Del Mar, Calif. gets 'D' grade for lousy tobacco policy from American Lung Association

The American Lung Association in California gave the city of Del Mar a D rating for its tobacco policies.

The annual report, which was released Wednesday, issues grades for all cities and counties in California on local tobacco control policies including those for smokefree outdoor environments, smokefree housing, and reducing sales of tobacco products.

Despite the city's overall low grade, Del Mar along with Solana Beach and El Cajon lead the pack with A grades in the Smokefree Outdoor Air category.

Overall, the association said the state of California "falls short in adequately funding tobacco prevention programs to protect children and curb tobacco-caused disease." California earned an A grade for its smokefree air policies but received a D for its low cigarette tax, an F for failing to adequately fund tobacco prevention and control programs, and another F for poor coverage of smoking cessation and treatment services.

“Safeguarding our communities from the negative consequences of tobacco is critical,” said American Lung Association in California—San Diego Chairman Paul Manasjan. “These grades represent real health consequences. We know how to win the fight against tobacco, but it requires strong leadership and action by elected officials at all levels.”

The association also criticized the state for not increasing its cigarette tax since 1999 and spending only 15 percent of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to adequately fund tobacco prevention programs and services to help people quit smoking.

There are about 3 million new youth smokers in the U.S. and 34,400 in California every year. About 37,000 deaths are caused by tobacco use, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

“We need to do more to fight the influence of tobacco interests in California politics,” said American Lung Association in California Chairwoman Marsha Ramos. “Our state elected officials have an opportunity to change course in 2013 and make big strides in the fight to end tobacco-caused death and disease. It’s going to take a great deal of political will, but we are confident our elected officials are up to the challenge. Our children’s health is depending on them.”

To view the complete California report, including grades for cities in San Diego County, visit www.lung.org/california .

The operator of the Del Mar Fairgrounds announced today that it would move forward with renovations after settling a lawsuit over its master plan.

Political leaders of Del Mar and Solana Beach sign the Del Mar Fairgrounds agreement with Adam Day, president of the 22nd District Agricultural Association.

 Political leaders of Del Mar and Solana Beach sign the Del Mar Fairgrounds agreement with Adam Day, president of the 22nd District Agricultural Association.

Political leaders of Del Mar and Solana Beach sign the Del Mar Fairgrounds agreement with Adam Day, president of the 22nd District Agricultural Association

Photo By Alison St John

The 22nd District Agricultural Association, the state agency that runs the fairgrounds, agreed to take several steps to settle the court action filed in May 2011 by the cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach and the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority.

The litigation challenged the plan's environmental impact report. The sprawling park is home to the annual San Diego County Fair, thoroughbred horse racing, horse shows, an off-track wagering facility and numerous trade shows.

"An electronic reader board on I-5 will not be built and that will be eliminated,'' association board President Adam Day said. "The district will not approve any future hotel for at least five years. The district agrees to increase traffic controls at the Solana Gate. We will also consider relocating the proposed parking structure.''

A traffic signal might be installed at the Solana Gate, the side entrance off Via de la Valle.

Day said the settlement will allow the fairgrounds' operator to move ahead with renovating old exhibit halls and study the facility's impact on neighboring cities.

"The number one, two and three priority projects are the replacement of the old, outdated exhibit halls,'' Day told NBC7/39. "Those halls need updating for building codes, life and safety codes. They need to be more efficient as far as allowing event planners to host events there.''

The parties announced last week that they reached a final agreement to settle the litigation, but did not release details at that time.

Solana Beach-Del Mar-River Park environmental impact lawsuit against Fairgrounds settled

The 22nd District Agricultural Association, the cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar, and the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority have settled litigation over the District’s Master Plan Environmental report.

The cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach and the San Dieguito River Park had sued the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which operates the state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds regarding the district’s master plan for upgrading its facilities. The lawsuit challenged the adequacy of environmental studies conducted in support of the master plan.

