seaside courier - august 2014

With a failed shot at unseating county Supervisor Bill Horn

behind him, Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood says he is now focused on changing the City Council.

Wood, who often finds himself

at odds with the council major-ity, said he’s “embarrassed” by his colleagues.

“Hopefully, I’ll change the makeup on this council,” said Wood who has served as mayor since 2004. “I want to represent the citizens. I want to listen to the neighborhoods and bring businesses. I can’t do any of that

being on the losing side.”Wood and Deputy Mayor

Esther Sanchez often find them-selves on the losing end of of battles with Councilmembers Gary Felien, Jack Feller and Jerome Kern. And Wood was unceremoniously stripped of

An effort to appease Solana Beach’s bluff-top residents

won’t stop lawsuits the city is facing.

The Solana Beach City Council unanimously voted in June to drop a 20-year expira-tion on any new permits issued for the construction of seawalls, which are structures built par-allel to a sea bluff to prevent erosion and flooding of residen-tial property. The policy, which

See wood page 14

See SEAwALL page 9See TRAINS page 3

See TRANSIT page 11

Managers continue to leave north county transit District

Cardiff man finds joy in restoring rare model train sets

Seawall Saga ContinueS in Solana BeaCh

next for wood: Change the oCeanSide City CounCil

Bob Shultz has spent about $100,000 on collecting and restoring antique train sets.

HoaEditor, Seaside Courier

Quach


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Cardiff resident Bob Shultz was 8 years old when his father gave him a train set.

Sixty years later, his father’s gift has spiraled into a hobby that has cost him about $100,000.

Shultz, a retired real estate broker, said he

became interested in train sets again when his grand-son, Rollins, was born four and a half years ago.

“I wanted to give my grandson a train set,” said Shultz, who has given train sets away to local chil-dren. “The biggest joy is giving kids these trains.”

But his train sets can’t be purchased at your local toy store. The train sets are made from metal and

Maggie

Seaside Courieravants

At least 20 high-level managers and employ-ees at the North County Transit District

have left the agency since Jan. 1, continuing an exodus that began more than a year ago.

All told, the recent departures cost the

Brad

inewsource.orgracino

district $299,489 in severance payouts, according to district records. That amount does not include the costs of rehiring and retraining replacements.

Among those inewsource confirmed have recently left are the chief operations officer, the chief of safety, the chief of transit enforce-ment, the deputy general manager, the

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annual Bro-am returns to Moonlight BeachJen

Seaside CourierVan tieghem

Switchfoot Bro-Am will con-tinue its tradition of surfing, music and community at

Moonlight Beach on Saturday, July 12.

The 10th annual event will feature a daytime concert, a surf competition, beach vendors and a documentary screening. Proceeds from the event will benefit children’s charities in San Diego County as well as charities throughout the country.

“It’s been so incredible to see the way in which the local community as well as large businesses have embraced the Bro-Am and really helped us to grow it into what it is today,” said the event co-director Mia Park. “And for our 10th anniversary year, it’s special that we’ve come full circle and will be featuring the screening of Switchfoot’s doc-umentary 'Fading West' back at La Paloma, where it all started.”

The concert will include perfor-mances by The Future›s League, Run River North, Cody Lovaas, and, of course, Switchfoot. Bands will hit the stage at 12 p.m.

The surf contest is expected to have about 84 contestants. Surfers under the age of 16 will also participate in the third annual Rob Machado Bro Junior contest. Youth surf contestants donated gently used surf clothes

to enter the competition. The annual event is complete

with a performance by Switchfoot, a local alternative rock band that found international success and garnered a Grammy in 2011.

Often categorized as “Christian Rock,” Switchfoot has developed an accessible pop-driven sound that appeals to a wide non-denominational audience. They are also well-known for energetic and upbeat live shows. The band’s daytime performance begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The documentary, “Fading West,” will be screened at 7 p.m. at the La Paloma Theatre and follows Switchfoot members Jon

Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar) on their 2012 world tour.

Released in 2013, the docu-mentary gives the audience an intimate view of the band as they travel in search of musical inspi-ration and killer waves to surf. Tickets to the screening are $35-$50 and include an autographed DVD of the documentary.

For those wanting to reach fur-ther into their pockets, another ticketed event kicks off the week-end at 6 p.m. Friday (5 p.m. for VIP ticket holders). The Auction Night Soiree will include silent

and live auctions, signature tastes from local restaurants, and more festivities at a private estate in Olivenhain. Tickets for the Soiree start at $175.

“The Switchfoot Bro-Am is my favorite day of the year,” said Swiftfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “It’s an entire community of surf-ing and rock and roll joining together for a surf contest and concert on the beach, all to ben-efit homeless and at risk youth.”

For more information on this year’s Switchfoot Bro-Am and to pre-purchase tickets to the auction and screening events, visit www.switchfoot.com/c/bro-am

“it’s an entire community of surfing and rock and roll joining together for a surf contest and concert on the beach, all to benefit homeless and at risk youth.”- Switchfoot frontman, Jon ForemanPhotos by Rebecca and Kevin Joelson.

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encinitas gets one step closer to art center dream

If it were up to city Art Commissioner Naimeh

Woodward, the Pacific View site would become the first-ever Encinitas Art Center.

Woodward is the president of the newly formed Encinitas Friends of the Arts, a donor circle attempting to raise enough funds to make an art center a reality.

“We just want to have a city-owned art center,” Woodward said. “I would love to see Pacific View become an art center simply because of its location. It’s a dynamic area.”

The city adopted an Arts Master Plan in 2002 with a goal of creating “a long-term plan for the development of a multi-use perform-ing arts space,” said Jim Gilliam, the city’s arts administrator.

Gilliam said the need for an Encinitas Art Center is there.

“Encinitas is home to more than 70 arts organization and multiple hundreds of artists,” Gilliam said. “It has the second

highest concentration of art-ists in San Diego County. This thriving community needs arts facilities.”

