Comments (0)

By Steve, July 28, 2010 1:09 pm

We haven’t had a chance to interview Jimmy @ Skate Thru Life yet so I just grabbed the mission statement off  the Skate Thru Life site:

The Mission of Skate Thru Life is not only to further the positive image of the sport of skateboarding, but to do so by helping to build free community skate parks. Skateboarding is an activity that runs into problems at times with local business owners and police, etc. I love banzing down a huge hill just like the next guy, or skating a cool parking lot, but not everybody else loves it when skateboarders are present. Given the reality of this situation, the solution is to build more free skate parks. Almost every athlete has a place to engage in their respective sports provided to them by their cities. More and more municipalities these days are recognizing the need for free community skate parks, and more and more of them are popping up all over the place. We as community members, however, have to make things happen. If we don’t do anything, almost no city is just going to up and build a free skate park.
Check out the Tony Hawk Foundation for more information about becoming active in your community in terms of getting a free skate park built.

Add Skate Thru Life on FaceBook

Comments (0)

By Steve, July 21, 2010 2:18 pm

Last week California’s senior senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein cosigned the ballot argument against Prop. 19, The Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Initiative of 2010, which would allow adults 21 years or older to privately possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use.
Senator Feinstein’s public opposition is hardly surprising. After all, if there is one thing about marijuana we are certain of it’s that the public is well ahead of the politicians when it comes to the issue of enacting common sense cannabis law reforms. But that doesn’t mean that Feinstein’s fear-mongering — and yes, that is exactly what it is; at one point the senator claims that the passage of Prop. 19 will ‘require’ employees to sell marijuana laced cosmetics (huh?) and candy bars in the office — doesn’t warrant a public smack down. This is the same bitch that voted for the patriot act and internet censorship, should we really be surprised?
For the full scoop on Feinstein’s misguided opposition, visit, L.A. Times

Comments (3)

By Swasted, July 20, 2010 9:26 am

I love baseball and it would be nice to have a Triple-A stadium down the street but I’m not sure this is a good idea. No cash from the Padres? Is this really the way most minor league stadium deals are structured?

From NCTimes.com

Landing the top minor league team of the San Diego Padres would require Escondido to pay the entire $45 million cost to build a 9,000-seat ballpark and to give the team all revenue from concessions and naming rights, city officials said Monday.

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said the city’s motive for spending so much money without any immediate revenue in return would be spurring development of a large district of shops, restaurants and condominiums near the ballpark, which would be built on mostly vacant city land between Washington Avenue and the Sprinter rail line.

“A ballpark would be a cool anchor that changes the way people feel about that area,” said Pfeiler, predicting the ballpark would attract many millions of dollars in private development to the industrial zone south of Highway 78 and east of Interstate 15. “This is the quickest way to get what we want to happen there.”

When asked about the proposal, City Councilman Sam Abed said he was concerned that the city would be committing nearly all of its redevelopment revenue for the next 25 years without any guaranteed return on that investment.

“The deal right now is frontloaded to the Padres and backloaded to the city,” Abed said, noting that the only immediate revenue would be “insignificant” lease payments from the team. “We only benefit if and when all this ancillary development happens.”

Comments (0)

By Swasted, July 9, 2010 9:36 am

The North County Times is reporting Escondido is pulling ahead of San Marcos as the front-runner to become the next home for the Padres Triple-A baseball team. City officials have been meeting with the Padres to discuss potential plans a new minor league ballpark surrounded by a large shopping and dining district. Escondido officials say their location offers the greater potential for accompanying development and is located south of Highway 78 and just east of Interstate 15.

NCTimes.com

“They like the location and they like the potential for ancillary development,” said attorney Dave Ferguson, who last fall spearheaded an effort to bring a new San Diego Chargers stadium to the same area. Ferguson said the San Marcos ballpark site provided less opportunity for extra revenue.

Padres officials declined to comment Thursday, but Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad told the North County Times last week that the team was leaning away from San Marcos because another city had a better plan.

I’m going to submit my request for Swasted.com press credentials right now…

Comments (0)

By Swasted, July 7, 2010 6:41 pm

Landlords of several prominent retail locations throughout Escondido have been offering discounted lease agreements to retailers in hopes of filling their vacancies. So far, it appears its have been working.

Ross and Dick’s Sporting Goods will split the vacant 76,000 square-foot building on 9th Avenue that was formerly Mervyn’s but has sat empty since December 2008. Souplantation will open a new location nearby at an open spot near Applebee’s.

The building on Valley Parkway that was formerly Good Guys will become a Furniture Warehouse store. Another retailer has been secured for a vacancy across the street, formerly Circuit City, but no formal announcement has been made.

An Escondido In-N-Out Burger is currently being built on Valley Parkway just west of the 15 and Ruth’s Chris is adding a location in the new Lexus dealership, also on 9th Avenue.