Concerns about the Master Plan impacts were addressed to the satisfaction of both cities and the SD River Park JPA, officials said.

“The settlement over our Master Plan EIR paves the way for the 22nd DAA to work towards the renovation of the Fairgrounds’ old and outdated exhibit facilities, and at the same time implements additional measures beyond what is called out in the EIR, to mitigate concerns from the local communities on traffic, noise and environmental concerns,” said Adam Day the 22nd DAA board president.

Donald Mosier, Del Mar City Council, Council Liaison to the 22nd DAA and Board Member for the San Dieguito River Park JPA said:

"Del Mar is pleased to resolve our issues with the 22nd DAA's Master Plan Environmental Impact Report, and we join Solana Beach and the San Dieguito River Park JPA in looking forward to a collaborative effort with the 22nd DAA that benefits all parties." 

Last month, a judge issued a split ruling on a similar lawsuit filed against the district by the Sierra Club, ordering that additional environmental studies be conducted before the 22nd DAA moves forward with its renovation plans.

Earlier this year, the 22nd DAA settled a longstanding dispute with the California Coastal Commission over alleged violations of the state Coastal Act by the fairgrounds.

Day said the settlement of the lawsuit with the cities and the river park joint powers authority is a “huge step in the right direction” in working with the other agencies on issues of mutual concern.

The 22nd DAA board was the last of the four parties related to the lawsuit to officially approve the settlement; earlier, the Del Mar and Solana Beach city councils and the river park JPA board had voted to approve the settlement agreement.

Day  said  the fairgrounds will not install a controversial electronic sign along Interstate 5, or lighting for sports fields on top of planned new exhibit halls. The fairgrounds agreed to provide additional traffic control — including the possibility of a new traffic signal — at the Solana Gate on Via del la Valle during the San Diego County Fair and horse-racing meet.

The fairgrounds will consider relocating a planned new parking structure and study other intersections around the facility to determine if additional traffic control measures are needed.

While the fairgrounds had earlier dropped plans to build a hotel on its property, under the settlement the 22nd DAA agreed not to reconsider the hotel option for at least five years, Day said.

Back to lobbying: Bilbray (R) concedes to Peters (D) in Cal's 52nd Cong. Dist.

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) has conceded defeat in his San Diego-area district, handing Democrats another pickup with just two intra-party races yet to be determined.

Bilbray trails San Diego Port Commissioner Scott Peters (D) by 3,877 votes. He called Peters to congratulated him and issued a statement acknowledging Peters’ victory.

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.). (AP photo)

“While Scott and I differed sharply on how to handle the issues facing our nation, now is the time to put those differences aside and find common ground to address our country’s many challenges,” Bilbray said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Bilbray has served more than 12 years in Congress, returning to the chamber in 2006 by winning a hotly contested special election to replace jailed Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.). California’s citizen redistricting commission drew Bilbray a swing district this year.

With the win, Democrats have now gained six House seats in the 2012 election, with the GOP’s House majority reduced to 234-199.

Democrats also lead in the last two undetermined races, with Reps. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) holding small leads.

Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Jeff Landry (R-La.) will compete in a runoff next month in a merged district, but that race has no implications for the partisan balance of the House.

The Peters campaign released this statement:

“This afternoon, I received a very gracious phone call from Congressman Brian Bilbray. He wished me luck and offered his support. We agreed that while it was a tough, hard-fought campaign, now is the time to put it behind us. I thanked him for his service and look forward to his support as I transition into office.

“I’m in our nation’s capitol this week, working hard, and getting ready to hit the ground running on behalf of the people of the 52^nd District. I am very grateful to the hundreds of people who walked, called, contributed and gave me their support; it was their energy and enthusiasm that put us over the top in this close race.

“There’s much to do.  I’m encouraged by the tremendous group of colleagues I’ve met here so far: freshman members of Congress, because like me, they all heard loud and clear during their campaigns that voters are tired of the partisanship, tired of politicians who put party over people.  I look forward to working with everyone to get things done for San Diego and the American people.”

