by The Editors on January 27, 2008
We’ve noticed that more and more people are building monster homes in Carlsbad. And some of them actually look well designed. But not everyone is happy about this according to a Barbara Henry story the North County Times.
In a two-year period, Carlsbad resident Fred Briggs has watched two houses — each bigger than 5,000 square feet — go up near his Basswood Drive home. . . . One is so tall and wide, he said, that it blocks the afternoon sun from his backyard even though it isn’t next door to him. . . . Now, three more “McMansions,” as Briggs refers to them, are proposed for land north of his 2,000-square-foot, Spanish-style home in Old Carlsbad — and he is clearly not happy about it.
Oddly, one Realtor said that big homes are for people who want to show off. He says people want them to “prove to others that they have been successful in life.” Really? Is that it? Maybe they just have big families? Or, lots of furniture. Yeah, Thane did you ever think of that?
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on January 26, 2008
Admittedly, we were the last to notice that as of January 1, 2008 there is no longer a Fidel’s on the Fidel’s Norte sign above the front door, on the menu’s, nor on the servers shirts. Now they all simply read: Norté. But if you’re slower to the news that we are (and we hope none of our readers are) then here is a bit of the story.
Dad took his name back from the kids,” said a Norté service worker. “The kids have owned this restaurant for a while, but Dad decided that he wanted it back. And when the kids wouldn’t give it back, he decided they couldn’t use his name. They haven’t spoken in years.”
We’re sad for the family, however, we’re glad that Norté is still where it has been for over 30 years and that the food remains exactly what we crave at least once a week.
by The Editors on January 26, 2008
Ron Paul supporters Mellissa Ingram, Mike Ladda, and Eric Ingram.
Carlsbad Ron Paul meet-up members were out in force at the corner of Coast Highway and Carlsbad Village Drive today reminding people to Google Ron Paul. The fact that Ron Paul’s chances of winning anything are extremely slim did nothing to deter this group
“To me it doesn’t matter if we win or lose, this is the first time I’ve been able to get behind any politician so I wanted to do what I can,” said Elton Tidwell. “If the media is not going to get his name out there then this is the only thing we can do.”
According to Eric Ingram there will be a big Ron Paul rally at Balboa Park on February 2, 2008 and “Ron Paul just might be there,” he said.
More photos after the jump.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 26, 2008
Ted Vallas, 87, has been a North County business mover for over 50 years, but now he is moving on according to a story in the North County Times.
For the last 57 years, Vallas has operated approximately 40 different businesses throughout the world. In addition to the Carlsbad resort, his other Southern California ventures have included the El Camino Real Country Club in Oceanside, the former Whispering Palms Country Club (now Morgan’s Run) near Rancho Santa Fe, the Imperial Valley Resort in El Centro and the Olympic Resort of Palm Springs.
He recently sold his Olympic Resort & Spa for $12 million and is now working on a business that will allow him to share some of the skills he’s acquired. It’s called U.S. International Consultants
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on January 25, 2008
As a Carlsbadistan.com commenter pointed out yesterday Marty Ummel and her husband Vernon are taking their fight against local Realtor Mike Little to the media with a vengeance.
Yesterday, Marty appeared in a feature story on the Today Show then she and Vernon sat down on the couch with Ann Curry for an extended interview.
This story is getting even more legs because, as everyone knows, the entire real estate industry is incentivized by getting buyers to pay as much as possible for property. If Realtors representing buyers were paid a commission based on the amount of money they saved their clients vs. the asking price, then they would likely be more interested in getting the best deal possible for their clients. But then, of course, they would get paid a lot less.
[Link: The Today Show]
by The Editors on January 25, 2008
After a former La Costa Resort and Spa worker was diagnosed with tuberculosis the County Health and Human Services Agency is now testing more La Costa workers.
The resort didn’t specify yesterday how many of its 1,000 employees have been tested but said that everyone who had been in contact with the former golf maintenance worker has received a skin test. No other active cases have been found.
Luckily, TB is typically spread “through the air – not through food or touch ,” so resort visitors are “not at risk because the worker (who left the resort in November) hadn’t interacted with the public.”
[Link: San Diego-Union Tribune]
by The Editors on January 25, 2008
Carlsbadistan’s Valley Middle School is teaching students all the skills they’ll need for careers in TV broadcasting thanks to teacher Doug Green’s award-winning program VMSTV.com.
The class broadcasts a closed-circuit news program periodically to 1,000 fellow students, teachers and staff members. Replays of the news programs are broadcast on the school’s Web site, so parents can view them. Individual segments also can be seen on the school’s Web site.
So far the school’s network has received a Golden Bell award from the California School Boards Association. TV (and media in general) suddenly becomes not so mysterious once 13 year olds understand that they can create it just as easily as anyone else.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on January 25, 2008
We didn’t make it to the “energy workshop” hosted by the State Energy Commission yesterday, so we’re going to depend on the intrepid North County Times reporter Barbara Henry’s coverage instead. She says there were “some 30” people (the Union-Tribune said 60) in the audience during the five-and-a-half hour long session. Five and a half hours? Good lord.
The city of Carlsbad wants an air quality monitoring device installed at the Encina Power Station, so that neighbors can see what a recently proposed addition to the facility could produce. . . . City officials also are asking for temporary “story poles” —- sticks used by developers to show a proposed building’s height —- to be placed where the power plant’s owners want to put two rapid-fire, “peaker” power plants.
[Link: North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on January 23, 2008
According to a story in the North County Times, a group shot of eight former La Costa Canyon boys water polo team members (as well as players from other high schools in Southern California) have appeared on several “Internet pornography” sites lately and officials are trying to find out how they got there.
The photos caught widespread attention after the Orange County Register reported Saturday that water polo players from least 11 Orange County high schools as well as schools in Los Angeles and San Diego counties appeared on five Web pornography sites geared for gay viewers. . . . La Costa Canyon athletic director John Labeta said the photo of the Mavericks players posing poolside in their swimsuits appears to be five to seven years old. None of the players still attends the school, he said.
Oh, the horrors. . .
[Link: North County Times and Orange County Register]
by The Editors on January 23, 2008
In 2005 when Marty Ummel, 60, and her husband bought their home in the Serenada neighborhood of Carlsbad they say their Realtor Mike Little of RE/MAX Associates caused them to pay $150,000 more than they should have by not showing them comparable home prices in the area. The Ummels claim Little did this because he was more interested in his commission than the deal they got on their house. But the Ummel’s were not happy, according to story in the New York Times.
What makes Ms. Ummel different is that she is suing her agent, saying it was all his fault. . . . Ms. Ummel claims that the agent hid the information that similar homes in the neighborhood were selling for less because he feared she would back out and he would lose his $30,000 commission.
Of course, Little says it’s not his fault:
They simply didn’t do what is expected of a knowledgeable, sophisticated buyer, and are now looking for someone other than themselves to take responsibility,” Roger Holtsclaw, an agent who was hired by Mr. Little as an expert witness, said in a court deposition.
What this all comes down to is how responsible are Realtors for the transactions they make. If they’re not responsible, then what is their whole purpose? Obviously, Realtors who represent the buyer have always been incentivized in the wrong direction, but that’s probably not going to change anytime soon. What makes this even more interesting is the seller was also a Realtor.
The case begins in North County Superior Court Monday, January 28, 2008. For all the details click the links to the following stories.
[Link: New York Times and Voice of San Diego]
We’ve noticed that more and more people are building monster homes in Carlsbad. And some of them actually look well designed. But not everyone is happy about this according to a Barbara Henry story the North County Times.
RSS Feed-Posts