plan began to shift the standards of new construction of private development from single-family, single-use land use outcomes towards more mixed-use buildings and blocks filled with offices, shops, affordable housing, and market-rate homes. This proclamation officially transitions San Diego from focusing on suburban outcomes, as we have for the past 60+ years, to building within our urban neighborhoods. Now it’s time to do the same for our transit services. With the Mayor’s emphasis on using transit to connect our employment centers to new housing construction, it is time to shift our transit modes from its one-size-fits-all, over-reliance on Light Rail Transit (LRT – The Trolley) to a mix of transit modes. The problem today is that our Trolley acts like Commuter Rail by linking downtown to Santee and the border, as well as acting like a Streetcar by linking downtown’s Little Italy to Gaslamp. No matter where it is in the city, the trolley stops every 15 minutes at over 56 stations. Plus, it is limited in its ability to climb hillsides to access and serve the neighborhoods and districts located on our mesas. With its one-size-fits-all use, our Trolley does not really perform to its fullest LRT function, nor is it capable of being a true Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Streetcar. LRT is a fixed-rail system intended to serve city-to-city, such as connecting Chula Vista to La Mesa to Santee. BRT is intended to serve community-to-community, such as North Park to City Heights to Rolando. And, Streetcars are intended to serve neighborhood center to neighborhood center within each community, such as from North Park’s 30th street from Adams Avenue to Upas. Our city’s new Rapid Bus service is essentially an Express Bus, or BRT-Lite, that flows with traffic, stopping at streetlights, and merging with all traffic on the freeways with 15-minute waits between buses. We do have a short segment of BRT, but it is located on a half-mile stretch on Park Boulevard in Hillcrest. And, we have one historic Streetcar circling a downtown loop on our LRT tracks. These limited modes are our best opportunity to quickly expand access to our city with cheaper and lighter forms
of transit. We need a mixed-modal, walkable to/from transit network to compete with the auto-oriented infrastructure we’ve built over the past 60+ years. It is easier to drive a car around than to take transit because we purposely designed and invested to do. San Diego needs to add BRT on major corridors and local neighborhood Streetcars to connect our mix of surface street buses and fixed rail trolley network. Since 2013, San Diego has been a member city of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), who state in their “Transit Street Design Guide” (Island Press, 2016, page 178) “Cities with both buses and a dedicated right-of-way rail system (LRT) have historically structured the former (bus) as a feeder service to the latter (LRT). Bus Rapid Transit can be used to upgrade new parts of the network into trunklines… Streetcars and Buses can also form a multi-hub network.” Late last year the City of San Diego’s Development Services Department stated that it, “is allowing the incorporation of NACTO design concepts as presented in the “Urban Street Design Guide” (Island Press, 2013),” to plan and design projects. These new rules will permit more dedicated BRT and Streetcar lines throughout the city. The hierarchy of San Diego’s full-range of public transit service modes are as follows: • Heavy Rail (Amtrak) – Connects San Diego to Los Angeles and the nation a few times a day; • Commuter Rail (Coaster) – Connects three coastal cities at peak hour times; • Light Rail (Trolley + Sprinter) – Connects Santee, San Ysidro to San Diego (with a new line up to University City next year) and Oceanside, San Marcos to Escondido with frequent stops every half-mile or more. Our bus networks feeds into our main LRT lines; • Bus Rapid Transit – Easily retrofitted into our wide streets with dedicated bus lanes, separated from traffic, and given priority at intersections to be competitive timewise with local car trips. These connect our canyons (Mission Valley) to our mesas (Clairemont Mesa and Rolando); • Express Bus (Rapid & Breeze) – These run faster schedule by not making as many stops as than normal bus services between the same two commuter or destination points on quicker routes; • Local Bus – The bulk of our transit service with stops every quarter-mile throughout the city; • Streetcars – Modern and historic cars that run on rails that usually flows with traffic on main streets and connects neighborhood to neighborhood; • Shuttles (Paratransit, Flex & Lift) – Connects people with daily service and those of us with physical, cognitive, and visual disabilities throughout the city.
The hierarchy of San Diego’s full-range of private mobility modes are as follows: • Shuttles (Airport Shuttles, Van Share) – Connects people with daily service and those of us with physical, cognitive, and visual disabilities throughout the city. • Bicycles & Jitney facilities – Connects people up to three to five miles comfortably at a slower speed; • Pedestrians & scooter facilities – Connect us up to a quarter to half mile distance at a walkable pace. To support our Mayor’s vision for San
Diego, we need to build a more sustainable transit network that focuses on connecting job centers to neighborhood centers with BRT and interconnecting Streetcar lines. Our zoning requires our new housing to be constructed as mixed-use and accessible by pedestrians. The new BRT study investment our City Councilmembers, Georgette Gomez and Chris Ward, announced is the right start to building the right mix of transit types to connect new housing with job centers. This piece first appeared, and is reprinted with permission, at www.howardblackson.com Howard Blackson is an Urban Designer living in San Diego. Follow him on Twitter @hblackson and www.HowardBlackson.com
Bike to Work Day is May 16th Stop by the Clairemont Times pitstop on Santa Fe St & Rose Canyon Bike Path Pre-Register for your Free BTWD 2019 T-Shirt https://icommutesd.com/events/bike-month
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 7
Religious Directory Clairemont Lutheran Church www.clairemontlc.org 4271 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117 Sunday Worship Times 8:30, 10:00 (English) & 11:30 am (Spanish) Sunday School for kids 9:45am
Celebrating our 10th Year Together! • • • •
Haircuts, Colors Hi Lights, Perms Blow Dry Styling Oh Yes, We Do Roller Sets!!
We are a Handicap Friendly Salon
We are a Family friendly salon ... Two years to 110 we don’t care as long you have hair.
If you are in a wheelchair and cannot transfer, no problem, we can do you in your chair, all services.
Violet’s Hair Design
Please call for an Appointment
3650 Clairemont Dr. 1A
858-490-0360
Holy Cross Lutheran Church www.holycrossword.org 3450 Clairemont Drive, San Diego, CA 92117 Church (858) 273-2886 Visit our website www.holycrossword.org for additional worship times and special events. Sunday Worship 9:00 am Northminster Presbyterian Church Sunday Worship Time 10:00a.m. 4324 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92117 www.northminstersandiego.com 858 490-3995 Northminster Preschool 858 270-3760
Clairemont Woman’s Club by Marge Weber
Welcome May with Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Our May 1st meeting was a luncheon for members in Mission Valley. New officers were installed, new members initiated and we had our annual report for the fiscal year's 2018 -2019 accomplishments. On March 30 we had our annual fundraiser at the Butcher Shop. $4000 plus was raised for our scholarship fund to benefit graduating girls from Clairemont and Madison High Schools. A delicious lunch was served and there was a fashion show conducted by Chicos UTC. The raffle baskets were a highlight. At least 100 tickets were sold.....we thank all those who purchased tickets and donors from the community for the fabulous raffle baskets. Last month, we elected new officers for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. They will assume their duties at the June meeting. Also in April, Daytime Gourmets lunched
at the Godfather Restaurant. A trip to Barona Casino took place. The book club discussed "Lake Success" by Gary Shteyngart. The author gives us a trip through the American wasteland-from the people who have too little to the people who have too much. Our June meeting will be on Wednesday, June 5, at the Balboa Community Church. Directions below. The new officers will conduct the meeting. Plans and suggestions for the coming year starting in September will be discussed. Refreshments will be served. The club is dark in July and August....just like school...summer vacation! For more information about CWC, visit our website at www.ClairemontWomansClub.com or “like” us on Facebook. You may also call Jackie at (858) 273-7664 Directions: Balboa Community Church at 6555 Balboa Ave. Please park around the corner on Mt. Albertine in the church parking lot. Entrance to meeting is under the stairwell.
Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter Sent to Your Email Inbox The Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter launched in April. Sign up for the Clairemont Times Newsletter to be delivered to your inbox every Sunday Night. Visit www.ClairemontTimes.com
St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church www.stcatherinelaboure.net 4124 Mt. Abraham Ave., San Diego, CA 92111 Phone (858) 277-3133 Weekend Mass Times Saturday 5:30pm Sunday 8:00, 9:30, 11:00am, 1pm/Spanish St. David’s Episcopal Church & Preschool www.saintdavidschurch.com 5050 Milton Street, San Diego CA 92110 Sunday Worship Times: 8:00am Holy Communion Rite I (Traditional) 10:30am Holy Communion Rite II (Contemporary) Weekday Worship: 12 p.m. Tues: Holy Eucharist: Rite II (Public Service of Healing) Last Sat of the month at 6:00 p.m. Alive at St. David’s: Non-Traditional, Contemporary Worship Experience
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church www.stmarksumcsd.org 3502 Clairemont Drive, San Diego, CA 92117 Phone: (858) 273-1480 Sunday worship: 9:30 a.m. For information on advertising your place of worship in the Religious Directory please call or email Chris O’Connell, Publisher (858) 752-9779 chris@clairemonttimes.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
8 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
Squaremont By Bill Swank
Pictured: Bill Swank outside the Buena Vista Garden Apartments on Cowley Way in 1955, with East Clairemont off in the distance.
Where is Bay Park? Continued from page 1
Raquel Tejada Welch, 1951 Bay Park Elementary School (Walter Andersen collection)
"People think I’m nuts when I tell them Bay Park Elementary School isn’t even in Bay Park. Almost all have no clue what Morena is, other than Morena Boulevard.” Who knew that Raquel Tejada Welch went to Bay Park Elementary School? Linda Langdon
looking for a shortcut to the waves. According to the 2013 SANDAG report on the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project, the completion of Interstate 5 in the late 1950s caused Bay Park Village to become isolated and go into “decline." It was further noted that, ."By the 1950s and 1960s, Bay Park Village’s boundaries had expanded to Clairemont Drive to the north, Illion Street to the east, Tecolote Road to the south, and W. Morena
moved to Bay Park as a young girl and lived in a Mayo Street home built in 1937. Every day as a teenager, she walked the roundtrip from “the village" to Clairemont The early 1900s Morena Depot was located near the 2018 Bay Park & Morena Map with a new location for High School. intersection of modern Morena Boulevard and Kane Street (San Diego Community Almanac) Morena 1903 U.S. Geological Map (detail) John Fry collection (Sam Ames Collection) Linda also remembers “That depends if you’re buying or selling.” Beach and Clover Leaf Terrace real estate. riding horses on the Ambort property and Boulevard to the west." Looking into the future with The P.B. and San Diego Rail Road San Diego Community Almanac recalled a pleasant, old African-American Squaremont’s uncanny 20/20 foresight, stopped running in 1919 and the Morena published by the San Diego Union-Tribune housing will continue to be developed man who lived on the premises depot was razed in the early 1920s. in 2018, describes "Bay Park & Morena" Danny Cline quickly identified the along the new trolley line just as America’s love affair with the automobile as “Mid-city oasis is close to man (phonetically) as Dah-ming. He and had begun. Mission Bay and Tecolote Canyon Andy Mosberg worked at the Ambort The Bay Park Village subdivision, Park.” The neighborhood’s name Dairy. "Andy was a red-faced, alcoholic south of Milton Street, was approved by was shortened to Bay Park during old Swede. My grandfather used to make the San Diego City Council in 1936. Ten the post-war mid-century housing wine and Andy was always drunk. The intensely boring, single-spaced legal pages boom. The boundaries have been dairy closed in 1949 when the city from the minutes of the September 6, magically extended north to condemned the property and put 1938 city council meeting deal with Balboa, east and south to Tecolote Clairemont Drive going up the hill Canyon into geography previously through the middle of it." known as Clairemont. Croft remembers a shack near Napier The Community Almanac Street by the railroad tracks that was expounds, “Neighborhood moved to the corner of Orten and Frankfort. As a kid, he was fascinated that boundaries are not set in stone, like a county or state boundary. For the dirt floor was covered with old rugs. In the early 1900s, Grandfather Samuel Ames plows map boundaries and data, this Gary Crowley’s family settled in 1952 Morena acreage with False Bay in the background (Sam Ames Collection) almanac relied on the U.S Census Bureau, San Diego Association of Governments, Asher-Littlefield envisioned one hundred police maps, community planning years ago. districts and input from local Further, a hundred years from now, the residents and public officials." Morena Boulevard corridor will be a valley From the beginning, real estate of highly coveted 30 story apartment Gary Crowley and Walter Andersen grew up agents have played a seminal role buildings on the banks of the Amtrak and in Morena while Mike Frye (standing) grew in the expansion of Bay Park’s (Bill Swank collection) up in Bay Park Village Mid-City coaster tracks. limitless boundaries … and Because the trolley is not easily increased property values. accessible from Clairemont, the mesa will elevations for the following Bay Park Local Century 21 real estate become a ghost town inhabited by Village streets: Frankfort, Erie, Denver, broker Richie Morris explains, jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, the homeless and Goldfield, Chicago, Mayo, Napier, “Bay Park is the true sweet spot for a single real estate office at the top of Ashton and Littlefield. bragging rights. 92110 is the Clairemont Drive that will speculate in Karl Croft grew up in Bay Park coveted zip code... at a cocktail waterfront property with beach access as a Village. Danny Cline’s family operated Rain washed out Milton Street in March 1952 party, you can't say I live in Bay result of global warming projections. Ambort Dairy in the Morena subdivision (Sam Ames Collection) Park with a 92117 zip code. That's Before then, it is incumbent north of Milton Street. Both are in their like saying I live in La Jolla (92037) when Clairemont High School change its name and his father manufactured Crowley’s late seventies and remember when people Caskets on Morena Boulevard. Mike Frye’s your zip code is 92122 (University City). to Bay Park High School, so Madison can would say they were going “to the Dr. Suess would turn over in his grave.” father was in the Navy and bought on become the true Clairemont High. village." Morris recalls the topic being discussed Orten Street in 1941 before the war. A Bay Park Elementary School, built in during a meeting of the Bay Mesa Real family legend involves his adventurous 1939, was actually located in the middle Email: Bill@ClairemontTimes.com Estate Association. When the question, older brother, “Skip,” who strayed from To read all the Squaremont columns, visit: of the Morena neighborhood. “Where is Bay Park?” was put to the home at a very young age and was found http://clairemonttimes.com/category/squaremont/ Walter Andersen's family moved to group, one of the members quipped, wandering around on the mesa top Denver Street in 1942. Walt laughs,
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 9
Information Update from Shift San Diego: The Cut and Cover Tunneling Method for the Mid-Coast Trolley Underpass
Major construction activity began in March of 2019. Cut-and-cover tunneling is a type of tunnel construction and the oldest method
Tunneling Through to Make Way for a New Line The Mid-Coast Trolley project extends new trolley line service from Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego to the University City community. At La Jolla Colony Drive, the line will pass under the street – where the Mid-Coast Trolley Underpass will be constructed through the cut and cover tunneling method. This is the only 0.03 miles of the 10.92 miles of new trolley line that are underground. Preliminary construction for this underpass, including underground utilities relocation and excavation, began in 2016.
of tunneling, historically known to be used 4,000 years ago in Ancient Babylon. This technique is used typically for relatively shallow tunnels at depths of 60 feet and rarely exceeds 100 feet. The method is determined by several factors, including geology, cost, and potential disruption of other activities. The cut-and-cover tunneling will involve excavating a trench with slurry and reinforced concrete walls to act as support from softened earth and water. Concrete roofing provides deck and roadway support on the surface. As drilling, excavation, and utility relocation takes place, the roofing will prevent excess noise from escaping the tunnel. Trolley Underpass Construction Once complete, construction will allow the Trolley to pass under La Jolla Colony Drive to continue along the east
side of Interstate 5, before crossing over the freeway to the future Nobel Drive Station. The Trolley underpass will look similar to 70th Street (see photo) used by the Trolley Green Line. As construction ramps up for the Mid-Coast Trolley Underpass, detour routes and signage will be in place for commuters and residents. Here’s what to expect: • Northbound La Jolla Colony Drive will be re-striped to accommodate both southbound and northbound traffic from east of the Interstate 5 on- and off-ramps to Rosenda Court. Southbound traffic will be shifted to the northbound lane. • Freeway ramps will remain open. Some full weeknight and weekend closures may be required. During these intermittent closures, there will be no access to La Jolla Colony Drive from east of the Interstate 5 on- and off-ramps to Rosenda Court. Details of each closure will be included in future construction updates. Project activities include drilling, road widening, excavation, removal of dirt, and concrete construction. Construction is expected to be complete by late 2019 and Trolley service utilizing the tunnel is anticipated to begin in late 2021.
existing sewer line, installation of the emergency traffic signal and modifications to existing median to allow the engines to access westbound Nobel Drive quickly.
