San Marcos

Owning San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

According to her 2018 campaign disclosure statement, mayoral candidate Rebecca Jones received $50,965 in donations from 180 individuals. Only 53 have San Marcos addresses. Seven of ten of her cash supporters were, like me, not eligible to vote in the election. Jones’s opponent, Chris Orlando, raised $29,000 in donations from 139 individuals, 94 of whom have San Marcos addresses. I was disappointed to learn that…


Regional Hate Crimes Coalition holds forum

In the wake of the Poway Synagogue shooting, the San Diego Regional Hate Crimes Coalition held a Hate Crimes Community Forum at California State University San Marcos McMahan House Wednesday night. It featured discussions of victim services, community impact and house of worship protection. The forum came nearly four months after a deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway. On April 27 – the last…


Beer good; local beer economic benefits, better, according to new CSUSM study

A new Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM) report released Tuesday reveals that San Diego County’s independent craft brewers produced an economic impact of approximately $1.2 billion in 2018, driving a total industry revenue of $848 million. To read the full report, visit here. In 2018, San Diego County saw its craft brewing family grow to a total of 155 independent craft brewers, bringing the…


From Janis Joplin to Vista biz for Lee Bittner

Times they have a-changed since the countercultural 1960s. So has drummer-turned-Vista-restaurant supply company owner Lee Bittner — to a degree. A former drummer with Janis Joplin’s Big Brother & the Holding Company, Bittner, 54, has toned down his personal act somewhat these days. But he maintains a lot of the core values of that youthful age which he combines with modern-day business acumen and a…


CSUSM News: Track apps, Temecula time

CSUSM grad takes his apps to the track Erik Groset is no horse racing junkie, but like many people in San Diego, he enjoys a nice summer day at the Del Mar racetrack – the gorgeous seaside setting, fun times with friends and family, laying down a little money to make it more interesting. What Groset didn’t enjoy, on the many days he spent at Del Mar during the decade after…


RePlanet recycling centers circle the drain

California’s largest operator of recycling redemption centers abruptly shut down Monday and laid off 750 employees. RePlanet pulled the plug on all 284 of its centers, and company president David Lawrence said the decision was driven by increased business costs and falling prices of recycled aluminum and PET plastic. The recycling center, generally operated by one or two employees in kiosks at shopping centers anchored…


CSUSM lecturer tracks ‘Lone Woman’ legend

Like millions of parents over the last half-century, Tom Holm read “Island of the Blue Dolphins” to his daughter when she was in elementary school. The classic 1960 children’s novel by Scott O’Dell chronicles the tale of a 12-year-old girl named Karana who’s stranded alone for years on an island off the coast of Southern California.   Holm’s daughter, Jacqueline, enjoyed the book so much that…


Let them eat (free, miniature bundt) cake

Call it a publicity stunt, but free is free, so a complimentary $4.75 miniature bundt cake, or bundtlet so-called, is nothing to turn up one’s nose at. Although there is a 300 second Cinderella window of opportunity catch. From 3 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, anybody venturing inside Nothing  Bundt Cakes at the (Winco) San Marcos Creekside Marketplace shopping center, 595 Grand Ave.,…


Ellen Neufeldt named CSUSM’s 4th president

After an eight-month search, the California State University Board of Trustees announced Wednesday it has appointed Ellen J. Neufeldt, Ed.D., to serve as the next president of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). Neufeldt currently serves as vice president of student engagement and enrollment services for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. CSUSM when President Karen Haynes announced her retirement on June 30 of last year….


Hey Deer Springs Equestrian, Feed & Supply

Deer Springs Equestrian, along with Deer Springs Feed & Supply, at 2333 N. Twin Oaks Rd., San Marcos (760-744-9600), is a horse boarding and training facility unlike any other in Southern California. Situated on 21 acres in the historic Discovery Valley, San Marcos, Deer Springs gives the horse and rider the freedom to pursue their riding goals in a relaxed and spacious environment. With a…