Mayor Teresa Barth said it’s a possibility that the Pacific View site could be an arts center but it will be determined by a “com-munity discussion.”

“It’s a little premature to say what will be there,” Barth said. “It could have a focus on the arts because it’s been a long-term desire in the community.”

Councilmember Kristin Gaspar echoed Barth saying it was “pre-mature to envision the space.”

“We have to have a very public process and we need to work with the community to have a vision for the space,” Gaspar said. “Once we move past the purchase, there will be plenty of opportunity for them [EFA].”

But before the city can build an art center, the funds need to be there.

Woodward said EFA doesn’t have a set fundraising goal yet but “the sky’s the limit.” She said its also applying for nonprofit status with the state so it can apply for grants.

Once there’s enough funding, the City Council would have to approve of having a city-owned art center, Gilliam said.

The funds may not be there but

the vision is.“The art center, how we envi-

sion it, would house classes for art education, provide space for the art and have an appro-priate setting for performing arts,” Woodward said. “It would increase the foot traffic and keep the economy local. It’s a win win.”

Woodward said it’s time for the 2002 goal to become a reality.

“We need to expand on the art––not just sit and talk about it,” Woodward said. “Art is an essential part of the city’s iden-tity. It’s crucial that we make this a reality and the sooner the better.”

For more information about EFA, visit coastalfoundation.org/programs/friends-of-the-arts

Trains, from page 1

Hoa

Seaside CourierQuach

Teresa Barth

Kristin Gaspar

City of Encinitas Art Commissioner Naimeh Woodward

were manufactured before World War II.

“Things today are mass pro-duced and less expensively made,” Shultz said. “The qual-ity isn’t there.”

Shultz is able to find the train sets by placing a monthly ad in the local newspaper.

“A lot of the trains I buy are from widows whose husbands had them and they don’t know what to do with them or from people who have their fathers’ trains,” Shultz said. “I buy everything they have and I clean it up.”

Shultz owns more than 70 train sets; each set has about three to 10 individual train cars. His most expensive train set is a Blue Comet from 1933 that’s worth about $2,500.

His oldest train set and his proudest piece of work is an American Flyer from 1920.

“It was all beat up when I got it,” Shultz said. “I took it apart and I stripped the painting.”

Shultz said spending one to two hours fixing antique trains is nostalgic for him. It brings him back to his childhood when his father, Robert Shultz, Sr., taught him how to repair engines.

“He tinkered with everything,” Shultz said. “He loved to fix things.”

Asked what his father, who died four years ago, would think of his impressive collection today: “He would’ve loved it.”

SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014 3LOCAL NEWS

With three major science awards and a trip to the

White House under his belt, 18-year-old Eric Chen will leave for Harvard University in the fall.

The Canyon Crest Academy student who possibly discovered medications for the swine flu said the past year has been a whirl-wind for him.

“The attention is pretty strange for me,” Chen said. “I am one of the more quiet kids. I prefer being a normal kid but I think it’s great to draw attention to these scien-tific discoveries that can change the world.”

Chen made headlines after earning three prestigious awards worth $250,000 total: the International Google Science Fair, the Intel Science Talent Search and the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.

He garnered the awards after introducing his project, which uses computer models to speed up the discovery of possible medi-cations, specifically for the swine flu. He presented the project at

Canyon Crest prodigy to attend harvardHoaEditor, Seaside Courier

Quachthe White House Science Fair.

The need to find a cure for the flu just made sense for Chen.

“It struck me as odd,” said Chen who first learned about the swine flu in 2009. “I never thought of the flu as a threat and I couldn’t believe this much havoc popped up. The urgency of the situation interested me.”

Chen’s interest in science devel-oped early with a father who is a researcher in diagnostics at the VA Hospital and a mother who is a researcher at Scripps Research Institute.

“He found his passion early on,” said father Longchuan who described Eric as always a “curi-ous” child. “We didn’t expect him to win all the prizes. We just wanted him to have the experi-ence to meet the people he’s met like the judges and peers.”

Chen’s accomplishments also impressed the community at Canyon Crest Academy.

“We’ve had kids come close but

we’ve never had one win one of the three major competitions, let alone all three,” said Ariel Haas, a founding CCA teacher who has worked with Eric during his high school career. “He’s very pas-sionate, very curious and very hardworking.”

Chen said he isn’t sure what he’ll major in at Harvard but

plans to one day be a college pro-fessor or an entrepreneur.

But his ultimate goal is to help others.

“I really just hope for the abil-ity to help other people survive,” Chen said. “I want to do things that will improve the lives of as many people as I possibly can.”

Eric Chen explains his science project to President Barack Obama at the White House Science Fair on May 27.


encinitas community garden’s fate still undecided

road ChangeS wanted for fletCher CoVe areaThe city of Solana Beach hosted

a public workshop in June to discuss possible solutions for addressing traffic problems around Pacific Avenue between Plaza and Clark streets.

The workshop was organized after residents near the area expressed concerns about speed-ing cars and neighborhood safety.

Possible solutions for the area include all-way stops, curb pop-outs and side street stops, said Arnold Torma, a traffic engineer with Koa Construction who was hired as a city consultant.

But residents pitched other ideas like traffic signs, painting art on the street or creating a roundabout.

“There’s no signage anywhere out there,” said one resident who did not want to reveal his name. “You invite all these people to

the park but no where does it say, ‘Hey, maybe you should slow down and be cautious.’”

Councilmember Mike Nichols, who attended the workshop, said the city budget to address traffic problems at the intersection is roughly $30,000 to $50,000 and roundabouts were estimated at $100,000.

“When I hear budget and safety, the two should not in be conflict,” said resident Kelly Harless in response to the discus-sion of budgets.

City Manager Dave Ott said staff would work on gathering data and have possible solutions ready for community input in about one month.

“I want to assure you we’re going to do something,” Nichols said. “We’re making a commit-ment tonight to do something.