Peters said in a brief phone interview with the San Diego Free Press that Mr. Bilbray was very gracious when he called to concede.  ”He said something like ‘I’m making that phone call you’ve been working so hard to get.’”  He said that Bilbray suggested that he find a place close to the Capitol to live while in D.C., and offered to assist in any way he can to ease the transition.

Peters said he would “absolutely” carry on the work that Bilbray had touted in the closing days of the campaign on cancer research.  ”Not only is it an important cause, but it’s critical to the San Diego economy.  We need to continue to promote basic scientific research, and hopefully San Diego will be the place that finds a cure for cancer.”

Asked about his experience at the orientation in Washington for newly elected members of Congress and the reception he had received despite not yet having been officially declared the winner, Peters said “I’m just here trying to learn this job so that we can hit the ground running,” adding  ”I can’t wait to get back and visit Ocean Beach.  It’s cold out here!”

Peters (D) near win; lead widens to 2,660 votes over Bilbray (R) in 52nd Cong. Dist. tilt

WED. MORNING UPDATE: Democrat Scott Peters is near an official, and hard-fought, victory over Congressman Brian Bilbray in the 52nd Congressional District race with a 2,660 vote lead that continues to expand as more votes are counted. Results must be finalized by Dec. 4,  according to state law. Peters traveled to Washington D.C. this week where he took part in the orientation sessions for new members of Congress.

As of Tuesday night’s update from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, with approximately 210,000 mail-in and provisional ballots from around the county yet to be counted -- about 40 percent of the vote -- Peters’ lead grew to 2,660 votes, further dimming Bilbray’s re-election hopes. Workers have been able to get through approximately 60,000 to 90,000 ballots per day, the Registrar’s office said.  Mail and provisional ballots should be counted by the weekend. However, election results for San Diego County might not be certified until Dec. 4, the deadline by which the final results must be turned in to the California Secretary of State, sources said.

(For more visit I-Newsource and KPBS Investigations Desk .)

Spark Photography

Congressional candidate Scott Peters (D) speaks with reporters at the Westin Gaslamp, November 6, 2012.

Port of San Diego Commissioner Scott Peters continues to pad his lead over Rep. Brian Bilbray, in their close congressional race.

Peters led by 1,899 votes out of about 235,000 cast for the general election, a net gain of more than 500 votes since Friday.

Bilbray has been a top target of Democrats for years, but survived previous attempts to oust him. However, redistricting moved him into some unfamiliar inland territory for this re-election bid.

"I didn’t see us quite this good. I think it’s going to really tighten up," Bilbray said after early results were announced showing him in the lead Tuesday night.

Then, when he spoke to supporters several hours later, he warned them it may take days to iron out the race.

After many San Diegans went to bed, Peters pulled ahead with a slight lead and held on until all precincts were in.

The fight for California's newly-drawn 52nd was targeted with some of the most campaign cash and coverage nationwide.

“This district was drawn to be the battleground for the Congressional seats the other Congressional seats are pretty darn safe,” Bilbray told NBC 7 San Diego. “I think this is a great process even though I happen to have to be in the battleground again.”

Bilbray is a Republican has represented the 50th District since 2006 as well as the former 49th District for three terms ending in 2001.

Bilbray voted Tuesday morning with his daughter, who was featured in one of his many campaign ads. Before voting, Bilbray went surfing. He told NBC 7 San Diego that if the warm reception he received from fellow surfers was any indicator of the night’s results, he felt confident in a win.

Peters is a Democrat who represented District 1 on the San Diego City Council for two terms, serving as Council president in his second.

In the region's other close race, Solana Beach Councilman Dave Roberts maintained a lead of 2,641 votes over Bilbray's chief of staff, Steve Danon, in their election for county supervisor. That's an increase of about 400 for Roberts since Friday.

The winner will replace the retiring Pam Slater-Price to become the first new supervisor in 17 years.

