Escondido’s annual Independence Day Festival & Fireworks has become a North County tradition, and for good reason. Each year, 25,000 festival-goers converge on the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (The Center) at Grape Day Park for the holiday festivities. The event is back for its 53rd year on Monday, July 4, 2016 with rockin’ live music, tasty treats, and […]
Palomar Health partners with Kindred Healthcare to build 52 bed rehab hospital in Escondido
Palomar Health has announced an agreement to build a 52-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Escondido in a joint venture with Kindred Healthcare, Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky. The hospital is expected to open in 2019. The hospital will be constructed by a third party developer requiring no additional Palomar Health capital expenditures. The hospital will be located on the campus of […]
Escondido police continue to investigate suspicious death
The Escondido police this week continued their investigation into the death of Fontana resident Elizabeth Antoinette Perez, 38, whose body was discovered in a vehicle on Monday, June 13 on the on-ramp to northbound I-15 from El Norte Parkway. On about 1:10 p.m. CHP, Escondido Police, and Escondido Fire personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive female in the […]

Center’s new season includes Kathy Griffin, Garrison Keillor and the TEN Tenors
California Center for the Arts, Escondido (the Center) this week announced its 2016/2017 season featuring a line-up of performers that includes Kathy Griffin, Keith Sweat, Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Montgomery Gentry, Garrison Keillor, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Pink Martini, Shaping Sound, The Midtown Men, Black Violin, The TEN Tenors, Villalobos Brothers, Portland Cello Project, Flip Fabrique, Ain’t […]

Council adopts $92.6 M budget for 2016-2017
Wednesday, June 8 the Escondido City Council adopted a $92.6 million budget for the two-year fiscal period of 2016-2017. The budget was developed by all departments of the city. Assistant Finance Director Joan Ryan gave the annual report to the council. She noted that the new budget projects an annual growth of 4%, which reflects the fact that the budget […]
Escondido homes sought for exchange students
Escondido families are being sought to be hosts to international high school exchange students. International high school exchange students are coming to study in the San Diego County area, including Escondido, during the 2016-2017 school year. These students will integrate themselves into a local family with the goal of experiencing American culture as an American high school student. In turn […]
2-1-1 connects you to services
Every hour of every day, someone in San Diego County searches for services, from substance abuse treatment to care for a child or aging parent, food, housing or financial assistance. Through more than 400,000 annual connections, 2-1-1 serves as the region’s primary connection to more than 6,000 community, health and disaster support services. Callers are linked to trained representatives who […]
~ Guest Opinion
Words? Actions? Oh, the utter ambiguity!“I think what he says and what he’ll do are two different things.” That was what our current Congressman, Duncan Hunter, recently said about Donald Trump as reported in The Washington Post last Friday. And doesn’t that just say it all? Now, I’m no Duncan Hunter fan, and normally I don’t pay a whole lot of attention, but I think, […]

Now the Senate decides
This year, 12 of my bills made it through the Assembly. Their fate will now be decided in the Senate, which has until the end of August for up or down votes. At this point, having received bi-partisan support for most of my legislative package in the Assembly, I am optimistic about the prognosis. My legislation this year includes a […]

The mall that almost was
A shopping mall complex at the west end of downtown’s Grand Avenue? Was it a possibility? Could it have been? Maybe. Maybe not. Yes, such a project was proposed. It was the proposed precursor to what is now the Westfield North County Mall on city-leased land at the south end of Escondido’s Kit Carson Park. But it never materialized. Could […]