N ine school districts across the nation will receive

a Green Ribbon designation including the Encinitas Union School District.

The Green Ribbon is a des-ignation provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department recognizes school districts that are exemplary in the following areas:

Reducing environmental impact and costsImproving the health and wellness of students and staffProviding effective environmental and sustain-ability education

Staff, students and par-ents played an integral part in the success of the EUSD’s green programs, including the SCRAP cart waste management plan and two farming projects, according to the district.

EUSD Board President Maria Strich and Superintendent Timothy Baird will travel to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, July 22 to attend the Green Ribbon presentation.

T he Encinitas P l a n n i n g

Commission will have to determine whether a com-munity garden can be defined as “agricultural use,” which would be permitted under city law. The City Council made its decision after organizers said their only setback is the city law.

The City Council first decided to explore the idea of a commu-nity garden in 2009. A nonprofit, Community Garden Committee, was later formed to develop the project. Organizers said the com-munity garden could be built on five acres of Encinitas Union School District property on Quail Gardens Drive if the city deter-mines it’s allowable agricultural use.

“We’re not asking you to change any laws,” said Community Garden Committee member Elizabeth Taylor. “We’re not asking you to make any excep-tions. We’re simply asking you to interpret a community garden

as an agricultural use.”If the project gets the OK from

the Planning Commission, orga-nizers will then have to apply for a coastal development permit. The project will also need City Council’s approval, said the city’s planning and building director Jeff Murphy.

Councilmember Teresa Barth said she wanted to see the proj-ect come to life before she retired from the City Council. She cited Carlsbad and San Diego as other cities that “strongly support com-munity gardens” in her report.

“It was just time for some reso-lution,” Barth said.

north County newS BriefS

exhibit to benefit animal victims of domestic violenceLocal artists will join forces in

July to help their four-legged friends.

Zooinitas Extravaganza Exhibition, a benefit support-ing animal victims of domestic violence, will open July 14 at the Encinitas Library. The exhi-bition will be on display until Aug. 14.

“Zooinitas artists are proud to be a part of the vibrant art scene in Encinitas,” said Cheryl Ehlers, a local artist and curator of the 2014 Zooinitas art exhibition. “Encinitas is home to a diverse population of talented artists. During the opening reception our guests will experience all forms of artistic expression.”

An opening reception will be

held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 26 where artists will complete an art piece in one hour.

The proceeds from the exhibit will benefit the Animal Safehouse Program at Rancho Coastal Humane Society.

“We’re so honored that these local artists have chosen Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s Animal Safehouse Program as the beneficiary of Zooinitas,” said Amy Heflin, director of the pro-gram. “Safehouse is a safety net for the pets of domestic violence victims. When they know their pets will be safe, it allows them to escape and break the chain of violence.”

enCinitaS union getS green reCognition


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teen walks in graduation after paralyzing snowboarding injury

M iracles are possible. Just ask Cardiff resident Celia

Brewer.It was Feb. 1, 2010 when her

son, Spencer Fox, crashed while snowboarding at Brighton, UT.

“Spencer was faster than I was and went down a cat track,” said Brewer, who works as Carlsbad’s city attorney. “He hit a bump and went straight over the snow bank. I skied down and said, ‘Spencer, Spencer. What hurts?’ He said, ‘Nothing, I can’t feel anything.’”

Later at University Hospital in Salt Lake City, Brewer and her son were told he may never walk again.

Fox was 13 when he became a quadriplegic.

“I was brokenhearted,” Brewer said. “Part of me was fearful. Another part of me thought, ‘This is my son’s future. I have to make it bright. I have to make it promising.’”

Four years later, Fox walked across the stage on June 13 to receive his diploma from San Dieguito High School Academy.

“It feels great,” said Fox who received a standing ovation.

Fox graduated with a 4.2 GPA. He plans to major in chemical engineering at the University of Southern California.


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But the road to recovery was a long one.

Fox spends about 20 hours a week in rehabilitation sessions, which was paid for by more than $250,000 in donations. He has had more than 10 trainers since the accident.

“It’s just a miracle,” Brewer said. “Spencer never gave up.”

Fox said he’s thankful for the people who assisted him during the recovery.

“I just treasure the people who helped me get to where I am,” Fox said. “I’m really thankful for my mom. I like to think that I learned how to keep moving forward. Nothing is going to hold me back.”

Above: Spencer Fox walks in graduation ceremony

Right: Spencer Fox with his family

Photo credit: Ryan Noel


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D ick Robertson had just left the Navy as a lieutenant junior

grade in 1971 when he landed a job as director of student activi-ties at Butler County Community College in Butler, Pa., about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. “It was the only job available at the time,” said Robertson, who figured he would stay only until he could find something better elsewhere.

Those plans changed quickly. “Within six months, I was a born-again believer in community colleges,” Robertson said. “I loved what was happening, I loved the diversity, I loved the mix in age and cultures. Community colleges allow people from any background to reach their academic goals.”

Robertson’s devo-tion to the mission of a community has only grown stronger over the years. He came to MiraCosta College as vice president of stu-dent services in 1987, and in April, Robertson was named interim superintendent/presi-dent of the sprawling MiraCosta Community College District until a permanent replace-ment for Dr. Francisco Rodriguez can be found. Rodriguez left June 1 to take over as chancellor at the Los Angeles Community College District, the largest in California.

As vice president of student services, Robertson directs a pro-gram that includes admissions, campus police, counseling, finan-cial aid, diversity recruitment, intercollegiate and intramu-ral athletics, health services, tutoring, student activities and student government.

interim college president has a history of serving studentsSeaside Courier

This is the second time Robertson has served as acting college president, the first in 2007.

“Dick Robertson’s passion for doing right for students is absolutely unsurpassed,” said David Broad, president of the MiraCosta Community College

District’s Board of Trustees. “He also has tremendous energy and drive and he knows this college inside and out.”