You can also find construction updates for Fire Station 50 and other current projects in the Shift area by visiting the Shift Construction Map at http://shiftmap.sandag.org/mapview.aspx
For more information about all Mid-Coast projects, please visit Keepsandiegomoving.com/Mid-Coast or contact Shift by phone at 844-SHIFT-SD or email us at info@ShiftSanDiego.com. Learn more about these projects and stay up-to-date with the latest timely construction schedules by following @ShiftSanDiego on Twitter. You can also text ShiftSD to 797979 to receive construction alerts on your smartphone.
What is Shift? The Shift program, formed by the San Diego Association of Governments, is designed to provide residents, businesses and commuters impacted by construction in the University City/La Jolla neighborhoods with information and resources to minimize disruption, confusion and potential traffic challenges. The following has been republished with permission from Shift San Diego
Project Spotlight: Fire Station 50 With its groundbreaking on April 4, Fire Station 50 is the latest project to start construction in the Shift area – which includes both the University City and La Jolla neighborhoods. The new station, located on the southeast corner of Nobel Drive and Shoreline Drive, will work in tandem with Fire Station 35 to reduce emergency personnel response times in the local area. Currently in the design and permit phase, the anticipated completion date for Fire Station 50 is slated for some time in late Summer or Fall 2020. The 12,600-square-foot station will include a new emergency traffic signal, public lobby access off Nobel Drive, efficient storm water design, solar panels, screened parking areas, drought tolerant landscaping, habitat revegetation and brush management zones. “According to fire personnel, University City and the surrounding areas have seen rapid growth over the past several years,” said Fire Station 50 Project Manager Jim Summers. “By adding Fire Station 50, not only will response times to emergency calls in the immediate area decrease, but the work of the San Diego Fire Department will also be enhanced by bringing in more firefighters and better promoting service unity among all stations. We look forward to keeping the community informed of the project’s progress and any impacts to commuters in the area through localized notifications and the Shift program.” The three-story station will have three apparatus bays located on the first floor,
with fire trucks entering the station from Shoreline Drive and exiting onto Nobel Drive. It will also house a communal living space, including a kitchen, dining area and ready room located on the top floor, and a large outdoor terrace. This area will serve as a highly functional space for the firefighters, who are part-time residents. Construction will largely be contained to the site for the future station, but the following work may create impacts to the public: establishing connections to the
www.clairemonttimes.com
10 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
A Padres Column by Major Garrett
The Baseball Combination That Matters by Major Garrett
Don’t get excited because you will not crack any safes or win any lotteries, but the baseball combination that matters is 61-8-42. The combination will help you enjoy and gain perspective on the exciting Padres season before us and every season thereafter – regardless of the result. Remember. Patience is a virtue, so let me spin this yarn. • 61 is for 1961, the last year the American League and National League played 154 games. Both leagues were fearful of something called the Continental League, a power play by William Shea to force MLB to create new expansion teams and in the process bring the National League back to New York. The Continental League had some big money players, forcing the NL and AL to rethink their modestly sized (18 teams) monopoly. To placate the Continental League, led by former Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey, the AL and NL agreed to add four new teams: New York Mets, Houston Colt 45s in the National and the Washington Senators and Los Angeles Angels in the American. This was the first expansion of baseball franchises since 1901. The decision to expand erased the need for the Continental League and it disbanded before it started. That year, 1961, was the last the regular season of 154 games. • 8 is the difference between the length of that season and the 1962 season of 162 games. Under the 154-game season, teams played each other 22 times. With expansion, the schedule had to remain balanced so eight games were added to the regular season. Teams played each other 18 times a season starting in 1962. That is the math behind the current 162-game season. • 42 is the number of games that truly matter in any baseball season. Write this down and never forget it. The best team in any league and in any season will win 60 games and lose 60 games. The worst team will too. What matters is the 42 other games. There are exceptions, of course, but this is a very good approximation of every season for every team. Last year the Padres won 66 games and
lost 96. That means it went 6-36 in the leftover 42 games. The Dodgers won the NL West with a record of 92 wins and 71 loses, meaning it went 32-11 in the leftover games (absent one rain out). Check the standings and you will see across leagues and across the decades, the rule of 42 is as good a gauge of success or failure as you can find. For those of us who love the mystical quality of baseball numbers, stay with me for the payoff. In the modern era, 42 is the most important number for the reasons stated above. Forty-two is also the most important uniform number in Major League baseball, the only number retired in every ballpark. It belonged to Jackie Robinson, the player who brought baseball and America into a new era. As we noted above, the Continental League led to the 162-game schedule that gives us the magic number 42. Who was the embryonic league’s president? Branch Rickey. Who bravely (though his bravery was a fraction of Jackie’s) brought Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues as the first African-American player on any roster? Branch Rickey. Mystical. All this is my way
of letting Padres fans know that losses will mount, a baseball season is long and streaks will come and go. This was on my mind because I watched the Padres in person twice over Easter weekend. I watched them lose Saturday and win Sunday. The Sunday victory ended a six-game losing streak, one that prompted some local hotheads to blog for manager Andy Green’s ouster. Readers of this column know I have had my doubts about Green. But this is no time to talk of firing him or anyone else on the club. The Saturday loss was a bummer – too many strikeouts and missed opportunities. But I saw something I will never forget as I watched pre-game warm-ups and batting practice. The team was light, energized and confident. It was full of chirping. What’s that? Chirping is what players do to lift their spirits and keep the atmosphere light; chirping breaks tension and cuts through the natural inclination to clench-up and try too hard. There’s an odd expression among players: try less. It does not mean what it sounds like. It means ease up, concentrate less on the fear of failure and let success come to you. Baseball is a game dependent on thinking less and playing
First Baseman Eric Hosmer (Photo by Major Garrett)
more. In the Major Leagues, talent is stratospheric. What matters is the ability to calm the mind, quiet the body and execute in the moment with fluidity and balance. Believe it or not, that means trying less. It means escaping the pressure of the moment, letting the ball come to you at the plate or the field and allowing your skills – your physical prowess honed over the years - to gracefully rule the moment. Chirping helps this process along. It keeps players from taking themselves or the moment – a five-game losing streak in this case – too seriously. Good teams chirp. Confident teams chirp. Teams with good chemistry chirp. The converse is also true. I watched the grounders dance across the infield grass and the throws laser between the bags and heard nearly endless chirping and joking. You might say – that’s absurd! They were on a five game losing streak. Shouldn’t they be pissed and silent and focused and sullen? No. Baseball has enough of that already (remember, Hall of Fame hitters fail seven times out of ten). Baseball needs lightness and ease, jokes and banter. Chirping. It continued during the Saturday game. I was fortunate enough to sit right next to the dugout and I listened to the players chirp and prod and salute each other as the game progressed. They even hassled the ump and the visiting Cincinnati Reds. Through the kindness of Padres management, I have sat near the dugout before. I never remember hearing the constant, confident chirping I heard that Saturday….even though it led to a sixth straight defeat. This team is good. It knows it is good. The chemistry already exists. My sense is it will get better and players will find their roles and come to rely upon one another, trust one another and never believe the game is over until the final out. You may consider it daffy that I can draw so many conclusions from fleeting, pre-game chirping and harmless comic grab-assery. Trust me. This team is getting to know itself, getting accustomed to its accumulated talent, scratching the surface of its potential – it was doing this even amid the young season’s first losing streak. That’s a team to watch. That’s a team to enjoy. That’s a team that may do something special with the 42. Do you have a Padres or Clairemont question for Major? Send us an email to: AskMajor@ClairemontTimes.com Major Garrett was born and raised in Clairemont, is Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News, host of "The Takeout" podcast and author of the book "Mr. Trump's Wild Ride: The Thrills, Chills, Screams and Occasional Blackouts of His Extraordinary First Year in Office."