Peters only won 13 more precincts than Bilbray in the 420 precincts where votes were cast, including the vote-by-mail. If vote-by-mail locations are excluded, Peters only took four more precincts than Bilbray.

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The 52nd congressional district stretches from Poway west to Del Mar and then down the coast to Coronado. A slice of its voters also live in the city of San Diego.

The district is known for its fairly even numbers of Republicans, Democrats and Independents, and when when it comes to political tastes, many don’t appear to mind crossing party lines.

While they’re still counting ballots in the congressional district because it’s too close to call, I-Newsource analyzed the unofficial returns in precincts that overlap the congressional district and the city. We found that nearly two-thirds of the precincts that favored Democrat Scott Peters favored — Republican Carl DeMaio for mayor.

A lot of those voters were in neighborhoods such as La Jolla, Bay Park, Bay Ho, North Clairemont and University City south of UCSD.

It probably stands to reason precincts that favored Republican Brian Bilbray within the city limits almost perfectly favored DeMaio as well.

Here’s the breakdown for the non-vote-by-mail precincts:

- Of the 189 precincts Scott Peters carried, DeMaio won 120.
- Of the 157 precincts Brian Bilbray won, DeMaio carried 156 — almost a perfect match.
- Filner carried only 69 of the precincts Peters won, and one of the precincts Bilbray won.

So why did Peters do so well in areas that wanted to elect DeMaio?

Political scientist Carl Luna says this is a textbook case of all politics being local. Peters served two terms on the San Diego City Council representing the first district, which included some of the neighborhoods that turned out for him in the election.

“When you have a choice between voting for somebody you know and kind of thinks like you, or somebody you don’t know that you’re not quite sure how they’re going to think, you go with the guy you know,” Luna said. “And Scott Peters was a known quantity to many of his voters. And Carl DeMaio, coming from the city government, was a known quantity.”

Luna also said Bilbray’s campaign might not have gotten as much mileage out of some attack ads as they’d hoped.

“The (National Republican Congressional Committee) ad about Scott Peters’ performance on the city council probably played well in areas outside of (Peters’) council district, but obviously did not sway voters within it.”

As for mayor-elect Bob Filner, a lifelong Democrat?

Luna said, “Bob Filner comes from South Bay, he has no real play in that part of the city.”

-- I-Newsource and KPBS Investigations Desk

Congressional candidate Scott Peters (D) speaks with reporters at the Westin Gaslamp, November 6, 2012.

HIGHWAY 78: This $41 million for you...to fix worst traffic bottleneck in San Diego County

 Groundbreaking took place today for a $41 million project that transportation planners hope will be the first step in clearing up a bottleneck on state Route 78 that has become the worst in San Diego County.

The main part of the project is to replace the Nordahl Road overpass, which will allow the freeway to be widened near the San Marcos-Escondido city limits, said Hayden Manning of Caltrans. There will also be an added auxiliary lane leading to Nordahl Road, he said.

Having more room under the over-crossing could result in future projects to add lanes, Manning said.

A study by the traffic information firm INRIX found that eastbound SR-78 through San Marcos has supplanted Interstate 15 and the Interstate 5-805 merge for having the worst freeway congestion in the county. Speeds are less than half of normal for an average of 21 hours per week, the company found. 

“With the new and expanded Palomar Medical Center West set to open this summer in Escondido, relieving congestion on SR-78 is more important than ever,” said Encinitas Mayor Jerome Stocks, chairman of the San Diego Association of Governments. “Once the freeway improvements are complete, travelers will notice a big difference in the traffic flow,” he said. 

SANDAG, which administers a regional half-cent sales tax used for transportation, contributed $15.5 million for the project and Caltrans chipped in $14.1 million. The city of San Marcos added $6.75 million and city of Escondido contributed $4.75 million.

“This project is extremely important to North County not only because of the large number of people who will benefit from less traffic congestion, but also for the air quality and safety improvements and overall economic benefits,” Escondido Mayor Sam Abed said. “The project also will improve traffic flow between Escondido and our neighboring city, San Marcos, and prepare for future Express Lanes on SR 78 to improve access to the nearby I-15,” he said. 