Robertson was raised in Michigan and earned his bach-elor’s degree in political science from The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, in 1965. He earned his master’s degree from Michigan State University in 1967 and was then drafted, which prompted enlistment as a Navy officer. In 1981, he earned

his Ph.D. from Michigan State in administration and higher education. He served as dean of students and dean of instruction at Butler Community College before heading west.

“I was getting weary of the winters in western Pennsylvania and my wife agreed to try some-

thing different,’” Robertson said. “I saw an ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education for an opening at MiraCosta College. I had no idea where Oceanside was. I thought it was somewhere near San Francisco. I came out here for an interview in December and it was 72 degrees, sunny and I could see the ocean from campus. I thought, `Yes, this would be nice.’”

Robertson, who lives a few blocks from the Oceanside Campus, has quipped that his commute from work typically takes a couple minutes, unless traf-fic backs him up for another 30 seconds or so.

A huge fan of Michigan State athletics (“My next-favorite team is who-ever beats Michigan”), Robertson has held posts as president of the

California Community College Student Service Administrators Association and vice chair of the Commission on Education Policy for the Community College League of California.

He has no immediate plan to retire from MiraCosta College.

“We have great a great faculty, we have wonderful students, we have small classes, and we have the best locations you could pos-sibly have for our campuses.”

John Batista calls himself a Carlsbad “old-timer,” recalling

how people used to chase cattle in the area around Cannon Road and Faraday Avenue. Decades later, the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation’s Discovery Center sits in that spot, and Batista counted himself among the regu-lar patrons.

“I used to go there all the time for the lectures, and I just enjoyed it,” he said. After speaking with the foundation’s director four or five years ago, he began volunteer-ing “and it just mushroomed.”

Batista, 64, lives in Carlsbad and volunteers with the founda-tion as one of the docents. The foundation, which was formed in 1990, works to educate the com-munity on environment and the importance of proper watershed management.

A retired quality control engi-neer for a precision machine shop, and a former photo technician with his own business in indus-trial and commercial photographs, his volunteer work leads him to days spent leading tours, helping out teachers with class projects with kids, and leading lectures. In the Discovery Center, where the focus is on environmental edu-cation and outreach, Batista has

Volunteer Spotlight: John BatiSta

assisted with projects including early California history, nature and animal husbandry for wild animals, or the rituals of indig-enous people.

For a project to illustrate what happens to animals caught in an oil spill, children are given a feather dipped in cooking oil, and they have to wash it off with soap, dry it, and get it back from “a globby mess to a clean feather,” he said. He’s led tours to the center’s beehive behind Plexiglas with a pipe attached that the bees use to travel back and forth to make honey; or a tank that allows stu-dents to touch sea anemones.

“I like working with the kids, their enthusiasm for learning, and listening to some of their ques-tions. And they come up with some of the greatest questions,” he said. “One time a kid asked me if bees sleep and I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll have to look that up,’ and I did. Found out that they do sleep for a very short amount of time. So, it’s a learning experience for me, too.”

Batista guesses that he spends about eight to 10 hours each month volunteering with the foundation at the center and the 400-acre lagoon.

“I just enjoy working with the kids and the adults, and seeing the expressions on their faces when they’ve learned something that they didn’t know already,” he said.

Dick Robertson

“i was getting weary of the winters in western pennsylvania and my wife agreed to try something different."- Dick Robertson

"i like working with the

kids, their enthusiasm

for learning, and listening

to some of their

questions."

Seaside Courier

- John Batista


new Carlsbad sign not welcome by all

A new sign mired in contro-versy will soon welcome people to Carlsbad.

The City Council approved the banner despite protests from some residents.

The 17-foot long sign will be navy blue with “Carlsbad” painted in white letters. It will spread across Carlsbad Boulevard north of Carlsbad Village Drive as early as December.

Not everyone is welcoming the sign. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce managed the design over the course of 18 months. It received heavy criticism after the design included a dolphin and it was rejected by the city’s Art Commission in 2013.

The Chamber submitted a revised design in May without the dolphin but the Art Commission was still opposed.


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“We feel the design fails on aesthetic quality and has little or no artistic merit,” said Commissioner Tina Smith during a June 3 City Council meeting. “It’s a little tacky and not taste-ful... not world-class quality.”

But the art element didn’t affect Councilmember Michael

Schumacher’s opinion.“All the towns in the Midwest

have these signs,” Schumacher said. “It’s the universal symbol that you’ve arrived. I see this as more of a symbol. I don’t see this as art.”

Schumacher’s comments were echoed by three of his colleagues. Mayor Matt Hall abstained from the vote.

The sign will be donated by local company, TaylorMade Golf Company. The city will have to pay maintenance fees, which include $10,600 to replace the lights every seven years, $6,000 to paint the sign and posts every five years, and $2,400 for clean-ing every year.


sparked lawsuits from residents, was part of the city’s Land Use Plan that was approved in February 2013.

“The Council, when they approved the actual Land Use Plan, said at that meeting they would seek some amendments and they have done that,” said Solana Beach City Manager David Ott.

City leaders amended the LUP, which has been in the works since 2000, so that it instead ties the life of the permit to the life of the principal structure it is protect-ing. The amendment affects 20 percent of the city’s residents who live on the bluff.

Prior to this amendment, sev-eral groups filed a lawsuit against the city including: the home-owners associations of Solana Beach and Tennis Club, Del Mar Beach Club, Surfsong, Seascape Chateau, Seascape Surf and Del Mar Shores Terrace; resident Joseph Steinberg; and Beach and Bluff Conservancy, a longstand-ing nonprofit organization that represents a group of bluff-top residents.

“We tried very hard to avoid suing the city but the history here is just completely ugly,” said Beach and Bluff Conservancy President Chris Hamilton, who has lived bluff-top since 1993 and installed a new seawall at a cost of nearly $500,000 in 2008. “This is an ugly sort of soap opera.”

