Local News |
February 26th, 2009 |
Undercover Operation Yields Two Citations
On Friday, February 20, 2009, the Escondido Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) conducted a shoulder tap operation where decoys, under the age of twenty-one, approached adults outside several ABC licensed establishments in the City of Escondido. The decoys in this operation contacted several adults and asked them if they would purchase alcohol for them (decoys).
During this operation, four locations were visited and approximately twenty-four adults were approached and asked to purchase alcohol. As a result, one man and one woman agreed to make purchases for the decoys.
The SIU team issued a citation to Ashley Hobbs, 22, of Escondido CA., and Robert Nathey, 24, of Escondido, Ca. for furnishing alcohol to a minor, a violation of B&P 25658 (a).
These types of checks, as well as other types of ABC operations, are being conducted throughout the year with funding from a recent ABC grant awarded to the Escondido Police Department.
Carlsbad Police Arrest Suspect in Shooting
Carlsbad police arrested 20-year old Raul Gonzalez Sunday evening and booked him into Vista jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, participation in a street gang and violating parole, according to county booking logs. Gonzalez is being held without bail.
He is suspected of shooting and wounding an 18-year old near the 2300 block of Pio Pico Drive in Carlsbad early Saturday morning, according to police reports. The victims head wound was said to be non-life threatening.
Carlsbad police confirmed Monday that the shooting was gang-related and have not released the victim's name or medical condition. Gonzalez was arrested without incident late Sunday night during a traffic stop on southbound Interstate 5 near Cannon Road.
San Marcos City Council May Ask for Higher Insurance Requirements for Cab Companies
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond has asked his colleagues on the San Marcos City Council to decide whether taxi operators should be required to carry significantly more liability insurance than they do now.
The issue, which was discussed this past Tuesday but concluded after The Paper had gone to press, sparked debate in a neighboring city last year. Desmond said last week that he wants to protect taxpayers from potential liability so felt it prudent to review the requirements.
Presently, the existing city ordinance requires all cab companies to have at least $100,000 worth of insurance coverage for cases in which one person is injured or killed in a taxi-related incident. Additional insurance is required for multi-party injuries and property damage. A general liability policy to cover at least $1 million worth of damages per accident and at least $2 million worth of overall coverage is being considered.
Recently Escondido tripled its own insurance requirements for cab companies.
Fatal Bicycle Crash in Escondido
Escondido police continue to investigate a fatal bicycle crash that occurred on Centre City Parkway Sunday and involved a 29-year-old Escondido transient, Daniel Roy Grandstaff. There is speculation that the accident was, essentially, a suicide in that the bicyclist appeared to intentionally put himself in the path of oncoming traffic.
His death was unrelated to a major cycling race that ended in the city Sunday. The man died after colliding with a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of South Centre City Parkway and Escondido Boulevard at about 4 p.m., police said.
The victim, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered major head and torso injuries and was unconscious when first responders arrived, according to police. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene of the crash.
An Escondido woman was behind the wheel of the Toyota, police said. Neither she nor her passenger were hurt in the crash, they said.
Carlsbad Would Like to See a Development Proposal - Sooner, Rather than Later
The clock is ticking on Carlsbad’s Redevelopment Plan and city officials are anxious to act before it expires at the end of June. They are hopeful that a developer will come forward with a proposal for a downtown project that features housing, shops and boutiques. The proposal would involve the old Bauer Lumber site in the downtown Village area.
If they don’t put a deal together before the end of June, when the redevelopment plan expires, then they, essentially, have to go back to square one and start from scratch. The tentative plans call for the old Bauer property, which now contains the New Village Arts theater company and small shops, to become a mixed-use project with housing and some form of commercial development.
What may prove to be an obstacle is that several council members have said they do not want to see an entire building devoted to low-income housing. Rumors were floating around the the proposed development partner, Shea Properties, might be thinking of that as an option. If so, there do not appear to be enough council votes to make it fly.