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 11
Fire Station 50 Under Construction Commentary by Louis Rodolico
Bulldozers have broken ground for the new Fire Station 50, see illustration: prp50. The city still has to come up with the funding for a long ladder truck. According to the city’s consultant, Citygate, single engine fire stations cost about $12 million to build and $2.2 million a year to operate (2011 dollars), bringing todays century cost in at a quarter of a billion dollars per station. See cities consultant; Citygate Associates Link. Many of us are just shaking our heads as to the chosen location for station 50. The Fire Department has openly testified that it is inefficient to put new stations next to uninhabited areas. However, Station 50 has a canyon to the south and an airport and dump to the east, it is not centrally located to optimize its effectiveness. Soon there will be three fire stations in North University-UTC; existing 35, now under construction 50 and proposed UCSD. Concentrating 3 fire stations in North University-UTC makes no sense. The controversial location of Fire Station 50 was hatched via secret Ad-Hoc University Community Planning Group (UCPG) meetings. Ad-Hoc meetings are intended to be for something short term like a picnic, but UCPG chronically abuses the Ad-Hoc process. These secret Ad-Hoc meetings are; undocumented, a blatant violation of the Brown Act, non-compliant with planning group requirements, and completely out of public view. The ultimate goal of UCPG here is to someday build a new fire station in Southwest UC at the extreme western terminus of Governor Drive at the intersection of Governor and Stresemann. See 2011 Citygate Associates Link. This proposed south UC station at Governor and Stresemann is a transparent ploy to use a fire station to block any attempt to build the Governor to Gillman connector. It has
nothing to do with optimizing fire station locations to service the public. In order to make Governor/Stresemann station a logical choice UCPG needed the talking point that there is already a fire station in East UC, which gave us the station 50 location. The anti-democratic, secretive Ad-Hoc process pollutes the fire station location process. For the past decade UCPG has successfully manipulated its elections to prevent any East UC resident from getting on the planning group. UC was built out by the 1970’s so for many decades South UC has received poor emergency response times, mainly because of Westfield Malls determination to herd all cars up Genesee and the foolish desire of Southwest UC residents to create a private enclave with no through roads. In the run-up to the 2016 Regents Road Bridge hearing a Fast Response Squad (FRS) was installed in Southwest UC to achieve additional political support. A tacit admission that the FRS or completed roads should have been there since the 1970’s. Of the three major roads in South UC only Genesee Avenue has been completed, for this reason alone 50 should have been centrally located in South UC. Citygate analyzed the locations given to them. As you can see in the Citygate illustration the brown area shows how little additional coverage Station 50 provides since it is only 1 ½ miles from station 35. Privately first responders want all these roads built. However, in December 2016 Fire officials did not testify at the Regents Road Bridge council hearing like they did in 2006. Why not? 85% of all 911 calls are ambulance related. According to county data not completing UC roads results in 7 additional deaths a year due to extended ambulance travel times. The city will not release its ambulance service time data. Westfield Mall wanted to shut down Regents Road funneling traffic up Genesee to their stores. With roots in UC, mall lobbyists
loaded UCPG with residents who did not want the bridge. The mall paid a half million for the Regents Road Bridge EIR that excluded ambulance service times. See Link. Why should a foreign owned corporation like Westfield care that not building UC roads results in 7 additional deaths a year, or why should they care that the leading cause of death for first responders
is the stress of getting to the victim? Westfield’s lobbyists drove a wedge through UC, pitting neighbor against neighbor. Westfield is clearly the puppet master, controlling our roads and city hall through its lobbyists. A detailed review of this topic was published in the April 2018 Clairemont Times page 11; “CEQA Judge Rules Not To Hear Arguments About Public Safety And The Regents Road Bridge” There is also a companion article in the Times of San Diego “Count the Ways San Diego Keeps The Public in the Dark”. We also never built the bridge at La Jolla Scenic Drive and Route 52. When you add in the Regents Road Bridge and the Governor to Gillman connector that makes three uncompleted major roads in this area. What rational community does this to itself? Hate continues to sprout in new places as unchallenged corporate greed drives its roots deeper into our culture. In the past decade, our average lifespan has dropped 2 years. Everyone is stressed with; more citizens slipping into poverty, most families losing ground, young adults with fewer options and the privileged apprehensive about when it will all be taken away. Louis Rodolico has been a resident of University City since 2001, is running for District 1 City Council and has been a pro-bono community advocate for over 30 years. louisrodolico.com 2011 Citygate Report: Governor & Stresemann PDF Page 11, Operating Costs PDF Page 18; http://www.louisrodolico.com/uploads/7/5/2/2/75221087/citygate-associates-i nc-fire-service-standards.pdf 2017 Citygate Report: Illustrations pdf pages 46 & 47 https://docs.sandiego.gov/councilcomm_agendas_attach/2017/psln_170308_2c.pdf Westfield EIR http://www.louisrodolico.com/uploads/7/5/2/2/75221087/dif_exhibits.pdf University Fire Stations https://clairemonttimes.com/university-city-one-fire-station-or-two/
www.clairemonttimes.com
12 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
LoloLovesFilms This Month:
“Paddleton” The Clairemont Times PO Box 17671 San Diego, CA 92177 (858) 752-9779 Founding Publisher: Chris O’Connell Advertising (858) 752-9779 Graphic Designer: Elaine Hall Contributors: Major Garrett Brian Gruters Susan Lewitt Lauren & Josh Rains Brian Riehm Louis Rodolico Robert Ross Tanya Sawhney Bill Swank Marge Weber The Clairemont Times is a free publication published each month and circulated throughout the neighborhoods of Clairemont, Linda Vista, Bay Park & Kearny Mesa. Story ideas, advertising & editorial questions can be sent to The Clairemont Times P.O. Box 17671, San Diego, CA 92177 or chris@clairemonttimes.com Copyright ©2011-19 The Clairemont Times/McSierra Publishing. Reuse of material from this edition or past editions is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. The opinions in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of The Clairemont Times/McSierra Publishing but instead, of each individual author/contributor. The Clairemont Times is proud to partner and contribute with:
Netflix Movie Review by Lolo & Big J
“Paddleton” (2019) producer Mark Duplass has found his niche in making and starring in low budget movies that focus on two characters whose interactions consist of mostly improvised dialogue. This feature tells the story of a man named Michael (Mark Duplass), who spends most his free time playing a paddleball off-shoot game called Paddleton and watching Kung-fu movies with his best friend/upstairs neighbor Andy (Ray Romano). Michael has just received some devastating news that he has inoperable stomach cancer. Not wanting to waste away in a hospital in pain, Michael comes to the decision that he will end his own life via a prescribed medication when he can no longer live the way he wants. He and Andy head on a road trip to the nearest pharmacy that will fill his prescription for the drugs that will help him die with dignity. At some point in our lives, we will all face a serious illness leading to the death of a loved one. Whether that person is an immediate family member or a close friend, it is one of the most difficult things to go through, and not just because of the death itself. Watching a loved one slowly fade away is a painful experience we don’t wish on anyone. “Paddleton” does an unusually excellent job exploring how we face death and the turmoil we experience, whether to fight it or accept it. Needless to say, it is a depressing overall theme that can be exceedingly difficult to watch if you do so unprepared or if you’ve had a similar experience to the one being depicted. This topic is a sensitive one, but writers Alex Lehmann and Mark Duplass handle the situation with care and respect. It is also delicately handled by stars Duplass and Ray Romano, who have exceptional chemistry with one another. We believe them as longtime friends who seem to be the perfect oddball fit for each other. We watch these two men struggle to accept the inevitable that is coming, especially Andy, who has seemingly devoted a large portion of his life to being Michael’s best friend. Despite being the one who is dying, Michael seems to be handling the news better than Andy, a socially awkward middle-aged man who knows he will soon have to navigate the world without his best friend. Romano and Duplass integrate light humor into some heavy situations and difficult conversations with relative ease to create a touching and sweet but infinitely sad and cathartic story. “Paddleton” may be a simplistic, small indie drama about a personal journey, but it is worth checking out if you are prepared to endure this depressing subject.
It is honest, poignant, sad, affecting, and beautiful. The last act will break your heart into a million pieces and restore your faith in humanity just a little bit, so be sure to have tissues handy. OUR RATING: 4/5 “Paddleton” is available to watch right
now on Netflix. It is rated TV-MA due to language, drug use, and some intense scenes involving cancer and euthanasia. Visit our blog at www.lololovesfilms.com for more reviews, and follow us @lololovesfilms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat for extra content! For inquiries or comments, please email: lololovesfilms@gmail.com.
