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- Michael Mercury does Rancho Santa Fe for 2012 (astrologically speaking, that is to say)
- Got Rid of Gaddafi...WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET RID OF DEADBEAT SOLANA BEACH CITY MGR. OTT
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Whooping Cough Case Reported At San Diego Jewish Academy, Carmel Valley, Health Dept. Says
A Carmel Valley high school student potentially exposed others to whooping cough, County Health and Human Services Agency officials said today. The 17-year-old, who was up-to-date with immunizations, attends the San Diego Jewish Academy. The County reported eight cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, to date for 2012. The case total remained at 436 for 2011. “Symptoms of the disease can take weeks to develop after an exposure and may initially appear to be a common cold,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “Anyone who may have been exposed to pertussis should be alert to symptoms and seek treatment if necessary. To prevent the spread of whooping cough, or at least lessen the severity of symptoms, a booster shot or regular vaccinations are recommended.” A record 1,144 cases, which included two infant deaths, were reported in San Diego County during...
San Diego Sheriff's crime report for 9/9/2011 - 9/15/2011: 33 local crimes found...
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/region/northcountysandiego Follow the link above to view the entire mapping tool...
VISTA CONGRESSMAN DARRELL ISSA’S DOUBLE STANDARD MARCHES ON...
Darrell Issa continues this week to apply a wildly different standard of disclosure to himself as compared to the Obama Administration. Issa's request for a wide-ranging document release from the Department of Homeland Security concerned alleged politicizing of FOIA requests didn't devlier what he was looking for, so he's now refocusing and expanding the request. As the Hill reports, Issa is asking for copies of e-mails between key White House officials. He is also seeking a series of interviews with top-level staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of his probe into the Obama administration’s transparency. Last week, Issa requested that 180 agencies send him records showing how fast they respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. He also asked the agencies to explain why some FOIA requests are delayed more than others. Using the issue as cover, Issa recently called for in-depth tracking of all people and organizations that submit Freedom of Information Act requests. Ostensibly intended by Issa as a way to avoid politicizing the process, it would provide a shocking amount of tracking information to the federal government, and is part of a broader trend by Issa to chill dissent and citizen oversight. In lodging a complaint over Homeland Security's responsiveness, Issa wrote:, Issa wrote: "This directive is inconsistent with your pledge to identify and produce documents expeditiously, and it raises questions about the Department's commitment to the President's effort to create an 'unprecedented level of openness in government." The tone and content of this objection is particularly odd, however, given that Issa himself has consistently rejected such calls for openness out of his own office. He has declined to publicly post the letter he sent to industry groups and conservative think tanks soliciting agenda items for the Oversight Committee. He has resisted releasing the responses he's gotten from the letter, agreeing only to release them in mid-February with spin added by his office and leaving CREW to seek the letters on their own. Odd that, if Issa is sincerely concerned about transparency as a way to address concerns of politicizing government, he would be so deeply opposed to being open about his own dealings.
Further, Issa's concerns about alleged politicizing of government doesn't seem to fit with his angry response to President Obama's suggestion that Congress make its lobbyist ties public. Rather than welcome the opportunity for citizens to have more information about who's influencing their elected officials, Issa turned bitterly defensive. He lashed out at Obama for not being perfect either, and tried his best to make the case for lobbyist confidentiality. If Issa is concerned about politicizing the process and wanting more transparency, it's odd that he would attack even the notion of improved lobbyist disclosure. If Darrell Issa is serious about a more open, less political government, he needs to provide the model himself. He can't just talk the talk, criticizing the Obama administration for not being responsive enough to him specifically- he has to walk the walk by taking ownership of his own actions and applying the same standards to his own office. He owes it to the country and his constituents. Sniff Sniff Pounce Seize: San Diego County Crime Dog Stops Ag Pests In Their Tracks...