Despite the recent compromise, Beach and Bluff Conservancy doesn’t plan to drop the law-suit, said the group’s attorney

Jonathan Corn. “There are several important

policies that were not addressed, or were not adequately addressed, that we believe are illegal and violate property rights,” Corn said. “We would hope that the city will pursue further amendments to correct these problems. If not, then the courts will decide.”

One of those issues is a policy that allows bluff homeowners who apply to remodel or repair their beach-access stairs to make them accessible to the public. In exchange, a portion of the permit fee that goes toward beach replen-ishment would be waived.

Entrenched alongside the city in the matter is the California Coastal Commission, which has jurisdiction over Solana Beach’s coastal area until the city com-pletes its Land Use Plan.

Chris Pederson, an attorney with the state agency, said the Commission is facing two law-

suits in Solana Beach over the issue.

The trial court ruled in favor of the Commission but appeals were later filed. The Commission also intervened to become a part of the two law-suits the city is facing, Pederson said.

The Commission’s goal, under the California Coastal Act, he said, is to protect both the rights of homeowners and the public’s access to the nar-rowing shoreline.

“That is a complicated set of sometimes conflicting goals,” Pederson said. “The commission is definitely fully cognizant and wants to protect all of the inter-ests at stake here.”

But the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is provid-ing pro bono help to some of the Solana Beach homeowners, sees some of the Commission’s actions as bureaucratic overreach.

“We got involved in order to set some important precedents about the rights of coastal landowners to use and protect their lands,” said PLF attorney Paul Beard.

There are currently no sched-uled court dates for any of the cases. But Ott said he thinks the amendments resolve some of the issues and said city staff will begin working on the imple-mentation portion of the plan this fiscal year.

“I think [the amendment] does address some of their concerns,” Ott said.

Seawall, from page 1


AdvErtiSEmENt10 SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014

not going to have teamwork."Katz, from LA, said, "For that

number from one railroad to leave, particularly in those senior positions — there’s something going on with the railroad that they’re uncomfortable with, or that doesn’t make sense to them, that they feel they can’t change."

A little more than a year ago, inewsource wrote about NCTD’s upper-management exodus that — at the time — was just beginning.

inewsource reported:"Twenty-one of the top 25

senior level employees have left NCTD since Matthew Tucker, once head of transportation for the state of Virginia, took over as CEO in 2009. Some, like Miller, left on their own. Many others were laid off but then replaced with employees who would be laid off and replaced again."Throughout inewsource’s inves-

tigation, nearly every member of NCTD’s board of directors — elected representatives from the cities of Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Vista, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Solana Beach — has refused to be interviewed or offer comment.

The chairman of the board is San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn.

inewsource is currently suing NCTD for the disclosure of records related to a $31,200 management review. A hearing in Superior Court is set for Aug. 15, 2014.

This story was reprinted with permission from inewsource.org.

LOCAL NEWS

"Serving North County San Diego, including Encinitas, La Costa, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Cardiff, Rancho Santa Fe, Olivenhain, Leucadia, Carmel Valley."

manager of marketing, the direc-tor of the Project Management Office and Capital Budget, and the project manager for the dis-trict’s $87 million Positive Train Control program.

Other departures include senior contract administrators, civil engineers, grants managers, community affairs supervisors and coordinators.

NCTD would not comment on the turnover. Rather, an email from its CEO, Matthew Tucker, stated that the agency "strongly believes in the right of privacy for both our current and former employees" and doesn’t believe it’s "good business practice" to get into specifics about those who have left.

The agency also wouldn’t confirm who has left. inew-source pieced that together through severance agreements and interviews with former employees.

Richard Katz, a former LA Metrolink chairman and vet-eran chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, has been critical of NCTD operations in the past.

The turnover now — as it was then — is a concern, Katz said.

"It would be very troubling to me as a board member to see that happening at my agency," he said.

"Who’s training the new folks that are coming in?" Katz said. "Unless they’re being replaced by similar seniority-level people — which I don’t believe they are — you have to wonder about the training that’s taking place, the operations — how they’re run-

ning, what’s happening with the safety culture there."

The safety culture was just one of many points that the district’s former chief technology officer, Angela Miller, warned about in her resignation letter to NCTD’s board of directors in 2012. In it, she described the climate inside the Oceanside headquarters:

"High personnel turnover led in my opinion to instability, lack of transit experience, a vacuum of basic understanding of federal requirements, dissension and contention among colleagues, and disruption to the organiza-tion. I believe the morale of the organization is at an all-time low. The climate encourages the behavior I referenced above, and unchecked will continue to erode the District."The confidential resignation

letter was leaked to inewsource last year. Miller also wrote,

"I have been vocal to the inter-nal organization about safety and security risks I believe now face the agency as a direct result of this attrition. Eventually, mis-takes will be made."

"I fear for the long-term viability of the agency if course-correction does not occur," she said.Anonymous comments

inewsource asked an NCTD board member, Vista Deputy Mayor John Aguilera, to react to comments from other former NCTD managers — about their experiences inside his agency.

Aguilera instead passed the request up to Tucker, who declined to comment on behalf of NCTD and the board of directors.

"NCTD also does not believe that it is prudent to respond to anonymous comments," Tucker wrote.

Yet off-the-record, and for more than a year, many former work-ers have informed inewsource’s reporting, leading to documents and other primary sources of information that have formed the basis for more than 30 stories over the past year about manage-ment and safety issues.

Two of those former managers wished to detail their concerns to Aguilera for his reaction. But because that didn’t work

as planned, they are allowing their statements to be pub-lished anonymously. inewsource decided to use the information because it’s in the public inter-est, but agreed not to quote the sources by name because of legal repercussions they could face.Two veterans

One former higher-up at NCTD wrote to inewsource about the last year in the district:

"A definite lack of trust for all employees and their abil-ity became apparent. General Counsel was brought in. We were writing scopes of work for outside entities to perform tasks that were based in work that we had been hired to perform for the agency. All documents had to be reviewed at the General Counsel level. This became gridlock for most departments. Simple documents could not make it through the constant review process. Some of us were told our performance was declin-ing. Everything was in a state of flux."Another former employee, high

up on the chain of command, was one of many who placed the blame squarely on NCTD’s CEO:

"It has nothing to do with the riding public anymore, or the long term or short term interest of the agency. It’s all about what makes him look good."