The bridge work is expected to be completed this fall and the eastbound auxiliary lane is due to open early next year.

CARQUEST takes a walk on the wild side of the law, fined $240K by county for overcharging

 A resolution of an investigation of Golden State Supply, doing business as CARQUEST Auto Parts stores, has resulted in a $242,715 judgment against the retail and wholesale corporation, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced today.

The case was filed jointly by the District Attorney's Office and the San Diego City Attorney’s Office in San Diego Superior Court. The case alleged CARQUEST stores in California charged customers more than the advertised or posted price on items in violation of unfair competition and false advertising laws.

“This judgment reflects the significance of the County’sDepartment of Agriculture, Weights and Measures in protecting consumers,” District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said. “It’s important that businesses compete fairly in the marketplace and charge the prices they advertise.”

In addition, inspectors observed in eight stores that the cash registers failed to display the price of items where the consumer could see the display, which is a violation of state law. There was no admission of wrongdoing or liability by CARQUEST, which cooperated with prosecutors to reach a stipulated judgment.

“Our citizens need to have confidence when they shop that the price advertised is the one that is charged,” said City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. “Actions like this are a reminder for businesses that they will be regulated to protect consumers.”

The judgment requires CARQUEST to pay $165,975 in penalties, $46,740 in costs to weights and measures agencies and to prosecutors’ offices and $30,000 to organizations as restitution. CARQUEST is also prohibited from charging an amount greater than the currently-advertised price for items in the future.

The case against CARQUEST was based on inspection reports from 10 California counties as well as consumer complaints about overcharging. In San Diego, the County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures inspected local CARQUEST stores.

Weights and measures take complaints from members of the public who believe they have been overcharged by businesses, at (858) 694-2778. The District Attorney’s Office also maintains a Consumer Hotline at (619) 531-3507.

The City Attorney’s Consumer Hotline phone number is (619) 533-5600. The office has a Consumer & Environmental Protection Unit, which prosecutes violations of law that arise from consumer transactions or actions that damage the environment. CEPU also investigates complaints of false or misleading advertising.

Bilbray-Saldana (Peters, Stahl) square off in first debate for new 52nd. Cong. Dist.(spans La Jolla to Rancho Bernardo)

The newly redrawn 52nd Congressional District offers candidates a challenge: its voters are neither predominantly registered Republicans nor Democrats.

The four main candidates in the 52nd Congressional District race talked gas prices, illegal immigration, small business and bailouts during a debate at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo on Tuesday.

The lunchtime crowd at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo provided a welcome setting for Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Carlsbad), who is competing against Democrats Scott Peters, a port commissioner and former president of the San Diego City Council, and Lori Saldaña, a former state assemblywoman and educator.

The debate, hosted by the Conservative Order of Good Government, brought together three challengers—Peters, Saldaña and John Stahl—and the incumbent, Bilbray, who is fighting to retain a seat after redistricting shifted him out of his current District 50.

The new 52nd covers several communities. In addition to Rancho Bernardo and nearby Poway, it reaches west to include La Jolla and Coronado.

Bilbray was at the center of several barbs against Washington, with all of the challengers arguing it is time for someone different to head to the nation's capital.

Bilbray, who first ran for Congress in 1995, has been in and out of the House for more than a decade. He lost his seat to Democrat Susan Davis after redistricting in 2000.

But in 2006 he won the 50th congressional seat after Randy Cunningham resigned, and he has represented it ever since.

"We need a new approach in Washington," said Democratic candidate Scott Peters, a former city councilman who represents San Diego on the Board of Port Commissioners. "Let's get the right person and stop worrying so much about the party."

The candidates answered a series of questions on a variety of topics, with one-minute each to respond. A couple of questions were targeted for specific candidates, with one providing Peters the chance to respond to Bilbray's characterization of him as the "father of San Diego's pension mess."