The San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures recently seized 10 Kaffir lime trees from Florida after detector dog Drake discovered them in an unmarked box at a North County commercial shipping terminal. Detector dog Drake and his handler, Ted Olsen, found the shipment two weeks ago during a routine inspection of packages coming into San Diego County. Each tree had leaves, roots and soil which increase the potential for pests to be present. The shipment was in violation of federal domestic quarantines that guard against the importation of plants that may carry certain agricultural threats. Those include citrus canker, citrus greening and the Asian citrus psyllid, imported fire ant, citrus black spot, and sweet orange scab. Quarantine violations against burrowing and reniform nematodes and other citrus pests were also cited in the case. If introduced into local agriculture, any one of these pests could have a serious impact on San Diego County’s $78.5 million citrus industry. “Kaffir lime from the state of Florida is prohibited,” said County Agricultural Commissioner Lisa Leondis, “This one shipment of trees violated seven different quarantine requirements, and is a perfect example of how valuable our detector dogs are in protecting the County’s $1.652 billion agriculture industry.”
San Diego County has two United States Department of Agriculture-trained detector dog teams that are part of a statewide network of 13 teams coordinated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Our first team, Jeremy Partch and Friday, came on board in January, 2009 followed by Ted Olsen and Drake in January, 2010. Last year, the two teams inspected 10,571 marked packages and found 747 unmarked packages containing fruit, plants and live animals. Unmarked packages of illegal plants and certain live animals represent a route of entry for unwanted, damaging pests. The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture are handling the investigation regarding the origin and intended destination of the shipment. After testing for other pests, the trees will ultimately be destroyed. For more information about the county Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures and its role in protecting county agriculture, visit the department's website. (From the files of the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol, Thursday, July 21, 2011...)
The stolen valves are taken to a metal recyclers and the crooks try to get cash for them. Changes in the laws prevent an immediate handout of cash- the recyler has to take the persons name and information and contact the authorities before handing over the cash. Both cases we investigated occurred late at night. If you happen to see a car or truck stopped on the side of the road looking suspicious, please give us a call.
Although historically sightings are rare, there are several types of wild animals that live here in Rancho Santa Fe. Mountain Lions main food source is deer and coyotes. Eliminating plant species that attract deer help discourage mountain lions from coming into the area. Please take precautions – mountain lions are most active at night as well as dusk and dawn. Do not leave children outside unattended; don’t leave pet food or food that may attract animals outside. Do not leave animals outside unattended. Horses should be kept in stalls in the barn. Be careful when walking/ jogging at dusk and dawn time periods. If you see a mountain lion- make noise-lots of it. Yell, scream, and bang on something. For example, pocket sized air horns are a good way to do that. If you have any questions please call the Dept of Fish and Game at 858-467-4201 or the RSF Patrol 858-756-4372. For more information: www.keepmewild.org. LISA LEONDIS NAMED SAN DIEGO COUNTY AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER/SEALER
(Photo: Lisa Leonids, left, with Tina Thomas and San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob) Lisa Leondis has been selected to be the permanent director of the County of San Diego Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, and to serve as the County’s new Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures. Leondis was named as the department’s interim director in June, when Commissioner/Sealer Bob Atkins retired. “We are delighted to have Lisa Leondis as the new County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures,” said Sarah Aghassi, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Land Use and Environment Group. “Lisa’s vast experience in the field, along with her expertise in pest management and plant protection will help ensure the viability of our agricultural community; and her displayed levels of professionalism and dedication...
SDSU WATCHDOG INSTITUTE - 'Empty Seats Costs School Districts Millions' Empty Seats Costs School Districts Millions
Student 114 is a sophomore at Lincoln High in southeast San Diego. What makes her exceptional is the number of school days she missed last year – 87— nearly half the tenth grade.
She cost her school $2,464.71. A KPBS-Watchdog Institute investigation found there are thousands of chronically absent kids in San Diego County schools who together cost their districts millions of dollars in state funding. During the 2009-2010 term, traditional public schools in San Diego County lost out on at least $102 million in state funding because of absences, according to data gathered by KPBS and the Watchdog Institute, an investigative reporting nonprofit based at San Diego State University. That figure totaled $624 million over the past five years. The attendance-based funding formula puts a bounty on the heads of students, forcing schools to meticulously track their absences – placing dollar amounts next to their names. Number 114 is one of 357 students on a list of the chronically absent at Lincoln High. A student is considered chronically absent if he or she misses 10 percent or more of the 180-day school year. At Ramona Unified, 465 chronically absent students cost the district $345,816.89 last year. Twenty-four of them missed at least a quarter of the school year. Two were absent more than 100 days. On average, a student with perfect attendance is worth about $5,230 to a school district in San Diego County. Every day missed reduces that amount by about $29. It may not sound like much, but the multiplier effect can be financially staggering for some schools.