Why Can’t the City Fix the Left-Turn Traffic Light Arrows on Morena Blvd at Avati Dr. by Bill Swank
The left-turn traffic light arrows on north-south Morena Boulevard at the Avati Drive intersection have not properly functioned for over a year. On September 21, 2018, the problem was reported on the City of San Diego’s “Get It Done” website (Number 02406253). A city traffic engineer estimated the matter would be fixed by March 2019. Six months seemed like an unreasonably long period of time to correct a seemingly simple repair, but that was only the opening chapter of this story The problem was not resolved in six months when a subsequent check with the “Get It Done” website showed the problem was corrected on October 9, 2018. Obviously, this was information was incorrect. On March 25, 2019, San Diego Senior Public Information Officer Anthony
Santacroce haltingly acknowledged there was a problem with the “Get It Done” website. He said the city would request an update from the private contractor, Burtech Pipelines, for a completion date. The Clairemont Times also requested this information from Burtech. Because nothing further has been heard from Santacroce or Burtech and the problem still had not been fixed by April 11, 2019, it was again reported on the “Get It Done” website (Number 02561664). Four days later, April 15, 2019, the case was again marked closed, “because City crews recently resolved the issue or conducted the necessary repairs.” Incredibly, the problem remains unfixed and was reported a third time on April 20, 2019 (Number 02569426). We live in strange times. Words have new meanings. What does “get it done” mean?
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 13
Transferring Your Bank and Credit Union Accounts into Your Trust by Dick McEntyre and Chris von der Lieth, Attorneys at Law
Creating a revocable living trust for yourself can be a critical first step in avoiding a costly and time-consuming court administration “probate” of your estate following your death. Remember, this is only a first step—you must still transfer ownership of your assets into your trust in order to accomplish your goal of probate avoidance. For instance, you may have signed and recorded the deed your attorney prepared necessary to transfer ownership of your real property into your trust. But have you transferred also ownership of your bank and credit union accounts into it? Many individuals forget to do this. By doing so, they risk having their accounts in amounts in excess of a certain monetary limit go through a probate to pass their accounts on their deaths to their intended beneficiary(ies). So, what is the best way to get this done? First, you should find the original or a copy of your signed declaration of trust (or trust agreement), which typically has been placed into a binder or folder of your estate planning documents, in addition to any instruction letter that an attorney may have prepared and provided to you. Then review your declaration of trust to determine if there is a section providing how you should take title to an asset in your trust (i.e., the vesting). If you cannot find such a section, look in any instruction letter you might have—the recommended manner of holding title should be in there. Next, make an appointment to meet with a representative at your local bank or credit union. Bring your declaration of trust and any instruction letter to your meeting and tell the representative that you
would like to transfer your account(s) into your revocable living trust. Show the representative the section in your declaration or instruction letter stating how title to your account should be held. Sometimes the representative will scan your original declaration for the institution’s records—just make sure you get the original back. If the manner of holding title to your bank account in your trust is lengthy, the representative will often try to shorten it for the bank or credit union’s records. This is ok, but make sure the institution includes your name as trustee, the name of your trust, the document your trust was created under, and the date of the document. For example, the institution’s records could reflect: “John Smith, Tty of The John Smith Tr UDT 4/1/19.” (“Tty” stands for Trustee, “Tr” for Trust, and “UDT” for under declaration of trust). Once the representative has entered your vesting into the computer, you will be asked to sign a new “signature card” for the institution. This should complete the process. Thereafter, when you read your new bank statements, or sign in to your account online, you will see the new vesting of your account in your trust. Then you will feel rewarded that you have accomplished this important step. The above “Possible Solutions” are generalizations only and are not to be taken as legal advice for the reader’s particular situation. Richard F. McEntyre is a lawyer practicing law in the areas of estate planning and administration, having served the San Diego community as a lawyer for over 40 years. House calls are available. Dick’s office is located at 3156 Sports Arena Boulevard, Suite 102 (Telephone (619) 221-0279), www.richardfmcentyre.com.
The Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter launched in April. Sign up for the Clairemont Times Newsletter to be delivered to your inbox every Sunday Night. Visit www.ClairemontTimes.com
Potholes in your Neighborhood? Report the Street & Cross Street to City of San Diego Streets & Potholes Division
619 527 7500
Bike to Work Day is May 16th
Free Tree SD San Diegans can get a new tree, free of charge - all you have to do is identify a space in the public right-of-way that could benefit from a new tree and fill out the online form. City horticulturists will evaluate the space and determine an appropriate tree selection. To receive a FREE TREE for your parkway (the area between your sidewalk and street curb), please review the conditions of agreement • Location of property must be within City of San Diego limits
Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter Sent to Your Email Inbox
• Resident/property owner agrees to water the tree for three years to get tree’s life started per the recommended watering schedule noted below • The City’s horticulturist will review your parkway to determine an appropriate tree species • Resident/property owner understands that driveways, street corners, fire hydrants and other objects may limit where tree(s) can be planted To begin the process, fill out the online form on the City of San Diego Website: www.sandiego.gov/blog/free-tree-sd
Stop by the Clairemont Times pitstop on Santa Fe St & Rose Canyon Bike Path Pre-Register for your Free BTWD 2019 T-Shirt
https://icommutesd.com/events/bike-month
www.clairemonttimes.com
14 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Infinity Dance Sport Center NEW Student Special!! Two 45 minute Sessions with a Personal Trainer
Getting ready for a Wedding? Charity Event, Birthday Party, Cruise or a Night on the Town!! Swing, Waltz, Salsa, Tango, Cha Cha Foxtrot, Jitterbug!!
Super Fun!! Super Easy!!!
7243 Engineer Road, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92111 858.560.4372 ~ www.infinitydancesportcenter.com
ADVANCED PODIATRY WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH Walter Jolley, D.P.M 5222 Balboa Avenue, Suite 41 San Diego, CA 92117 858-560-0390 • Board Certified Foot and Ankle Surgery • Serving Clairemont for 30 Years • Treating all Painful Foot Conditions • Toenails to Major Deformities
Friendly Family Dental • $59 cleaning, exam, x-rays (assumes no periodontal disease). • Free second opinion! • $900 denture special. Full upper or lower denture. •$695 crown special. •$700 off Invisalign. Call for details. • Modern technology & private rooms. Check our reviews on Google! Dr. Henna H. Dattu General Dentist NYU School of Dentistry
Call, email or book an appointment online!
