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Ken Leighton

Ken Leighton is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Gap in North County news story

No PatBrown. I do not disguise myself online. That is why I use real name. Do you not see my real name PatBrown? "Gregory Anthony" positioned himself as an Oceanside local. Only problem is that no one who is involved in Oceanside stuff has ever heard of a Gregory Anthony. Back to the Blade....Yes Tom Missett launched the Blade to help advance his views. He was frustrated that the North County Times did not exist and that the UT had neither the manpower or incentive to write about important stuff that was being ignored. You could say he was a little bitter about that. I hate to break the news to you PatBrown, but that is why a lot people launched newspapers over the years, for better or worse. Now, the important thing to remember is that the first Blade resurrection of 2016-17 made a lot of outrageous charges about two council members. As outrageous as they were, THEY WERE TRUE. Those fingered never demanded these charges be corrected. They could never disprove them and they never tried. They never even threatened a lawsuit. So the point is that while the tone of The Blade was harsh and you could argue often one-side, all these "slams" you saw in the Blade were true and, some say, needed to be said. Yes, we all have opinions. And for all your slurs about The Blade not being legitimate, I would maintain that for all their offensiveness, these charges were things that needed to be said even if they seemed harsh and provocative. Mr. Missett tried his best to get the D.A. to file charges and investigate one of those Oceanside city officials. Thank you for responding. I am speaking only for myself.
— March 29, 2019 8:36 p.m.

Gap in North County news story

To "Gregory Anthony" Yes of course the Coast News does exist. The issue that came out last week has one story about Oceanside. Hey, it's good the Coast News still exists as a print entity, but to suggest it matters or that it moves the needle, is a stretch. A good example is that when the Reader ran story that a high-end craft cocktail bar was going in where a problem downtown was, changing the future profile of downtown Oceanside https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/feb/26/s… the very next Coast News the paper ran a reprint story with old photos about the adjacent historic hotel remodel apparently in reaction to the Reader's article. The "full story" about the Coast News coverage "Gregory Anthony" is that there's not much of a story at all. Yes, Tom Missett brought back the Blade for a run in 2015-/2016. And while it was too heavy handed, I still subscribe to Mr. Missett's contention that the two councilmembers targeted by Mr. Missett were and are bad for the city. I was involved with the first incarnation of the The Blade, but was not around for its second run last year. You can go on and on about The Blade, but I defy you to prove how the Coast news has any relevance to Oceanside. In the last year the Reader has broken stories on how mobile park owners are screwing seniors on fixed income out of their homes (posted yesterday), the former Camp Pendleton Marine who launched an effort to allow homeless to stay in their overnights at Palomar College (later picked up by the L.A. Times), the plight of the universally hated "prison hotel" (twice), the fact that the airport is completely unregulated and that anyone can land there 24/7 for free, a tiki bar coming to the end of the pier, the closure of the Main Attraction strip club, the closure of Oceanside's 2nd largest private employer TE Connectivity, the breaking story on the closure of the Firewater Saloon, the flood damage in South O was avoidable. Oh, and what about the fact that we drew attention to the endorsement by key Oceanside unions of a Carlsbad banker for appointment to city council. Attention led to that appointee withdrawing his name. Oh and how about the article on Victor Roy who was reported to have no qualifications for the city treasurer. What do you know!! Tonight the council votes on implementing minimum requirements for any future clerk and treasurer or appointing them as most other cities do. As for the Blade-Citizen giving Oceanside a "black eye" because it reported on crime. Any local (which you clearly or not, if so, prove it) will tell you it was just that coverage and pressure that helped clean up Oceanside. Oh, and by the way the U-T is not "worthless." Phil Diehl, while overworked by covering four cities, is an excellent reporter. Because the Coast News reprints city press releases hardly means it is a better paper than the UT. I'm speaking only for myself.
— March 27, 2019 1:25 p.m.

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