Escondido

Escondido, Health February 10, 2016

End of emergency services era at Palomar Health Downtown Campus

Ending months of speculation, and anticipation, Palomar Health Wednesday said it would close its around-the-clock downtown Escondido emergency department on March 14. Once a major 319-bed regional medical center, the 555 E Valley Parkway hospital, now called the Kaiser Permanente Palomar Health Downtown Campus, opened its doors on Feb. 16, 1950. Handwriting has been on the wall ever since North County’s leading medical provider opened…

Escondido, Transportation January 30, 2016

Escondido station first in SoCal with gas under $2

An Escondido gas station’s price drop yesterday (Jan. 28) means San Diego motorists can join the rest of the country in buying gas under two dollars a gallon. Story will be update later tonight. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, the APEX station at 1602 E Valley Parkway in Escondido became the first station in Southern California to lower its price to $1.99 a gallon….

Escondido, Restaurants January 28, 2016

Turn out the lights, Champion’s party is over

Lines out Grand Avenue, tears on half-eaten cinnamon rolls, Champion’s Family Restaurant was scheduled to wrap it up Friday, Jan. 29, the future be damned. Friday was going to be a kind of Escondido Mardi Gras Day, a carnival of anticipation, regret and last hurrah before the inevitable All Souls Day and Lent. As word got out last week that the family-owned American cuisine institution…

Breaking News, Escondido, Immigration January 27, 2016

Escondido ‘Dream Team’ protests ICE raids

Several dozen protestors against immigration deportation policies rallied at Escondido’s Police Headquarters, then Escondido City Hall at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Members of the San Diego Dream Team, sponsoring the protest, posted various real-time social media accounts, some of which are displayed here. They followed picketing with a community meeting in the evening at the East Valley Community Center. San Diego Dream Team is…

Escondido, Homelessness January 25, 2016

Counting and aiding Escondido homeless

Every homeless person counts It happens every year. Interfaith Community Services gets a handle on the extent of homelessness in Escondido with its annual count of homeless people. The count is scheduled for 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29 in the streets and shelters of Escondido. Volunteers are needed, according to agency officials. Called We All Count, the annual single-day event that provides…

Escondido January 23, 2016

Tale of two approaches to medical marijuana

Medical marijuana continued to be a hot button topic around Escondido and North County this month. Escondido City Council members, again, banned medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits while a proposed dispensary in unincorporated Escondido appeared headed for approval by San Diego County regulators. Escondido wasn’t along in banning dispensaries this month. Poway’s city council took the same actions as officials there said they needed…

Escondido January 23, 2016

Marijuana, voodoo science and Escondido

Fox News 5 had a camera in the City Council Chambers at the Jan. 13 Escondido City Council meeting. I think they were probably there to cover Agenda Item 14 ORDINANCE 2016-01 AMENDING CHAPTER 33 AND DELETING CHAPTER 16F OF THE ESCONDIDO MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO COMMERCIAL MEDICAL CANNABIS (MARIJUANA) LAND USES AND BUSINESSES (AZ 15-0004), but I did not watch their news that night,…

Escondido January 22, 2016

Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop digs out from El Nino damage

Even as Escondido’s venerable Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop was being cleaned up after El Nino huffed and puffed and blew it’s roof down, donations kept coming. And Goodwill officials already were looking toward a grand re-opening celebration, the entire community invited. “We’re still accepting donations here,” said Beth Forsberg, Goodwill Industries of San Diego County vice president, retail and operations, standing in the shadows of…

Community, Escondido January 12, 2016

Food for fines went fine, volunteering and more Escondido community news

Library ‘Holiday Food for Fines’ program deemed successful Escondido Public Library’s principal librarian Joanna Axelrod didn’t mince words. “Escondido Public Library’s annual Holiday Food for Fines program proved once again to be very successful,” Axelrod said. “During the collection drive, which ran from Monday, Nov. 30 through Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, the Library accumulated 50 crates of food weighing an estimated 1,500 pounds.” The program lets library…

Escondido January 9, 2016

Behold the tallest 22 buildings in all the land, or at least Escondido

Escondido features two high-rise buildings, 36 low-rise buildings, four open-air structures, two masts (poles) and one stadium, according to Emporis, a global provider of building information. The Emporis top 20 tallest buildings listing hasn’t been updated to include what now rules the skyscape roost, i.e. Palomar Medical Center at 2185 Citracado Parkway and didn’t list the Escondido Police & Fire Headquarters, 115,371-square-feet on 6.6. acres…