"There is no morale. You don’t need to be a genius to see that when you fire people on a weekly and biweekly basis, you’re not going to have continuity, you’re

Transit, from page 1

SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014 11

Julian Duval, president and CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden, received the Horticulturalist of the Year Award from the San Diego Horticultural Society at the Flower and Garden Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Duval, a self-described “nature nut,” was honored for his service in horticulture in Southern California.

Duval has led the San Diego Botanic Garden for 20 years. He described his two decades at the Garden, including the opening of the popular Hamilton Children’s Garden five years ago, as one of the highlights of his career.

“The San Diego Botanic Garden truly is a special place to be a part of,” Duval said. “I feel very fortunate that I have had the oppor-tunity to work with so many talented staff members, donors, benefactors and volunteers over the years, all of whom have helped to make my job a success.”

Duval said the award was a “complete surprise.”

David Kulchin and Alan and Naomi Marblestone were named Carlsbad Citizens of the Year for 2013. The annual award rec-ognizes community members who have dedicated them-selves to improving Carlsbad through outstanding service.

Kulchin has been a longtime commu-nity volunteer and advocate for social

causes, serving countless hours on several nonprofits, such as the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, Hospice of the North Coast, the Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Community Advisory Board, and Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary.

The husband of former Carlsbad Councilwoman Ann Kulchin, David has also served on the board of the Leucadia Wastewater District, an elective office, since 1996.

Alan and Naomi Marblestone are devoted to the arts, and much of their volunteer service has been dedicated to music and the visual arts.

Both have served on the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts board and are regular volunteers at the city of Carlsbad’s TGIF Concerts in the Park, a summer concert series that features a band every Friday. Alan has also volunteered at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego for 15 years while Naomi has volunteered for the Museum of Making Music since 1999.

The Citizen of the Year program is more than 40 years old and honors community members who have given their time and energy toward the civic improvement, beautification and betterment of the city of Carlsbad.

An Oceanside high school renamed its music room in honor of a teacher.

Oceanside Unified trustees gave the OK to rename the El Camino High School Music Room after music director Mark Lowery, who retired this school year.

Lowery spent 22 years teaching at Oceanside Unified. He earned the Oceanside Unified Teacher of the Year award in 2004-2005 and an honorary life membership from the Southern California School Board and Orchestra Association.

“It was a surprise,” said Lowery of the dedi-cation. “It’s not something that happens very often. It’s a very nice recognition.”

Lowery, who has been playing instruments since he was in fifth grade, said he was inspired by his music teacher to become one himself. He said he’s most fulfilled seeing his students’ growth during their high school careers.

“It’s more about the journey,” Lowery said.Lowery said he plans to spend retirement

traveling, playing golf and being a music consultant.

“I’ll do those things that retire people do,” the Oceanside resident said.

President and CEOJulian Duval

Local residents making a mark

Oceanside Unified TeacherMark Lowery

North County Business Notes

North County Notables

rita’s italian ice expands

San Diego Botanic Garden

Pictured, from left to right, are City of Carlsbad Council Member Keith Blackburn, Mayor Matt Hall, Citizen of the Year Naomi Marblestone, Citizen of the Year Alan Marblestone, Citizen of the Year David Kulchin, former Mayor Pro Tem Ann Kulchin, Council Member Lorraine Wood, Mayor Pro Tem Mark Packard, Council Member Michael Schumacher.

Citizens of the Year

An Oceanside hos-pital received national recognition recently.

The Tri-City Medical Center was awarded the American Heart Association’s Lifeline Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award.

The award is given to hospitals that streamline systems to provide “quick and appropriate treatment” for heart attack patients.

“We are pleased to be recog-nized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team,” stated interim CEO Casey Fatch in a press release.

Chair of the Lifelife Committee,

Dr. Gray Ellrodt, said heart attack patients in the U.S. “still fail to receive appropriate treat-ment for their life-threatening condition within the recom-mended timeframes.”

“We must all continue this important work to streamline and coordinate regional systems of care to save lives and prevent complications,” he said.

ChaMBer ShowS appreCiation to firefighterS

tri-City gets national recognition

A favorite East Coast chain continues to expand in San Diego County.

The Pennsylvania-based Rita’s Italian Ice recently opened its Encinitas location at 578 Santa Fe Drive.

Owners, Sayjal and Karen Patel, said they jumped on the opportu-nity to bring the Italian ice chain to North County last year.

“We grew up with Rita’s,” said Sayjal who also owns the Carlsbad location. “It’s very East Coast and we thought it was a good business opportunity.”

Sayjal said he and his wife will look for other places to open a Rita’s in both Carlsbad and Encinitas in the next few years.

“It’s going to grow a lot,” he said. “It will be scattered all over San Diego County.”

Rita’s was founded 30 years ago by a Philadelphia firefighter and has hundreds of locations around the world.

BUSiNESS NEWS

Pictured, from left to right, are Stephen Fluhr, development director for Westfield; Carlsbad Fire Battalion Chief Mike Lopez; John Haedrich of Tip Top Meats; Chamber of Commerce Chairman John Osborne; Fire Chief Mike Davis; Battalion Chief Michael Calderwood; Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, Tim Stripe of Grand Pacific Resorts and Councilman Michael Schumacher.

Carlsbad’s business commu-nity paid tribute to the men and women of the city’s fire and police departments who battled the Poinsettia Fire.