More at NCTimes.com

Comments (0)

By Swasted, February 10, 2010 10:05 am

Jumping Turtle’s Entertainment Permit Suspended – In an unsurprising move, the city of San Marcos suspended the entertainment permit for the Jumping Turtle on Tuesday following a Saturday morning brawl that led to two stabbings and a woman being hit in the head with a bottle. The city had revoked the permit in November of last year but the venue was able to continue the live shows while the owners appealed. Yesterday’s decision will be effective immediately. Unfortunate news for all of you who were hoping to catch the “reggae/ska/surf” greatness of Mike Pinto there this Saturday.

Ryan Leaf Unable To Arrange Plea Deal – Ryan Leaf is still facing burglary and drug charges in Texas stemming from a incident in October 2008 while he was an assistant football coach at West Texas A&M. He allegedly broke into a player’s apartment and stole an unknown amount of the painkiller, Hydrocodone. Leaf has been attempting to reach a plea deal with prosecutors that would allow him to remain living and working in British Columbia. He’s been living there the last few years and working at a resort. Yep, a resort. If unable to reach a plea deal, the burglary charge alone could carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.

Scale of Zero To Tony Gwynn – GasLampBall.com is fielding a series of polls to judge individuals associated with the Padres on a scale of zero to Tony Gwynn. Here’s their official explanation, “The Zero to Tony Gwynn scale is a rating of a Padres’ importance to the San Diego Padres and their fans. The scale works to determine the relative importance of a particular Padre based on the assumption that Tony Gwynn is the perfect representation of the San Diego Padres.” Head over and place your votes, here’s a list of who’s been posted so far:

Trevor Hoffman
Dave Winfield
Steve Garvey
Jerry Coleman
Jake Peavy
Randy Jones
Ted Leitner
Nate Colbert
Benito Santiago
Heath Bell – Good to see them reference a tweet I sent them last night showcasing my disdain for Heath’s entrance music… “Heath has also decided to replace Hell’s Bells with a Voldemort. Something that should not be named for its amazing amount of suck. He also has a weird habit of saying things that I’m not sure he should be saying.”

Comments (2)

By Swasted, February 8, 2010 3:46 pm

A fight this weekend at the Jumping Turtle may finally be the end for the shitty place. The city of San Marcos has already revoked the bar’s entertainment permit but the owners are fighting that decision and earlier this month, the club filed a federal lawsuit against the city.

From NCTimes.com:

A long line for the women’s restroom may have sparked one of several brawls early Saturday at a controversial San Marcos nightclub and restaurant. Three people were stabbed, one person was beaten, a security guard was hit in the face with a bottle, and two women were arrested, Sheriff’s Department officials said. Every deputy in San Marcos, and some from surrounding unincorporated areas, were dispatched around 1am: 10 deputies, two detectives, two sergeants and a lieutenant.

A female security guard was taken to the hospital with injuries from being hit in the face with a bottle, Crist said. He said the guard was hired to protect a rap singer performing at the nightclub. The guard identified two women as her two attackers. Irene Cardenas, 32, of Escondido, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the bottle, and Valerie Valadez, age 32, was cited on suspicion of battery and released, Crist said.

Comments (0)

By Swasted, February 8, 2010 11:42 am

What a game, what a weekend! Congrats to Drew Brees and the Saints for their victory over Payton and Co. in Super Bowl #??. Danica made her stock car debut and finished 6th in the ARCA race at Daytona on Saturday and Kevin Harvick edged out his second straight victory in the Budweiser Shootout. Mark Martin and Dale Jr. will be on the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 and the rest of the field will be sorted on during the Gatorade Duels on Thursday. Here are the rest of the headlines…

San Diego Supercross – Check out TransWorld Motocross’ coverage of San Diego Supercross, where Davi Millsaps pulled off his first victory in nearly 2 years. The boys at TWMX were also nice enough to put together a gallery of the ladies of San Diego Supercross for those of us who didn’t want to sit in the rain, unfortunately it’s a pretty weak gallery. Where are the crowd shots? That’s where the hotties are. Anyway, I caught a bit of the coverage on Sunday morning and it wasn’t as muddy as I thought it would be and seemed to be a pretty good race in the final.

Local News: Thousands Visit Jade Buddha In Escondido – Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike descended upon the Phap Vuong Monastery in Escondido on Sunday to witness the unveiling of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, the largest Buddha ever carved from jade in the world. The statue is on the North American leg of its world tour. Monastery officials estimated that by 2 p.m., more than 10,000 visitors had participated in the event. The Buddha will be on display in Escondido through February 16th.

Local News: Animal Waste Used To Ward Off Protesters – An Oceanside animal hospital is using three large bins filled with animal feces set near the edge of its property to try to ward off labor-union members who have been picketing the place for months because the hospital used a nonunion contractor in some of its construction work. “We put it out there every day to discourage them,” said Lisa Hamilton, administrator of Mission Animal and Bird Hospital on Benet Road at Highway 76. She declined to discuss the matter further, saying inquiries were being handled by veterinarian Robert Cartin. “It smells awful,” said Abraham Bustamante of Carpenters Local 1506, pointing out the bins on Friday. Bustamante said the odor is so bad, particularly on warm days, that picketers often wear masks to filter the air they breathe.

