The Coast News ELECTIO RESULT N thecoas S AT: tnews.c
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 7, N0. 23
INLAND EDITION
.com NOV. 11, 2022
Vista fire chief exits on heels of city manager
A SALUTE TO SERVICE
Vander Pol laments department culture By Laura Place
“No matter what they did, at one time, they stepped up and put on the uniform to defend this country. And that’s what we’re honoring.” The Patriot Guard has a code for attending military funerals. First, the group must be invited to attend a funeral by members of the decedent’s immediate family. No politics. Every mission is led by a designated ride captain, who interfaces with the family, church, ceme-
VISTA — Vista Fire Chief Ned Vander Pol has retired from his post just weeks after the city manager's departure, throwing City Hall deeper into a state of uncertainty while also offering city administration a chance to try out a new department head hiring policy. Vander Pol’s last day was Nov. 2, wrapping up a three-year tenure as fire chief and 23 years overall in the department. He submitted his retirement notice to city leaders on Oct. 13, the same VANDER POL day that former City Manager Patrick Johnson submitted his resignation letter. In the letter, Vander Pol notes that he is pursuing a position with another fire department and indicates that severe strife among department staff had led him to depart. Vander Pol described opposition from department members to his goals to “support a fire department where people were safe emotionally and physically and safe to grow personally and professionally” and to “feel happy and authentic in their lives inside and outside of work.” “I have lost hope that a unified, collaborative, and happy [Vista Fire Department] can exist. I believed that I could influence a change in the interpersonal atmosphere putting an end to the civil war that has plagued the generations before me,” Vander Pol's letter reads. “I realize now that
TURN TO RIDERS ON 6
TURN TO FIRE CHIEF ON 16
TODAY IS VETERANS DAY: Above, a U.S. Marine Corps recruit with Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, low crawls during the Crucible last month at Camp Pendleton. The Crucible is a 54-hour culminating event consisting of mentally and physically demanding challenges with limited food and sleep. Stories of service on Pages 5-6. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anthony D. Pio
SoCal Patriot Guard Riders on mission to honor fallen By Jordan P. Ingram
REGION — Born from a Kansas group of motorcycle-riding veterans whose roaring engines drowned out Westboro Baptist Church’s attempts to disrupt military funerals, the Southern California Patriot Guard Riders continue the ride to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in North County San Diego and beyond. The Patriot Guard Riders, which consists of 450,000 veteran and civilian volunteers nationwide, has branches across the
United States. Last year, members of the Southern California Patriot Guard Riders group attended more than 600 funerals of service members and first responders (or “missions”) and will likely exceed that number this year, according to Army veteran Lorenzo Lizarraga, a regional ride captain for the SoCal group covering San Diego, Los Angeles, Imperial and PATRIOT GUARD members stand at attention during a fu- Riverside counties. “We’ve never turned neral service in Oceanside. The regional group of veteran and civilian volunteers honors fallen service members down a mission,” Lizarraand first responders. Photo by Jordan P. Ingram ga told The Coast News.
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