The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce presented pocket knives to be distributed to all Carlsbad firefighters and law enforcement personnel who

assisted in the firefighting effort.“We wanted to recognize our

first responders in an appropriate and meaningful way,” said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. “Instead of providing them with a banquet or a certificate of appre-ciation, we decided to go with these knives. They are equipment

that they can use every day.”The knives were secured

through sponsorships from long-time chamber members including Grand Pacific Resorts, Tip Top Meats & European Delicatessen and Westfield Carlsbad. SD Trophy engraved each knife with a message of appreciation.

Do you know someone who should be featured on our North County Notables page? We’re looking for anyone who’s doing something big, from a newly hired executive at a local organization to the small business owner who just opened a new restaurant or office. Please send your submissions with a photo and a few paragraphs to the editor at [email protected].

12 SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014

COmmENtAry

plastic bag ban a silly ‘feel good’ measureThomas K.

Seaside Courierarnold

CoMMentary

Editorial / Opinion

We invite your opinion!Visit SeasideCourier.com or email us at Editor@SeasideCourier

For Encinitas’ sake, I hope the conservative faction takes

back the city – and soon.The liberal wing’s atrocities

range from overpaying for a vacant school site the city can hardly afford to proposing to plant fruit trees and vegetables in medians to feed the homeless – a cockeyed scheme that mercifully went nowhere.

Now, the misguided do-gooders on the council vow to move for-ward with a plan to ban plastic bags by Sept. 1, nixing a full-scale environmental study because their sharp minds simply believe it isn’t necessary.

I’ll confess, I’m not a big fan of those ubiquitous plastic bags either – but the bone I have to pick with the Encinitas council is that its members are blindly backing a cookie-cutter ban similar to ones enacted in other equally misguided California cities instead of using their brains (gee, what a concept!) and coming up with a better alternative.

For starters, why not simply switch to biodegradable plastic bags that won’t clog up landfills or contribute to the plastic blob in the north Pacific? That’s the best solution, because while the

current bags are an environmen-tal hazard, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t redeploy the bags he brings home from the super-market to scoop up dog poop or line wastebaskets around the house. If the bags go away com-pletely, we’re simply going to be forced to buy dog-poop bags and wastebasket liners – which, invariably, are made of the same plastic we’re trying to do away with.

Secondly, why cave to the California Grocers Association and impose a 10 cent fee for each paper bag that gets used instead? For years, paper bags have been given away for free,

alongside the plastic ones. There are still grocers out there who ask “paper or plas-tic.” But now, not only is that choice being taken away from us, but we’re going to have to pay for the privilege of having our groceries stuck into a sack – a surcharge that hurts the low-income popu-lation the most.

Of course, this sur-charge isn’t just to placate grocers. It’s championed by the ultra-green environ-mentalists who don’t really want us to use

paper bags, either. No, we should all carry our own reusable bags – despite the clear and present health dangers that consistently get ignored in this debate.

A research paper published in 2012 by professors at the University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University found San Francisco's ban on plastic bags has been a public health disaster. In the three months after the city by the bay banned plas-tic bags in 2007, San Francisco experienced a 46 percent hike in deaths from foodborne illness. As the Huffington Post noted, “Laws against plastic bags often encour-age the use of reusable totes to

transport groceries. But as people tend to neglect washing those bags, increased food contamina-tion becomes likely.”

An earlier study, conducted in 2011 by researchers at the University of Arizona and the Loma Linda University School of Public Heath found deadly

E.coli bacteria in 8 percent of all bags surveyed in a sampling of reusable shopping bags taken from randomly selected individ-uals at California and Arizona supermarkets.

My advice to Encinitas: bag the ban and head back to the draw-ing board.

SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014 13

Delaney is available for adop-tion at the Rancho Coastal

Humane Society. He’s a 6-month-old, 38-pound, Basenji/Boxer mix. Delaney is an active puppy that loves other dogs. He’s expected to weigh between 50 and 60 pounds when fully grown.

The $195 adoption fee for Delaney includes a medical exam, vaccinations, neuter, and micro-chip. Other pets are available for adoption at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas or log on to SDpets.org. Call 760-753-6413 for more information or to sponsor a pet until its adopted.

many of his mayoral powers and ousted from the San Diego Association of Governments board some 18 months ago.

He said the council dynamics played a large role in his decision to run against Horn.

“I wasn’t trying to leave Oceanside,” Wood said in a recent interview. “I was trying to help Oceanside. I tried to explain to people I thought I could do a lot more for them as a super-visor than on the council.”

He lost by just 2,500 votes.

“I take all the blame for not win-ning,” Wood said. “If there’s anything I would do differ-ently, it would be work a little harder. I didn’t go out and hire a consultant.”

Republican political consultant Janette Littler said Wood lost because he didn’t focus on the future of the county.

“He did not offer any positive message,” Littler said. “It was a campaign that was ‘Anyone but Bill,’ and that’s not usually successful.”

Democratic consultant Chris Crotty, who worked with Wood in the past, disagreed. He con-tends Wood lost because of he couldn’t overcome Horn’s advan-tage in fundraising and name recognition.

“He has a solid base vote in Oceanside, but he isn’t very well-known in other portions of the district. Horn, for good or ill, is very well-known.”

Horn was heavily backed by development interests and received about $234,000 in campaign contributions. Wood received about $37,000, according to the March campaign finance disclosures.

Wood said he knew running against Horn would be a chal-lenge but he was told he had a good shot at winning.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge against a long-term incumbent but over the years he lost the support of the constitu-ents,” Wood said. “He beat me by a small number. He’s not the most popular in San Diego County. Let’s face it, half the people voted for me but it’s the public’s choice.”

Wood says his priorities in

Oceanside include a focus on the economy.

“The economy has been my concern for a long time,” he said. “We’ve laid off 160 people over the last few years. Those are the people who supply the services the city needs. I like to see those people hired back.”

He said he hopes to bring more businesses to Oceanside that can

hire local residents but he needs a City Council that will support his ideas.

“I’m trying to make a Council that is more receptive to the needs of the constituents,” he said. “I’ve been disappointed to be a part of this voting majority.”

