Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad got a surprise visit from San Diego Charger Quentin Jammer on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Quentin took time out to visit with the surprised youngsters, give them toys, and sign a few autographs.
“If I can encourage and make a difference in the life of just one child, I feel that I have been successful,” said Quentin. Jammer believes that all children should be given the same opportunity to excel in academics as well as athletics, regardless of their resources. His foundation’s ultimate goal is to establish a solid support system with children, developing them into young leaders that will sustain a prosperous community.
Last week Carlsbad’s city council approved an amended employment agreement with City Manager Lisa Hildabrand, effective January 1, 2012, listing her new salary at $230,000.
Communications Director Kristina Ray told me Hildabrand’s $13,000 pay hike, which became effective November 28, was based on her 2008 contract.
You could hear the buzzing of angry city worker bees in Carlsbad and Escondido when they learned their bosses were getting huge salary increases while their own pay remained frozen. Adding insult to injury, some of Carlsbad’s lowest paid workers are facing cuts in take-home pay because of an increase in what they’re required to pay into the state’s retirement system.
The salary of Carlsbad’s city manager is linked to the second highest paid city manager in the county, excluding the city of San Diego. Annual increases are limited to the rise in California’s Consumer Price Index. But additional “salary adjustments” are allowed if the price of city managers is driven up by pay increases in other cities. [click to continue…]
On Saturday, April 7, 2012 the City of Carlsbadistan’s Parks & Recreation Department will host the 2012 EGGStravaganza at Poinsettia Park.
Kids will be treated to easter egg hunts (for all ages), face painting, cup-cake decorating, gymnastic tumbling, and a seemingly limitless supply of bouncy bounce options.
EGGStravaganza begins at 10 AM on Saturday, April 7, 2012. To save time you can purchase a $5 activity card and unlimited Fun Zone wristbands in advance at Calavera Hills Community Center, Harding Community Center, or the Stagecoach Caommunity Center. Click here for photos from the 2010 eventor the link for more info.
The Village of Carlsbadistan is getting a new dining option this month (and it’s not another Italian restaurant) as Boxd Handcrafted Waffle Food opens for business on what was the dirt lot on the Northwest corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and State Street. The restaurant is scheduled to “Open in April.” We’re looking forward to checking it out as soon as it opens.
This Sunday, April 1, 2012, the Carlsbad 5000 will take to the streets of Carlsbadistan for the 27th time. And this years field promises to be the best yet. Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel, the defending champion and last year’s 5,000-meter bronze medalist will be leading the field. But there’s more:
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the 2011 Carlsbad runner-up who was ranked No. 1 in the world over 5,000 meters in 2010 and has silver and bronze medals in the 5,000 from the past two Olympic Games; and Ethiopia’s Tariku Bekele, a former world champion over 3,000 meters indoors and with a best of 12:54.45 over 5,000 meters.
Want smart kids? Exposé them to the wonders of science. On April 9, 2012 kids ages 4 to 12 can have fun while learning about the natural world through Carlsbad’s spring science camps. A part of Carlsbad Parks & Recreation’s Spring Camps, Wonders! Science Camp #6 runs Monday through Thursday, April 9 – 12, 2012 for 3 hours, (kids under 6 go in the morning, afternoon classes are for 6 and over) at Magee Park’s Heritage Hall. Here’s what’s in store for attendees:
Explore robotics, make pinhole cameras, make and launch amazing water rockets, build barometers, split water, collect fossils, fire balloon rockets, make oil tornados, hollow out pennies, create foot long lighting, split light, fly remote controlled dragonflies, and much, much more. $20 materials fee is due to the instructor the first day.
Students will get to do all those cool & messy projects most parents don’t want to deal with at home. Sign them up online or in person at any of the Carlsbad community centers and don’t miss out on this great learning opportunity.
Residents pay $125, those not fortunate enough to live in Carlsbadistan, pay $135.
