Local News

April 23rd, 2009

Tea Parties at Oceanside and Escondido Draw Crowds

Oceanside Police estimate 5000 in attendance at Oceanside, California Tax Day Tea Party Protest. Rally proclaimed a historic success.

Oceanside Police estimate there were approximately 5000 people in the crowd last Wednesday, a number bypassing even the organizations expectations.
In Escondido, the estimates ranged from 3,000 to 5,000 folks who gathered across from the Escondido Boulevard post office. Lines stretched from the Cultural Arts Center all the way to Washington Street and crowds were four to five people deep. Among those attending the rally in Escondido were Councilmembers Sam Abed, Dick Daniels and Marie Waldron.

There appeared to be no counter-demonstrators. The rallies were peaceful and when over, the streets were left clean and tidy, in both Oceanside and Escondido.

Top photo courtesy of Jeff Schwilk; bottom photo, Evelyn Madison, The Paper

Crowd at Oceanside Civic Center just before the half mile march to the pier. Coast Hwy (right half of this picture) was shut down for about 45 minutes due to thousands of ralliers in the streets protesting. Photo by Jeff Schwilk.

Police estimate between 3,000 and 5,000 protesters rallied peacefully on Escondido Boulevard. The line stretched from the Cultural Arts Center, (above) to the Woodward Street intersection, (below).

“Anchor Babies” - A Thing of the Past?

A new statewide initiative is being circulated and promoted that would provide two different type of birth certificates: one for children of citizens of the United States and a separate one for US born children of illegal immigrants. The initiative also would deny publicly funded health benefits to the children of illegal immigrants.

Immediately, opponents of the measure claimed the inititiative was unconstitutional and would suffer the same fate that Prop 187 succumbed to - the federal court declaring the voter approved inititiative largely unconstitutional.

Former state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, and former U.S. Attorney Peter Nunez have both endorsed the initiative. Congressman Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, is aware of the effort, supports it, but has not yet officially endorsed it. The new initiative takes a slightly different approach by focusing on children whose parents are undocumented. Nunez, now a professor at the University of San Diego, said Monday that the initiative was needed to help deter illegal immigrants from coming to the U.S.

"Anything we can do to make it clear who is here legally and who is here illegally hopefully will discourage people from coming," Nunez said.

September 8th, 2009, is the deadling by which time supporters must collect 433,971 valid signatures from registered voters to put the initiative on the June 2010 ballot, according to the secretary of state.

If approved by voters, the initiative would require that parents show proof of legal residency before receiving their child's birth certificate. Those who cannot would have to pay an additional $75 fee to the county registrar, provide employment information, the mother's fingerprints and three passport-type photos of the mother. The county registrar would be required to report the information to the Department of Homeland Security.

Illegal immigrant parents would not receive a standard birth certificate for their U.S.-born children. They would receive a "Birth to Foreign Parents document," according to the Taxpayer Revolution group's Web site, the organization that sponsored the initiative. Supporters said the initiative also aims to eliminate "birth tourism." A 2002 Los Angeles Times story described the practice in which foreign expectant mothers come to the U.S. on tourist visas to give birth so their children can become U.S. citizens.

The number of U.S.-born children with illegal immigrant parents grew to 4 million in 2008 from 2.7 million in 2003, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a research organization that focuses on the Latino population. Children born in the U.S. are considered citizens under the Constitution's 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868. However, those who oppose birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants say the amendment does not apply.

Other efforts in recent years to deny certain benefits to illegal immigrants, such as driver's licenses and lower in-state college tuition fees, have failed.

12th Annual Hidden Valley Kiwanis Club Trout Derby This Weekend

Members of Escondido’s Hidden Valley Kiwanis Club are all geared up for this coming weekend’s monster Trout Derby at Escondido’s Dixon Lake.

A $500 first price for the largest trout caught over the weekend will be awarded, in addition to a great many prizes for trophy trout in both Adult and Youth divisions. Additional prizes will be won by holders of lucky Opportunity Drawing tickets.

The derby runs from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, 6am to 4pm on Sunday. Adult fishing permits are $14, Youth and Seniors are $10. All fishermen must have a daily fishing permit to qualify for the derby; those 16 and over are also required to have a California fishing license. Kids under 8 fish free but unless they have a permit they will not be eligible for prizes.

For derby questions, call 760.747.7119.

