by The Editors on August 16, 2008
Thanks to the “discovery of two endagered birds” during an environmental review on the planned site of Carlsbad’s new High School, the opening date is going to be pushed off until 2011.
Two nests of least Bell’s vireo, which primarily inhabits riparian woodlands, scrub, and thickets for breeding, were found on city property between the high school site and College Boulevard, district Superintendent John Roach said. . . . The birds were discovered as part of an environmental review of the 57-acre site at College Boulevard and Cannon Road. The Carlsbad Unified School District is building the new campus to reduce overcrowding at Carlsbad High.
That means a little more time in the porta-classes, kids.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on August 16, 2008
A Superior Court judge has sided with the City of Encinitas in the battle over who is going to pay for all the upgrades that La Costa Avenue will need for the increase traffic that the proposed Ponto hotel and resort development will cause, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Judge Robert P. Dahlquist said the Ponto plan’s environmental impact report, required under the California Environmental Quality Act as a step before anything can be built, is inadequate and should be set aside. . . . . . . . “At this time, the city is very pleased with the ruling,” Encinitas City Attorney Glenn Sabine said yesterday.
Carlsbad’s City Attorney Ron Ball is hoping to convince the judge otherwise. Apparently, the City of Carlsbad would like to get out of as much of the $5.3 million improvement costs as possible.
The judge agreed with Encinitas that Carlsbad’s methodology for calculating how much developers would pay without addressing who would make up the difference “is inadequate as a matter of law and is not supported by substantial evidence,” the ruling says.
We’d have to say we agree with Judge Dahlquist. The Carlsbad City Council really doesn’t seem too skilled at math.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on August 16, 2008
Have a thing for small, shiny objects? Like rolling fresh cut diamonds through your hands all day? Well, there may be a way to get paid to do it all day. Find out at the Gemological Institute of America’s Jewerly Career Fair on September 12, 2008 at the GIA campus in Carlsbadistan.
When you attend GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair, you’ve come one step closer to creating the life you’ve imagined. Career Fair gives you the chance to explore everything the fine jewelry industry has to offer.
Hey, even if you’re just a small time jewel thief this may be the perfect place to learn more about the gemological indsutry.
[Link: GIA via Diamonds.net]
by The Editors on August 15, 2008
When Carlsbad’s Rebekah Price, 35, painted her Piragua Street house sea-foam green the neighbors were not stoked.
“It glows at night,” said neighbor Karen Sims, who has tried to give the color scheme some latitude. “I’ll think, maybe it’s not so bad. Then you turn the corner and you’re like, oh, it is that bad. . . . “The last week has been a complete nightmare where I haven’t slept,” said Price, 35. “I’ve dealt with angry, hostile, ridiculous people … screaming at me when they drive by, ‘Go back to (expletive) Tijuana!’ They have their kids yell at me, harass my children.”
Some people were so upset that they reportedly smeared dog poop on her fence and threw a dead rabbit on her lawn. Which we guess is how people respond to problems when they live so far away from the beach.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on August 14, 2008
This Saturday night Aug.16-17, 2008 the Carlsbad Recreation Department is hosting the Snores & S’mores: Pirates Cove family camp-out at Stagecoach Community Park. But as the registration deadline was August 8, 2008, if this is news to you then you’re not going. Neither are we.
This unique event offers all the fun of camping, with the safety and conveniences provided by a local community center. The theme is “Pirates Cove,” taking participants on an overnight adventure to live the pirate’s life. Enjoy fun family activities such as searching for hidden treasure, family competitions, arts and crafts, outdoor family movie screening, popcorn and bonfires for s’more-making. Participants may choose to pitch a tent or sleep under the stars. A community barbecue is included in the price, or families may choose to bring their own food.
We are thinking about going on a late-night marshmallow raid just for the fun of it. Then we’ll be the pirates.
[Link: City of Carlsbad]
by The Editors on August 14, 2008
When knew that when video game giants Activision and Vivendi merged there would be some changes at Carlsbad-based video game developer High Moon Studios. We just didn’t know how deep the cuts went. According to Gamasutra they went nearly 30 percent deep.
The layoffs, which apparently consist of a notable portion — as many as 60 — but not a majority of the developer’s more than 150 staff, were telegraphed in the July 29th statement from new owner Activision.
