Are they being abused?



Voters in November will decide whether chickens are too confined in their abodes. Fowl activists contend they (the chickens) don’t have space to comfortably lay their eggs. A major concern indeed, however, there’s a real problem on the Big Island of Hawaii where the last poultry rancher is closing shop and hasn’t figured how to dispose of more than 4,000 working hens. Where are the Col. Sanders folks?



Transient occupancy tax



Surfside City council electeds are asking voters whether to raise the TOT from 10.5 percent up to 13 percent. Meanwhile hoteliers and merchants are organizing a Tourism Marketing District, or TMD, and expect to qualify for a piece of the increase. Funds would be spent exclusively for visitor promotion. In North County, C’bad was the first to initiate such a district. Veteran voters recall the TOT was sold to them as a fund for visitor promotion but through the years, electeds have managed to find a way to get their mitts on the dough — some of which has nothing to do with tourism. A TMD appears to be the answer at least for the near future.



Military resting place



Military veterans and their families expecting to occupy a niche at the Marine Corps Air Station cemetery at Miramar have to wait at least until 2012 according to latest estimates. Planned is a $21 million, 313-acre site the architects have just started to design. It will succeed Fort Rosecrans military cemetery in Point Loma that is at capacity.



Flower Capital vs. C’bad



Superior Court judge Robert P. Dalquist has advised C’bad staffers that a plan to develop Ponto bordering on La Costa Boulevard in Leucadia requires more environmental impact studies. The Flower Capital filed a suit questioning the cost of road widening, traffic lights and other costs that would impact the Flower Capital from the project and who would pay for them. Planned are more than 600 hotel rooms including time share condos, restaurants and shops.



MiraCosta nixed grand jury

recommendations



Thirteen suggestions made by the county grand jury to MiraCosta College board of trustees have been met with indifference. Staffers opined that some of the suggestions couldn’t be done and others were unnecessary like a uniform code of ethics. Considering the problems that have beset MiraCosta the past year, not the least being accreditation, it would appear it would welcome ideas for improvement.



Naylor Act



More than a year ago, when the future of the Pacific View school site first came to the city, Councilwoman Teresa Barth did question staff and school representatives whether the Naylor Act applied and she was told that it didn’t. Now it appears that it might be the case but council has never been fully briefed on the law.

Graffiti law includes parents

L.A. Board of Supes has enacted a law that holds parents of convicted graffiti artists responsible for costs incurred in removing their children’s masterpieces. Fines of up to a grand can be levied and if folks can’t pony up the cash a lien can be placed on their property.



Charity expenses



L.A. Times carried a comprehensive report in its July 7 edition detailing the amount professional fundraisers receive from reputable charity organizations. In some cases the charities receive only 10 percent of a donation and in other instances nothing at all! Worth your time to find out the percent your favorite charities gets from these professional fundraisers.



Family campout



Solbeach residents need not travel far for a family camp out Sept. 13 to Sept. 14. The overnighter from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning will be at La Colonia Park. Includes campfire, storytelling, live music and s’mores. Chow and breakfast is included. Register by phone by calling (858) 720-2453. Space is limited.



Record county bankruptcy



Municipalities all over the country have been spending taxpayers’ dough as though there was always plenty more. City of Vallejo is in bankruptcy becuz it’s on the shorts by more than $9 million. But nothing compared to Jefferson County in Alabama that has a $3.2 billion shortage in the till. The idea of just raising taxes is losing favor with the taxpayers and there’s a report a taxpayers’ revolt is sweeping across the country. Tossing out the electeds that create such a mess would be a good start.



One liners



Del Mar Community Connections has scheduled flu and pneumonia inoculations on Oct. 8 at the city hall annex on 11th Street but requires an appointment by calling (858) 792-7565 ... Gail Paparian, a former Solbeach resident now living in Banning where she writes a column for the community Gazette, recalled recently about the good times she had in Solbeach which she still visits every summer ... Flower Capital candidate Joe Sheffo has pledged to vote against any tax increases, if elected, and has challenged other candidates to do likewise ... Legality of nudity at San Onofre State Beach will depend on a permanent ruling by an Orange County judge who sez she will decide soon whether to uphold her preliminary decision ... O’side Harbor Days Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 will include a dinner show at the Jolly Roger eatery and there will be pirates mingling with the diners ... Since it almost impossible to vote free-spending electeds out of office because of the way districts are gerrymandered, it appears term limits are the only solution ... Builder/developer Barratt American, which appears to have abandoned a number of projects in the North County, including the Flower Capital, is reported to be in deep financial shorts.



Hasta la Vista