Oceanside Airport Stalled: FAA Won’t Give Approval

The private firm that was to have taken over operations at Oceanside’s Municipal Airport has not yet received clearance from the FAA. It appears as though a compromise might be in the works, however. While FAA officials confirmed there were major differences between the language of the contract and FAA requirements, he suggested that a rewording of the contract between Oceanside and Airport Property Ventures of Los Angeles might satisfy FAA requirements. Involved is a 50 year lease between the Los Angeles firm and the city of Oceanside. According to the lease, Property Ventures of LA is to pay a base rent plus 40% of all net annual income to the city. The base rent for the first year is $9000 per month.

The company also must pay off the city’s $744,000 debt to the California Department of Transportation, in addition to making certain improvements to the airport property. The city expects about $11.3 million during the first half of the lease.

NCTD Wants Contract Renegotiated

Union officials report that the Executive Director for the North County Transit District has asked to renegotiate the mechanics’ union labor contract which would include possible wage freezes and benefit cuts.

NCTD Executive Director Matthew Tucker has been quoted as saying, “we have to look at every single option” to cut costs. Tucker, who has been on the job only since January, said “we have to reinvent NCTD,” given the economy and changing market conditions.

Negotiations have already begun on the drivers’ contract which expires June 30th; the mechanics’ union contract, however, does not expire until July 2011 and calls for $270,000 in salary increases. Thus far, the mechanics’ union has made no commitments on the present contract or any new contract. They have indicated the wish to speak further with Tucker.

Cop Killer Found Guilty

Guilty of first-degree murder. That’s what a jury returned as a verdict in the case of an admitted gang member, Meki Gaono, age 20. Gaono faces a possible sentence of life in prison without parole for the fatal shooting of Oceanside Police Officer Dan Bessant in 2006.

The jury, which received the case Wednesday, deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict. After the verdict, 17 of Gaono's relatives held hands in a prayer circle and asked God to keep him safe and give him peace while he is in prison. Prosecutors called more than 70 witnesses during the six-week trial. Gaono's attorney William Stone called one and Gaono did not testify.

Much of the case centered on Gaono's taped confessions to police in the hours and days after the Dec. 20, 2006, shooting. His attorney argued the statements were coerced and that Gaono was taking the rap for others.

Gaono, then 17, fired the fatal round from a .22-caliber rifle with a scope that hit officer Bessant under his left arm just above his protective vest, prosecutors told the jury. The rifle was later found in a shed behind Gaono's house. In January, Judge Runston Maino sentenced co-defendant Penifoti Taeotui to life in prison without parole for his role in the attack. Prosecutors said Taeotui fired a .22-caliber revolver but did not hit anyone.

In March 2008, Maino dismissed charges against Jose Compre, who prosecutors said was the third shooter, after determining there wasn't enough evidence for him to stand trial.

Suspected Drunk Driver Suffers Amputated Leg - Arrested

A suspected drunken driver fleeing from officers slammed head-on into another vehicle on state Route 76 Sunday night, killing a 27-year-old man. The driver, identified as 23-year-old Silvero Morales Romero of Vista, had his leg amputated in the crash yet still tried to elude authorities by hopping away after rolling his truck down an embankment, according to CHP sources.

A California Highway Patrol officer spotted Romero speeding south on Interstate 15 in a 2001 Ford Explorer and pulled him over at Rainbow Valley Boulevard just after 7 p.m. However, when asked for identification Romero slammed on the accelerator and sped away. CHP officers report he reached speeds of around 100 mph and weaving in and out of lanes in his attempt to escape. Romero then crossed over the double yellow lines and collided head-on with a 1999 Toyota pickup, killing the driver, Douglas Tarry of Moreno Valley in Riverside County. Tarry was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Romero's truck then crashed into a 2004 Ford F-350 being driven by a 50-year-old man from Barstow. He and his 43-year-old wife suffered minor injuries, Newbury said. Romero crawled out of the truck and hopped about 50 feet before he fell to the ground, Newbury said.

He was taken to a hospital and will be booked on several felony charges including manslaughter, hit and run, driving under the influence and evading arrest. The immigration status of Romero is not known at this time.

The deceased victim was attending college in Los Angeles, earning a degree in sound engineering and was just finishing his last semester. Tarry was single and is survived by his parents and a younger sister, she said.

Pair Arrested. Police Say They Fired a Pellet Gun at Officer

A 19-year-old driver and his 16-year-old passenger were arrested on suspicion of firing a plastic-pellet gun at an Escondido patrol officer, leaving a welt on his cheek, as he made a traffic stop. The patrol officer had made a traffic stop near Harding Street and Washington Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when a car drove by and fired what appeared to be a pellet gun at him.