A total of twelve schools in the county cost their districts more than $1 million last year in missed revenue. This was the case for five schools in Grossmont Union High District, and for the single school in Fallbrook Union High School District. “Certainly when the state of California changed its financing of public education from enrollment to average daily attendance, it had an adverse impact on school districts, including ours,” said Fallbrook Superintendent Dale Mitchell. “That presents a problem for us.” Schools used to be paid for excused absences, which included sick days if students had a parent or doctor’s note. But the law changed because the existing formula “encourages schools to accept excuses and discourages them from investigating possibly fraudulent excuses,” according to an Assembly Committee on Education hearing in 1998, when the law was passed. Many experts agree that districts should have a financial incentive to get kids to class, but across the country that level of incentive varies. “All 50 states base funding on student population and students are counted in different ways,” according to Deborah Verstegen, a University of Nevada education professor who studied school finance across the country. Some states use enrollment; others count attendance on a specific day of the school year. Verstegen says the average daily attendance, or ADA, formula tends to favor schools in suburban neighborhoods, where attendance is generally higher than those in city and rural areas. The inequities in California are compounded by the existence of basic aid districts, which do not rely as much on state funding as most other districts, and “necessary small schools,” which typically serve large, rural areas and receive state funding based on an enrollment system. For its analysis, KPBS and the Institute analyzed enrollment figures for more than 450 traditional, non-charter schools from 21 districts. The analysis compared enrollment to attendance figures schools report to the state. The difference between those figures was multiplied by a state-calculated, per-student revenue limit for each district to arrive at the potential funding losses. (Read more about the analysis.) San Diego Unified School District, one of the largest districts in the state, lost out on $34 million last year. That’s nearly 6 percent of the $595 million the state would have paid for perfect attendance. Of the 170 traditional schools in San Diego Unified, Hoover High lost out on the most money — $1.3 million — because of poor attendance. Lincoln High wasn’t far behind at $1 million. The majority of students in both schools are from low-income households, with more than 96 percent and 85 percent of their students, respectively, eligible for the free and reduced lunch program, according to state data. “Our poverty families have a more difficult time getting kids to school. Access to health care, access to transportation, and that does affect attendance levels in those schools,” said Bernie Rhinerson, chief of staff at the district. Schools keep lists of chronically absent students not just to track financial losses, but to determine who is at risk for low academic achievement, Rhinerson said, adding, if you’re not at school, you can’t learn. “It’s really important that we look at that data and we see which students are missing school at a high rate because then we can focus on how can we help them, how can we work with the family,” he said. Randolph Ward, superintendent of San Diego County Office of Education, said he believes the funding formula for schools is flawed and unfair in many ways. “Are we really just paying for kids sitting in a seat? I don’t think so. We expect achievement,” he said. “But the paradigm doesn’t say that. The paradigm says we’re paying for sitting in a seat.” Some schools go to great lengths to get kids in those seats. The Sweetwater Union High School District has in the past raffled off a refurbished car to seniors with perfect attendance. In the Poway Unified School District, administrators post running tallies of dollars lost to motivate students to show up more often. Despite the efforts, few if any schools will ever have perfect attendance and get full funding from the state. Fallbrook Superintendent Mitchell pointed out that just because students are absent some of the time doesn’t mean the schools aren’t spending resources on them. Districts can use the law to get kids in class, but the process is long and complicated. In California, kids are considered truant after three or more unexcused absences. The student must appear before the school’s Student Attendance Review Committee. Then, the county department of education steps in, and the Student Attendance Review Board gives the student a contract. The District Attorney’s office will go to court after all those steps have been taken, according to Michele Linley, chief of the District Attorney’s Juvenile division. Last year, the DA processed 284 truancy cases, a fraction of the number of students appearing on chronic absenteeism lists gathered in the KPBS-Watchdog Institute investigation. “What choices they (school districts) make