The Coast News INLAND EDITION
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 10, N0. 16
AUG. 4, 2023
SANDAG CEO sets Dec. exit
Years later, hotel foes win again
By Laura Place
Plot near Vale View becoming city park
REGION — Hasan Ikhrata is resigning from the top job at the San Diego Association of Governments, he announced on Friday. Ikhrata, who has been a divisive figure in his role as SANDAG chief executive officer, stated in a letter to Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas his last day will be Dec. 29. “I came to SANDAG almost five years ago to reinvigorate this organization and reimagine a brighter future for the San Diego region,” Ikhrata said in the letter to Vargas. “Together, with you and the amazing SANDAG team, we have done just that, tackling long-standing issues such as transit to the airport, the falling Del Mar Bluffs, building a third crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the need for free TURN TO SANDAG ON 7
By Steve Puterski
HEALTH CARE WORKERS participate in a demonstration by OPEIU Local 30 on July 26 outside of Kaiser Permanente’s new San Marcos hospital on Craven Road. Workers say that the high cost of living has led to staffing shortages at Kaiser facilities, causing burnout among employees and decreased quality of care for their patients. Story on Page 5. Photo by Laura Place
SD Poet Laureate awarded national fellowship By Laura Place
Photo by Samantha Nelson
Hollywood ending After a push by city staff, Escondido’s only movie theater will remain open. 3
SAN MARCOS — A Cal State San Marcos professor has been awarded a prestigious $50,000 Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. Jason Magabo Perez, an associate professor and director of ethnic studies entering his fifth year at the university, was one of 23 individuals selected last week for the nationwide fellowship. He was selected in January as San Diego’s 2023-24 poet laureate. “I am grateful for the
affirmation and honored by the support and encouragement from the Academy of American Poets in helping us continue to build upon the empowering histories and brilliant communities of poetry and art in San Diego,” Perez said. “I look forward to dreaming up possibilities for such work in San Diego, at CSUSM, and beyond.” During his fellowship, Perez will launch a youth empowerment poetry project focused on poetry, per-
JASON MAGABO PEREZ is an associate professor and director of ethnic studies at Cal State San Marcos. He was named San Diego Poet Laureate in January. Photo courtesy CSUSM
VISTA — Years after residents blocked a proposed hotel on a vacant parcel along Matagual Drive near the Vale View neighborhood, the City Council on June 27 opted to buy the land with plans to build a public park on the 2.5-acre lot. The city agreed to purchase the property at 536 Matagual Drive for $2.1 million from Thomas, Julian and Selena Shadle, who accepted the city’s discounted offer after initially asking $3 million. The deal was contingent upon the land being used as a park, allowing kids to play and the public to enjoy and beautify the area. “People just really wanted to make sure that I knew that they really wanted to turn it into a park or something more beneficial to the city or community as a whole,” Councilman Dan O’Donnell said. “I told them I couldn’t make any promises, but I would try really hard to turn it into a park. I asked them if they would be open to selling it to the city. Julian (Shadle) said, ‘A long time ago, my dad said this would be a beautiful spot for a park.’” The deal is expected to close in August. At that time, the city will hire a
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