The Grand Canyon may be a geographical marvel that brings the state of Arizona immediate recognition, but just a few hundred miles south of that natural wonder is the lesser-known yet equally impressive Montezuma’s Castle. …
August 29, 2011
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Stories by Nathaniel Uy
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Montezuma's Castle, Arizona
Escondido City Council Hears Gripe About Their Ban on Feather Flags
Kevin Niems, a 15-year Escondido resident and owner of three area Subway sandwich shops, appeared before the city council on June 8. He was there to voice his opposition to the city’s enforcement of the …
June 11, 2011
Ficus Trees on Jefferson Street to Get Axed
“I don’t know if any of you guys are aware that they are going to be cutting down [ficus trees] on Jefferson Street,” said Carlsbad resident Ila Schmidt during the May 25 city-council meeting. According …
May 26, 2011
Complaint Lodged Against Clean and Safe Program Employee
Israel Puente, a retired Marine Corps veteran, appeared before the San Diego City Council on May 17 to express his disappointment with a Clean and Safe Program employee during an incident that occurred over the …
May 18, 2011
Vista Skaters Beg for a New Park
A room full of young skaters, their parents, and other supporters of building a skate park in Vista appeared at the city council meeting on May 10. “It is not just a skate park,” said …
May 13, 2011
City Heights Homeowner Clashes with Housing Commission on Lead Removal Issue
Michael Sprague, a City Heights homeowner, addressed the San Diego City Council on March 29 about his experience with the San Diego Housing Commission. Sprague, who served as chairman of the City Heights Area Planning …
March 31, 2011
Golden Hill Citizen Asks City to Enforce Vagrancy Laws
“The place down there reeks,” Norman Starr told the San Diego City Council on March 22. “It’s frightening to walk among that many panhandlers.” Starr described an area occupied by homeless people near his rental …
March 23, 2011
Complaint of Increased Graffiti in Escondido
“Graffiti is now on the street corner — 100 feet from where I live,” said longtime Escondido resident Dennis Tomlinson as he spoke before the city council on Wednesday, March 2. Tomlinson claims the amount …
March 6, 2011
Leucadia’s Eucalyptus Trees Threaten Trains?
Encinitas resident Russell Levan spoke during the public comment of the February 23 city council meeting, voicing his concern for the cutting of eucalyptus trees along the railroad corridor in Leucadia. “Where does it become …
February 26, 2011
Encinitas Traffic Commissioner Peter Kohl Criticized for Rudeness
Mark McNaughton, an Encinitas homeowner who lives on San Elijo Avenue, spoke during the Wednesday, January 20, city council meeting to discuss a confrontation he said he had with the City’s traffic commissioner, Peter Kohl. …
January 21, 2011
Asociación de Charros de Escondido Evicted for Ballpark?
On Wednesday, January 12, over a dozen San Diego residents spoke in protest of the recent news that the mainly Hispanic equestrian group Asociación de Charros de Escondido is being evicted from a one-and-a-half-acre location …
January 15, 2011
Portable Basketball Hoop in the Way — and an Answer
Resident Jamie Wetzel appeared before the San Marcos city council on Tuesday, December 14 to discuss his issues with the city’s property value and neighborhood preservation ordinance. Over the past few months, Wetzel has been …
December 17, 2010
Trash Pickup in Peril in Rancho Bernardo
David Kreitzer spoke during the public-comment portion of the November 30 San Diego City Council meeting to ask the council to review the sudden enforcement of an old ordinance that has affected the city-provided collection …
December 5, 2010
City of Escondido to Close Senior Center Craft Shop?
Escondido resident Ann McDonald appeared before the city council on November 17 in order to urge reconsideration of the decision to close down the gift/craft shop at the Joslyn Senior Center, which has been open …
November 19, 2010
Carlsbad Treehouse Goes Over Property Line
Janelle Butler, a Carlsbad resident for the past 34 years in the Rancho Ponderosa neighborhood, appeared before the city council on Tuesday, November 9, in order to express her concerns about a treehouse that her …
November 12, 2010
Oceanside Resident Pleas for Assistance From City Council
“I can’t get any help…where do I go? I’ve paid taxes and I’m waiting for disability,” said longtime Oceanside resident Samantha Ewen as she spoke before the city council on Wednesday, November 3. According to …
November 6, 2010
Entrepreneur Refutes Mayor Cheryl Cox’s Assertions About Medical Pot
During an October 12 Chula Vista City Council meeting, mayor Cheryl Cox gave a statement regarding her thoughts and opposition to the legalization of marijuana. “The potential for criminal action is enormous and threatens the …
November 2, 2010
Carlsbad Resident Recalls Unbuilt Alga Norte Community Park
During the October 26 Carlsbad City Council meeting, Michelle Levy, a Carlsbad resident of 20 years, cited a pair of big investments by the City of Carlsbad as financial blunders and then asked, “Are we …
October 30, 2010
Encinitas City Council Candidate Tony Kranz Accused of “Attack”
Roger Ogden, a Hillcrest resident who claims to have worked for 30 years at a local research-and-development center as a physicist and project manager, spoke before the Encinitas City Council meeting on Wednesday, October 20, …
October 23, 2010
Neighbors for a Transit Solution Address Del Mar City Council About Train Platform
A group of residents named Neighbors for a Transit Solution appeared before the Del Mar City Council on October 18 to protest the possible construction of a multimillion-dollar train platform between 21st and 24th streets …