858-274-1219 www.sdfriendlyfamilydental.com
3774 Clairemont Drive, San Diego, CA 92117
www.ClairemontTimes.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 15
Easy to Grow Native Grasses: Part 1 by Susan Lewitt
So many grasses. Calflora lists 426 grasses for San Diego. Bermuda grass, Pampas grass, Reed fescue and Kentucky Blue Grass are among the 163 nonnative invasive species. Instead, please consider the native grasses. Many native grasses (80+) support the biodiversity of Clairemont and the surrounding areas. Thirteen, found throughout California, are very easy to grow. Seven will be in July’s article. Here are the other six: THINGRASS (Agrostis pallens), a 4” to 28” bent grass is great for lawns, can be mowed short to be golf course-like or left
clay-loam soils, needs summer watering 2 times per month and can be in sun or part shade. It does well with other sun loving
Tecolote Nature Center 5180 Tecolote Road San Diego, CA 92110 • 858-581-9944 Deer grass
Thingrass
alone to be meadowlike. It stands up to foot traffic. Summer watering 2 to 3 times per month is enough. This grass can be in sun, or part shade and almost any soil with good drainage. It works well with annuals and herbaceous perennials for a meadow setting or rock garden. Trees and shrubs are `good companions for a woodland setting. This grass seed is becoming more available commercially. JUNEGRASS (Koeleria macrantha), a deer resistant tuft forming perennial bunch grass, works for grazing, golf course roughs, meadows, rock and butterfly gardens. It tolerates sun to full shade, a variety of soils and requires only a once monthly summer watering. Put it under oaks or other trees. Group it with other native grasses, annual flowers, and herbaceous perennials including California Poppy, Dudleyas and cacti. It’s a host plant for Columbian Skipper butterflies. PURPLE THREE AWN (Aristida purpurea), an erect perennial grass under 40” tall, is a good substitute for invasive grasses but not good for grazing. It tolerates a variety of soils with medium to fast drainage, sun and a once a month summer watering. Many mountain, desert, and coastal plants work as companions, including Creosote Bush, Sagebrush, Joshua Tree, Brittlebush, Buckwheat, cacti, and succulents. CALIFORNIA BROME GRASS (Bromus carinatus), a widespread bunchgrass grows to 5’ tall, works for grazing, butterfly gardens, ground cover, and erosion control. It is also used for damaged land restoration. It may be short lived but reseeds itself. This grass does well in clay and tolerates loam and
plants needing summer watering including Black Oak, Douglas' sagewort, and Dog Violet. It hosts the Umber Skipper butterfly, attracts seed eating birds, and a diversity of insects. DEER GRASS (Muhlenbergia rigens), a perennial bunch grass, grows in sandy and clay soils with good drainage, maturing in about two years at 5’ tall. It can take weekly summer watering or no summer water and does well with full sun to part shade, growing slowly in full shade. Toyon, Lemonade Berry, larger Ceanothus, Manzanita species, and Scrub Oaks are some of the plants that will work alongside this tall grass. Seed eating birds will visit this deer resistant plant during the summer. PURPLE NEEDLE GRASS (Stipa pulchra), a drought tolerant fountain grass is an unofficial California state symbol because it’s widespread. This 3 ½ foot tall grass does well in serpentine and clay soils with full sun. Use for deer resistant ground cover and butterfly gardens. It may be overtaken by more aggressive plants. Grow it with native shrubs. For a grassland look, plant it with geophytes including Wild Onions, Brodiaea species,
Park Ranger Office 858-581-9961 Monday – Closed, Tuesday –Saturday 9:00-4:00, Sunday 9:00-2:00
Saturday, May 4 We’re in the Clairemont Garden Tour! For more info https://www.clairemontonline.com/Garden-Tour Sunday, May 5 9:00-11:00 Sunday in the Garden Volunteer in our native plant garden and nurture nature with Park Ranger Erika! Help us get the garden ready for the upcoming Clairemont Garden Tour in May! Wednesday, May 15 1:30-3:00 Art & Activities for Kids- Free! Learn a little, create a lot! Have fun in nature and create some spring crafts. Saturday, May 18 9:00-11:00 Weed Warriors Volunteer with the Park Rangers to make your canyon awesome! Help is needed in the restoration and revegetation areas. Gloves and tools provided. Wear long pants and sturdy shoes. No flip flops please. Bring sun protection and a refillable water bottle. * Arrive early to get a good parking spot. Save the date – June 1st 10:00-2:00 Tecolote Family Day! *Many volunteer opportunities available! 858-581-9959 www.sandiego.gov/volunteer-program Activities are posted at www.meetup.com/Friends of Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center. Like us on Facebook/Friends of Tecolote Canyon www.friendsoftecolotecanyon.org
Advertising Sales Person(s) Wanted If you or someone you know is looking for a p/t or f/t job we are looking to hire ad sales reps. The ideal candidate is someone who is outgoing and ambitious and looking to supplement their income. The hours are very flexible. Sales experience is preferred.
Purple Three Awn
Mariposa Lilies, Dichelostemma species, and annual wildflowers from seed. It’s helpful in defeating invasive plants and helps native oaks. Many native insects, birds and small mammals are drawn to it. CNPS meetings for more native plant information: 3rd Tuesday, (except August) 6:30 pm, Casa Del Prado, Room 101, Balboa Park.
Please feel free to call or email Chris O’Connell at (858) 752-9779 or Chris@ClairemontTimes.com. This is a heavy commission sales position.
Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter Sent to Your Email Inbox The Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter launched in April. Sign up for the Clairemont Times Newsletter to be delivered to your inbox every Sunday Night. Visit www.ClairemontTimes.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
16 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
LIBRARY EVENTS CLAIREMONT BRANCH 2920 BURGENER BLVD, 92110 (858) 581-9935
All city libraries will be closed on Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day. Little Ones Sign Language Storytime Thursdays, May 2 & 16 at 10:30am. Children and their caregivers can learn ASL sign language while hearing great stories! Presented by Jennifer Duncan. Trash Truck Storytime! - 5/9 at 10:30am Our popular Trash Truck Storytime returns! Hear trash truck themed stories and then go out to see a real working trash truck! Kids get a demonstration on how they work and then they can sit in the cab like a real driver! Baby & Toddler Storytime with Stay & Play Thursday, May 23 & 30 at 10:30am. Joyce leads a fun storytime with stories, songs and play! Preschool Storytime with Miss Fran! Fridays at 10:30am. Join Miss Fran as she reads fun picture books and sings songs! Kids & Teens Spring into STEAM: Dive In! 5/7 4:30pm Join us for some coding fun using Scratch, a drag-and-drop visual computer programming language. Learn how to use Scratch and code your own underwater scene with fish and a scuba diver! Free Comic Book Day & Craft! 5/4 11am Come to the library and get free comics! To celebrate Free Comic Book Day, volunteer Rod will be here with superhero-themed mask crafts kids can make! Game Time Thursdays at 3pm Break out the board games for a little tabletop fun! Kids Craft Club Thursdays at 4pm. Craft time has something new every time! Button Making Saturdays at 10:30am Express yourself by making your own buttons to decorate your backpack or clothes! Bring your own pictures or use some of ours! Materials are free! Adults Literary Book Club 5/1 6pm The Book Club will be discussing, “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah Make Your Own Book! 5/28 6pm Now is your chance to learn simple binding techniques and make a book of your own. Make one for yourself or create a unique gift for someone else! Space is limited so contact the library to reserve your place. Music from Solivan 5/29 6pm This free concert is presented by the Friends of the Clairemont Library. This
month we feature the Latin rhythms of Solivan! Our annual How-To Festival returns with all new demonstrations presented by Clairemont locals! 5/18 11am-3pm 11am—How To Roast Your Own Coffee 12pm—How To Make Yummy Dips 1pm—How To Make Beautiful Chinese Paper Cutting Artwork 2pm—How To Create a Toxic-Free Lifestyle All Ages 3D Printer Clairemont Library's own 3D printer is available for use by interested young people and adults. We have yet to set up regular open times but those interested in printing something can talk to library staff for details. Designs should be saved as .STL files. To see thousands of pre-made designs go to www.thingiverse.com. Prints should take less than two hours. NORTH CLAIREMONT BRANCH 4616 CLAIREMONT DR. 92117 (858) 581-9931
Ongoing, Always Free, Programs for Adults Include Social Scrabble and Other Board Games for Grown Ups Various (please check calendar for exact dates) Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and Thursdays at 1p.m. Bargain Book Sale 5/11 9:30am-1pm Lots of high quality books at low, low prices! Second Tuesday Concert Series “Anthony Smith—Master o Vipes” 5/14 6:30pm A highly creative musician who is takes his considerable pianistic knowledge and transfers it to the vibraphone Unravel the Mystery Vegetable Gardening 5/16 1pm Learn to grow your own edible garden NC Book Club 5/21 6:30pm “One Thousand White Women” by Jim Fergus Copies are available now at the front desk. Please ask for your copy. Painting Like the Masters 5/23 1pm Don’t worry about talent or experience. You will find it easy to paint your own masterpiece Genealogy Workshop 5/30 1pm Learn how the library can help you discover your heritage Ongoing, Always Free, Children’s Programs Spring into STEAM: Create a Creature (ages 9–12 years) 5/20 4:30 p.m. See how sea life has adapted to their unique environment and use this knowledge to create a creature of your own! Sign Language Story Time (recommended for ages 0-5 years) – Mondays at 10:00 a.m. Preschool Story Time (recommended