about who is sent to us and who is not, I can’t speak to – they vary from school district to school district,” Linley said. The DA also requires a representative from the district to appear at truancy hearings, a requirement that may deter some cash-strapped districts from pursuing more cases through the courts , Linley said. A law, passed in January, holds parents of children in 8th grade and below responsible for chronically absent children. They can face up to a year in custody and a $2,000.00 fine. Linley said no one has been prosecuted under the new provision. At the urging of administrators at San Diego Unified, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis sent a letter to parents about the new law. ”If you are facing problems getting your child to school, I urge you to resolve the issues before they become serious,” she said. Joe Johnson, Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation at SDSU, travels across the country studying high-achieving schools in urban neighborhoods, schools that are successful in getting kids to class. “Most people would agree that students are not likely to learn from school if they don’t attend school,” he said in an email, contending that state funding formulas should provide districts enough money to run schools “in ways that help schools make regular attendance practical and even attractive for students and families.” For example, he said, making it easy to get to school could help, but ironically, school buses are among the first things to be eliminated when districts are forced to deal with budget cuts. Three years ago, the Fallbrook district reduced bus routes and instituted a transportation fee. That fee is going up again this year so the buses can keep bringing students to school, Mitchell said. A bill making its way through the state legislature would simplify some aspects of categorical school funding, base more funding on the needs of students and make district financials more transparent. But, the new law wouldn’t change how revenue funding is calculated. “We base funding on students’ attendance in school. That’s where they’re losing their money,” said Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, who introduced the bill. “Should we change that? I certainly would like to,” she said. “The problem being the state doesn’t have the money in order to do that.” Ward thinks the structure of public education funding in California needs to shift. “What if we were to have a system that was based on a basic tier of enrollment, but then another tier on achievement?” he mused. “Not just achievement on a straight level, but achievement on a growth level, so even the high districts need to maintain a certain growth.” Rhinerson said tinkering with the way funds are allocated doesn’t get to the heart of the problem – California does not spend enough money to educate kids. The debate should be about how to fund schools “at a level we need to provide quality education,” he said. KPBS and the Watchdog Institute have invested four months so far examining school funding in San Diego County. Andres Barraza, a KPBS intern, contributed to this report. San Diego Sheriff's crime report for 6/14/2011 - 6/20/2011: Seven local crimes found in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.-area...
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/region/northcountysandiego Follow the link above to view the entire mapping tool...
FALLING UP -- COMINGS AND GOINGS AROUND RANCHO SANTA FE, CALIF. AREA WITH DAN WEISMAN
Some short takes from around town this week, A few of these are in the what da ya know variety, but if you didn't' see them here, you wouldn't see them anywhere. Somewhat surprising stuff if I do say so myself in best Ed Grimley fashion. Actually, I first wrote an amazing 5,000 word diatribe to go with this update. a lot of it was talking about what a little money would do for us here, but then it sounded kind of whiney although totally true. So, I'll skip it for now. The story began: "I'm continually amazed about the quantity and quality of stories around Rancho Santa Fe, Olivenhain, Del Dios, etc. that go unreported and unrecognized..." And away we go... COMINGS
Farm Fresh Market always was a bit of a misnomer. Oddly out of sync with this, the most upscale of areas
GOINGS
I've spoken to Gracie a few times over the years and have so much respect for her it's funny, since I don't usually think much of...well, anyway, this lady so has it together I'm sorry we're not married. So there, I said it.
Sadly, however, she closed her Del Rayo Village store after a dozen years, and after closing her Paseo Delicias shop last year. The shops were doing surprisingly well in these economic times, but Gracie wanted t take personal time to spend with family and such. Joining the glorious heritage of the dearly departed Robyn Nussbaum Shoe Lounge, these two stores should be in the Fairbanks Ranch Merchants Hall of Fame as charter members. Salutations and salute....
DUMPSTERS (DIVING OPTIONAL)
I've said it before and I've said it again. Rancho Santa Fe has the BEST of everything, including the BEST DUMPSTERS FOR DIVING IN THE WORLD.