Shea Properties may be interested in a low-income project because it might be easier to get construction money for that than for a mixed-use project, given the nation's recent economic troubles. However, getting construction money is one thing, getting the necessary city approval and permitting is another. That’s where the obstacle lies at present.
A majority of the council also agreed to dissolve the Design Review Board ---- a city-appointed group that reviews downtown development projects ---- at the same time the area's planning document expires.
The City Council adopted that document ---- formally known as the Village Area Redevelopment Plan ---- in 1981. Then, the downtown was much different than today.
Quoting from a city report dated 2001: "In 1981, the 200-acre area was both depressed and depressing. The commercial vacancy rate languished at over 50 percent. Disreputable and even illegal enterprises flourished and the downtown merchants had become skeptical of the city's ability to help."
To overcome the problems, the city took advantage of state laws designed to combat urban blight and created its redevelopment agency. With its new agency, Carlsbad could buy and sell property in the region and issue bonds to pay for downtown beautification projects.
Under state law, redevelopment agencies gain the extra tax revenue if property values increase after redevelopment efforts. The agency can continue to collect those extra tax revenues to pay off outstanding debts years after its redevelopment plan expires, Fountain said.
Escondido Records Another Murder - 17-Year Old San Jacinto Dies from Stabbing
A house party on Felicita Road erupted into a fight and a 17-year-old San Jacinto youth died Sunday after being stabbed. Julian Austin Rodriguez of San Jacinto was pronounced dead at the scene, the medical examiner's office said.
Escondido police Lt. Bob Benton said police were called to break up the fight in the 2000 block of Felicita shortly before midnight. Officers found Rodriguez on the ground near the party, suffering from a stab wound, Benton said.
Police and paramedics were unable to save the boy's life.
On Sunday afternoon, police were still interviewing people who were at the party. They did not yet have an estimate of the number of witnesses to the stabbing because they believe many people fled when police arrived.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department at (760) 839-4722, or call the department's anonymous Tip Line at (760) 743-TIPS (8477).
Proposed New Magnet High School in Vista Draws Interest
“Build it and they will come!” So seems the philosophy about building the proposed new magnet high school in Vista as over 300 students have already signed up for classes.
Mission Vista High School is scheduled to open in eastern Oceanside sometime in August, according to officials with the Vista Unified School District. That figure of 300 is more than half of the 500 freshmen school officials hope to have enrolled by the time the school opens. The majority of the students signing up would have gone to Vista High School.
Critics of the plan to build the campus had consistently raised concerns that the school would draw a disproportionate number of students from Vista High School, leaving Rancho Buena Vista High School overcrowded. District officials have said they might consider redrawing high school boundaries if that happens.
Parents throughout the district, however, are showing great interest, especially as the school year gets closer. After holding a series of recruitment meeting during the last couple of months the district is reporting five to six applications each day.
Several parents and teenagers at the meeting said they were drawn to the school because they like its initial small size ---- 500 students compared with more than 3,000 at the district's two main high schools. School administrators will continue to hold the recruitment meetings as long as parents continue to show up, officials say.
By June, 500 students are expected to have applied. If more sign up, enrollment will be based on a lottery. District officials plan to open only with freshmen, but add a class each year. By 2012, they hope to have 2,000 ninth-through 12th-grade students enrolled.
The school, near the corner of Highway 76 and North Melrose Drive, will focus on arts and communication, science and technology. Vista Unified's boundaries include most of Vista, a large portion of eastern Oceanside and some surrounding unincorporated areas. The campus was the centerpiece of the district's $140 million bond measure approved in 2002. District officials expect it to cost roughly $95 million, which will come from a combination of local bond funds and state money.
District officials had planned to open the campus last year, but decided to wait a year because of construction delays and budget cuts. District officials expect most of the campus, including all of the classrooms, to be finished this summer. The gymnasium is expected to be finished in December, while the theater and science buildings aren't expected to be ready until February.
More information on Mission Vista is available online at www.missionvistahs.org.
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