October 23, 2010
Concrete Barriers for I-5 Freeway Expansion Rankles Cardiff Resident
During the Encinitas City Council meeting on October 13, Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident George Hejduk expressed concern for the concrete barriers that have been placed around freeway on-ramps to the Interstate 5. “I didn’t realize that I-5 …
October 16, 2010
Homeless People Drummed Out of San Diego's Downtown Library
“Where, in fact, is a legitimate location for us?” asked Kate McClellan as she appeared before the city council on Tuesday, October 12. McClellan is a middle-aged homeless woman that previously sought shelter in the …
October 15, 2010
Linda Vista Recreation Center Needs Taller Fence, Law Enforcement
Two members of the Linda Vista community, Sarah Flora Palma and Joel Cruz, appeared before the San Diego City Council on October 5 in order bring to light problems that residents have had with the …
October 9, 2010
City Heights Property Owner Seeks Answer on Mystery Pipe
Don Kvashay appeared before the San Diego City Council on September 28 to find answers on how to deal with an unidentified drainage pipe that falls inside his property line. Kvashay is the owner of …
October 2, 2010
Escondido City Council Takes Criticism for Neglecting Improvements
Concerned about an increase in business fees and lack of improvements in the downtown neighborhood surrounding his business, Barry Baker appeared before the Escondido City Council on Wednesday, September 22, to voice his displeasure. Baker …
September 24, 2010
Salaries of San Marcos Administrators Questioned
“Tonight, I am asking for [city clerk] Susie Vasquez’s resignation,” said San Marcos business owner Laura Mouradian during the oral-communication portion of the September 14 city-council meeting. According to Mouradian, she was told by a …
September 20, 2010
David Ross Speaks Out on Shopping Cart Recovery Plan
David Ross, known as "The Water Man” and as an advocate for homeless people in San Diego, appeared at the city-council meeting on Tuesday, September 14, with a shopping cart. His aim was to appeal …
September 16, 2010
Lincoln Acres family cited for illegal house
On September 11, 2009, Mike and Zerla Bell closed escrow on their first home, a 1302-square-foot single-family residence in Lincoln Acres. It was a big step for the Bell family, who had been living in …
September 15, 2010
Five Oceanside Police Have DUIs?
“What are we doing with our police department?” Oceanside resident J.C. Clayford asked the city council on Wednesday, September 8. Clayford expressed concern regarding several recent controversies that have involved Oceanside police officers. He alleged …
September 10, 2010
Over 40 Palm Trees Cut Down in Escondido Mobile Home Park
At the September 2 Escondido City Council meeting, Larry Steneck, president of the Coalition of Escondido Mobile/Manufactured Home Voters, discussed the plight of residents at the Green Tree Mobile Estates, who had to deal with …
September 4, 2010
Turf Stank
Downtown residents are celebrating a change in greenery around Fahrenheit, an East Village condominium located on the corner of Island and Tenth Avenue. After being installed approximately three years ago, fake turf placed on the …
August 28, 2010
This Could Be a Problem
On behalf of the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association, executive director Dody Crawford appeared before the Encinitas City Council on August 18 to request that the council reconsider the installation of a public bench in front …
August 21, 2010
Sticker Shock
Residents of Cortina, a townhouse community with over a hundred homes located on Westview Parkway in Mira Mesa, have expressed their shock and frustration with the possibility of stricter parking rules around their properties. In …
August 5, 2010
Stark Reality
Retired landscape architect and Carlsbad resident Walt Meier showed up at the city council meeting on July 27 to discuss the lack of landscaping around large retail buildings in the city. He asked the council …
August 3, 2010
Go for the Banks' Bucks
Pam Barrett, speaking on behalf of the San Diego chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, appeared before the San Diego City Council on July 27 to request that an ordinance be passed that would …
July 29, 2010
Locked Out of Revenues
Escondido resident Bruce Simms addressed the city council on July 21 on the topic of the Portland Beavers, a Padres affiliate AAA baseball team that may be relocating to Escondido from Oregon. According to a …
July 24, 2010
Not Shovel-Ready!
“San Diego has a sordid history of inadequate planning and project management for big projects,” said Mission Valley resident Phil Hart. He spoke during the non-agenda public comment portion of the July 19 San Diego …
July 22, 2010
Government Works, See?
Despite concerns from a majority of speakers during public comment, on June 30 the Escondido City Council approved the allocation of a large subsidy to a developer who plans to build a luxury Marriott hotel …
July 16, 2010
Pay Up to Park
On July 12, the Del Mar City Council unanimously adopted a new ordinance to declare certain private property open to public parking and added a parking-meter zone on the 1400 block of Maiden Lane. The …
July 14, 2010
Not All Good for Cats and Dogs?
Appearing before the Oceanside City Council on June 30, Elaine Godzak presented her opinion on the effect of the North County Humane Society's merger with the San Diego Humane Society, which occurred earlier this year. …
July 3, 2010
Bikini and iPod Walk
In an attempt to break the current world record for largest “bikini walk,” an estimated 200 women wearing bikinis paraded down the streets of downtown San Diego on June 27. Although they fell over a …
July 2, 2010