In my humble opinion, however, these particular dumpsters reign supreme. I am naming them the #1 dumpsters for diving in San Diego County and possibly the West Coast (haven't been to Montecito or Atherton lately). A special Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News shout-out then. Do you recognize these dumpsters. the finest dumpsters in all the land. IF you do, we will be having a special flash mob meet-up there 4 p.m. Sunday, June 19. See ya there.
RANCHO SANTA FE FIRE STATION #3
This is your big boy. The $5 million uber-fire station and training facility at 6356 El Apajo, across the street from Helen Woodward Animal Center is WAY behind schedule and...Cool, but did you know there were some political shenanigans taking place behind the scenes, too. Maybe that has something to do with the delay. That story continues to develop and will be addressed later in June.
As for Fire Station #3, Rancho Santa Fe , we sing praises of thee...Once promised for May, May has gone and now the new date is when? Whenever they get round to it, I guess, they haven't provided an update. Oh well. MISCELLANEOUS
Lemon Twist now open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday at 8175 Del Dios Highway Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 - (858) 756-0826. Good stuff! But what about this outrage?
I'm "outing" this "scoop" at the end since it's such a scandal, but a dumb scandal. The former proposed site for the ill-fated moronic 'The Lilian' mixed-BS development -- it went belly-up and couldnt get any county permits by the way -- has morphed and phoenix-like risen from its own ashes as THIS...Plaza de Acacias monstrosity. Same song, different verse. You will be reading it's unfiltered PR line soon enough at the Ecinitas Coast News and Rancho Santa Fe at Carmel Valley, San Diego Review, but this is the first of what it looks like and good luck to this piece of tomfakery.
YEAH THAT'S HOW WE ROLL! All for now folks.... San Diego Sheriff's crime report for Rancho Santa Fe, Cal. area, 6/6/2011 - 6/12/2011: 12 local crimes found ...
For more information, follow the mapping tool above.....
State Superintendent Says Unequal Funding For Rancho Santa Fe School District And Other Basic Aid Districts Could Lead to Lawsuit...
By Joanne Faryon, KPBS and Kevin Crowe, Watchdog Institute Search statewide maps of basic aid districts
For a KPBS audio report on the issue go here...
In an interview, Torlakson responded to an ongoing investigation into K-12 education funding in California by KPBS and the Watchdog Institute, an investigative reporting nonprofit based at San Diego State University. The investigation has found a system of inequity: some districts in wealthy neighborhoods benefit from high property values and property taxes; districts in middle-class and poor neighborhoods rely on the state to make up for their falling property values and taxes, a losing proposition in today’s economy. The Institute’s analysis of education funding data found that some districts have doubled per pupil spending because of increased local tax revenue. Statewide, 125 basic aid districts have generated a combined $644 million in excess tax revenue. But, the increased funding per student varies greatly across the group, with one district bringing in an extra $4.85 per student while another has more than $13,000 in additional funding to spend per student. “There are certainly big differences between the resources for various communities, that’s a fact,” said Randolph Ward, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools. In a 1968 case, Serrano v. Priest, the California Supreme Court ordered the state to address the gap in funding between schools in poor neighborhoods and those in wealthy communities, which could raise more money from property taxes. In an effort to close that education funding gap, the state introduced revenue limits in 1972, which put a ceiling on how much money schools could raise. Then, the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 caused property tax revenues to drop. Most neighborhoods didn’t – and still don’t – raise enough money in local property taxes to reach their school revenue limit. So, the state has made up the difference. But, rising property values and state cuts to education funding have once again created a widening gap between rich and poor districts. “Some districts, very few, about 124 or so in 2009-2010, have more than enough property taxes to meet their entitlement,” said Margaret Weston, an analyst with the Public Policy Institute of California. “They used to be called basic aid, and now we tend to call them excess tax districts.”
