The Coast News INLAND EDITION
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 10, N0.15
JULY 21, 2023
Swim school settles suit for $40,000
San Marcos city manager put on leave
Instructor’s trial set for Sept. 27 after new delay
By Laura Place
SAN MARCOS — In a closed session meeting on July 7, the San Marcos City Council voted to place longtime City Manager Jack Griffin on paid administrative leave. Griffin has been city manager since 2012, with a contract extension through 2026. City officials have not deter mined if he will be paid his approximately GRIFFIN $232,000 salary until then. Mayor Rebecca Jones and council members Ed Musgrove and Mike Sannella carried the decision on a 3-2 vote, according to city spokesperson Tess Sangster. “Details regarding the decision will not be shared publicly as it involves a personnel matter,” Sangster said. The council unanimously appointed Assistant City Manager Michelle Bender as acting city manager.
See list of winners on 18-19
By Laura Place
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with a long, distinguished history that I hope will continue to serve the San Diego community for generations to come. Our intention now is to focus on the ongoing work of transforming the L.A. Times into a self-sustaining institution. Our hometown of Los Angeles and the state of California – really, the West Coast – needs a strong, independent news organization. We believe in the L.A. Times and are committed to its future.” But news of the sale has
VISTA — The jury trial for a former swim instructor charged with sexually abusing young children in North County has been delayed to September, while a separate civil case against Callan Swim School, where the instructor worked, has been settled for $40,000. Defendant Nicholas Piazza, 20, was scheduled to go to trial on July 11 following a delay from May. At a hearing last month, attorneys agreed that delaying the trial again to Sept. 27 would allow attorneys on both sides to more thoroughly prepare, said Deputy District Attorney Isaac Jackson. “Both sides discussed that that’s a realistic time when everyone will be ready. We want to make sure everyone has time to do a full investigation, retain experts, and then there’s the matter of court availability,” said Jackson, who is prosecuting the case. A readiness hearing has also been scheduled for Aug. 8. Piazza is facing charges for “lewd and lascivious conduct” with three children aged five and seven while working as a swim instructor in 2021 and 2022. The first of these incidents occurred in 2021 while Piazza was a swim instructor at Callan Swim School in San Marcos and
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Pitcher Kyle Carr was one of three players with San Marcos and Palomar College ties selected in last week’s MLB draft. Carr, a San Marcos High School graduate, was taken in the third round by the New York Yankees. Sports on Page 9. Palomar College Athletics photo/Cara Heise
Hedge fund buys San Diego Union-Tribune By Jordan P. Ingram
REGION — After five years of ownership, billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong has sold the San Diego Union-Tribune to an affiliate of Denver-based newspaper publisher MediaNews Group for an undisclosed sum, according to company emails. Soon-Shiong and his family will maintain ownership of the Los Angeles Times, per media reports. MediaNews Group, formerly Digital First Media, is owned by Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge
fund and the second-largest newspaper owner behind Gannett. Chris Argentieri, president and COO of California Times, once the parent company of both the Los Angeles Times and Union-Tribune, confirmed the sale in an internal July 10 email obtained by The Coast News. “As of this afternoon, we have completed the transaction to sell The San Diego Union-Tribune to an affiliate of MediaNews Group (MNG),” Argentieri wrote to Union-Tribune employees. “For all of us who remain
with the California Times, we will continue focusing on building a prosperous future for the Los Angeles Times.” The email also included a message from SoonShiong, who had previously denied rumors he was exploring the possible sale of the newspapers in 2021. “Five years later, my family and I remain grateful for the opportunity to work with you at both the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune,” Soon-Shiong wrote in the email. “The Union-Tribune is a great news organization
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