At war with one of your neighbors? Tired of their dogs leaving massive piles on your lawn, parking in your space, painting “artistic” murals on your walls, or blasting dubstep at all hours of the day and night? The City of Carlsbad has a solution: mediation. Don’t take your neighbors to court, sit down and talk about it.
As the city says, “It’s free, quick, confidential and conducted by professionally trained mediation volunteers who are members of the Carlsbad community.”
Carlsbad school officials are getting lots of advice lately about how to save money without hurting students. But it amounts mostly to blaming the victims of a budget crisis they didn’t create: the teachers union for selfishness and protecting bad teachers from layoffs, administrators for wasting money on frills.
Those who think unions are “wicked,” the word used by one community columnist, often praise teachers for their good work as individuals. But when they organize to improve their profession, they’re accused of putting their own interests ahead of kids. Using that logic, you might say the same about parents who follow flight attendant instructions to put on their own oxygen masks before helping their kids with theirs.
Teachers face obstacles to their effectiveness when they work in overcrowded classrooms, have to buy their own teaching materials, and are given little time to collaborate on lesson plans. Union efforts to reduce those obstacles are truly in the best interests of students.
Common sense might suggest a “keep the best and fire the rest” layoff policy. But in this case common sense doesn’t make good sense.
Here’s why. The best and worst teachers often stand out. But it’s much harder to rank those who fall in between. Evaluating teachers on test scores alone ignores learning that can’t be measured by multiple choice. Congeniality and budget savings could become the primary criteria if administrators alone make the call. Most would agree that popularity isn’t the best measure of teaching excellence. [click to continue…]
This Saturday, March 24, 2012 the Lagoon Discovery Center on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon is celebrating World Water Day with a full day of activities and fun for the entire family.
This year’s World Water Day will kick off with a kayak lagoon clean up from 10am – noon. Participants provide their own boat. Like to participate? Contact us to sign up! . . . The World Water Day Festival will feature water-related speakers , water-themed exhibitors, the awesome SPLASHMOBILE, games, crafts, free face painting, and much much more! Family Fun Day…..Free!
Sambreel, Carlsbad based social media company, has filed an antitrust lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California lawsuit against Facebook for unfair competition and interference with contract.
“We believe that Facebook engaged in a pattern of anticompetitive behavior in order to drive a competitor out of the market,” says Arie Trouw, CEO and President of Sambreel. “Although we attempted to work with Facebook to address each other’s concerns, those discussions did not progress, so we are moving forward with litigation. In addition to violating the law, we think Facebook’s actions — particularly its gating — violate its own first guiding principle: ‘People should have the freedom to share whatever information they want, in any medium and any format, and have the right to connect online with anyone — any person, organization or service — as long as they both consent to the connection (http://www.facebook.com/principles.php).'”
According to a story on the Courthouse New Service, Sambreel “offered a product known as PageRage, which challenged Facebook for sale of Internet display ads through the web browser add-on platform Yontoo.” For the rest of Sambreel’s side of the story, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
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The Riehl World: City Worker Pay Gap Widens
by Richard J. Riehl on April 5, 2012
Last week Carlsbad’s city council approved an amended employment agreement with City Manager Lisa Hildabrand, effective January 1, 2012, listing her new salary at $230,000.
Communications Director Kristina Ray told me Hildabrand’s $13,000 pay hike, which became effective November 28, was based on her 2008 contract.
You could hear the buzzing of angry city worker bees in Carlsbad and Escondido when they learned their bosses were getting huge salary increases while their own pay remained frozen. Adding insult to injury, some of Carlsbad’s lowest paid workers are facing cuts in take-home pay because of an increase in what they’re required to pay into the state’s retirement system.
The salary of Carlsbad’s city manager is linked to the second highest paid city manager in the county, excluding the city of San Diego. Annual increases are limited to the rise in California’s Consumer Price Index. But additional “salary adjustments” are allowed if the price of city managers is driven up by pay increases in other cities. [click to continue…]
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