The excess tax districts get to keep the extra tax revenue and can spend it on students. Revenue limit funds typically make up about 70 percent of a district’s funding. The rest comes from a mix of categorical funds, grants and stimulus funds. At least eight excess tax districts districts statewide – two of which are located in San Diego – more than doubled their revenue limit spending per pupil through excess revenues. Rancho Santa Fe received an additional $5,871per student over the $4,963 state-determined revenue limit, and Solana Beach brought in $5,080 per student more than its $4,965 revenue limit. Carmel Unified in Monterey County topped the list with an additional $13,094 per student over the $5,208 revenue limit. More than one-third of the districts are located in the bay area, and eight are located in San Diego County. But not all basic aid districts are swimming in funds. Santa Barbara Elementary School District received an additional $4.85 per pupil based on local tax revenues, and San Dieguito Union High got an additional $111 per student. In all, thirteen districts received less than $200 per student in additional funding. For per-pupil figures, the Institute examined excess tax districts with at least 500 students average daily attendance. A bill that aims to clarify district financials and simplify school funding is making its way through the state legislature. The bill, AB-18, would base funding on the needs of a district, rather than outdated spending formulas. Torlakson said he is in favor of the legislation. “I think a wiser way to go is to look at the increase in revenues that come back in to the state budget and differentially target those increased revenues towards the districts that are at the low end of the totem pole,” he said. State and local education officials have known about the inequities created by basic aid districts, but have been at a loss for what to do about them. They’ve cut funding to the districts twice. The 2009-2010 cuts totaled $104 million. According to the independent Legislative Analyst’s office, the state has the power to redistribute funds among districts within a county. But Torlakson said that’s not the solution. “That’s just going to create turmoil and conflict between legislators from different regions of the state and between school districts in different regions of the state,” he said. Wild Pigs and we ain't talking Weinergate; ABC News investigates San Diego County feral pigs and gthe people who would kill them...
(ABC News this week produced an interesting look at the feral pigs of San Diego County. Story by CHRISTINA NG. For more...)
It looks as if San Diego County is far from becoming hog heaven for theferal pigs in the area that potential eradication. With no natural predators and voracious breeding habits, hunters in California cannot keep up with the expanding population of these wild pigs that weigh between 250 and 350 pounds. Even though they are not dangerous to humans, the hefty creatures, with their dark fur and large tusks, are a sight to see. They have also been known to make deep grunting sounds. Many landowners view these pigs as a destructive nuisance. "They tear up property, tear up landscape and tear up habitats," said Andrew Hughan, the public information officer at the California Department of Fish and Game. Now the federal...
BREAKING NEWS 1:30 P.M. - Traffic injuries at Lineo Del Cielo and Calzada Del Bosque, another one at Del Mar Heights Road bringing amublances, injuries and delays... Two traffic collisions are slowing down Rancho Santa Fe traffic and bringing amubulances to the scene to attend to possibly injured parties. The first one is at Linea Del Cielo and Calzada Del Bosque, a prime local driving route from inland areas to the coast, happened around 12:45 p.m. It apprently involves two minors who were driving and collided vehiclesThis is the CHP report as of 1:30 p.m.
The second collision is along Interstate 5, just south of Via de la Valle. Seven or eight vehicles are involved, blocking the car pool lanes. It happened around 1 p.m.
More details, as they become avaliable...
California Dept. of Public Health Issues Administrative Penalties to Five Local Hospitals, including Scripps Memorial Encinitas and La Jolla...
CDPH Issues Administrative Penalties to 12 Hospitals in San Diego County including
Date: 6/2/2011 Number: 11-025 Contact: Al Lundeen (916) 440-7259 SACRAMENTO The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today twelve California hospitals have been assessed administrative penalties after it was determined the facilities’ noncompliance with licensing requirements caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients. Scripps Memorial Hospital – Encinitas, Encinitas, San Diego County. The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the first administrative penalty issued to the hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
Scripps Memorial Hospital – La Jolla, La Jolla, San Diego County. The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its patient care and surgical policies and procedures. This is the second administrative penalty issued to the hospital. The penalty is $75,000.
AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center, Anaheim, Orange County. The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its patient care and surgical policies and procedures. This is the first administrative penalty issued to the hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
San Diego Sheriff's crime report for Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. area, 5/24/2011 - 5/30/2011: 14 local crimes found...
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/region/northcountysandiego For more information, follow the mapping tool above..
Mountain lion sighting at Fairbanks Ranch (sounds familiar?) on May 21, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Patrol says...
