by The Editors on April 8, 2009
The vote has been delayed, however, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board has decided to close the desalination plant hearing “meaning no new evidence or testimony will be considered at the next meeting,” according to a story in the North County Times.
Poseidon Resources Corp., the plant’s prospective builder, made encouraging progress at the hearing, said Scott Maloni, a vice president of the Stamford, Conn.-based company. . . “We think it’s a significant milestone,” Maloni said. “They ended the public debate over the project, and they agreed to come back next month and make a decision. The time delay is insignificant in comparison to the milestone of the public debate coming to a close.”
Writing in the San Diego Union-Tribune Michael Burge said that the plant has been “all but approved” and that the board will “give the project a final green light at a later meeting.”
[Link: North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
While we were out chasing runners around Carlsbadistan at the Carlsbad 5000, The Office’s Steve Carell, his wife Nancy along with their daughter Annie and son Johnny spent the day at Legoland, according to a story on Entertainment Tonight.
. . .they enjoyed attractions such as Land of Adventure, Miniland USA, Knights’ Tournament and Dino Island.
Nancy even ran into an old high school friend at the park, proving that Miniland USA at Legoland really is a small world!
Apparently, Hollywood stars get to go tromping through Miniland like Godzilla. Next time we’re there we’re just going to go for it. You should, too.
[Link: Entertainment Tonight]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
Sometimes waking up to an ocean front view doesn’t mean spending $3.2 million on a house on Ocean Street. Not when there’s free parking on the Carlsbadistan seawall.
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
It recently came to light that the number of fish Poseidon Resources‘ proposed desalination plant will kill is actually four to seven times higher than it originally estimated thanks to a math error in their calculations discovered by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board last year, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
But in poring over Poseidon’s study on the number of fish its plant would kill, the board’s staff discovered a math error last year that significantly underestimated the number. . . .When challenged, Poseidon admitted the mistake but said it shouldn’t affect its proposal to create 55.4 acres of new wetlands to compensate for the fish killed. . . “We believe the . . . impacts for the desalination project are de minimis (insignificant), and the impacts can be offset by the 55.4 acres,” said Scott Maloni, Poseidon’s spokesman.
But, of course, that statement makes no sense at all. More damage requires more restoration. Seems pretty simple to us.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 7, 2009
After close to three weeks on paid administrative leave Carlsbad’s Chief of Police Thomas Zoll is back on the job, but just why he was put on that leave is still a complete mystery according to a story in the North County Times.
City spokeswoman Kristina Rey declined Monday to say what transpired during Chief Thomas Zoll’s leave, including whether there was an investigation and what prompted his reinstatement. . . City officials repeatedly have declined to say why Zoll, 58, was placed on leave on March 18, citing state laws that limit the release of information on a police officer’s performance. . . Zoll said Monday that he preferred not to comment on the situation.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune Zoll said he would have been back last week, but that he said he “went on vacation.”
Whatever it was, apparently it is over for now, and we hope Zoll used his paid leave well.
[Link: North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 7, 2009
by The Editors on April 7, 2009
It is rare that Carlsbadistan gets a real literary treatment. But, as several readers have pointed out, the April 6, 2009 issue of The New Yorker magazine features a piece of fiction by writer Brad Watson titled Visitation. Watson, who is a creative writing professor at the University of Wyoming, placed his sad story of an estranged, unemployed father visiting his young son right in the heart of Carlsbadistan.
The fictional father and son stay in a local motor lodge (with some Gypsies) and walk the “wide beach at Carlsbad. Carlsbad was far too cool, but what could you do?” While on the beach they watch a military helicopter nearly crash land. Later the two go to Pizza Port for dinner. Here’s how Watson describes it:
The place was crowded with people who’d been at the beach all day, although Loomis recognized no one they’d seen when the helicopter had nearly crashed and killed them all. He’d expected everyone in there to know about it, to be buzzing about it over beer and pizza, amazed, exhilarated. But it was as if it hadn’t happened.
The long rows of picnic tables and booths were filled with young parents and their hyperkinetic children, who kept jumping up to get extra napkins or forks or to climb into the seats of the motorcycle video games. Their parents flung arms after them like inadequate lassos or pursued them and herded them back. The stools along the bar were occupied by young men and women who apparently had no children and who were attentive only to one another and to choosing which of the restaurant’s many microbrews to order. In the corner by the rest rooms, the old surfers, regulars here, gathered to talk shop and knock back the stronger beers, the double-hopped and the barley wines. Their graying hair frizzled and tied in ponytails or dreads or chopped in stiff clumps dried by salt and sun. Their faces leather brown. Gnarled toes jutting from their flip-flops and worn sandals like assortments of dry-roasted cashews, Brazil nuts, ginger root.
Visitation is a great piece of short fiction, but Watson’s story isn’t the only Carlsbadistan reference in the issue: on the back page in the Cartoon Caption Contest (one that we should have won at least once already) Carlsbadistan’s own Ben Russak has a caption (one of three finalists) that we believe will be the winner.
Damn him.
[Link: The New Yorker]
by The Editors on April 6, 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune surfing writer Brad Melekian visits Carlsbadistan’s southern most beach in his latest column and considers the rapid changes that are coming to one of his favorite surf breaks.
As things you can park your car on go, I’d always found this particular patch of sand on the south side of the Ponto Jetties in Carlsbad to be fairly remarkable. . . Of course, it was not remarkable. It was a patch of sand. But it existed – until two weeks ago – as a place where you could park your vehicle, step out barefoot with sand between your toes, climb a small dune and check the surf.
Melekian laments (along with many of us) the changes the Ponto Vision Plan will bring and what he’ll soon see when looking back at the beach from the water. It’s not going to be pretty. Click the link to read the rest.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 5, 2009
by The Editors on April 5, 2009
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