San Diego News Link

A small brush fire near Scripps Ranch High School broke out Tuesday afternoon. The fire which was originally reported at 2:43 p.m. was completely extinguished before it threatened any homes. The fire consumed a total of 2 acres to the east of Scripps Ranch blvd.
San Diego Fire and Rescue department spokesperson Maurice Luquesaid said the fire scourched a field between Hoyt Park Drive and Canyon Lake Drive before Firefighters and a San Diego Fire Department helicopter halted the blaze.

The San Diego City Attorney’s office announced that it is looking for homeowners who were charged in advance for unfulfilled loan modification services by Nations Mortgage Solutions, whose owner, Christopher Dixon was recently prosecuted.
Apparently homeowners were charged between $1,000 and $3,000 up front for loan modifications which were completed. Requiring payment prior to services being performed is a violation of state law according to City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. “Homeowners seeking such help should never pay for such a service until the person offering modification services has completed the work promised.” Goldsmith said.
Nations Mortgage Solutions owner Christopher Dixon was ordered to pay $6,500 in restitution to victim involved in the court case. City prosecutors believe that there may be additional victims as yet unidentified. Dixon could be liable for restitution to victims who come forward within 60 days Goldsmith said.

Over 25 thousand runners from all 50 states and over 23 countries participated in the Dodge Rock’n’Roll Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. Thousands of spectators lined the 26.2 mile scenic route that began at Balboa Park and ended at Sea World.

Many Rock’n’Roll marathoners ran in crazy get-ups ranging from Elvis costumes to Tutus and Superman Capes. They ran to prove they could, to raise funds, to remember friends, and many to compete. San Diego held the first Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon 14 years ago to give a light hearted twist to the hard core competition of running 26.2 miles. Since then the event has grown each year and other cities throughout the country have begun holding Rock ‘n’ Roll marathons of their own. This year some 45 bands performed at the event.

Ethiopia’s Terfa Negari won the men’s marathon in 2:11:18 and the women’s winner, Buzunesh Deba, ran the fastest women’s marathon time ever in California at 2:23:31. The winners both earned $25,000. Deba collected a $5,000 bonus for setting an event record.

On Thursday La Jolla beaches were hit with a sprinkling of quarter sized tarballs according to Nick Lenma a spokesman for San Diego lifeguards and further north Encinitas Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles reported a few tarballs were spotted last week. The lifeguards reported that there were more than a few people with tar stuck to their feet but by Friday the beaches were apparently clear of the gooey, squishy black bolbs perhaps washed away by the heavy surf.

This of course quickly brought back memories of the tarball invasion of last July and had locals wondering if they would be putting up with the messy blobs again this year.

The exact source of the tarballs experienced last year as well as the recent sightings remains a mystery. Tarballs are globs of solidified petroleum which can be either from natural seepage from the sea floor or from capped off shore wells. Some speculated that last year’s occurance was due to an oil spill but no local oil spills were reported and tests by the Department of Fish and Game determined that the tarballs were naturally occurring. It is likely that some of the tarballs come from the Santa Barbra channel where naturally occurring tar seeps up from the ocean floor and are carried south by the strong currents.

The gooey blobs can be a real mess to clean up. The best way to clean the oily mess from your feet or cloths is to use an oil based solvent followed immediately with soap and water. The best thing is to be aware that tarballs can be on the beach at any time and just keep your eyes peeled.

An old footbridge in North San Diego County’s Fallbrook Land Conservancy that has fallen victim to vandalism has been rebuilt thanks to a Temecula Boy Scout who undertook the repairs as part of an Eagle Scout project.

The bridge which is about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide crosses a small creek at the conservancy. It is a part of the conservancy’s trail system and is used quite a bit said Eagle Scout Michael Morris, the 18 year old Great Oak High School senior who is organizing the project. “The bridge had been destroyed by vandals” said Morris and “the main side railings had been ripped off which damaged almost the entire bridge, and they started to tear away at the floorboards.”

Morris, the Troop 833 Scout took on the project in January after obtaining donations of wood and other materials from local hardware stores and meeting with the carpenter to determine the scope of work to be performed. Morris and the volunteer workers he recruited started by tearing down what remained of the old footbridge, then they completely re-built the bridge paying special attention to securing everything tightly so vandals could not destroy the bridge again.

“Some people stopped and talked to us as we worked” said Morris. They said they were “really sad about what happened to the bridge” and “they were glad we were [rebuilding] it.”

Morris said that finishing the Eagle Scout project “felt good” and thanks to the completed project, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout last April. Morris said of the project “It was a very rewarding experience. I learned how to deal with big companies and I learned how to become a better leader.”

Michael Morris plans to attend Drury University and then medical school and then “work my way up to becoming a cardiac surgeon.”

Police say that a man and his wife and two daughters found dead last week in the Paradise Hills area of San Diego apparently planned their murder-suicide. This is according to notes left in the home pointing to the involvement of the mother and father said Lt. Ernest Herbert. The notes indicated the family was experiencing financial problems and detailed how they wanted their possessions distributed as well as funeral arrangements.

The bodies of the father and both daughters were found in the backyard swimming pool while the mother’s was found in a bath tub inside the house. Police have identified the family as Alfredo Pimienta 44, His wife Georgina and their daughters Priscilla 17, and Emily 9.