Shades of September, another six months, another mountain lion sighting (allegedly) in the Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. area. The Rancho Santa Fe Patrol this week said: "Fairbanks Ranch Security reported that a resident's employee in their community spotted a Mountain Lion on Saturday May 21. It was on a horse ranch near El Apajo and the San Dieguito River area. This is a common area for these animals to be seen." Well, maybe, maybe not. The last mountain lion "sighting" in the area turned out to be a media mirage. As first reported at Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News, it was picked up by EVERY media outlet in San Diego County (without attribution, by the way) and even across Southern California, resulting in a massive media blitz full of sound and fury, signifying... Nothing, d'uh. It turned out to be a "sighting" by a highly unreliable source -- newspaper delivery person -- and was never corroborated.
The Rancho Santa Fe Patrol this week added: "As far as we know, the sighting has not been confirmed by Fish and Game. See earlier posts for precaustions with these animals." Yeah, right, whatever. Just in case you spot a mountain lion though:
If a resident wants to report a sighting or a problem, they can call the Department of Fish and Game at (858) 467-4257. For general information, call (858) 467-4201.
Also, visit the California Department of Fish and Game site: www.keepmewild.org. Free emergency San Diego County ambulance service to cost $400 plus $20 a mile starting June 14...
County supervisors voted unanimously on May 24 to charge people $400 plus $20 a mile to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. this service is free currently. These new fees apply to Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas. Supervisors voted unanimously to impose the fee after officials said it would provide financial stability and ensure continued emergency medical care for residents and visitors. The services are funded by property taxes, special-benefit taxes and non-district resident ambulance transport fees. However, the service area expects to spend $250,000 more than it takes in beginning this year, depleting reserves. Walter Ekard, county chief administration officer, who earns $286,000 per year plus perks -- more than the speaker of the House of Representatives or U. S. Senators earn -- said the proposed fee was well below the average charged by other communities. The other county service area in Santee and Lakeside charges $900 plus $14 per mile.
El Cajon charges $1,184 and $19 per mile while in San Diego it costs $865 plus $13 a mile. Elsewhere, Los Angeles County charges $929 and $15 per mile and Ventura County charges $1,251 and $23 per mile. Ambulance services for Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe and parts of Elfin Forest are provided by San Diego Medical Services Enterprise. In most cases, fees and mileage reimbursements come directly from Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance companies.
Monthly healthcare premiums are not projected to increase because the ambulance fee represents a fraction of total health care costs. Last year, the service area’s citizen advisory committee supported establishing the resident fee. The ordinance is scheduled for adoption on June 14, and would take effect 30 days later. BREAKING NEWS 4:30 P.M. - WONDERING ABOUT I-5 TRAFFIC HASSLES IN NORTH COUNTY SAN DIEGO, CALIF. HERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY.
A series of small fires charred brush along northbound Interstate 5 near Manchester Avenue on Monday afternoon, casting clouds of smoke over the freeway and forcing authorities to close a lane briefly as firefighters doused the blazes. Firefighters responded to reports of three or four small fires burning on a hill near the freeway about 2:30 p.m., a NorthComm dispatcher said.
Fire causes were not immediately known. Also holding up traffic was this accident, according to CHP:
San Diego Sheriff's crime report for Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. area 5/16/2011 - 5/21/2011: 13 local crimes found
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/region/northcountysandiego For more information, follow the mapping tool above...
Soap opera continues at Whispering Palms, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. now playing in EIR form at San Dieguito Planning Group on June 9. Whispering Palms soap opera continues due to play out, or act out depending on one's viewpoint -- This time before the San Dieguito Planning Group following an appearance at Vista Superior Court...
The latest: Cavanaugh's environmental impact report for the project, attached here in pdf form. Interested parties have until June 15 to tell planners what the heck they think.