Hope Carlsbadistan doesn’t loose too many of the talented minds behind Darkwatch and The Bourne Supremacy.
[Link: Gamasutra]
by The Editors on August 13, 2008
The San Diego Weekly Reader’s Don Bauder asked executive compensation expert Graef Crystal to “figure out how the remuneration of head bean counters at five large San Diego companies compared with pay of their counterparts elsewhere.”
Turns out Invitrogen’s CFO David Hoffmeister, who made $2.2 million last year, was “a bit ahead of what he should have made by Crystals reckoning.” But, according to Bauder, Invitrogen stock beat the market by 60 percent. Maybe that is why Invitrogen CEO Gregory Lucier (pictured right) is doing so well.
Gregory Lucier, in pulling down $29 million, made a whopping 583 percent above the market based on company size and pay risk, says Crystal. But the company’s stock has to meet certain future targets. Lucier is not supposed to get another award until the end of next year. Crystal tends to pooh-pooh such declarations, stating that boards of directors often forget that they said they wouldn’t dole out any more for a long period. “You grant it, I count it,” says Crystal.
As long as Lucier and Hoffmeister keep that stock climbing, we’re all good with whatever they are getting paid.
[Link: San Diego Weekly Reader]
by The Editors on August 13, 2008
On August 11, 2008 Carlsbadistan’s municipal golf course celebrated its one-year birthday. Hard to believe the City’s $74 million baby is growing up so fast. The press release from KemperSports was jubilant, but it’ is the Canyon Restaurant that Kemper seems most happy about.
In the past 12 months, The Crossings has hosted 57,980 rounds of golf, exceeding its initial projection of 56,775 rounds. About 40 percent of the golfers were Carlsbad residents, while roughly 30 percent were from the surrounding San Diego County area. . . . Averaging 183 customers a day during the first seven months of 2008, the Canyons Restaurant has exceeded its daily ala- carte revenue budget for the first 12 months of operations by more than $400,000. Highlighting the fact that The Crossings is more than just a golf course is that approximately 90 percent of the restaurant’s daily patrons were non-golfers from the local community and surrounding business parks.
Happy Birthday, Crossings, though to be truthful we’d much rather be celebrating the first year birthday of Carlsbadistan’s new skatepark.
[Link: The Crossings-at-Carlsbad]
by The Editors on August 13, 2008
Last night the Carlsbad City Council approved a plan from Strategic Property Services Advisers for a PF Chang’s Chinese Bistro and a two-story, 44,000 square foot “complex of boutique clothing shops” (including H&M) across the street from the Carlsbad Premium Outlet stores on Paseo del Norte, according to a Barbara Henry story in the North County Times.
“That area has been waiting for a good (project) … and it seems that they have found something,” Councilman Mark Packard said before the council’s 4-0 vote, with Councilwoman Julie Nygaard absent.
If we’re going to have another mall in Carlsbad, it might as well be there.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on August 12, 2008
For more than a week we’ve been getting news tips telling us that the Apple store at the Carlsbad Forum was opening on August 16, 2008. Being good journalists, however, we wanted to check with the Apple PR before we said anything. Let’s put it this way: we did get one out-of-office reply.
Now, it’s official. On August 16, 2008 at 10 AM the doors of the Carlsbad Apple store will open. Here’s what they said in their official email (which we did not get).
Come to the new Apple Store, Carlsbad, and bring your curiosity. It’s the place to test-drive any Mac or iPod, experience iPhone, and catch free workshops to learn all the latest tips and tricks. When you get there, find our Concierge in the orange shirt. The Concierge is your guide to everything from checking in for an appointment to instant checkout. And if you’re one of the first 1000 visitors, you’ll get a free Apple T-shirt.*
Today, we cruised by the store and peeked in through the doors on the front of the big black box. Inside we could see a completely kitted-out Apple store loaded with product and employees getting ready to start selling. If you’re like us, then we’ll probably see you in line early Saturday morning waiting for the free shirt.
[Link: Apple Store Carlsbad]
Thanks to the “discovery of two endagered birds” during an environmental review on the planned site of Carlsbad’s new High School, the opening date is going to be pushed off until 2011.
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