for ages 3-5 years) - Mondays at 11 a.m. Baby Story Time (ages 0-2 years) – Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. Family Story Time (all ages) Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Lego Builders’ Club (ages 3-8 years) Saturdays 11 a.m-3 p.m. Love on a Leash (ages 3-8 years) – Second Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Homework Help (grades K-8) – Mondays and Thursdays, 3:00-6:00 p.m. and Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3:00-7:00 p.m. BALBOA BRANCH 4255 MT. ABERNATHY AVE, 92117 (858) 573-1390
April showers bring May flowers! And the Balboa Branch Library brings many opportunities for you to blossom with its various wonderful activities for the entire community to enjoy. Experience fun and educational programs for all ages. We look forward to seeing you! And to all of our local neighbors who are mothers we wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day! Free Comic Book Day 1st Saturday in May! San Diego Public Library Celebrates Free Comic Book Day! Visit the Balboa Library on Saturday, May 4th and pick up a free comic book! (While supplies last.) "May the Fourth Be With You!" Special Event: How to Festival 5/18 11am-3pm The San Diego Public Library will host its 4th Annual How-To Festival! Experience an interactive community educational event with something for everyone and for all ages taking place simultaneously at 20 San Diego Public Library locations including the Balboa Branch Library! Participating libraries will host a variety of FREE presentations and workshops throughout the day. SDPL is THE place for opportunity, discovery, and inspiration! Ongoing: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten! Yes, this is possible to accomplish by reading one book a day to be finished in 3 years! Contact library staff for more information. Children and Teen Programs: Lego Club Mondays 4-5pm Build your LEGO masterpiece. [Pre-K - 6th grade] Paws to Read 5/14 6pm Practice reading out loud to patient therapy dogs. [Pre-K – 6th grade] Pajama Signing Storytime w/ Miss Jennifer 5/28 6pm Learn signing while enjoying storytime in your comfy pajamas. [Birth– 5 yrs.] Homework Help Tuesdays, 4-5pm; Weds & Thurs, 3:30 – 5:30pm Bring in your homework questions and our tutor can assist you. [K – 8th grade] Great Read-Aloud w/ Miss Terri Wednesdays, 6pm
Listen to entertaining stories while practicing listening skills. [Kinder - 2nd grade] Make a Project @ the Library: 3-D Flower Art 5/15 3:30-4:30pm Arrange artificial flowers on a canvas board to create a beautiful work of art. All supplies provided. All supplies provided. No sign-up required. [3rd grade and up with an adult.] Preschool Storytime and Craft 5/2 & 5/16 10am Listen to a terrific story and make a story-based craft at the library. [Babies- 5 yrs.] Signing Storytime w/ Miss Jennifer 5/9 & 5/23 10am Learn signing while enjoying storytime, music, and bubbles. [Birth – 5 yrs.] Wee Reads for Baby & Toddler Fridays 5/3, 5/17 & 5/24 10:30am Enjoy stories, music, and rhymes. [Babies- 5 yrs.] Drop in & Play 5/10 & 5/31 10:30am Enjoy playtime with babies and toddlers while getting to know other families in the community. [Babies- 5 yrs.] Youth Book Discussion 5/3 3:45 4:45pm Read “Children of Blood and Bones” by Tomi Adeyemi and then join us for a lively book discussion. Copies available for checkout. Sign up required. [Teens 7th & 8th grade] Children’s Book Discussion 5/17 3:45-4:45 Read "The War I Finally Won" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and then join us for a lively book discussion. Copies available for checkout. Sign up required. [3rd grade – 6th grade] Kids’ Krafternoon Saturdays, 1-2pm Create a fun craft at the library to take home. [Kinder - 4th grade] Adult Programs: Healthy & Fit Adults 5/6 & 5/13 11:15am-12 Join us for this educational fitness program presented by Lois Schenker. ESL - Adult Beginning English Tuesdays, 12-2pm Geared toward newcomers learning English. Stitching Circle 5/7 & 5/14 2-3:30pm Bring your knitting, crocheting, and other stitching projects to the library. Instruction may be included. Balboa Book Discussion Club 4/16 11:45-12:45 Read “The Beautiful Mystery” by Louise Penny and then join us for a lively and thoughtful book discussion. Copies available for checkout. Adult Writing Group Thursdays, 1:45 – 2:45p.m. Participate in writing exercises designed to help call forth your talents.
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 17
Wild Things! Dangers They Pose to our Pets PROUD PARENTS PET PROFILE www.yourpetnannyannie.com
Your Pet Nanny-Annie Love and care when you can’t be there Annie Ekberg Doggie Day Care • Home Away from Home Boarding Daily Visits for Feeding, Walks and more.
Cooing & Gooing Free of Charge Call or Text (619) 871-4422
Bonded & Insured Lic# B2013066417
Pepper Breed: Black Lab DOB: 2010 Adopted From: Lab Rescuers San Diego Likes: Running at Mission Bay, naps in the sun and ice cubes Dislikes: Cats, the vacuum, and getting dressed up.
by Laura Vorreyer
It’s not only April Showers that bring May flowers, but all the other months of precipitation that has got SoCal blooming. This past winter Southern California received enough rain in one season to end a drought that lasted nearly a decade. This is great news for dried up riverbeds, streams, and our water reservoirs. Unfortunately, though, the flip side of this is an abundance of dangerous plants that can be deadly to our pets. Laura & Dexter (courtesy photo) While it’s easy to weed poisonous plants out of our backyards, it’s impossible to school yard. I directed (pulled) Leo away remove them from the great outdoors. One way to keep our dogs safe from both from the school yard because I know Leo wild animals and dangerous plants is to have loves to clean up after the children. While I pulled Leo away from the schoolyard, I them on leash where we can monitor their inadvertently pulled him right into an activity. If a wild animal suddenly appears abandoned yard full of foxtails which he on a path you’re walking on with your dog, jumped into immediately, trying to get to a you have a better chance of keeping your lizard. Before I had time to react, Leo was dog by your side if they are leashed. Without a leash, it’s almost guaranteed a dog deep into the foxtails. I pulled Leo out will chase a bunny, squirrel or even a startled quickly but there were many foxtails attached to him. I worked fast to remove deer. them, but two stuck. One in his eye and the Unfortunately, even if your dog is on a other in a nostril. I did manage to get the lead, this doesn’t guarantee their safety. One particularly menacing plant is foxtail one in his nostril out, but the one in his eye was in there pretty good. grass. Foxtail is unmistakable in its Off to the emergency veterinarian we appearance, as it looks like the tail of a fox, went. Just in the ten-minute ride to the with a bushy top part. The bushy top part, emergency vet, a lot less foxtail was visible as named the awn, is the most dangerous part it worked its way into poor Leo. Thankfully, as it can attach itself to our pets and burrow the veterinarian removed the foxtail with a its way inwards towards a dog’s brain, spine tweezers and special tools, but it wasn’t a and heart. While it doesn’t always cause good experience for me or Leo or my wallet, death, a foxtail that gets into your dog can for that matter. cause swelling, abscess and pain. It will never The lesson here is to keep clear of foxtails work its way out of your dog, but continues at all cost. Check your dog after walks in inward. nature for any plants or even ticks that We can expect to see an abundance of might have become stuck to them. Look foxtail this year due to the heavy rains and especially for thorns and barbs, in between good weather conditions. Foxtails are out in the pads of their paws. Look for licking, full bloom now, through December. Foxtails sneezing or head shaking to indicate your grow in abundance in grassy fields and on dog has something on him, or worse, in the sides of even the most manicured lawns. him, that he shouldn’t. Dogs with long hair The awn can detach itself from the rest of should be checked extra carefully as a foxtail the grass and become airborne. It is can be easily missed. If you think your dog especially important to make sure your dog has ingested a poisonous plant or has a does not step on one of these. The best foxtail which has burrowed into them, take practice, of course, is avoidance, but I know them to the veterinarian immediately. all too well that this is not always possible. Dogs have an uncanny way of getting Laura Vorreyer pioneered the dog-walking into the things we want them industry in Hollywood over 15 to stay away from, whether it’s years ago and is the author of the book and audiobook, “The the neighbor’s overfilled Pet Sitter’s Tale.” She is the garbage can or the path of an owner of the pet care company angered skunk, if we want Your Dog’s Best Friend, a them to avoid it, they will premier dog-walking and pet-sitting business in Los inevitably be drawn to it. Angeles. Laura has taught About this time last year, I pet-sitting and dog-walking was walking a lab mix named classes in Los Angeles and is also Leo, on leash (of course) in a a passionate advocate for animal courtesy of Greg Long of rights. She remains dedicated to suburban neighborhood near a Image Clairemont and www.FoxTailDogProtector.com
pet rescue.
Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter Sent to Your Email Inbox The Clairemont Times Weekly Newsletter launched in April Sign up for the Clairemont Times Newsletter to be delivered to your inbox every Sunday Night. Visit www.ClairemontTimes.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
18 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
BUSINESS/SERVICE DIRECTORY & CLASSIFIEDS ELECTRONIC REPAIR
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT
OFFICE FOR RENT Established Professional Office for Rent in a Three Office Suite in UTC Area with Secretary Space, Partially Furnished, Ample Parking, Freeway Close by, and Many Restaurants Near the Office.
$900/ Month Address: 3232 Governor Drive, Suite 100 San Diego, CA 92122 Contact Michael Kaplan: 858-453-6122 ext. 11 ESTATE ATTORNEY
YARD SERVICES
Greg’s Garden & Tree Service Since 2004
619-820-5183 GRAPHIC DESIGN
ELAINE HALL GRAPHIC DESIGN Bringing Your Vision to Light With over 30 years experience in the graphic design industry, I can help you present your business, service, or organization in the best possible LIGHT!
Maintenance Clean Ups Landscaping Irrigation Installation/Repair Tree Trimming Stump Removal Hauling Services
Reasonable Rates Free Estimates
YOUR BUSINESS CARD
Your Business Card Here Call (858) 752 9779 to find out how we can promote your business in The Clairemont Times
858.999.6997 HOUSE CLEANING
We are a family business - we do it ourselves.
TO ADVERTISE CALL THE CLAIREMONT TIMES AT 858 752 9779
www.clairemonttimes.com
The Clairemont Times • May 2019 • 19
Cracking Down on Dangerous Housing, Protecting Vulnerable Residents by City Attorney Mara W. Elliott
Protecting elderly and vulnerable San Diegans is a top priority for me as San Diego City Attorney. That’s why my office is cracking down on dangerous conditions at independent living facilities where seniors and dependent adults often reside. Independent living facilities (ILFs) are a critical source of housing for the elderly, for individuals with physical and mental disabilities, and others with medical problems. We expect them to treat their clients with dignity and follow laws that safeguard their health and safety - and most do - but when ILFs cut corners and break laws, they inexcusably expose our most vulnerable community members to dangerous and potentially deadly circumstances. We are currently prosecuting four ILF providers for substandard housing violations, two of which face additional charges of elder abuse. We’re also actively investigating about two dozen other facilities. Some ILFs are overcrowded and operate under illegal conditions. They often do so to take advantage of residents and maximize profits. Through our investigations, we’ve found conditions that include: pad-locked refrigerators, and residents being denied access to food and water; residents being denied access to phones to report medical emergencies; - infestations of rats, scabies, bedbugs, and roaches; and - open buckets used as toilets filled with human waste. When ILF operators take advantage of residents, my office finds them and holds them accountable. Most recently, my office filed criminal charges against two facilities, one in Skyline and the other in North Bay Terraces. Each had numerous Health and Safety Code and Municipal Code violations, including vermin infestations, blocked and inaccessible exits, improper plumbing and drainage, illegally converted bedrooms, and various fire hazards. The owners and operators of both properties were each charged with 22 misdemeanors. The court ordered the residents of the Skyline property to vacate, but the owners
refused to pay relocation costs for the residents. The City stepped in to pay for new accommodations, and will seek reimbursement from the defendants. Some residents are at the mercy of the ILF operator. Their Social Security payments go directly to the provider, so they lose control of their money. Many don’t have families or friends to look out for them. They don’t have access to transportation and are denied outside communication. Often, they’re afraid to speak up, because they’re afraid of becoming homeless. That’s why our office is a watchdog on their behalf. Last fall, we filed criminal substandard housing and willful cruelty charges against the owners and operators of two illegal care facilities where elderly and dependent residents were living in deplorable conditions. Eleven victims, ranging from 57 to 84 years old, were subject to vermin infestations, denied access to food and water, and exposed to feces in the community shower. After the owner and operator were cited for numerous Health and Safety Code and Municipal Code violations and ordered to vacate the property, the residents were transported to an even worse facility. Upon inspection of the second property, one elderly victim was discovered living in a garage that lacked ventilation, and another was found in a tent on the side of the house. The residents suffered from heat exposure, and most were transported to local hospitals for medical attention. The City provided relocation funding for all residents, and the City Attorney is seeking reimbursement of these costs by the defendants. Criminal proceedings in this case are ongoing. Because they are not licensed, independent living facilities can pop up anywhere. And because their clientele are often desperate for housing, they can get away with a lot. That’s why we need your help. To report elder abuse and adult dependent care emergencies, dial 911. For non-emergencies, contact the San Diego Police Department at 619-531-2000. Community members may report code, health and safety, and environmental violations to the City’s Code Enforcement Division at 619-236-5500, or the City Attorney’s Nuisance Abatement Unit at 619-533-5655.
POLICE BLOTTER VEHICLE BREAK IN 2900 Gobat Ave 2700 Schenley Terr 3200 Carnegie Way 4000 Governor Dr 4500 Pavlov Ave 5600 Balboa Arms 4500 Mt Herbert 3600 Luna 4700 Pocohontas 3800 Tiara St 7400 Mesa College Dr 3200 Cowley Way 3300 Fontana Ave 2900 Cowley Way 4800 Gardena Ave 2200 Cecelia Terr 3700 Greenwood THEFT 5800 Gullstrand St 3000 Idlewild Way 4400 Moraga Ave 4700 Clairemont Dr
4900 Clairemont Dr 4100 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 4400 Bannock Ave 4600 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 4700 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 6000 Balboa Ave 5600 Balboa Ave 5400 Balboa Ave ASSAULT 5000 Santa Fe St 3800 Cadden Way 3700 Moraga Ave 4300 Clairemont Dr 4500 Cochise Way 3400 Jemez Dr 4200 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 4000 Sioux Ave 3200 Clairemont Dr 5000 Coral Sand 2700 Wheatstone 2600 Clairemont Dr 2400 Denver 2200 Morena
1300 Morena 5300 Napa 6900 Linda Vista Rd 2300 Ulric 2400 Ulric 7700 Belden COMMERCIAL BURGLARY 3900 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 4400 Genesee Ave 5400 Clairemont Mesa Blvd 3000 Clairemont Dr 6900 Linda Vista Rd RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 4300 Mt Davis 6700 Beadnell 3400 Waco 3000 Clairemont Dr 4700 Edison St 7700 Belden St 2200 Langmuir Ave
2100 Crandall Dr VANDALISM 6100 Stadium St 5100 Luigi Terr 6100 Agee St 4600 Morena Blvd 4700 Otomi Ave 4900 Providence Rd 4900 Genesee Ave 6900 Fulton 6600 Kelly St 6500 Linda Vista Rd 2800 Cowley Way 3700 Clairemont Dr 3000 East Fox Run Way 7600 Linda Vista Way FRAUD 4200 Governor 5200 Balboa 3900 Mt Ainsworth 1500 Bervy St 5700 Linda Vista Rd
“If you do not report it or call us, in our mind it did not happen” San Diego Police Officer Call 911 to report an emergency Non Emergency 24 hours (619)-531-2000 www.sandiego.gov/police Compiled from info at www.CrimeMapping.com
www.clairemonttimes.com
20 • The Clairemont Times • May 2019
Visit The Clairemont Times 7th Annual Bike to Work Day Pit Stop on May 16th by Chris O’Connell
We are once again excited to be a part of the 29th Annual SANDAG Bike to Work Day. There are over 100 pit stops throughout the county from Lakeside to San Ysidro North to Oceanside. We’ll be back down in the same location as we have for the past 6 years on Santa Fe St where the road ends and Rose Canyon bike bath begins. Also, as we have for the past two years, we are partnering
with the Mid-Coast Trolley and MCTC Construction the contractors of the project. Here you can learn more information
about the trolley and ask any questions. If you have not been down on Santa Fe St in a while you will be in for quite the surprise as the project is really moving along. We’ll have a bunch of fruit, water, snacks, coffee and hopefully a surprise, BIG photo opportunity for the commuters. Here is a link to all the 100 Pitstops throughout the county
registration confirmation barcodes in an effort to better track participation and t-shirt distribution. SANDAG has taken this new approach in response to feedback from pit stop hosts. Registration is required for participants to receive their free t-shirt on Bike to Work Day. https://clmttimes.news/btwd2019 For the first time, pit stop hosts will scan participants’
To register for BTWD and receive your t-shirt visit https://icommutesd.com/events/bike-month