No, it’s not the NRA. The biggest mistake made about gun violence and what to do about it is accusation, “It’s the NRA!” This is supposed to explain why Congress doesn’t adopt the gun reforms anti-gun activists want. Starting with “ban assault rifles” plus “end the gun show loophole,” or “more stringent background checks.” This is a canard and one […]
Opinion






The short end of the racket
EsoteRickThe battle lines are being drawn. Pickleball Players are getting a lot of attention from city officials and many public tennis courts are being taken over. Escondido Parks and Recreation maintenance crews recently painted pickleball court lines right on top of some tennis court lines. The tennis community is wondering why they have been relegated to second class citizenship and […]



Capitol Annex Project update
California’s main Capitol building in Sacramento was completed in 1874. It is a historic treasure, but after World War II it became obvious it wasn’t large enough to handle the needs of our growing state. An annex attached to the Capitol was completed in 1952, and at approximately 325,000 square feet, the space problem was solved for decades. But, problems […]



Two board items
Last week, we passed two important Board items that will help the lives of San Diegans. The first item dealt with seniors. Seniors are the fastest-growing population in North County and we must do all we can to help them by bringing resources directly to senior centers. I have partnered with Supervisor Anderson to bring County staff to senior centers […]






A lesson in retail customer service
ED GALLO SPEAKS“A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” Or is it? This has nothing to do with flowers but after seeing a Family Circus cartoon recently it served as a reminder of sneakers. Okay, the nexus is a stretch but hear me out. Billy, in the FC spot was shown standing at the front door asking his […]


Drowning prevention
We are blessed to live in a region that borders the Pacific Ocean and also has many pools throughout the County. While they both can serve as wonderful activities for both adults and kids, they can also be dangerous. Swimming is a life skill that is not easily accessible to all residents throughout our communities. According to the Centers for […]






The fallacy of free speech absolutism
BARBER’s BUZZToday’s billionaire is not your grandfather’s billionaire. Today’s billionaire can create their own NASA and blast off towards the moon. Today’s billionaire can join a billionaire fraternity to form an oligarchy that controls much of our media and thus much of our information…And now a billionaire intends to show that he can attempt to redefine freedom of speech and potentially […]



The real Tony Stark
CurmudgeonElon Musk, the “awful” billionaire who has purchased Twitter for $44 billion, has been referred to repeatedly over the last two weeks by some nudniks as a “free speech absolutist”—like that’s a bad thing. It’s like being painted as a “radical freedom person” or a “idealogue for nice spring weather,” “a charity extremist” “ethical fanatic” or a “low carbs tyrant.” […]






Putting a smile on everyone’s face
ED GALLO SPEAKSLast week I wrote about April showers bring May flowers. Well, we didn’t get much in the way of showers but the flowers are still popping up. I’m not a botanist or horticulturalist all I know is I enjoy this time of year when colorful blooms of all sorts greet us every day. Perhaps that may be why Mother’s Day […]






Recalling some Escondido history
Well, it’s Easter Week and I guess schools are closed for the coming holiday — a good week for some families to take time off and take a vacation of varying lengths. I spoke with some couples who are taking three or four day cruises. This is all well and good; however it does highlight one of the drawbacks to […]