Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
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After another insufferable year living under the boot of President Joe Biden’s autocratic administration, our futures have never looked more precarious. War is raging in the Middle East; Ukrainians are hopelessly mired in a battle of attrition with the Russians, and the Chinese Communist Party is threatening to invade Taiwan. Biden is to blame for the rising global hostilities. His aversion to conflict and hesitancy to intervene in world affairs in any meaningful way stems from his financial entanglements with rogue nations ...
Winter is here and here are some clues. Well, for one thing, the best persimmon crop we’ve ever had ripened. Which explains why there is a murder of crows hovering near her treetop for two. And three, her leaves have turned to a rich jewel tone as they lay at her feet like an Arabian carpet. Similar to other world class locales, this village is situated a few balmy degrees above the 30th parallel. Or in sailor speak, due west and south of Gibraltar and the Spanish border, n...
I wanted to update you on the immigration crisis, which continues to overwhelm our Border Patrol agents and cause a major strain on our local resources. Last week, I visited the border and migrant encampments in Jacumba. The chaos continues with dozens of people camped out, waiting for the Border Patrol to take them to a resource center, paid for by county taxpayers. While I was there, I saw a suburban speed towards the fence on the Mexico side, drop off about a dozen people, and rush away. The migrants then walked through...
The third anniversary of Jan. 6 is a solemn reminder that we cannot take our fundamental freedoms for granted, including our right to vote and choose our leaders. Despite the fact that Donald Trump is facing charges for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection and conspiring to overturn the will of voters in 2020, he is still running for president. Too much is at stake for the American people to allow Trump to take back power. Trump is desperately seeking a second term in the hopes of avoiding accountability for his crimes by...
The following is one of my many opinions: it explains why the Republican Party is unfit to lead America. Traditionally, the Republican Party has been the party of those with a conservative worldview. Theirs is a dark view of human nature: They believe people are inherently immoral and lacking self-control; accordingly, society must rely on experience, institutional authority, traditions and rules to maintain social order. The Democratic Party’s platform is consistent with a liberal worldview, which is based on a positive v...
Assemblymember Marie Waldron 75th District Navigating the state’s bureaucracy, even figuring out which agency to contact, can be a big headache. Pointing constituents in the right direction and assisting with state-related issues is an important function of my district office. During 2023, we helped over 400 district residents resolve issues involving state agencies. People are still having problems reaching the Employment Development Department, and last year my district office staff was contacted by over 100 constituents h...
Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones California's 40th Senate District As we reflect on 2023, I’m proud of the number of wins we had this year. Here’s a recap of our top accomplishments: Keeping our communities safe from sexually violent predators: As the state keeps dumping sexually violent predators (SVPs) into our communities, I requested an audit of Liberty Healthcare, the private contractor that oversees the failing SVP program. The audit passed unanimously with bipartisan support. The audit will tell us how Lib...
Assemblymember Marie Waldron 75th District Bills passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor usually go into effect Jan. 1 of the following year. Here are just a few: Business-related laws · California’s hourly minimum wage will increase to $16 for most workers on Jan. 1 and to $20 for fast food workers in April. Wages for healthcare workers will increase gradually to $25 by 2033 · Employers will be prohibited from asking about an employee’s prior or current off-site cannabis use · Employees will now be entitl...
Elizabeth Young-Westphal Special to The Village News Now that Santa’s wrapping paper mess has been tossed in the can and the relatives are making going-home sounds, we can now embrace the new year. A new beginning. As I write this (it’s always two weeks before ink) I won’t know if I got anything I really wanted for Christmas. Consequently, should you be even remotely interested in what a woman of a certain age believes she wants, you’ll just have to wait. Although, I do hope your Christmas was jolly. What I am thinkin...
Supervisor Jim Desmond 5th District With many people out of town during the holidays (although how could you leave San Diego) it’s important to make sure your home is secure. While we’ve increased the budget for the county’s Sheriff’s Department, including adding more deputies out on patrol, the threat of criminal activity is still possible. As your County Supervisor, I support initiatives that promote public safety for residents in North County. The County Sheriff’s Department offers free home vacation checks year-roun...
Previously, I suggested that Mike Johnson, the newly elected Speaker of the House, might be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” I can now say without doubt, he is that and more. In recent remarks, he quoted two of our Founding Fathers. George Washington: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports,” and Samuel Adams: “Our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people....” That caught my eye because the quotes properly recognize that morality...
Assemblymember Marie Waldron 75th District Two years ago, California had a surplus of almost $100 billion – no state in history had ever amassed such a huge surplus. But we spent that money on things like high speed rail, billions to solve homelessness that only got worse, and at least $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims. Despite the fact that our sales, income and gasoline tax rates are among the highest in the nation, our massive surplus has now morphed into a $68 billion deficit, with $30 billion annual s...
Julie Reeder Publisher Forest, one of our paginators and chaos coordinators in the office, told me yesterday that he read something interesting. He said that when someone is greeted kindly by a stranger it causes them to feel like the world is an okay place and gives them hope that everything is going to be ok, or something to that effect. Last Sunday night, my family enjoyed going to the neighborhood Christmas parade, lights and block parties in the Horsecreek and Citro neighborhoods. It was really fun. Plenty of people...
