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January 5, 2017
Mid-year budget adjustments include funding for Palomar firefighters
D e L u z , R a i n b ow , C a m p P e ndl e t o n , Pa l a ,
Volume 21, Issue 1
McStay book publishes on third anniversary of discovery
Lucette Moramarco Staff Writer
Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
Patrick McStay intentionally had his book published Nov. 11, 2016, the third anniversary of the discovery of the remains of his son and his son’s family in the Mojave Desert. The book, “McStays Taken Too Soon, A True Story,” is his way of “setting the record straight,” he said. Joseph and Summer McStay and their sons Gianni and Joey went missing from their home in Lake Rancho Viejo (the housing tract east of I-15 and south of SR76) on Feb. 4, 2010. There were few clues and a lot of speculation as to what happened to them and whether or not they disappeared voluntarily. Many theories were proposed, and a book was written which Patrick McStay said is fiction. “What I wrote the book for was to tell you exactly who Joey [his son] and Summer were and the truth about what happened,” said Patrick McStay. While he wants to dispel rumors, he did not include everything he knows in the book, he explained, as he did not want to taint the upcoming trial of the alleged killer, Charles “Chase” Merritt, who was Joseph McStay’s business partner. Patrick McStay lives in Texas but is familiar with Fallbrook as he used to visit casinos in the area whenever he stayed with his son’s family when they lived in San Clemente. According to the elder McStay, he was the one who recommended his son look for a home in Fallbrook. It took Joseph McStay over a year to find the house he bought and he was spending a lot of money renovating it, his father said, adding that he knew they would not have intentionally disappeared at that point, especially without telling any of the family where they were going. So, he had a gut feeling that he would never see them again.
The approval of County of San Diego mid-year budget adjustments included funding for fencing along the future San Luis Rey River Park trail and contracting for additional career firefighters for the Palomar Mountain and two other San Diego County Regional Fire Authority stations. The budget adjustments were approved on a 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Dec. 13. The $127,508.60 for the San Luis Rey River Park trail will fund the development of plans, specifications, and construction estimates to obtain an encroachment permit and to install fencing along the trail. New appropriations of $1,800,000 will be used for contracted services to provide career firefighters at the Palomar Mountain, Shelter Valley, and Sunshine Summit stations. In their entirety the mid-year budget changes will increase general fund appropriations by a net amount of $10,128,636. The funding for the river park trail fencing was derived from $14,512.79 of general fund revenue and $112,508.60 from the Capital Outlay Fund. A 201516 fund balance in the general fund for the county’s Public Safety Group enabled the funding for the three fire stations.
see BUDGET, page A-5
thisweek
Announcements �������������������������A-2 Business ������������������������������������C-10 Business Directory ���������������������C-8 Classifieds ������������������������������������D-6 Dining & Food ������������������������������B-5 Education ��������������������������������������B-8 Entertainment ������������������������������D-4 Health & Fitness ��������������������������B-2 Home & Garden �������������������������C-2 Legals.............................................D-7 Obituaries �������������������������������������D-3 Opinion �����������������������������������������A-5 Real Estate �����������������������������������C-2 Sheriff’s Log ���������������������������������D-7 Sports.............................................D-1 Wine................................................B-6
see MCSTAY, page A-5
Lt. Gilmore leaving Sheriff ’s Fallbrook substation
Overall crop value down 6.4 percent in county Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
Tom Ferrall Staff Writer
Village News
50¢ Sales tax included at news stand
Lt. David Gilmore of the San Diego County Sheriff ’s Department is serving his final day as commander of the Fallbrook substation today (Jan. 5). Beginning tomorrow (Jan. 6), Gilmore will report to duty at the Office of the Sheriff in San Diego and begin his new assignment as a standards and compliance manager. “The [standards and compliance] unit works under the direction of the Sheriff (William Gore) to basically be an extension of his eyes,” said Gilmore. “We inspect and determine compliance issues, and we interact when critical incidents happen to review them. It is a new responsibility and I am grateful for the (department’s) trust and the opportunity.” Lt. Pat Gardner has been named to replace Gilmore in Fallbrook. “He’s a 30-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Department with a broad range of experience,” said Gilmore of Gardner. “He’s a very capable person. He’s done time with the homicide unit, with the gangs unit, and is a very credible individual that’s put in a lot of time. He’s worked all around the department. He’s got a great reputation and I think the citizens of Fallbrook will really appreciate having him here.” Gardner, who most recently
Lt. David Gilmore has been working with a gang task force in San Diego, will be in charge of a Sheriff’s substation for the first time in his career. “He’s excited about it,” said Gilmore of Gardner. “He’s worked
out of patrol stations before, but he’s excited because I keep sharing with him about this community.” Today marks the end of the
Complications in the transition from in-house graphic design for San Diego County’s annual crop report to utilizing a contractor delayed the release of the county’s 2015 crop report until December 2016. The 6.4 percent decline in overall crop value compared to 2014 and the 6.5 percent decrease in acreage were due to actual declines rather than to a change in reporting methods. “We haven’t changed the way that we collect the data or analyze the data,” said county Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures assistant director Megan Moore. “That has not changed.” Increasing water prices have challenged produce growers for years, and the recent consumer water restrictions have also created reluctance for in-state buyers to purchase nursery products which account for approximately twothirds of the county’s crop value. “Considering those two items the 6 1/2 percent decrease does not come as much of a surprise,” said San Diego County Farm Bureau executive director Eric Larson. The total commercial production value of agricultural crops in San Diego County was $1,701,776,951 in 2015. During 2014, San Diego County’s farmers sold crops
see GILMORE, page A-5
see CROP, page A-8
Courtesy photo