The Coast News INLAND EDITION
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 10, N0. 12
JUNE 9, 2023
Local officials urge more on homelessness By Steve Puterski
BIRD OF PLAY
Among the entertainment options at this year’s San Diego County Fair, which opened Wednesday, is Nancy Riegler, Koalabi the cockatoo and the Camp Squawk-A-Lot Bird Show. The fair runs through July 4 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Story on Page 19. Photo by Laura Place
North City & more: San Marcos leaders look back, ahead at State of Community By Laura Place
SAN MARCOS — San Marcos city and school district leaders gave residents an overview of completed projects and ongoing efforts on May 24 during the annual State of the Community event. Mayor Rebecca Jones and Superintendent Andy Johnsen took the stage at the Civic Center, speaking about the last year’s accomplishments and what’s in the works for the coming months. Jones highlighted the city’s 60 years of history and the ongoing advancement of projects like the North City downtown area, the development of Kaiser Permanente’s San Marcos Medical Center set to open in August and the nearly-completed San Marcos Creek project. Jones reminisced on the city’s genesis in 1963, when it had one stoplight, one grocery store and a popula-
SAN MARCOS Mayor Rebecca Jones speaks at the State of the Community event on May 24 at the Civic Center. Photo by Laura Place
tion of around 1,200. Now, with a population of nearly 100,000, several K-12 and higher education institutions and increased urban development, she said the city is continuing to reach its full potential.
“San Marcos is descending into a new era of its history, but we would be nothing without our past,” Jones said. “I have had the privilege and honor of watching our city come into its own and really come into what it was meant to be. I, for one, am excited to continue the grand journey we have ahead.” The North City development near Cal State San Marcos is around 15% complete as of this year, with the opening of market-rate multifamily housing, student housing projects like North Commons that opened in September, the Mesa Rim Climbing Gym, Draft Republic Brewery, and medical and office spaces. Project developer Sea Breeze Properties also broke ground this year on a 12-story building with over 450 market-rate residenTURN TO SAN MARCOS ON 7
Photo by Samantha Nelson
Orange Glen HS skaters soar
Halim Filares, above, and his Orange Glen teammates won the title of best skate team in the county, taking top honors at the recent National Team Skateboard League finals. 11
Student Ag Farm gets update San Marcos Unified School District cut the ribbon at its renovated Agriculture Farm, where district students can care for livestock in upgraded barn facilities. 3
New hoops coach at CSUSM Oceanside native Nick Booker, most recently on the staff at UC San Diego, was named the new men’s basketball coach at Cal State San Marcos. 7
REGION — Several local officials gathered recently to demand more solutions to better address the underlying causes of homelessness, such as drug addiction and mental illness, in San Diego County and statewide. Supervisor Jim Desmond, Vista Mayor John Franklin, Oceanside Deputy Mayor Ryan Keim, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and Solutions for Change founder Chris Megison held a joint press conference on June 2 in San Diego criticizing the Housing First-only model as failing to adequately deal with the state’s growing unsheltered population. According to Desmond, the state’s homeless population has exploded over the past seven years largely due to Housing First, a low-barrier program that provides permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. Since 2019, homelessness in the Golden State has grown roughly 6% each year. As of 2022, 30% of all people in the United States experiencing homelessness resided in California, including half of all unsheltered people (115,491 in California; 233,832 in the US), according to the Public Policy Institute of California. “Right now, it’s the only tool in the toolbox if you want state or federal dollars to come in and help for the homeless solutions,” Desmond said. “We need many other tools as well. While Housing First works for some, it’s not the panacea that everyone expects it to be. We need to humanely get people into help and programs.” Only nonprofits and local governments using a Housing First model are eligible for state and federal grants. But groups like Solutions for Change that don’t utilize the same model are excluded from those monies and must rely on donations to fund their services and programs. Megison said his nonTURN TO HOMELESSNESS ON 13