Peters, who admitted he made mistakes as a councilman, said the pension problems didn't begin with him but rather in the 1980s. Since then, he has worked to end pension underfunding and make city employees pay more for their benefits, he said.

Saldaña, a former Democratic state assemblywoman, focused on education and green energy during the debate, arguing that investing in education and reducing costs for small businesses by better energy efficiency are the keys to protecting the American Dream and turning the economy around.

Stahl, a Republican who served in the U.S. Navy and worked in the semiconductor industry, said he will work to balance the federal budget within the next three to five years and reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil by the end of the decade.

"I have lived the American Dream and I'm not going to watch it die," Stahl said.

On illegal immigration, the candidates agreed that something must be done.

"If we do not have the rule of law in this country, we have nothing," said Stahl, who said benefits should not be provided to people who are not citizens.

Bilbray said while many focus on border security in illegal immigration talks, it is not the problem; it's just a symptom of the real problem which is people hiring illegal immigrants and the government providing benefits for them. 

Peters said the U.S. needs to be "tough, fair and practical" with its illegal immigration and border policies, making legal crossings more efficient and looking at the income disparity between this country and Mexico which entices people to come here.

Saldaña said there needs to be an improved path to citizenship, with deportation for those who break the law, as a way to bring in the high-tech expertise this country does not have because of a subpar education system.

On gas prices, which recently climbed above an average of $4 per gallon locally, Peters said anyone who claims an ability to lower prices quickly isn't being honest. It's going to take a while, he said, so the focus should be on developing an alternative energy plan and creating incentives for conservation.

To raucous applause, Bilbray said the government needs to permit a pipeline between Canada and the U.S. to bring in oil, a nod to the stalled Keystone Pipeline project recently delayed by President Barack Obama.

As for the 2008 bailout of the financial industry, Bilbray proudly said he did not vote for it because of the financial burden it would place on his grandchildren.

While Saldaña argued that she didn't like the rushed process to create the bailout plan, most of the money has been paid back, she said.

"The process was flawed, but the outcome remains to be seen," she said.

Peters said he was surprised no one has gone to jail in connection with the fiscal crisis, and the government needs to regulate banks in a new way.

"No more bailouts," Peters said.

Stahl, who said he would not have voted for the bailout, said it wasn't right that banks made bad bets but still got their money back.

Occupy This: Eight Protestors Marching From Del Mar, Calif. to Delmar, Del. or thereabouts...

#OccupyWalk

The Occupy Walk is a National March starting at San Diego, California February 11th, walking across the United States taking a southern route to bypass winter in the first months of the walk. They plan on meeting up with people from other Occupations, groups who plan their own route to meet up with the national march, and anyone in any town that wants to walk for the cause. This walk will help promote the Occupy cause by drawing attention to the injustices that were first presented by the Occupy Wall Street Movement in 2011. Roll tide...

The group was scheduled to spend Monday night at a home in Leucadia and Tuesday night in Oceanside. They had hopes of reaching the Temecula area by sometime Wednesday night.

Members of the Occupy movement have launched a coast-to-coast walk that will bring them through North County and Southwest Riverside County, it was reported today.

A group of eight walkers ---- some from Occupy San Diego and some from Los Angeles ---- left Sunday from San Diego, and by noon Monday had reached Del Mar, publicist Nan DiGiovanni said.

They plan to walk to Washington, D.C., staying with host families along the way, DiGiovanni said. She did not have an estimated time for when they are expected to arrive at their destination, but said walkers are inviting people to join them along the way.

Beyond arranged stays the first few nights, the walkers are looking for backyards to camp in, DiGiovanni said.

People wishing to host them can submit information to the group's website at  http://occupywalk.org/.

The Occupy movement began with protests against corporate greed and quickly spread across the nation. Occupy events have been held regionally, including ones in Encinitas and Oceanside.

San Diego North County Japanese-Americans recall World War Two internments

 In all, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were interned in the camps. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation apologizing for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government. More than $1.6 million in reparations to surviving interned Americans and their heirs was later disbursed.