The officer stopped the car a couple of blocks away and arrested the driver and his passenger without a struggle. Two Airsoft handguns and two Airsoft rifles in the car were seized as evidence. Airsoft guns are powered by compressed air and fire plastic pellets. The driver, and his passenger, both of Escondido, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assaulting a peace officer and conspiring to commit a crime.

The 19-year-old was booked into the Vista Jail. The 16-year-old was booked into San Diego Juvenile Hall.

Oceanside Reports a $2.7 Million Deficit Remains In Budget

Oceanside’s City Manager Peter Weiss has informed the Oceanside City Council that even after already cutting services to close a $4 million deficit in the coming fiscal year, the city still has a $2.7 million deficit. Councilmembers seemed to agree that the only way to avoid that deficit was by way of layoffs, an action no one was anxious to pursue.

The council already has cut five public-safety positions – two police officers, a dispatcher, a records clerk and a fire captain – as well as closing the Community Computer Center and reducing library hours, among other cuts. Weiss reported to the council the latest figures of revenue from sales and property taxes – even income from Oceanside Municipal Golf Course – show that less money will be available for the next fiscal year.

Sanchez said more than $600,000 could be cut from development services – which includes the planning, engineering, building and fire inspection divisions – because no one is developing during the recession. Other council members, however, said Friday that proposing budget cuts is Weiss' job. Councilman Jack Feller suggested freezing wages. Weiss said he would consult employee unions for “potential cost savings strategies.”

Both Sanchez and Mayor Jim Wood have suggested using the city's $42 million reserve fund rather than making more cuts. Both have said they want to avoid any further cuts to police and fire budgets. Other councilmembers held back, saying they’d like to hear further budget recommendations from the city manager and his various departments.

Vista School Opening Delayed until 2010

Mission Vista High Schools have been delayed in their openings again, according to Vista Unified School District officials. The dual magnet high schools being built on state Route 76 at Melrose Drive were scheduled to open in August. That has now been extended to January at the earliest, according to staff.

The campus does not have a main sewer line and will not have power or water access by August. Lawsuits related to an easement are limiting access to the property, stalling the district's ability to continue key work, according to the staff report.

In other action last week, the school board laid off 38 full-and part-time employees as part of a plan to cut $11.8 million to balance the 2009-10 budget. The layoffs reflect a series of cuts the school board has approved in recent months, including reduced school busing and layoffs of teacher aides, maintenance workers and special-education aides.

Vista Unified's classified employees – those who don't hold teaching credentials – have been impacted heavily. There are about 1,100 classified employees in the district. Many otherwise vacant positions, about 80, have remained unfilled.

The school board decided not to lay off any permanent teachers, although nearly 100 temporary teachers have been notified they may not be asked back next school year. The district also will close Vista Focus Academy, a high school prep program for ninth-graders not yet ready for high school, at the end of the school year.

Teachers, EUSD Contract Dispute Over

Medical benefits, the primary hangup in a contract dispute between the teachers union and the Escondido Union School has been resolved, according to spokespersons for both sides. Teachers had been asked to pay $260 a month for one of two medical plans, a proposal that left the two sides at an impasse for five months. The teachers had been paying nothing on premiums. Under the agreement, recently ratified by the teacher’s union, the monthly premium has been lowered to $213, which starts in January.

Teachers in the district have a choice between a PPO and a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan through Kaiser Permanente. The HMO will be fully covered by the district's cap, and teachers will not have to pay premiums under that plan.

Call To Action is Literal. Carlsbad Councilmember Calls Constituents

Carlsbad Councilmember Keith Blackburn found that his idea of using an automated dialing service to urge thousands of Carlsbad residents to attend an upcoming City Council meeting, was, perhaps, not the best decision he’d ever made. His constituents let him know they weren’t happy about being called by an automated dialing service that Blackburn had paid to make Sunday afternoon calls.

"The intent was to be informational, not annoying," Blackburn said Monday. The 30-second recorded message, which was scheduled to go to 30,000 phone customers, encouraged residents to attend this week’s Tuesday night council meeting. The subject of the phone call was the Alga Norte Park project, the long-debated construction project proposed to go on a 32-acre site on Poinsettia Lane east of El Camino Real.

Automated calling has been used in previous city election campaigns, but not at other times. Councilwoman Ann Kulchin, who has been a strong backer of the Alga Norte project, said Monday that she thinks Blackburn's approach to letting people know about Tuesday's meeting was innovative.

Blackburn paid for the automated service himself. Blackburn said he’d have to think long and hard before opting to use the service again. He estimated that the calling effort cost him about $2,000, and said it was a learning experience.

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