Local News: Drunk Driver In Encinitas Rams Sheriff’s Deputy – A suspected drunken driver crashed into the back of a Sheriff’s patrol car late Sunday night in Cardiff, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Steve Johnson had stopped at the intersection of South Coast Highway 101 and Chesterfield Drive when the crash occurred, said Sgt. William Dreyer. The deputy was taken to Scripps Encinitas Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and was later released. The driver of the car, Troy Otillio, 44, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, Dreyer said. Otillio was not injured in the crash, the sergeant said.

Olympic Athletes Confused By Social Networking Guidelines – There are some restrictions on what athletes can do online during the Olympics. According to the IOC Blogging Guidelines for the 2010 Games, athletes and other accredited people must keep their posts confined to their personal experiences. “You can’t act as a journalist if you aren’t,” says Condron. “You need to do things in a first person way.” Rule 49 of the Olympic Charter says that “Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalists, reporters or in any other media capacity.” The other most significant restriction on athletes posts is a ban on references to sponsors or advertisers who aren’t official Olympic partners. – I used to enjoy watching the Olympics as a kid but after being exposed to all these guidelines set forth by the IOC, I’m growing to despise them. At work, we’re one of their media partners so we have to deal with some of their ridiculous guidelines.

Danica Adds Daytona To Nationwide Schedule, NASCAR Premiere – JR Motorsports’ general manager Kelley Earnhardt has announced Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR and Nationwide series premiere this weekend at Daytona. Patrick, the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race, had considered not competing at Daytona because of the uniqueness of restrictor-plate racing and also the number of Sprint Cup drivers in the event. But having survived a spin and moving from the back of the pack to near the front during the ARCA race, Patrick felt as if she progressed enough to make her NASCAR debut on NASCAR’s biggest stage a day before the Daytona 500. “The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing,” Patrick said.

Comments (0)

By Swasted, February 3, 2010 9:51 am

Escondido’s Ricky Seale Going To Stanford – According to the North County Times, Escondido High football coach Paul Gomes confirmed on Wednesday that star running back Ricky Seale, a Rivals.com 4-star RB CB recruit, will sign a letter of intend with Stanford. The son of former San Diego Chargers DB Sammy Seale holds the CIF San Diego Section career rushing mark with 6,635 yards. As a senior in 2009, Ricky rushed for 2,419 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per carry. Seale had also received offers from Arizona, Cal, San Diego St., Washington and Washington St. Seale measures out at 5′ 9″, 180 lbs and 4.4 in the 40.

Plan To Move Beach Break Hits Snag – “Sorry South Oceanside. We gave it our best but the banks don’t share our vision,” is the message Zell and Gary Dwelley posted on a sign at the site of what was to have been the new home of one of the city’s most popular restaurants. The Dwelleys said their plans to relocate the venerable Beach Break Cafe were crushed last week when they got word from Wells Fargo Bank that the loan they counted on wouldn’t come through on terms they could afford. Standing outside his restaurant, Gary Dwelley said he wanted to move the Beach Break from its 1902 S. Coast Highway location because the restaurant is always jammed with seating for about 55 people inside and 20 at outdoor sidewalk tables. The new Beach Break would have been big enough for 85 to 90 people inside and about 30 on an outside patio.

More Than $1-Million Worth Of Cocaine Seized – Two men were arrested in separate smuggling attempts over the weekend after Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 5 checkpoint near Camp Pendleton discovered more than $1 million worth of cocaine hidden in vehicles. The first seizure happened about 9:30 a.m. Saturday when agents stopped a Toyota Tercel driven by an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, Border Patrol officials said. A drug dog alerted agents to possible contraband and they discovered 15 bundles of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in the gas tank. The 39 pounds of cocaine was valued at $392,000. Around 7:15 p.m., a drug dog picked up a scent on a Ford F-250 pickup driven by a 44-year-old Mexican man. Agents found 28 packages of cocaine, valued at $713,000, stuffed inside a spare tire.

Museums Offer Half-Price Admission In February – Visitors to 39 San Diego County museums and attractions can get half-price admission throughout February in conjunction with “Museum Month.” To get the discounted admission, participants must first pick up a “Museum Month Pass” at any Macy’s location in San Diego County. The pass is good for half-price admission for the holder and up to three guests.

Among the participating museums and attractions are the Birch Aquarium, Maritime Museum of San Diego, Mingei Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, USS Midway Museum and Quail Botanical Gardens. A full list is available at www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org

Comments (0)

By Logert, January 31, 2010 12:00 pm

Escondido’s performing arts center might become a conglomeration of government offices and retail businesses if city officials follow through on a budget-cutting plan that would shut down the financially struggling facility, but such proposals face a wide variety of hurdles. City officials last week suggested that huge budget deficits might force them to close the arts center and several other city amenities, including a library branch and some parks. They said the arts center might stay open on a limited basis, but the possibility of completely boarding up the center, which receives $1.9 million annually from the city, has also been discussed. – More