In San Diego County, which had a population of 2,076 Japanese-Americans in 1940, families were sent to Poston, 12 miles south of Parker, Ariz. Poston was one of 10 internment camps created during World War II after an executive order authorized the Secretary of War to designate specific areas as military zones and excluded certain people from living in them.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942.

In San Diego County and other Pacific coast communities, the reverberating terror of the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese in 1941 fueled fear of conspiracies, treason and espionage from within.

Historian Gerald Schlenker researched and wrote about the period in his article, "The Internment of the Japanese of San Diego County During the Second World War," published in 1972 in the Journal of San Diego History. In his article, it was clear the county was swift to call for action against the perceived threat.

Just one month after the Pearl Harbor attack, the San Diego Union published an editorial calling for the removal of Japanese from the coast, federal officials closed the Japanese-language school in downtown San Diego and the San Diego City Council adopted a resolution calling for the removal of the "known" subversive element in the area, according to Schlenker's research.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors also passed a resolution urging internment of Japanese residents.

San Diego City College history teacher Susan Hasegawa, who has researched the internment era, said she doesn't know of any North County municipality that adopted a resolution endorsing internment in 1942.

Schlenker, however, reported that the Fallbrook Grange No. 614 sent a resolution to the Board of Supervisors asking for immediate removal of all Japanese people from the county.

Hasegawa said granges, agricultural organizations that started in the late 1800s, competed with Japanese-American farmers and thus were largely supportive of internment.

Among those deported were the parents of Elaine Armstrong, a graphic artist at Palomar College.

"I've talked to people of that generation who said, 'Oh, it was essential because it was to protect them,'" she said. "And I say, 'Why were the guns pointed into the camp?'"

Sugimoto, who said he has mostly pleasant memories of spending his teenage years at the camp, was alarmed at the sight of armed guards at the camp.

"It was disconcerting for me to see a closed gate, barbed wires and soldiers at sentry boxes," he said. "It was the same with the train ride from Oceanside to Poston. We had armed soldiers at every car."

Armstrong said her mother, Hannah Sonoda, was sent to a camp in Arkansas, where she graduated from high school and worked in the post office. Her father, Howell Sonoda, was sent to Poston.

Her parents met and married after leaving the camps, and Armstrong said they were never bitter about the experience.

"They weren't angry about it," she said. "They were just farmers. They were practical people. I think growing up, my parents made sure we were super-patriotic."

Matthew Estes, a teacher at Palomar College who has researched and written about the internment period, said that his interviews with former internees revealed a stoicism among many of the people who experienced the camps.

"The Japanese have this term, Shikata ga nai," he said. "It literally means, 'some things can't be helped.' It's not fatalism, but just recognition that some things you can't do anything about."

Estes also said many Japanese-Americans did not talk about the experience because they had a sense of shame about being incarcerated.

"They were ashamed to talk about this with their children, even though they had not done anything wrong," he said. "There's a stigma with being locked up."

Estes' father was American, but his mother was Japanese and had family members who went sent to internment camps. One of his cousins is buried at Manzanar, a former camp in California.

Estes said many Japanese-Americans lost most of their possessions after leaving for the camps. In downtown San Diego, the exodus wiped out what once was Little Japan between Island and Fourth avenues, which had a thriving strip of businesses including Japanese restaurants, a barber shop, a grocery store and photo studio, he said.

Some San Diego residents took their possessions to a Japanese Buddhist temple in San Diego, but those were lost when the building was burglarized and firebombed, Estes said.

Japanese-Americans in North County were more fortunate. Sugimoto said poinsettia grower Paul Ecke, founder of the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, opened his warehouses on his agriculture fields for displaced Japanese-Americans to store their belongings.

Estes said people sent to the camps were free to leave for other cities away from the Pacific coast, but only if they had a sponsor and could prove they had a job lined up.

With rumors that lynchings and deportation awaited Japanese-Americans outside the camps, however, many people decided they did not want to leave, Estes said.