Supervisor Jim Desmond 5th District At our last board meeting, I proposed legislation for the county to take a stand against the income-based fixed-rate electricity proposal. Unfortunately, my colleagues voted against this and are in favor of charging people based on their income. The proposed fixed-rate bill fundamentally operates on an income-based charging model, where the more one earns, the higher the flat-rate electricity charges, even if you have solar. I’m completely against this proposal for several reasons, one o...
Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal Special to The Village News This is the month to dust off the New Testament and read the Gospel according to Saint Luke. The grandkids are old enough now to sit on the couch with me taking turns reading the scripture leading up to the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The story reminds me why, like a Miss America candidate, I, too, wish for “World Peace.” I wish to be safe in my home, on my community streets, and in the village where I live. I wish to be safe in my county, my state, and my cou...
Supervisor Jim Desmond 5th District Our final Tuesday board meeting of the year was also our longest of the year. It took about 13 hours, but I want to thank everyone for coming down and calling in. Here is a recap of some of the good and bad from the meeting. The Board of Supervisors approved allocating another $3 million for migrant services. I was the lone "no" vote, as this is no way to run a government. The county has already spent $3 million in local dollars, which ran out in less than three months. Now, more money...
I think that when the Fallbrook Community Planning Group is against rezoning the parking lot, as stated in the last two meetings, that’s denying the rezoning. “What if we don’t like what you plan to do with it?” The community has started to bypass and will bypass FCPG. Several businesses have done so in the past. As stated by FCPG when Happy Jug was replaced by McDonalds, “FCPG can’t tell people what to do with their land.” If I’m not mistaken…also in the Fallbrook revitalization plan, the county noted Fallbrook has exc...
Assemblymember Marie Waldron 75th District A study by the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission shows that 35 billion gallons of toxic waste water has flowed across the border through the Tijuana River this year; and more than 100 billion gallons since 2018. Local beaches were forced to close and local businesses and tourism have taken major hits. On Dec. 1 my office participated in an informational hearing about Cross-Border Pollution called by the Senate Select Committee on California-Mexico Cooperation that was...
Assemblymember Marie Waldron 75th District As Vice Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, I do all I can to ensure that California remains at the forefront in combating serious threats to public health. Raising awareness about diseases, preventing their spread and providing information about treatments can be critical. That’s why I strongly support World AIDS Day 35, which took place on Dec. 1. Over the past few decades, there have been significant medical advances in treating HIV/AIDS. But the disease is still a major threa...
As I said before, Republican Party leaders are no longer able to lead because they’ve forgotten how to. Additionally, they have politicized science, making the potentially fatal decision of choosing anti-science as the Republican position. Accordingly they are totally unequipped to perform the day-to-day business of a nation participating in a global economy, much less address the monumental problems presented by global warming and the mitigation thereof. I asked my friend Claude.ai to help me figure how this came about, a...
With regards to Julie Reeder’s letter, I would like to clarify some inaccuracies in it. Background: The parking lot was founded many years ago as a parking trust for the benefit of local downtown businesses. Many businesses depend on this lot for their parking spaces required by the County. Through the years the trust ownership has changed. A few years ago these owners changed the trust to an LLC. This caused the County Tax Assessor to reassess and significantly increase the property taxes. The parking lot is also in need o...
Supervisor Jim Desmond 5th District On a cool Sunday morning, border patrol vans pull into the Oceanside Transit Center releasing approximately 30 migrants from countries including Columbia, Pakistan, and China. The first question asked by most migrants is, “Where am I?” That's just the tip of the iceberg for how the federal government has set these migrants and San Diego County up for failure. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas has openly admitted the United States immigration process is 'completely broken.' As direct...
Julie Reeder Publisher I have been surprised by the outright anti-semitism and tolerance for Hamas after they brutally attacked innocent Israeli citizens, as well as Americans and people from other countries who happened to be in Israel on Oct. 7. Oct. 7 should have been an open-and-shut case of moral condemnation. Hamas soldiers murdered, tortured, kidnapped, and raped women and children, as well as men. The murderers proudly filmed their atrocities and then fled back to Gaza, where there were cheers from the Gaza streets....
Julie Reeder Publisher Operating a business in Fallbrook is challenging, and running one downtown is no different. One of the challenges is parking. An issue before the Fallbrook Planning Group next week is important for downtown, the community, and the seven landlords who each own a share of the large parking lot between the library and the Fallbrook Art Center. I believe most of the community believes this is public parking, but it isn't. I'm offering some context and perspective as a downtown business owner and renter. A f...
I want to personally thank our Fallbrook family, Jan, and beyond for your donations, gifts, financial support, love, open hearts of giving and prayers, to my request for aid in repairing the roofs and water damage to the Methodist church on Winter Haven Road. They are totally repaired and paid for from all your responses. God is great! As is our Fallbrook family. Thank you again! Always in my prayers, God bless, Ken Stetson...
