November 2020

Donald Trump, Rebecca Jones deny COVID

Donald Trump says his use of social media, countering what he calls fake news, made him president. This morning, as I watched the DOW sink by more than 900 points (so much for his recovering economy), I came upon President Tweet’s latest rant: “Covid, Covid, Covid is the unified chant of the Fake News Lamestream Media. They will talk about nothing else until November 4th,…


SD County slips to COVID purple tier limits

After posting a case rate of more than 7 cases per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks, the state is placing San Diego County in the Purple Tier, the most restrictive level of its system that limits activities based on risk of spreading COVID-19. The County’s case rate increased to 7.4, then 8.9 over the past two weeks; therefore, the region must stop indoor operations…


Coffee grower brewing San Marcos success

San Diego County agriculture is well-known for citrus and avocados. Kyle Rosa is counting on coffee joining this list. Rosa, owner of Bluetail Coffee Grove, started growing coffee on a 2.5-acre farm in San Marcos last year. After 15 years in the finance industry, Rosa and his wife moved from San Francisco to start their new venture. The new farmer quickly turned to the Vallecitos…


San Onofre radioactive waste storage dust-up

The decommissioning of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) has been riddled with controversies since it was shuttered in 2013, undermining public confidence in Southern California Edison’s management of highly radioactive nuclear waste which will be stored on-site for the foreseeable future. In 2018 for example, a whistleblower exposed how a 54-ton canister loaded with radioactive waste nearly plummeted 18 feet because of a design flaw…


Pot wins big across county, state ballots

Election Day not only ushered in marijuana legalization wins in five states, it also brought more than two dozen victories at the city and county levels in California, opening the door to new local markets for cannabis businesses up and down the state. All told, there were at least 37 marijuana ballot questions in 35 cities and counties, according to tallies by California NORML and…


Duncan Hunter to report to prison on Jan. 4

Former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Vapeville) will serve his 11-month sentence at Federal Correctional Institute La Tuna at Anthony Texas, starting Jan. 4 according to his attorney Devin Burstein. The ex-congressman of the California’s 50th District, pled guilty in December 2019 to a federal conspiracy charge of misusing campaign funds with a sum excess of $150,000, and was sentenced in March 2020 to 11 months in…


CSUSM social justice symposium went virtual

Daniela Carreon had been preparing for several months for the second Social Justice Symposium at Cal State San Marcos last spring when the coronavirus crisis began to disrupt nearly every aspect of daily life in the United States and beyond.   The SJS was scheduled for March 24, but it was canceled only days before as the rapid spread of COVID-19 made large events held in person unfeasible….


San Diego Food Vision 2030 re-imagines

The San Diego Food System Alliance (SDFSA) invites San Diego County residents to provide input as they develop the final set of strategies for Food Vision 2030. After a robust community engagement process earlier this summer, SDFSA has developed a short survey for residents to select strategies that are most important to them and their communities. Food Vision 2030 is a bold, 10-year plan and movement to cultivate a…


North County regional conservation plan

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a draft version of a North County region conservation plan. The board voted to receive the revised North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan, which according to the Parks and Recreation Department would provide the greatest environmental benefits. Along with preserving open space, the goals of the North County plan are to protect water resources, create…


RSF Golf Club course looks at renovation

Acclaimed golf course architect David McClay-Kidd, creator of the original course at Oregon’s Bandon Dunes Resort, will be called upon to develop construction documents for a proposed renovation of the Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) Golf Club course, the Rancho Santa Fe Review reported. The Rancho Santa Fe Association board approved the $165,000 expenditure to hire McClay-Kidd. The board’s October 1 vote was not a green…