Apparently Alfredo Pimienta had called someone early Tuesday morning May 24, to come to his home to discuss business matters. When the person arrived, he discovered the bodies and called police. It was initially believed that the family had drowned but the official cause of death has not yet been determined pending the results of toxicology tests authorities said.

The family had lived in the rented home for over a year. Friends and relatives said there was no indication that anything like this was imminent. The family got along well with themselves and neighbors. The daughters would play with others in the neighborhood and Priscilla 17 was planning to attend college and looking forward to her prom.

A medical marijuana dispensary will soon be open for business in an unincorporated portion of San Diego County. The new medical marijuana cooperative is expected to be the first to open under very strict rules adopted by the County Board of Supervisors in June of 2010. The ordinance prohibits the co-ops from operating within 1000 feet from parks, churches, schools, private residences, libraries or other medical marijuana facilities. With all of the restrictions written into the ordinance medical marijuana advocates felt the restrictions amounted to a de facto ban on marijuana co-ops.

The county was effectively forced to create the highly restrictive ordinance because in 2009 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal stemming from a 2006 case brought by San Diego and San Bernardino counties against the State of California. In the suit county officials argued that federal law making marijuana illegal should take precedence over the passage of State Proposition 215 in 1996 which legalized marijuana for patients with doctor’s recommendation.

Even with all of the ordinance restrictions, the co-op’s owner Bob Reidel was able to find a compliant location to set up shop. “I don’t even know how to describe how huge this is for the people who need this medicine” Reidel said. “Finding the location was the hardest part.”

The facility at 8157 Wing Ave. is located in an unincorporated part of El Cajon near Gillespie Field. When completed the facility will have a dispensing area, a cultivation area and a meeting area for the East County Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy organization.

San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob whose district includes the area where the co-op is located said she was disappointed the shop was opening. County Supervisor Bill Hom said “I have always maintained that federal law makes the cultivation, distribution and use of marijuana for any purpose illegal.” But with the refusal of the Supreme Court to hear the County’s case, the county is obligated to follow state law.

Calling all area green conscious citizens to the fifth annual Encinitas Environmental Day Fair this coming Sunday June 5 from 10 am to 4 pm at Cottonwood Part in Encinitas.

There will be live music, more than 50 eco-vendors, a mini film festival, food and more at this event which is scheduled in conjunction with the United Nations World Event day and is expected to draw in excess of 3000 visitors.

Local advocacy groups such as San Diego Surfrider Foundation, Citizens Climate Lobby, and the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy will help educate fairgoers as to how they can help with local conservation issues.

Five years ago when local volunteer Bob Nanninga started the event along with the City of Encinitas vendors and other fair participants were hard to find. Now the green movement has gone mainstream creating an abundance of interesting vendors from solar energy vendors to Rancho Bernardo based electric bicycle manufacturer Helix Electric Bikes. Sandy Atkinson, director of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, event co-host, said she’s not surprised to see more vendors and attendees, at the event. “We are seeing a constant increase in the number of people trying to do the right thing,” said Atkinson.

For more information on this event please go to www.eeday.org.

Beautiful weather and a sense of patriotism brought thousands to San Diego County beaches and to Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday.

The otherwise cold and gloomy weather leading up to Memorial day cleared in time for a near perfect day Monday and lifeguards reported crowded beaches from Oceanside to Imperial Beach. Larger than normal surf kept many beach goers out of the water though resulting in fewer than normal ocean rescues.

Despite the sunny weather many were spending the day remembering the sacrifices of military men and women at ceremonies throughout San Diego County and privately. With San Diego’s large number of Navy and Marine veterans it’s little wonder that local Memorial Day Services were crowded with local residents paying their respects to local comrades and loved ones.

One such ceremony was at Webb Lake in Rancho Bernardo which was sponsored by the Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial Association. There were so many in attendance that there were not enough programs for all of the guests said retired Navy Commander Thomas Lettington of VFW Post 7766.

For many Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor those who lost their lives in service to our country. It’s also an opportunity to honor those who are fighting today.

Stories of just such men and women fight in Afghanistan were relayed by guest speaker Brig. Gen. Joseph Osterman, assistant division commander of the 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton who in March completed a year-long tour. In just one year his command lost 149 Marines and soldiers from England and Georgia.

Days like today serve as a sobering reminder that we have been at war for nearly ten years and we still have troops in harms’ way. Events like those throughout the county on Memorial Day help us to remember why we enjoy the freedoms we do.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the San Diego Unified School District on Monday May 16 claiming that administrators at La Jolla High School illegally erased political messages in support of anti-government protestors in Iran last February. Members of the school’s Persian Club painted the messages “Freedom for Iran” and “Down with Dictator” on senior benches historically used as an open forum of expression. Within hours campus administrators erased the messages claiming that only messages expressing school spirit are allowed.
The ACLU’s lawsuit contends that there had been no previously established standard of expression, and that the standard applied to justify erasing these particular messages presents an unconstitutional curtailment of free speech. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and hopes to cause the school to allow the benches to be used by all students who wish to exercise free speech in the future. Kevin Keenan, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties said “These benches have been a glorious forum for free speech at La Jolla High for years. And unless the messages are obscene, libelous or slanderous, they should be allowed under the law.”
The ACLU stated they tried to resolve the issue with the district prior to filing the lawsuit but the district was uncooperative.