Community news for the rest of us

People, but mainly PR agents, send stuff all the time to our e-mail account. Sometimes we publish, many times we don’t because, you know, that’s how we roll.

When PR agents, known in old-time journo lingo as “flacks,” send us material, we send them back our ad rates, which are $100 a month for sidebar ads, $200 a month for banner ads below the top of the page and $300 a month for top of the page banners.

Flacks have sent us dozens of daily e-mails for four years. They have never bought an ad.

The questions we would pose to them: Do you think local news coverage can be done well for free, with no money? How much money do you get paid? Why don’t your clients support community news outlets with a small percentage of what they pay flacks to shill for them? Why is there a disconnect between supporting legitimate community news sources that tell it straight as opposed to corporate liars, sleazy non-journalists posing as journalists. (For the record, the only two legitimate independent news sources in North County San Diego are The Escondido Grapevine and North Coast Current.)

Instead, we say nothing, because we’re too busy finding and disseminating factual, interesting and relevant local news, then getting it out there good and fast.

We also don’t publish 90 percent of what the PR people send us, maybe even less. So, it’s also a bad deal for their clients; for-profit, public interest or whatever.

Some community groups and individuals send us information as well. We more gently chastise them that we would love to be able to devote ourselves to full-time, devil may care, publishing of their items. However, community news shouldn’t be considered a gift from heaven dropped miraculously into your local news consumer’s laps either. Community groups need to support us so we can support them.

OK, you can send us all the e-mails you want and not support us. That’s fine. Delete, delete, delete. Or you can step up and support us for the good of the community and quality presentation of your information, which helps you more than it helps us. We’re never hurting for stories.

What follows is a sampling of the community information we’ve been sent recently and deemed important enough to retain in the Escondido Grapevine e-mail account, but not published because, you know, everybody thinks they should get community news delivered free because they’re just entitled to it while they all work jobs and don’t do it for free.

Enjoy. And do the right thing if you want us to make enough time to get all the community news out there and just not what we have time to do.

“Mind if I have a look-see when you’re done?”
— By Ray!

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Home Start Board of Directors

Hello,

I wanted to follow up with you to see if you’d be sharing more information about Home Start’s new Board of Directors President with your readers. Please let me know if you’d like more details.

Thanks!

Dayla

From: Dayla Cogley
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 9:57 AM
To: escondidograpevine@gmail.com
Subject: Escondido Resident Elected President of Home Start Board of Directors

Hello,

Home Start Inc. has elected long-time volunteer and former board vice president, Cameron Clarke, as its new Board of Directors president. Cameron has played a significant role in advancing Home Start’s mission to prevent child abuse and strengthen families in San Diego. Cameron has volunteered with Home Start for four years, supports Home Start donation drives and events, and served on the Marketing and Audit Committees, as well as the Philanthropy committee.

Are you interested in sharing this news with your readers? Below, I have included the press release with more details about Cameron and his experience with Home Start, as well as a headshot. Please let me know if you would like additional information.

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Charity Brant of YMCA Outreach To Speak at Anti-Trafficking Collaborative

July 18, 2019—Soroptimist International of Vista and North County Inland will host the North County Anti-Human Trafficking Collaborative meeting on Thursday, September 5th, 2019 at 9 a.m., at United Methodist Church of Vista, 490 S. Melrose Ave., Vista. The event is free to the public, and coffee and pastries will be provided.

Our guest speaker is Charity Brant, YMCA Outreach Coordinator, Youth And Family Services, Transitional Housing Development. This outreach offers innovative, effective programming in a safe and welcoming space for young adults experiencing homelessness in North County San Diego through street outreach, drop-in centers, housing, family finding, and therapy.

The North San Diego County Anti-Human Trafficking Collaborative is a Program of Service of Soroptimist International of Vista and North County Inland in partnership with United Methodist Church of Vista. The Collaborative is a diverse group of individuals and community organizations committed to eliminate human trafficking and modern day slavery. Our mission is to raise awareness of human trafficking, provide a platform to share information, improve services, educate ourselves and the public, and advocate for policy and legislation related to human trafficking. Our Collaborative Meetings are held bi-monthly on the first Thursday of the month from 9 am to 10:30 am in the at the Church’s Fellowship Hall (lower level) at 490 S. Melrose Drive, Vista. Admission is free and all are welcome. Visit https://sivistaantitrafficking.wordpress.com/ 

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Press Release — Contact Information

Hello,

My name is Kaitlin Krzyminski and I am with the Roni Hicks marketing agency. I am looking for the best contact at the Escondido Grapevine to distribute a press release to regarding a groundbreaking for a new community in Valley Center.

If you would please provide me with the email address of the best contact to send the press release to, that would be great.