The Wild Wild West of Deadwood and Dodge City had nothing on Whispering Palms. Perhaps a Joseph Heller screenplay with a splash of Thomas Pynchon novel tossed in the mix could do the place justice. Move over Peyton Place, Pine Valley and Port Charles. Whispering Palms is in da house. And this time, there’s no Erica Kane on a forklift to clear the way. In the latest chapter of 'As Whispering Palms Burns,' Vista Superior Court Judge Earl H. Maas III ruled controversial Whispering Palms developer Richard Cavanaugh's long-desired mixed-use project at the vacant 4.3-acre lot at the community's entrance had to go back to ye olde drawing board. Prompted by a 2007 lawsuit from Whispering Palms residents at odds with Cavanaugh, Maas ruled the project lacked a full environmental impact report, despite the project's approval by San Diego County Supervisors. Maas found the traffic impact section of the report to be inadequate. Cavanaugh's attorney Wayne Bechtel said the developer would prepare that report although the previous report was done properly.
Cavanaugh’s proposal to develop the final 4.3-acre open space parcel at the community’s only entrance/exit includes a mixed-use commercial center featuring 9,600-square-feet of retail space, 19,500-square-feet of office space and 54 apartments, each 900-square-feet. Before the mixed-use proposal, Cavanaugh sought to build an assisted living facility at the vacant lot raising the community's wrath and opposition. County officials rejected this concept. The property as now constituted represents a prominent eyesore dating back to the inception of the development in the mid-1960s. The parcel has been zoned commercial for quite a while. All Cavanaugh lacks is that environmental report which will allow him to secure a grading permit before he can proceed. Well, a grading permit and the cooperation of Whispering Palms residents who threaten noisy opposition and litigation should he proceed with plans. Not that residents oppose development of that hallowed piece of empty ground. Indeed, they want it to become something useful and attractive in the worst way. There’s just this Cavanaugh thing. Residents say he promised a smaller commercial development at Palma de la Reina with fewer, larger homeowner-owned condominiums rather than his proposed rental apartments. Cavanaugh says whatever he proposes will be opposed by residents because they hate him. Although the judge focused on traffic impacts in his ruling, Brechtel said the environmental impact report will have to address all aspects of the project, along with public comments. That draft report was submitted to the San Dieguito Planning Group and will be considered June 9, 2011. Scenes from a San Diego County Wildland Training Exercise at Lake Hodges, Calif. DAY 2..
A little rain didn't dampen the spirits of hundreds of firefighters from 28 San Diego County fire agencies on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 as they concluded annual wildland training at Lake Hodges, Calif.
And for some bonus coverage...
...Dial it up. Fire training exercise over, the lake re-opens to fishing on Wednesday. PLUS BONUS COVERAGE OF 'THE ACCIDENT' AT THE LAKE...Featuring the Del Dios Bicycle Players.
As fortune - bad - would have it, a bicyclist suffered a fall at the right place with hundreds of EMTs around.
So, as an added busines we bring your photos from 'The Accident' as well.
Last but least, the lake as it stands Monday, May 16, 2011
Enjoy? MORE WILDLAND TRAINING FROM LAKE HODGES, DEL DIOS, CALIF...
Like I was saying, its the annual Wildland Training Day at Lake Hodges and about 100 engine companies along with numerous batallion chiefs and firefighting apparatus, and about a half-dozen fire suppression non-stealth helicopters trained all day Monday at the lake.
They came from every firefighting agency in San Diego County for the hootenanny at the lake.
It was a fun day for all what with seminars, hands-on training and well, sitting around in fire engines all day. Warning: Arsonists Beware, Stay Away from Lake Hodges Monday for the Lake is Fire-Training or Something...
All of San Diego County's fire agencies turned out in force on Monday for the annual meeting of the clans. Well, the annual wildfire exercise. And what place more appropriate than at the Del Dios Fire Station and Lake Hodges where the 2007 Witch Creek Fire was brought to its knees and vanquished.
Agencies, along with all available firefighting helcopters, spent the day doing stuff around the lake. This included wildfire training seminars at the station as well as hands-on fire suppression and safety drills at the lake. Anyone who was stranded around Lake Hodges due to, I dunno, having a crappy Toyota RAV 4 transmission, were just plain out of luck, but we digress...
....Enjoy! San Diego Sheriff's crime report for 5/9/2011 - 5/15/2011: 11 local crimes found...
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/region/northcountysandiego For more information, follow the mapping tool above....
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