January 2019

Carol Channing’s CSUSM connection

Most people knew Carol Channing as a Broadway legend, as the iconic star of the long-running musical “Hello, Dolly!”, as a performer with one of the most easily recognized voices in American pop culture. Merryl Goldberg knew Channing, first and foremost, as a friend. Goldberg, a professor in the School of Arts at Cal State San Marcos, was primary among several individuals at the university who had a personal connection to Channing,…


Theater Review: “Moon Over Buffalo”

The Details: “Moon Over Buffalo” plays through February 10, 2019, at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach. Wednesday at 7 pm; Thursday and Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 2 and 8 pm; Sunday at 2 and 7 pm Tickets: (858) 481-1055 or www.northcoastrep.org Director Matthew Wiener gets the best out of this terrific cast, and together they all…


Wham, bam, thank you ma’am at SM Council

It took 23 San Marcos City Council candidates over 2 1/2 hours Tuesday night at City Hall to present credentials and answer a handful of questions. It took Mayor Rebecca Jones, Vice-Mayor Sharon Jenkins and council members Randy Walton and Maria Nunez the governmental equivalent of a New York second, or about five minutes, seemingly to rubber-stamp Escondido Assistant City Manager Jay Petrek as their…


Then there were 24 — SM council candidates

San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones and the San Marcos city council may be taking a curious approach to Tuesday’s city council member election. While most elections feature a few candidates and lots of voters, Jones and council have twisted that fact into an inverted pretzel. Do the math. At 6 pm. Tuesday, more than eight times the usual number of candidates for council possibly will…


Wall, stinking ridiculous wall: Fun Facts Sheet

Wall, stinking ridiculous wall. Thanks to Donald Trump’s government shutdown and faux emergency order centered around his infantile obsession with “The Wall,” we’ve been media- and Republican-bombarded with wall talk. As the case with any hot journalism story, it’s the pleasure of The Grapevine to join the fray. This is possible due to the great reporting from inewsource, the non-profit public investigations news site based…


It’s tough to be a renter in San Diego County

San Diego County is one of the least affordable places to live in America, and renters know it. When housing costs are high, people have less money to spend on other necessities such as food and medical care, which hurts their quality of life. In 2017, 57 percent of the county’s renters were considered burdened by their housing costs, meaning they spent 30 percent or more…


Intrigue marks SM Council seat filling process

Conflicting special election cost estimates and private lobbying of council members are just two of the lingering questions pertaining to the San Marcos City Council’s decision to appoint a new member for a 2-year term rather than allow voters to decide. After a final Thursday count, City Clerk Phil Scollick had received 24 – count ’em, 24 — applications in various stages of completion. Applicants…


Bye Felicia time for good old boy from Alpine

Otherwise known as Rep. Duncan Hunter grifting out the string in 2019… Duncan Hunter’s 2019: No committee assignments, just the opportunity to run his mouth and vote against bills helping voters in California’s 50th Congressional District. And oh, by the way, a date with a U.S. District Court judge on Sept. 10. Hunter held on to his 50th district seat by just four percentage points…


No election for open SM council seat?

San Marcos has an open city council seat. However, leaders won’t schedule an election. Instead, council members want to fill the seat themselves and appoint the new council member. Wait, what? On Tuesday, Dec. 11, council members voted unanimously to fill the seat left open by Rebecca Jones when she was elected mayor last month, by voting among themselves for a new member. Does that sound…


Ammar Campa-Najjar hits comeback trail

Ammar Campa-Najjar makes it official It’s official, Campa-Najjar is back in the race to replace the disgraced, and clinging to a real person’s job in Congress, Duncan “Friggin’” Hunter. Campa-Najjar this week filed to run against Hunter in California’s 50th Congressional District in 2020, should Hunter even make it that far. Hunter’s date with campaign finance fraud destiny at Federal Court in September may result…