Thank you,

Kaitlin Krzyminski

Account Coordinator
RONI HICKS 
10590 West Ocean Air Drive, SUITE 150
SAN DIEGO, CA 92130
P 858.947.2700

M 808.741.7598
RONIHICKS.com

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Touchstone Communities Launches 632 Home Community in San Diego County

Hello,

My name is Ellen Wong and I’m sending you this news release on behalf of Touchstone Communities.

We had a fantastic groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to launch the Park Circle community. We wanted to give you the full scoop and hope you help us spread the word!

Full release, renderings, and photography are available at the link below.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7nkcknbq9f1zl7z/AAAIU2pmSBhy8oztxcqk27yla?dl=0

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Ellen Wong

Account Supervisor/Digital Services Manager
RONI HICKS 
10590 WEST OCEAN AIR DR, SUITE 150
SAN DIEGO, CA 92130
P 858.947.2700

M 858.883.6976
RONIHICKS.com

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SD Supervisors to Consider Development in HIgh Fire Risk Zone

Dear Margaret:

(EDITOR’S NOTE: WHO THE HELL IS MARGARET?)

I’m writing to call your attention to an important hearing that will be held by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors this Wednesday, June 26^th. The Board will determine whether to approve a proposal to build a dangerously irresponsible housing development in a high fire-risk area near Jamul, located about 25 miles inland from the City of San Diego. Several non-profit conservation organizations, including Endangered Habitats League, Sierra Club San Diego and the Center for Biological Diversity, have registered strenuous objections to this proposed development, pointing to the threat it poses to life and property for current and future residents.

Dan Silver, CEO of Endangered Habitats League, and Peter Andersen, Jamul resident and chair of Sierra Club San Diego, will be available to speak with the media about this proposed development on Wednesday.

Media Availability

Who:     Dan Silver of Endangered Habitats League and Peter Andersen of Sierra Club San Diego

What:   Available for interviews re: proposed Village 14 Development

When:   June 26^th, 12:00-12:30 pm

Where: Steps at East (Main) Entrance of County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway

San Diego, CA 92101

If you are unable to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting but would like to learn more, please see the press release below. Feel free to contact Dan and Peter directly, or to contact me for assistance with arranging interviews.

Thank you,

Nina

Nina Erlich-Williams, Public Good PR

510-336-9566, Cell: 415-577-1153

nina@publicgoodpr.com

For Immediate Release

June 24, 2019

Contact

Nina Erlich-Williams, Public Good PR

nina@publicgoodpr.com, C: 415-577-1153

Dan Silver, Endangered Habitats League, 213-804-2750

Peter Andersen, Sierra Club San Diego, 619-857-4233

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Russian Ballet Theatre in Escondido / collaboration

Hi,

My name is Sasha, I am writing to you on behalf of Russian Ballet Theatre. 

We will be performing Swan Lake at the California Center for the Arts (Escondido) on September 19. 

We are reaching out to you to discuss possible info collaborations. We would be grateful, if you could share info about the event in your resources, we could come up with giveaways, or contests. 

We will be happy to provide you with a special promo code that would allow your audience

If you have an event coming up – we could have your flyers inserted in our programs at the show.

Please let me know, if we can discuss further. 

Here is our tour official website: https://russianballettheatre.com/

Thank you!

Kindly,

Sasha

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Printmaking Lecture by Oliver Dewey-Gartner at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum!

Escondido, CA. – July 19, 2019 — The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum is pleased to announce a printmaking lecture by Gemini G.E.L etching-printmaker, Oliver Dewey-Gartner

Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 1:00 PM in the Museum

Join etching-printmaker, Oliver Dewey-Gartner of Gemini G.E.L Los Angeles, for his lecture Timeless Techniques of the Multiple.

Learn about the various techniques of printmaking used by Edgar Degas and how those processes continue to inform and inspire contemporary artists.

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California State Census Awards $3.2M to “Count Me 2020 Coalition” and SANDAG to Reach Hard to Count Communities in San Diego and Imperial Counties

SAN DIEGO (April 1, 2019) – The California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office has awarded two major contracts, totaling $3.22 million, to coordinate Census 2020 outreach for “hard to count” populations in San Diego and Imperial Counties. A complete and accurate count is essential to ensure federal, state and county dollars are adequately distributed to our local communities, as well as to determine future congressional seats….

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News from University of Utah

For more information contact: Annalisa Purser, associate director, University of Utah Communications, 801-581-7295, annalisa.purser@utah.edu

Local Students Graduate from University of Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (07/23/2019)– The University of Utah congratulates 8,465 students who recieved their academic degrees on May 2, 2019. The following local students earned degrees:

Andrew Greetis of VALLEY CENTER, CA, graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

Nicole Matz of Valley Center, CA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology

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Actually, there is even more, but you catch our drift. Support us and we’ll support you. Don’t support us and we’ll support community news we find more interesting, factual and relevant to the community.

Also Aswell and Curtis Cottrell in full cosmic ray suits and deflecting shopping cart./The Grapevine