Wood may soon see a change in the City Council’s makeup, as both Felien and Kern face reelection.

Felien said he and his coun-cil allies have the support of Oceanside voters.

“The council majority is the majority because we represent the majority in the city,” said Felien, who endorsed Horn. “Jim did horrible fiscal damage to the city. We were able to turn it around in the last four years. Jim likes to give government employees whatever they want. That’s the Detroit model. It’s not gonna do the city of Oceanside any good.”

Wood said he plans to “tenta-tively” run for mayor again when his term ends in 2016. But he may also make another bid for supervisor.

“I’m not sure,” he said about another run for supervisor, when Horn will be termed out of office. “Maybe.”

Horn declined to be interviewed for this story.

Want more Oceanside news? Check out www.SeasideCourier.com.

Wood, from page 1

local neWs

pet of the Month:

The beloved Maggie Houlihan will be

remembered when a 44-acre Encinitas park opens in the fall.

The City Council voted unanimously in June to name a dog park within the Encinitas Community Park after the former Councilmember who died in September 2011.

“It’s a very appropriate honor,” Deputy Mayor Tony Kranz said. “Her spirit fills this room and many places in the com-munity so hanging her name over the dog park is very appropriate.”

City leaders considered the proposal after the city Parks and Recreation Commission voted unan-imously in favor of the idea at a May meeting. About a dozen public speakers also spoke in favor of the proposal with one woman saying, “I don’t know if we would have any dog parks without her.”

Houlihan moved to Encinitas in 1970 and began serving on the City Council in 2000. She was diagnosed with endormetrial cancer in 2006 and stayed on the City Council—attending meet-ings by phone—until she died. She was 63.

encinitas dog park to be named after Maggie houlihan

Houlihan supported the Encinitas Parks system and took “particular interest” in the dog recreation area. She founded People and Dog Zones, a non-profit dog advocacy group based in Encinitas, according to a report by Parks Commissioner Sanford Shapiro.

“She was an animal advocate through and through,” Mayor Kristin Gaspar said. “She loved

all animals in the community.”The city policy on naming rights

requires the Park and Recreation Commission to make a recom-mendation to the City Council for approval. The Commission only considers proposals for naming and renaming of individuals when the individual is noted as having made a “significant con-tribution toward the acquisition and/or development of the park, beach, or facility, according to the staff report.

Two other cities in San Diego County’s north coastal region, Oceanside and Carlsbad, have policies on naming rights similar to the city of Encinitas.

Construction for the Encinitas Community Park began in September 2012 and is expected to open in the fall. The dog park is expected to be about two acres with a large turf area for shy or small dogs.

"She was an animal advocate through and through, she loved all animals in the community."- Mayor Kristen Gaspar

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Sea Creatures: the Kooks we once were

Seaside Courier

Chrisahrens

Learning to surf was not easy during and, especially, prior to the 1960s. It was, how-

ever, simple, requiring nothing more than a thirty-pound surf-board that was guaranteed to knock you sensible more than once, Paraffin wax that offered more slip than grip, some sort of swimsuit, and, of course, a wave. Since then surfing has become easier because of leashes, traction pads, surf schools, custom surf wax, rubber surfboards, better wetsuits and surf reports.

Learning to surf back in the day could mean a trip to the ER after being hit by your board, or some angry local in the lineup after you ran him over. Each ses-sion was the same: you paddled out, took your beating, made it to the sand and came shivering to the beach to stand by a fire with your friends. It was a long, hard apprenticeship that bonded you for life with others who survived the journey.

We were kooks and we knew it, because the established surf-ers called us that without fear of being persecuted for hate speech. Kooks were the untouchables in a caste system that had been

CoMMentary

active before ancient Hawaiian kings took whatever waves they wanted, and pronounced a death sentence on any kook that got in their way. While few have paid with their lives in modern times, it can still hurt to be a kook.

But hang in there kooks, one day, you will ride a wave that makes all the difference, no longer in that stinkbug stance, arms flailing, but tall, almost elegant. One of the old locals will notice and, just like that, you will be accepted. From then on you will hang out with them and perpetuate the ancient cycle, treating new kooks the same way you had been treated. The new kooks who don’t pass the ini-tiation will either quit trying, or learn to surf, and join the tribe.

Now that I am in my second century as a surfer, and a second kookdom has fallen upon me as my skills decline, I am tolerant of kooks, realizing that everyone is a kook at first (and at last.) And,

I like kooks for the most part. No, I don’t mean the delusional kooks who think they’re ripping, squatting arrogantly in the soup with their own cameras trained on them before they bail and run you over. I like kooks that realize they are kooks.

Self-acknowledged kooks are polite, and respectful, taking their turns and settling for scraps, safely staying out of the way while they learn to surf. And they bring something to the lineup that many of us have for-gotten—a sense of joy and wonder that can be infectious when they ride, all giddy and clumsy to shore, letting their stoke get the best of them when they see some-one doing a good turn, or watch a dolphin riding a wave beside

them. They see things that most of us have quit seeing, marveling as the blue day turns to molten golden glass, spread-ing off into an eternity of sweet dreams. They will hurt and laugh and listen and learn as they gradually melt into some-thing endless and wonderful, eventually belonging to a tribe that will forever embrace them.

They will spend a lifetime learning of the ocean, riding waves at a favorite spot for decades, until the day they are paddled out to become part of the waters that will haunt and welcome the next wave of kooks as they paddle out to learn lessons taught by no cru-eler or kinder teacher than the ocean.

Kooks bring some-thing to the lineup

that many of us have forgotten—a sense

of joy and wonder that can be infectious

when they ride.

SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014 15COmmENtAry

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16 SEASIDECOURIER.COM — JULY 2014AdvErtiSEmENt

seaside courier - august 2014

Documents

wood page

antique train sets

transit page

chief of transit

oceanside mayor jim

seawall page

trains page

solana beach city council