About David Ross
Democratic candidate for congress Campa-Najjar: “When the other side goes low, I go local”
This is part of a series of articles about candidates for local office. Candidates who would like to be interviewed are invited to contact the editor at editor@times-advocate.com Ammar Campa-Najjar has run continuously for three years for the 50th Congressional District seat of Duncan Hunter Jr. When he narrowly lost to Hunter last November by less than 4 percentage points, […]
Glamping: why work at camping when you can play?
It’s a pretty succinct slogan: “Camping equals work and glamping equals play.” Some folks like to do the MacGyver thing and work at finding just the right campsite; hammer in the pegs and set up camp. Others want to skip the hard part and get right to the fun. That’s where “glamping” comes in. Sometime in the near future; perhaps […]
Safari Highlands rebranded, remastered as Harvest Hills
A development in the San Pasqual that once evoked images of climbing aboard a tram to visit giraffes and zebras has quickly been transformed into a poster child for sustainability and a cross between a farmer’s market and a housing project with a “net zero carbon footprint.” Once known as Safari Highlands Ranch, Concordia Homes has rebranded and revamped its […]
Adopting “Congestion Pricing” would be a “Herculean task” says McNamara
A few months ago New York City became the first U.S. City to adopt the idea of “congestion pricing” as a way to deal with the most overcrowded roads in Manhattan, the densest population center in North America. It is expected to raise $15 billion over time to help modernize the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (the MTA’s) outdated subway system, which […]
They tell you to set up a family trust; they don’t tell you what comes after
The perils and pitfalls of setting up a family trust the wrong way will be the subject of a series of workshops offered by ATS called “The 7 Biggest Mistakes Trustees Often Make,” which will be held in Escondido, Saturday, August 10, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Marie Callender’s restaurant. ATS is a San Diego financial services firm that specializes in […]
Shakey’s returns to Escondido after 40 years
It’s been 40 years since Shakey’s Pizza Parlor closed its doors in Escondido, where it served pies during the late 60s and 70s. Monday morning the national pizza chain returned to the Hidden City in one of the most visible locations in town: across the street from the Center for the Arts. An Escondido resident waiting out front of the […]
City to issue RFP for Community Choice Aggregation energy study
“I’m so excited that this is finally before us!” exclaimed a delighted Escondido councilmember Olga Diaz at the July 17 council meeting, when the council voted unanimously to pursue a feasibility study for the city joining with several other North County cities in procuring power for local residents. This type of arrangement is known as Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) or […]
North County mayors, supervisors vs. SANDAG’s new proposed tax on driving
With I-15 traffic moving at a crawl in the background, North County leaders Wednesday morning gathered in the patio outside of the Ventana restaurant atop Escondido’s Lexus dealership to condemn a proposal that surfaced last Friday at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG): to adopt a new form of taxation that would charge drivers for using busy streets and […]
“Moon Landing Celebration” concert will celebrate the 50th anniversary
The world premiere of the choral work “One Small Step” by local composer Stephen Sturk and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri and conducted by John LoPiccolo will be performed by Escondido Choral Arts Saturday at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido Concert Hall. The concert begins at 7 p.m. This week I sat down with composer Stephen Sturk, who lives […]
Lord save me from oddball spellings: or a modicum of monikers
A few decades or so ago we entered the age of the oddball spelling of names. So that now it is actually unusual to find that women’s names are spelled the way we would have found them traditionally. I guess “tradition” is the key word here. We must avoid tradition at all costs. No Mabels, Abigails or Ethels for us! […]